Frank Sellman

Who was Frank Sellman?

Charles Francis Sellman or Selman was an American professional baseball player. He played catcher and other positions for five different teams during the five seasons of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, 1871 to 1875. He also played under the name of "Frank C. Williams."

In 1869, the 16- and 17-year-old Sellman participated in the first professional pennant race for the Maryland club of Baltimore. He was the regular shortstop, played in 19 of 27 games on record, and scored 42 runs, a little below the team average rate. He was a Baltimore native like most of his teammates. He returned to that club for one game in 1873, its only season in the professional Association.

The Kekionga club of Fort Wayne, Indiana hired several Baltimore natives in order to compete in the first professional league, the 1871 NA. Sellman was one. It would be his only league season as a regular player. As a frequent or infrequent substitute during the leagues remaining four seasons, he played for two teams based in Baltimore and two based in Washington, D.C.