George W. Shafer [sometimes spelled Shaffer or Schaefer[1]] (October 4, 1851 – January 21, 1922) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball.

[2] He was a "promising young Philadelphia amateur"[3] before starting his professional baseball career in 1874 in the National Association.

"[1][4] Another player of the era, future Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Orator Jim O'Rourke, shared the same nickname.

The White Stockings traveled to Indianapolis to play an exhibition game in June, and the local sheriff was waiting for both him and teammate Silver Flint.

After the game, Shafer and Flint escaped the ballpark in a horse-drawn carriage to avoid arrest, and only their manager, Anson, was taken to jail.

[2] The 50 outfield assists was 20 more than any other NL player and established a major league record that has never been broken.

He continued his good hitting and fielding during his first year with the club, batting .266 with an OPS+ of 125 and leading the league again with 35 assists.

The following season, he played 21 games for the American Association's Philadelphia Athletics, hit .268,[2] and then spent the next few years in the minor leagues.

[12] Shafer moved on to the Western Association's Des Moines team in 1888, and he played well, batting .338 and leading the league in hits.

[15] In his final major league season, he played in 100 games, batted .282, and led the AA's outfielders with a .958 fielding percentage.

[20] He died in Philadelphia in 1922 and was buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.