Nathaniel Frederick Pfeffer (March 17, 1860 – April 10, 1932), nicknamed "Dandelion" and "Fritz", was an American baseball player.

Pfeffer was one of the last barehanded fielders in baseball, and he was the first player to foil a double steal by cutting off a catcher's throw to second base and returning it to home plate.

He was a manager at the collegiate and minor-league levels, and after his baseball career he ran a successful Chicago bar until Prohibition.

[1] In 1881, Pfeffer asserted himself as a staunch opponent to racial integration in baseball, walking off the field with teammate John Reccius when an opposing team tried to play black catcher Moses Fleetwood Walker.

Pfeffer was teammates with four future members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, but the Trojans finished in seventh place and the team was dissolved that December.

When the opposition attempted a stolen base, he was the first major-league infielder to cut off throws from the catcher and return the ball to home plate to avoid the double steal.

[5] Pfeffer was often among the league leaders in errors, but these totals were influenced by the fact that he was able to come close to the ball on some impossibly difficult plays.

[6] In a game against the Detroit Wolverines on September 6, 1883, Pfeffer, Tom Burns and Ned Williamson each collected a record-breaking three hits in one inning for Chicago.

[11] In his first season with the Colonels, he served as player-manager for part of the year, assuming the managerial duties from Jack Chapman.

He signed with the New York Giants in 1896, where owner Andrew Freedman quickly suspended him, ostensibly for being in poor physical condition.

He broke his arm while throwing a ball before the 1902 season, and that ended Pfeffer's playing career for good.