John Elias Bass (July 22, 1848 – September 25, 1888) was an American professional baseball player who played shortstop in the major leagues from 1871-1877. He played for the Cleveland Forest Citys, Brooklyn Atlantics, and Hartford Dark Blues.

John Bass
Shortstop
Born: (1848-07-22)July 22, 1848 Charleston, South Carolina
Died: September 25, 1888(1888-09-25) (aged 40) Denver, Colorado
Batted: Switch Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 4, 1871, for the Cleveland Forest Citys
Last MLB appearance
August 20, 1877, for the Hartford Dark Blues
MLB statistics
Batting average	.290
Home runs	3
Runs batted in	19
Teams
National Association of Base Ball Players Union of Morrisania (1870)   National Association of Professional BBP Cleveland Forest Citys (1871) Brooklyn Atlantics (1872) Hartford Dark Blues (1877)

In 1871, he led the National Association in triples with ten.^[1]

Bass served in Company F of the 1st New York Cavalry Regiment during the American Civil War.^[2] He is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.