Frank Bonner, baseball player, 1894-1903

Frank Bonner

Born: 8/20/1869 in Lowell, MA, USA

Died: 12/31/1905 in Kansas City, MO, USA

MLB Debut: 1894-04-26 | Final Game: 1903-06-26

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'7" | Weight: 169 lbs

Full name: Frank J. Bonner

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Frank Bonner was an American professional baseball player, born in 1869, who made his mark in the major leagues from 1894 until his retirement in 1903. A versatile position player, Bonner was known for his reliable batting and base running skills during an era that was transitioning from the power-focused styles of the early game to a more strategic approach. Over the course of his career, he appeared in 246 games, accumulating 244 hits and achieving a batting average of .257. His offensive contributions included 4 home runs and 115 runs batted in, alongside 28 stolen bases, showcasing his ability to impact the game both at the plate and on the bases. Bonner's playing career unfolded during a time when the game was experiencing significant changes, including the rise of the modern era and the evolution of player roles. His consistent performance helped to lay the groundwork for future generations of players, as he navigated the competitive landscape of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Though not a household name, Bonner's contributions to the teams he played for remain a testament to the foundational players of baseball's early professional leagues.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
246 949 115 244 44 8 4 115 28 55 60 0.257 0.305 0.333 0.638 -1373.7

Career AVG .257 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — 9.0% below league average.

Career OBP .305 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 11.1% below league average.

Career SLG .333 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 11.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.638 vs. league average 0.720 across their career seasons — 11.3% 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
1894 BLN NL 33 118 27 38 10 2 0 24 12 17 5 0.322 .309 (+4%) .379 (+9%) .435 (+1%) .814 (+5%) 131.5
1895 BLN NL 11 42 9 14 1 1 0 7 4 5 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1895 STL NL 15 59 3 8 0 1 1 8 2 1 8 0.136 .296 (-54%) .361 (-55%) .399 (-45%) .761 (-50%) 0.0
1896 BRO NL 9 34 8 6 2 0 0 5 1 2 8 0.176 — — — — 0.0
1899 WAS NL 85 347 41 95 20 4 2 44 6 18 13 0.274 .282 (-3%) .343 (-9%) .366 (+1%) .710 (-4%) -328.8
1902 CLE AL 34 132 14 37 6 0 0 14 1 5 6 0.280 .266 (+5%) .321 (-3%) .343 (-5%) .665 (-4%) -95.7
1902 PHA AL 11 44 2 8 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0.182 — — — — -95.7
1903 BSN NL 48 173 11 38 5 0 1 10 2 7 18 0.220 .261 (-16%) .316 (-17%) .345 (-23%) .662 (-20%) -559.8

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 190 0 416 552 72 66
3B 23 0 20 29 20 3
C 1 0 1 0 0 0
OF 9 0 12 0 0 0
SS 23 0 41 50 9 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1894 BLN 2B 27 0 60 62 13 8
1894 BLN 3B 2 0 4 1 1 1
1894 BLN OF 4 0 2 0 0 0
1894 BLN SS 1 0 1 2 0 0
1895 BLN 3B 11 0 8 15 8 2
1895 SLN 3B 10 0 8 13 11 0
1895 SLN C 1 0 1 0 0 0
1895 SLN OF 5 0 10 0 0 0
1896 BRO 2B 9 0 8 35 4 3
1899 WAS 2B 85 0 192 264 29 34
1902 CLE 2B 34 0 67 89 16 5
1902 PHA 2B 11 0 25 34 4 4
1903 BSN 2B 24 0 64 68 6 12
1903 BSN SS 22 0 40 48 9 7

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1
Second Base 190
Third Base 23
Shortstop 23
Left Field 2
Center Field 1
Right Field 6