Jake Daubert was one of three prominent National League first basemen of the first twenty years of the twentieth century, along with Ed Konetchy and Jack Fournier. The three were each born between 1884 and 1889 in the midwest: Daubert in Pennsylvania coal country; Konetchy in the lumber town of La Crosse, Wisconsin; and Fournier in Michigan in a small town on Lake Huron. Daubert won two batting titles, Fournier won a home run crown, and Konetchy was a speed merchant.
As players they were pretty dissimilar. Fournier was a terrible defensive first baseman, while Daubert and Konetchy were known for being slick with the glove. After Daubert pissed off Brooklyn’s owner in a contract dispute and was traded to the Reds, Konetchy replaced him with the team, which was known as the Robins at the time. A few years later, Fournier replaced Konetchy at first base in Brooklyn. Thus, all three played for the precursor to the Dodgers, each a star in their own right, even if only for a brief time. Fournier was the slugger and the better of the three, while Daubert was most like a deadball era player, only hitting more than eight homers in a season once.
Daubert was very intelligent, he was elected vice-president of the Players’ Fraternity during his career and he frequently stood up to the front office in labor disputes. He was a close friend with Zack Wheat, the Hall of Fame outfielder who was his teammate for many years in Brooklyn. After Daubert died suddenly following the 1924 season due to a spleen condition, Wheat supported his widow and children financially for several years.
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