Art Nichols

Who was Art Nichols?

Arthur Francis Nichols was a catcher, First baseman and Outfielder in Major League Baseball.

Nichols primarily played as a backup. Offensively, his best batting average year was in 1898, his rookie season, with the Chicago Orphans where he batted .286 with a slugging precentage of .310, although he did only play in 14 games, all at catcher. The following year his average dropped to .255 but his slugging improved to .362. He played in 17 games that year. In 1900, still with the Orphans, he played in eight games as catcher, batting .200 and slugging .200. Not much is known as to whether he was traded to the St.Louis or if he signed because of free agency, but once there he saw much more game play. Once in St. Louis he saw more play at other positions besides catcher.

In his first season for St. Louis, he made 93 appearance during the season, 47 at catcher, 40 playing in the outfield, and six as a pinch hitter. His offensive numbers improve from the year prior, batting .244 and slugging .308. He drove in a career high 33 RBIs. He was also hit ten times by pitch, which was fifth most in the league that year. Most of his appearances in 1902 were at first base.