Sparky Adams, baseball player, 1922-1934

Sparky Adams

Born: 8/26/1894 in Zerbe, PA, USA

Died: 2/24/1989 in Pottsville, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1922-09-18 | Final Game: 1934-09-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'5" | Weight: 151 lbs

Full name: Earl John Adams

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Biography

Sparky Adams, born in 1894, enjoyed a notable career as a position player in Major League Baseball from 1922 to 1934. Over the course of 1,424 games, he established himself as a reliable hitter, accumulating 1,588 hits and achieving a career batting average of .286. Known for his keen eye at the plate and adept base-running skills, Adams stole 154 bases throughout his career, demonstrating a blend of speed and agility that was highly regarded during his playing days. Adams's offensive contributions included 9 home runs and 394 runs batted in (RBIs), showcasing his ability to drive in runs when it mattered most. His tenure in the league coincided with the transition away from the deadball era, as players began to embrace a more aggressive style of play. Adams became a respected figure in the game, known for his work ethic and versatility on the field, which contributed to his lasting legacy in baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1424 5557 844 1588 249 48 9 394 154 453 223 0.286 0.343 0.353 0.695 -5694.1

Career AVG .286 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .343 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .353 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 11.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.695 vs. league average 0.741 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1922 CHC NL 11 44 5 11 0 1 0 3 1 4 3 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1923 CHC NL 95 311 40 90 12 0 4 35 20 26 10 0.289 .282 (+2%) .344 (avg) .390 (-6%) .734 (-3%) -132.7
1924 CHC NL 117 418 66 117 11 5 1 27 15 40 20 0.280 .283 (-1%) .345 (avg) .389 (-13%) .734 (-7%) -523.5
1925 CHC NL 149 627 95 180 29 8 2 48 26 44 15 0.287 .288 (avg) .349 (-3%) .407 (-10%) .756 (-6%) -821.1
1926 CHC NL 154 624 95 193 35 3 0 39 27 52 27 0.309 .279 (+11%) .345 (+6%) .390 (-4%) .735 (+1%) 221.4
1927 CHC NL 146 647 100 189 17 7 0 49 26 42 26 0.292 .282 (+4%) .344 (-3%) .392 (-13%) .736 (-8%) -1090.2
1928 PIT NL 135 539 91 149 14 6 0 38 8 64 18 0.276 .280 (-2%) .342 (+4%) .395 (-18%) .737 (-8%) -588.6
1929 PIT NL 74 196 37 51 8 1 0 11 3 15 5 0.260 .289 (-10%) .353 (-11%) .415 (-25%) .769 (-18%) -678.5
1930 STL NL 137 570 98 179 36 9 0 55 7 45 27 0.314 .293 (+7%) .354 (+3%) .429 (-5%) .784 (-1%) -136.7
1931 STL NL 143 608 97 178 46 5 1 40 16 42 24 0.293 .276 (+6%) .338 (+1%) .388 (avg) .726 (+1%) 4.4
1932 STL NL 31 127 22 35 3 1 0 13 0 14 5 0.276 .275 (avg) .335 (+5%) .391 (-20%) .726 (-8%) -124.2
1933 STL NL 8 30 1 5 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1933 CIN NL 137 538 59 141 21 1 1 22 3 44 30 0.262 .270 (-3%) .329 (-3%) .377 (-18%) .707 (-11%) 0.0
1934 CIN NL 87 278 38 70 16 1 0 14 2 20 10 0.252 .278 (-9%) .340 (-10%) .392 (-19%) .733 (-15%) -783.4

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 25 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 5 0.160

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1931 WS SLN 2 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.250
1930 WS SLN 6 21 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 0.143

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 551 0 1321 1888 85 332
3B 532 0 425 943 58 101
OF 4 0 5 1 0 1
SS 297 0 536 916 87 163

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1922 CHN 2B 11 0 18 35 5 5
1923 CHN OF 1 0 3 1 0 1
1923 CHN SS 79 0 153 248 28 44
1924 CHN 2B 19 0 55 66 3 15
1924 CHN SS 88 0 169 277 28 62
1925 CHN 2B 144 0 354 551 16 90
1925 CHN SS 5 0 13 22 0 5
1926 CHN 2B 136 0 324 485 29 93
1926 CHN 3B 19 0 12 35 2 4
1926 CHN SS 2 0 2 3 0 0
1927 CHN 2B 60 0 149 194 2 34
1927 CHN 3B 53 0 45 107 6 12
1927 CHN SS 40 0 82 142 10 23
1928 PIT 2B 107 0 265 343 18 54
1928 PIT OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1928 PIT SS 27 0 52 97 1 14
1929 PIT 2B 20 0 33 48 5 5
1929 PIT 3B 15 0 7 24 2 1
1929 PIT OF 2 0 2 0 0 0
1929 PIT SS 30 0 33 58 10 8
1930 SLN 2B 25 0 62 85 4 25
1930 SLN 3B 104 0 66 159 8 18
1930 SLN SS 7 0 12 20 4 3
1931 SLN 3B 138 0 118 223 13 29
1931 SLN SS 6 0 9 16 5 1
1932 SLN 3B 30 0 25 42 5 11
1933 SLN 3B 3 0 0 6 2 1
1933 SLN SS 5 0 5 16 1 2
1933 CIN 3B 132 0 121 272 15 15
1933 CIN SS 8 0 6 17 0 1
1934 CIN 2B 29 0 61 81 3 11
1934 CIN 3B 38 0 31 75 5 10

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 552
Third Base 534
Shortstop 301
Left Field 2
Right Field 2

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1931 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 18.0 80 0