| Position | First baseman |
|---|---|
| Bats | Right |
| Throws | Right |
| Birth date | January 21, 1879 |
| Birth place | Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Death date | May 9, 1944 (aged 65) |
| Death place | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Debutleague | MLB |
| Debutdate | July 9 |
| Debutteam | Cincinnati Reds |
| Finalleague | MLB |
| Finaldate | October 7 |
| Finalteam | Cincinnati Reds |
| Statleague | MLB |
| Stat1label | Batting average |
| Stat1value | .208 |
| Stat2label | Home runs |
| Stat2value | 0 |
| Stat3label | Runs batted in |
| Stat3value | 21 |
| Teams |
|
John Wesley "Snake" Deal (January 21, 1879 – May 9, 1944) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman and professional basketball player. He played half of one season for the Cincinnati Reds in .
He also played professional basketball as a guard from 1899 to 1919 for various Pennsylvania teams in different leagues. Deal was considered one of the first and best players in the National Basketball League (NBL), the first professional basketball league ever formed.[1] In 1904, he played for the Germantown Pros in matchups against teams like Allentown YMCA; during this period, he was also noted as the captain of the famous Camden team.[2] He is the earliest recorded player to make use of the jump shot.[3]
References
- ^ Loverro, Thom. "Happy Birthday, “Snake” Deal". Mighty Casey Baseball. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
- ^ "Allentown YMCA vs. Germantown". The Allentown Leader. January 20, 1904. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
- ^ "SNAKE DEAL". Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2020-09-08.