Late Bloomers: Bobby Veach

It was a hard life.

That could be said for a lot of people born in coal country in the late 19th century, and it was true for Bobby Veach as well. Though he would eventually leave that part of the country, life didn’t get much easier, even when he finally became a major leaguer.

Though he got a late start playing ball, Veach was eventually blessed with a life away from the poverty and coal mines of his youth, but was cursed to find himself overshadowed as the least famous outfielder in Detroit, on top of being the peacemaker between hard, cruel teammates. Those teams always seemed to come up short, lost behind dynasties in Philadelphia and Boston, and by the time Veach moved on he was forced to play for even worse squads. Then came retirement, and hard work back in the coal business, and the loss of a child, and a five-year illness that took his life before even reaching the age of sixty. Like I said, it was a hard life.

And yet, Bobby Veach smiled through most of it.

Bobby Veach batted in the heart of one of the best lineups in baseball for a dozen seasons, and kept teammates Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford from killing each other. (Getty Images)