Buck Becannon, baseball player, 1884-1887

Buck Becannon

Born: 8/22/1859 in New York, NY, USA

Died: 11/5/1923 in New York, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1884-10-15 | Final Game: 1887-05-28

Height: 5'10" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: James Melvin Becannon

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Biography

Buck Becannon, born in 1859, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in the late 19th century, a period marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensive-minded game. He made his Major League debut on October 15, 1884, and continued to compete until May 28, 1887. Throughout his career, Becannon appeared in a total of 11 games, finishing with a record of 3 wins and 8 losses. His earned run average (ERA) stood at 5.93, reflecting the challenges pitchers faced during this era, as the game was evolving with players increasingly focusing on hitting. Becannon recorded a total of 15 strikeouts during his brief career, showcasing moments of skill on the mound despite the overall difficulties in securing victories. While he did not achieve notable fame or recognition, his contributions to the game were part of the larger tapestry of early baseball history, as players like him laid the groundwork for future generations. Buck Becannon's career serves as a reminder of the rich narrative of baseball's past, during a time when the sport was still finding its identity and establishing the foundations for what would become America's pastime.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
3 8 11 11 11 0 0 91.0 110 60 5 26 15 5.93 0

Career ERA 5.93 vs. league average 3.08 across their career seasons — 92.7% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1884 NY4 AA 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 6.0 2 1 2 2 1.50 — 0.0
1885 NY4 AA 2 8 10 10 10 0 0 85.0 108 59 24 13 6.25 3.03 (-106%) -2885.9

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
12 41 3 10 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 0.244 0.279 0.244 0.523 0.0

Career AVG .244 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .279 vs. league average .298 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.

Career SLG .244 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — 28.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.523 vs. league average 0.638 across their career seasons — 18.1% 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
1884 NY4 AA 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1885 NY4 AA 10 33 3 10 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0.303 — — — — 0.0
1887 NY1 NL 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1884 WS NY4 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 1 1 0 6.0 9 7 2 1 10.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1884 WS NY4 0 1 1 1 0 6.0 9 7 2 1 10.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 1 0 2 2 2 0
P 11 0 1 19 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1884 NY4 P 1 0 0 2 0 0
1885 NY4 P 10 0 1 17 1 0
1887 NY1 3B 1 0 2 2 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 11
Third Base 1