Charles "Boss" Schmidt (September 12, 1880 – November 14, 1932) was an American baseball catcher for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB) A native of Arkansas, Schmidt played professional baseball from 1901 to 1926, including six seasons in MLB with Detroit from 1906 to 1911. He was the starting catcher on the Detroit teams that won three consecutive American League pennants from 1907 to 1909. He also led the American League in errors by a catcher in each of those seasons. Schmidt had a reputation for toughness enhanced by his grotesque-looking hands, the result of work as a coal miner and prizefighter. Following his MLB career, Schmidt played Minor League Baseball for another 15 seasons. He then coached and managed ballclubs before dying suddenly of an intestinal obstruction in 1932. Early years Schmidt was born on September 12, 1880, in London, Arkansas. His parents were immigrants from Germany. As a young man, Schmidt worked in the local coal mines, "cutting, shoveling, and pushing carts of coal". Professional baseball player Minor leagues Schmidt began his baseball career with a semipro baseball team in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In 1901, he joined the Little Rock Travelers of the Southern Association. Duke Finn, his manager at Little Rock, thought Schmidt showed good baseball judgment during games. Schmidt then played for the Springfield Reds of the Missouri Valley League (1902–1904), the Rock Island Islanders of the Three-I League (1903), and the Minneapolis Millers of the American Association (1904–1905). Detroit Tigers 1906 season In late August 1905, the Minneapolis Millers sold Schmidt, Davy Jones, and Ed Siever to the Detroit Tigers. Schmidt was initially a holdout from the Tigers' 1906 training camp, but he finally reported on March 21. During the 1906 season, Schmidt shared catching duties with John Warner and Fred Payne. He appeared in 68 games, 64 of which were as the team's starting catcher. Schmidt compiled a .218 batting average, not a great figure, but manager Bill Armour told him to concentrate on defense and handling the pitchers on the roster. Despite appearing in less than half the team's games, Schmidt ranked among the American League's best defensive catchers with 106 assists (fourth in the American League), 72 players caught stealing (fifth in the American League), and a 50.7 percent rate of catching runners attempting to steal (fourth in the American League). 1907 season In 1907, Schmidt appeared in 104 games,