Lew Brown, baseball player, 1876-1884

Lew Brown

Born: 2/1/1858 in Leominster, MA, USA

Died: 1/15/1889 in Boston, MA, USA

MLB Debut: 1876-06-17 | Final Game: 1884-10-19

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Lewis J. Brown

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Biography

Lew Brown, born in 1858, was a notable position player in Major League Baseball during the late 19th century. His professional career spanned from 1876 until June 17, 1884, a period marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensive-minded game. Over the course of his career, he participated in 378 games, where he accumulated 379 hits, 10 home runs, and 169 runs batted in, finishing with a batting average of .248. Brown's playing style reflected the characteristics of his time, focusing on contact hitting and the foundational skills necessary for a position player during an era that was still developing in terms of offensive strategy and player specialization. Despite a career that did not feature stolen bases, Brown's contributions to his teams were significant in both defensive and offensive roles. As the game evolved, he played a part in paving the way for future generations of players who would push the boundaries of the sport. Brown's time in baseball coincided with a period of immense change in the league, including the formalization of rules and the increasing popularity of the sport in America, marking him as a figure of historical importance in the early years of Major League Baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
378 1531 205 379 83 31 10 169 0 45 155 0.248 0.269 0.362 0.631 446.0

Career AVG .248 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .269 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .362 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +9.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.631 vs. league average 0.613 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
1876 BSN NL 45 195 23 41 6 6 2 21 0 3 22 0.210 .265 (-21%) .277 (-20%) .320 (+4%) .598 (-7%) -262.1
1877 BSN NL 58 221 27 56 12 8 1 31 0 6 33 0.253 .271 (-7%) .289 (-6%) .337 (+17%) .626 (+6%) 139.2
1878 PRO NL 58 243 44 74 21 6 1 43 0 7 37 0.305 .259 (+17%) .278 (+16%) .319 (+42%) .597 (+30%) 986.1
1879 PRO NL 53 229 23 59 13 4 2 38 0 4 24 0.258 .255 (+1%) .270 (avg) .328 (+14%) .599 (+8%) 217.8
1879 CHC NL 6 21 2 6 1 0 0 3 0 1 4 0.286 — — — — 217.8
1881 DTN NL 27 108 16 26 3 1 3 14 0 3 16 0.241 .260 (-7%) .290 (-10%) .338 (+10%) .628 (+1%) -8.1
1881 PRO NL 18 75 9 18 3 1 0 10 0 4 13 0.240 .260 (-8%) .290 (-4%) .338 (-9%) .628 (-7%) -8.1
1883 BSN NL 14 54 5 13 4 1 0 9 0 3 6 0.241 .257 (-6%) .285 (-2%) .345 (+2%) .631 (avg) -1.3
1883 LS2 AA 14 60 6 11 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.183 .257 (-29%) .285 (-31%) .345 (-28%) .631 (-29%) -1.3
1884 BSU UA 85 325 50 75 18 3 1 0 0 13 0 0.231 .243 (-5%) .278 (-7%) .327 (-4%) .606 (-5%) -300.4

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 2 0 0 0 1 2.0 6 6 0 5 0 27.00 0

Career ERA 27.00 vs. league average 3.02 across their career seasons — 794.1% 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
1878 PRO NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 2 4 0 18.00 — 0.0
1884 BSU UA 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1.0 6 4 1 0 36.00 — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 118 0 1183 32 73 58
C 248 0 1485 376 245 31
OF 23 0 15 2 6 0
P 2 0 0 1 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1876 BSN C 45 0 192 45 40 4
1876 BSN OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1877 BSN 1B 4 0 27 0 0 0
1877 BSN C 55 0 360 67 49 5
1878 PRO 1B 15 0 178 3 11 7
1878 PRO C 45 0 232 84 43 11
1878 PRO OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1878 PRO P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1879 PRO C 48 0 286 63 63 5
1879 PRO OF 6 0 4 1 3 0
1879 CHN 1B 6 0 72 2 2 5
1881 DTN 1B 27 0 252 8 11 20
1881 PRO 1B 5 0 52 1 2 4
1881 PRO OF 13 0 9 1 2 0
1883 BSN 1B 14 0 146 2 9 7
1883 LS2 1B 14 0 134 5 17 6
1883 LS2 C 1 0 1 0 0 0
1884 BSU 1B 33 0 322 11 21 9
1884 BSU C 54 0 414 117 50 6
1884 BSU OF 2 0 1 0 1 0
1884 BSU P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 2
Catcher 248
First Base 118
Center Field 1
Right Field 23