Dave Bancroft, baseball player, 1915-1930

Dave Bancroft

⭐ Hall of Fame 1971

Born: 4/20/1891 in Sioux City, IA, USA

Died: 10/9/1972 in Superior, WI, USA

MLB Debut: 1915-04-14 | Final Game: 1930-05-31

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 160 lbs

Full name: David James Bancroft

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Biography

Dave Bancroft was a prominent American baseball player whose career spanned from 1915 to 1930. Born in 1891, Bancroft made a name for himself as a reliable position player during an era characterized by the transition from the deadball period to the more offensive-minded Roaring Twenties. Over the course of his career, he played in 1,913 games and recorded 2,004 hits, showcasing his consistent ability to get on base. With a career batting average of .279, Bancroft contributed significantly to his teams, driving in 591 runs and hitting 32 home runs. His speed on the bases was evident in his total of 145 stolen bases, underscoring his aggressive playing style. Bancroft was known for his defensive prowess as well, earning accolades for his skill at shortstop during a time when the position demanded both agility and strong throwing ability. He played for several teams throughout his career, including the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies, leaving a lasting impact on the game. His contributions to baseball were not only measured in statistics but also in the way he embodied the spirit of competition and sportsmanship during a transformative period in the sport's history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1913 7182 1048 2004 320 77 32 591 145 827 487 0.279 0.355 0.358 0.714 3422.9

Career AVG .279 vs. league average .276 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .355 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — +5.1% above league average.

Career SLG .358 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 5.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.714 vs. league average 0.717 across their career seasons — near 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
1915 PHI NL 153 563 85 143 18 2 7 30 15 77 62 0.254 .250 (+1%) .318 (+9%) .332 (-1%) .651 (+4%) 671.8
1916 PHI NL 142 477 53 101 10 0 3 33 15 74 57 0.212 .248 (-15%) .314 (+3%) .326 (-23%) .640 (-10%) -555.0
1917 PHI NL 127 478 56 116 22 5 4 43 14 44 42 0.243 .248 (-2%) .312 (-2%) .323 (+4%) .635 (+1%) 34.1
1918 PHI NL 125 499 69 132 19 4 0 26 11 54 36 0.265 .255 (+4%) .318 (+6%) .326 (-2%) .645 (+2%) 267.1
1919 PHI NL 92 335 45 91 13 7 0 25 8 31 30 0.272 .262 (+4%) .322 (+3%) .347 (+1%) .670 (+2%) 129.4
1920 PHI NL 42 171 23 51 7 2 0 5 1 9 12 0.298 .271 (+10%) .331 (+2%) .363 (avg) .694 (+1%) 7.5
1920 NY1 NL 108 442 79 132 29 7 0 31 7 33 32 0.299 .271 (+10%) .331 (+5%) .363 (+9%) .694 (+7%) 7.5
1921 NY1 NL 153 606 121 193 26 15 6 67 17 66 23 0.318 .286 (+11%) .344 (+13%) .395 (+11%) .739 (+12%) 1667.4
1922 NY1 NL 156 651 117 209 41 5 4 60 16 79 27 0.321 .285 (+12%) .345 (+15%) .397 (+5%) .743 (+10%) 1587.6
1923 NY1 NL 107 444 80 135 33 3 1 31 8 62 23 0.304 .282 (+7%) .344 (+13%) .390 (+2%) .734 (+7%) 821.2
1924 BSN NL 79 319 49 89 11 1 2 21 4 37 24 0.279 .283 (-2%) .345 (+3%) .389 (-13%) .734 (-6%) -218.4
1925 BSN NL 128 479 75 153 29 8 2 49 7 64 22 0.319 .288 (+11%) .349 (+14%) .407 (+5%) .756 (+9%) 1064.1
1926 BSN NL 127 453 70 141 18 6 1 44 3 64 29 0.311 .279 (+11%) .345 (+15%) .390 (-2%) .735 (+6%) 832.8
1927 BSN NL 111 375 44 91 13 4 1 31 5 43 36 0.243 .282 (-14%) .344 (-6%) .392 (-22%) .736 (-15%) -1011.8
1928 BRO NL 149 515 47 127 19 5 0 51 7 59 20 0.247 .280 (-12%) .342 (-5%) .395 (-23%) .737 (-15%) -1445.8
1929 BRO NL 104 358 35 99 11 3 1 44 7 29 11 0.277 .289 (-4%) .353 (-6%) .415 (-20%) .769 (-14%) -959.3
1930 NY1 NL 10 17 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0.059 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
24 93 10 16 1 0 0 7 6 10 0.172

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1923 WS NY1 6 24 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 0.083
1922 WS NY1 5 19 4 4 0 0 0 2 2 1 0.211
1921 WS NY1 8 33 3 5 1 0 0 3 1 5 0.152
1915 WS PHI 5 17 2 5 0 0 0 1 2 2 0.294

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 14 0 45 41 6 10
3B 3 0 1 2 0 0
OF 2 0 4 0 0 0
SS 1873 0 4623 6561 660 1017

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1915 PHI SS 153 0 336 492 64 60
1916 PHI SS 142 0 326 510 60 64
1917 PHI 2B 3 0 11 6 3 2
1917 PHI OF 2 0 4 0 0 0
1917 PHI SS 120 0 274 439 49 56
1918 PHI SS 125 0 371 457 64 57
1919 PHI SS 88 0 242 306 28 43
1920 PHI SS 42 0 106 153 5 28
1920 NY1 SS 108 0 256 445 40 67
1921 NY1 SS 153 0 396 546 39 105
1922 NY1 SS 156 0 405 579 62 93
1923 NY1 2B 11 0 34 35 3 8
1923 NY1 SS 96 0 246 381 43 54
1924 BSN SS 79 0 186 259 18 57
1925 BSN SS 125 0 300 459 44 81
1926 BSN 3B 2 0 1 2 0 0
1926 BSN SS 123 0 317 398 33 75
1927 BSN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1927 BSN SS 104 0 275 329 39 66
1928 BRO SS 149 0 350 484 46 66
1929 BRO SS 102 0 224 309 25 45
1930 NY1 SS 8 0 13 15 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 12
Third Base 3
Shortstop 1873
Left Field 2

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1926 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1926 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1923 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1923 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1921 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1921 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1915 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS
1915 Baseball Magazine All-Star SS

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1926 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 17.0 80 0
1925 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 41.0 80 0