While he enjoyed a fine 17-year major league career, the finest part being the 7 ½ seasons he spent in the Steel City, Patsy Donovan was more known as a manager who had the second worst winning percentage of all-time for guys who managed 10 or more seasons, and the scout who convinced Boston to sign Babe Ruth.
    
Patsy did not possess much power, but was a decent hitter, with good speed and a good accurate, powerful arm in the outfield.  He came into the majors in 1890 with Brooklyn during the player shortage caused by the Players League, but was good enough to stick around 16 more seasons, finishing his time in the show with 518 stolen bases, 29th best in the history of the league, 2,256 hits and a .301 average.
    
After bouncing around with four teams between the American Association and the National League his first four seasons, Donovan was signed by the Pirates in the middle of the 1892 campaign.  He would provide an immediate impact to the team in his first full year, hitting .317, which would prove to be the first of 6 consecutive seasons he eclipsed the.300 plateau with the club, including a career high .322 in 1897.  During that time he used he speed to twice finish in the top 10 in stolen bases that included a career best 56 in 1892.
    
While being one of the best hitters on the club, Donovan would also show his leadership abilities and took over control of the team as manager in 1897.  After a year hiatus, he once again was named skipper in 1899 and led the team to a 69-58 mark, making his total Pirate managerial record of 129-129.  It would be his only success of any kind as a major league manager as he went 555-750 for a .425 winning percentage afterwards with 4 different teams.  In fact his career winning percentage of .438 is the second lowest of all time for men who had managed at least 10 years.
    
In 1900 when Barney Dreyfuss bought the team and brought his best players over from Louisville, including Fred Clarke who was named manager, Patsy’s days were numbered and he was sold to St Louis for$1,000.
    
Through it all, probably the thing Donovan was most noted for in his major league career was the fact he convinced Red Sox owner Joe Lannin to sign a young Babe Ruth to a contract in 1914 when Donovan was a scout with the club. 
Not a bad legacy to leave the game he loved.