19th Century		Bill Traffley
		Full Name: William Franklin Traffley Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5-11 Weight: 185 Born: Dec 21, 1859 in Staten Island, NY Major League Debut: July 27, 1878 Died: June 23, 1908 in Des Moines, Iowa

[From the New York Clipper July 18, 1883.]
William Traffley, one of the catchers of the Cincinnati Club, hails from Chicago, Ill., and is about twenty-five years old. Traffley played short-stop for amateur clubs of Chicago for several seasons, although his professional career may be said to have been commenced in 1878, when he caught in several games for the League club of that city. During the four succeeding seasons he caught for the Union Pacific Club - a semi-professional organization of Omaha, Neb. - and by his clever work behind the bat earned a wide-spread reputation throughout the West. One of the most noteworthy performances then credited to Traffley was the retiring of twenty-one men without an error behind the bat in a game of nine innings. At the commencement of the present season Traffley was engaged by the Cincinnati Club, and he has since alternated with Snyder as catcher, generally filling that position to the pitching of Deagle. His performance behind the bat this season has been especially brilliant, and stamps him as a decided acquisition to the present champion nine of the American Association. One of his strong points as a catcher is his throwing to the bases, which is remarkable both for accuracy and speed, and makes it almost a matter of impossibility for the most adroit base-stealer to make headway in that direction. Traffley, who is also a good batsman and base-runner, is a very earnest, hard-working and plucky player, and his services doubtless will be eagerly sought for next season.

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