John Butler, baseball player, 1901-1907

John Butler

Born: 7/26/1879 in Boston, MA, USA

Died: 2/2/1950 in Boston, MA, USA

MLB Debut: 1901-09-28 | Final Game: 1907-10-04

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'7" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: John Albert Butler

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Biography

John Butler, born in 1879, was a professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1901 to 1907. Primarily known as a position player, Butler participated in a total of 44 games during his time in Major League Baseball. He garnered 16 hits throughout his career, resulting in a batting average of .134, a reflection of the challenging hitting conditions of the early 20th century, a time when the sport was heavily influenced by the Deadball Era. Despite not being a power hitter—evidenced by his lack of home runs—Butler contributed to his teams with 3 runs batted in and demonstrated speed on the basepaths, although he did not record any stolen bases. His playing career, while brief and marked by limited statistical success, encapsulated an era of transformation in baseball, as the game was evolving both in terms of athletic performance and the introduction of new strategies. Butler's legacy, though understated, is a testament to the myriad players who shaped the foundations of the game during its formative years.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
44 119 6 16 2 0 0 3 0 14 14 0.134 0.231 0.151 0.383 -466.4

Career AVG .134 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 46.8% below league average.

Career OBP .231 vs. league average .310 across their career seasons — 25.3% below league average.

Career SLG .151 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 53.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.383 vs. league average 0.635 across their career seasons — 39.8% 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
1901 MLA AL 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1904 STL NL 12 37 0 6 1 0 0 1 0 4 5 0.162 — — — — 0.0
1906 BRO NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1907 BRO NL 30 79 6 10 1 0 0 2 0 9 7 0.127 .245 (-48%) .304 (-29%) .308 (-55%) .613 (-42%) -466.4

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
C 42 37 158 46 10 6
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1901 MLA C 1 0 2 0 0 0
1904 SLN C 12 12 49 11 2 2
1906 BRO C 1 0 1 1 0 0
1907 BRO C 28 25 106 34 8 4
1907 BRO OF 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 42
Left Field 1

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Fordham University New York NY 1901, 1902