Charles Frederick Koenig, professionally known as Silver King, was an American Major League Baseball player active during the late nineteenth century. Born in 1868, Koenig spent the majority of his ten-year career, which lasted from 1886 through 1897, playing as a pitcher.\n\nThroughout his decade in the major leagues, Koenig played for a variety of teams. His career began with the Kansas City Cowboys in 1886, followed by a stint with the St. Louis Browns from 1887 to 1889. He later played for the Chicago Pirates in 1890, the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1891, the New York Giants from 1892 to 1893, the Cincinnati Reds in 1893, and concluded his career with the Washington Senators from 1896 to 1897. He acquired his famous moniker, "Silver King," from St. Louis newspapers, which combined a shortening of his German surname with a reference to his prematurely gray hair.
