Lewis (frequently Louis) Schoeneck was a graceful but somewhat oversized first baseman of the 1880s who got his major league start with Chicago and Pittsburgh of the Union Association, and then a few years later landed with Indianapolis.

Schoenbeck started his career playing amateur baseball in Chicago, but his first professional gig was with Springfield (IL) in the Northwestern League. When the Union Association formed and a franchise was placed in Chicago, Ed Hengel acquired a number of players from that Springfield team to play in Chicago for 1884. Schoenbeck was among the best hitters for Chicago, batting .317 with a little power. His only two major league homers came with the Chicago Unions. However, that team wouldn’t finish the season (Justin McKinney wrote that the Unions drew well on Sunday, but not any other day of the week) and the franchise would move to Pittsburgh. Schoenbeck’s batting slipped in the new home and with the Union Association folding at the end of the season, he would have to search for a new place to play professionally.

“It is likely that Schoeneck, the ‘Jumbo’ of the Baltimore Unions, will hold down the first bag. Schoeneck’s playing in the last four games seen on the local grounds, won him many admirers here, while his record is the best in the association.”

“World of Sports,” Milwaukee Sentinel, November 10, 1884: 5.

Schoeneck found a home in Milwaukee, but only temporarily in 1885. Manager Tom Loftus liked his play around the bag, but even the writers noticed that he was “…decidedly slow.” By late June, however, Milwaukee folded. It was thought that Schoeneck might land in either Boston or Oswego out east. For a while, at least, he hung around Milwaukee and played semi-professional baseball. A month later, he finally signed with Newark in the Eastern League, where things didn’t work out as planned. Getting just five hits in his 15 games, he was one of a few ballplayers that were released. Among the new recruits? Sam Trott (also born on March 3).

For 1886 and 1887, Schoenbeck found himself in Portland, Maine playing in the New England League. While stats aren’t available, Schoenbeck played well in Portland for 1886; even Newark inquired as to reacquiring Schoenbeck for the 1887 season. (Portland politely declined.) His second season was especially productive, batting .316 with 3 homers and a surprising 31 stolen bases (!). And, it was in Portland that he met his future wife (see below).

One thing that changed in 1887, other than Schoeneck’s marital status, was that his size was more and more becoming fair game to an evolving baseball reporting. To wit:

“The score of the Hartford game printed yesterday did not reveal the fact that Schoeneck did part of the pitching. He did however and did good work. As the pitcher’s quarters have been considerably reduced in size it could probably be said in truth that he ‘filled the box.’”

“Base Ball,” Portland Daily Press, April 19, 1887: 4.

If you check out Baseball-Reference.com, Jumbo Schoeneck has a listed weight of 223. However, by 1887 Schoeneck is given a weight of 235, making him the heaviest player in the New England League. A year later, the Lemont Press listed his size as 6′ 5-1/2 and 247. The height was exaggerated, likely, but the weight probably wasn’t. Someone also leaked Schoenbeck’s measurements for his 1888 Chicago Maroons uniform.

“Schoenbeck, the big first baseman who will play with the Chicago Maroons, was measured for his uniform last week. A few of the measurements are: waist, 46, hip 54, chest 47, cap 7-5/8, collar 18-1/2, shoes 11.

“Diamond Dust, Decatur Herald, February 26, 1888: 2.

In 1888 he was playing with the Chicago Maroons when the Indianapolis Hoosiers called and asked him to play first base. (In his last Maroons game, he was an emergency pitcher, fanning two and allowing no hits in two innings.) In about a third of a season for Indianapolis he fielded well but his batting was pretty light for a man of his size. In 1889 Schoenbeck played sixteen games for Indianapolis with less than desirable statistics – and his major league career came to an end. He was released to New Haven in the Atlantic Association where he would play through 1890.

Near the end of his career, he was referred to as “…the largest man in the base ball profession.” This was in 1891, when Spokane showed an interest in signing Schoeneck to play first base. Instead of landing there, he signed with Seattle for that year, but was closer to home in 1892 where he professional baseball days finally came to an end.

In fairness to Schoeneck, his fielding was usually dependable and occasionally amazing. He was especially adept at reaching and catching wide throws in a full split or seated, and invariably with one hand. While in Milwaukee he would play games of baseball on roller skates and was nimble if not graceful – and I’d bet he was both. And, Schoenbeck was loved and appreciated by fans wherever he played. He wasn’t really a major league hitter and even in lower leagues he often batted near the bottom of the lineup – but he was an alert base runner despite his size.

Lewis N. (probably Nicholas) Schoeneck was the son of Nicholas and Salome (Wohlhoelten) Schoeneck, a pair of German imports. Nicholas was a laborer; Sarah raised a baseball lineup of children. Lewis married Myra B. Rich in Portland, Maine in December 1887 having met when Lewis was playing baseball in Portland. They had one son, Lyle, who lived to adulthood and a second child that did not. Schoeneck was a retired solicitor for an express company when he passed to the next league.

Lewis was a Chicago native; born there March 3, 1862, and died there on January 20, 1930. His remains are in Mount Emblem cemetery in Elmhurst, Illinois, a western suburb.

Sources:

1900, 1910, 1920 US Census Records
Maine Marriage Records
Illinois Death Records

“Notes,” Portland Daily Press, July 10, 1886: 1.
“Union Affairs at Chicago,” Cincinnati Enquirer, February 10, 1884: 13.
“World of Sports,” Milwaukee Sentinel, November 10, 1884: 5.
“Athletic Sports,” Milwaukee Sentinel, March 23, 1885: 5.
“Good Players Snapped Up,” Milwaukee Sentinel, June 25, 1885: 2.
“Local Baseball Notes,” Milwaukee Sentinel, July 19, 1885: 7.
“In the Base Ball World,” Lancaster Daily Intelligencer, August 24, 1885: 1.
“New Players for Portland,” Boston Globe, July 10, 1886: 5.
“Base Ball,” Portland Daily Press, March 7, 1887: 1.
“Base Ball,” Portland Daily Press, April 19, 1887: 4.
“Base Ball Gossip,” Portland Evening Express, May 6, 1887: 4.
“Ball Talk,” Lemont Press, March 10, 1888: 2.
“Base Ball Notes,” Sioux City Journal, August 16, 1888: 2.
“News of the Diamond,” Spokane Chronicle, January 6, 1891: 5.
“Schoeneck,” Chicago Tribune, April 5, 1910: 20. (Nicholas Schoeneck Obit)

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