Sommer and Jimmy Macullar unsuccessfully attempted to engineer the departure of Pop Corkhill and Chick Fulmer from the Reds in 1883, and as a consequence Sommer and Macullar were sent to Baltimore that offseason. There, they helped engineer a turnaround for the Orioles in 1884, which secured the status of manager Billy Barnie. Cincinnati replaced Sommer that season by signing Browns outfielder Tom Mansell, with a $400 raise as an inducement.\n', '

In 1886, Sommer set the record for the lowest single-season batting average (.209) by a player with 500 or more at-bats. His record was broken in 1888 by Al Myers of the Washington Nationals, who hit .207 that year.\n', '

In the 1880s, the New York Clipper praised Sommer as one of the strongest defensive outfielders in baseball.\n', '

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