Bones Ely, baseball player, 1884-1902

Bones Ely

Born: 6/7/1863 in North Girard, PA, USA

Died: 1/10/1952 in Imola, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1884-06-19 | Final Game: 1902-09-24

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 155 lbs

Full name: William Frederick Ely

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Biography

Bones Ely, born in 1863, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His career spanned from 1884 to 1902, a period characterized by the transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-minded game that would follow. Ely played a total of 1,343 games, amassing 1,333 hits and demonstrating his offensive prowess with a career batting average of .258. He contributed significantly to his teams, driving in 657 runs and hitting 24 home runs, which showcased his ability to impact games in multiple ways. In addition to his hitting, Ely was known for his speed on the bases, stealing 165 bases throughout his career. His playing style reflected the evolving nature of baseball during his time, as players began to embrace more aggressive tactics and strategies. Ely's contributions to the game and his notable statistics positioned him as a respected figure within the sport, leaving a legacy that resonates with baseball historians and fans alike.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 5 9 5 4 0 1 52.0 77 39 1 34 32 6.75 0

Career ERA 6.75 vs. league average 3.76 across their career seasons — 79.3% 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 BFN NL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 5.0 17 8 5 4 14.40 — 0.0
1886 LS2 AA 0 4 6 4 4 0 1 44.0 53 26 26 28 5.32 3.37 (-58%) -256.9
1890 SR2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 7 5 0 0 22.50 — 0.0
1894 STL NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 3 0 0.00 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1343 5167 656 1333 149 68 24 657 165 257 292 0.258 0.295 0.327 0.622 -14659.0

Career AVG .258 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .295 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 11.6% below league average.

Career SLG .327 vs. league average .361 across their career seasons — 9.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.622 vs. league average 0.695 across their career seasons — 10.5% 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 BFN NL 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1886 LS2 AA 10 32 5 5 0 0 0 6 1 2 0 0.156 — — — — 0.0
1890 SR2 AA 119 496 72 130 16 6 0 64 44 31 0 0.262 .260 (+1%) .336 (-9%) .351 (-9%) .687 (-9%) -945.3
1891 BRO NL 31 111 9 17 0 1 0 11 4 7 9 0.153 .254 (-40%) .331 (-39%) .343 (-50%) .675 (-45%) -805.2
1893 STL NL 44 178 25 45 1 6 0 16 2 17 13 0.253 .279 (-10%) .356 (-11%) .379 (-14%) .735 (-12%) -426.3
1894 STL NL 127 510 85 156 20 12 12 89 23 30 34 0.306 .309 (-1%) .379 (-9%) .435 (+6%) .814 (-1%) -280.4
1895 STL NL 118 471 68 122 16 2 1 47 29 19 18 0.259 .296 (-13%) .361 (-20%) .399 (-23%) .761 (-22%) -2210.7
1896 PIT NL 128 537 85 153 15 9 3 77 18 33 33 0.285 .290 (-2%) .354 (-8%) .387 (-6%) .741 (-7%) -877.7
1897 PIT NL 133 516 63 146 20 8 2 74 10 25 24 0.283 .291 (-3%) .354 (-10%) .387 (-6%) .741 (-8%) -1001.7
1898 PIT NL 148 519 49 110 14 5 2 44 6 24 34 0.212 .270 (-22%) .333 (-26%) .347 (-22%) .680 (-24%) -2614.0
1899 PIT NL 139 526 67 146 18 6 3 72 8 22 31 0.278 .282 (-2%) .343 (-9%) .366 (-4%) .710 (-6%) -803.3
1900 PIT NL 130 475 60 116 6 6 0 51 6 17 29 0.244 .279 (-12%) .338 (-20%) .366 (-23%) .705 (-21%) -2102.8
1901 PIT NL 65 240 18 50 6 3 0 28 5 6 28 0.208 .271 (-23%) .326 (-28%) .359 (-28%) .686 (-28%) -1214.4
1901 PHA AL 45 171 11 37 6 2 0 16 6 3 14 0.216 .271 (-20%) .326 (-30%) .359 (-24%) .686 (-26%) -1214.4
1902 WSN AL 105 381 39 100 11 2 1 62 3 21 23 0.262 .266 (-2%) .321 (-6%) .343 (-10%) .665 (-8%) -580.2

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 4 0 34 0 2 5
2B 10 0 21 38 4 2
3B 4 0 5 12 2 0
OF 84 0 186 13 20 1
P 9 0 2 10 0 0
SS 1238 0 2585 4328 578 474

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1884 BFN OF 1 0 0 0 1 0
1884 BFN P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1886 LS2 OF 5 0 7 0 1 0
1886 LS2 P 6 0 2 8 0 0
1890 SR2 1B 4 0 34 0 2 5
1890 SR2 2B 2 0 2 2 1 0
1890 SR2 3B 1 0 2 4 0 0
1890 SR2 OF 78 0 179 13 18 1
1890 SR2 P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1890 SR2 SS 36 0 81 123 12 14
1891 BRO 2B 1 0 1 4 0 0
1891 BRO 3B 2 0 3 7 2 0
1891 BRO SS 28 0 54 106 24 9
1893 SLN SS 44 0 98 139 25 16
1894 SLN 2B 1 0 3 4 2 0
1894 SLN P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1894 SLN SS 126 0 273 442 79 51
1895 SLN SS 118 0 248 408 53 52
1896 PIT SS 128 0 258 432 62 52
1897 PIT SS 133 0 308 451 60 41
1898 PIT SS 148 0 311 527 51 58
1899 PIT 2B 6 0 15 28 1 2
1899 PIT SS 133 0 277 476 58 46
1900 PIT SS 130 0 242 503 52 62
1901 PIT 3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1901 PIT SS 64 0 112 215 30 23
1901 PHA SS 45 0 85 156 23 19
1902 WS1 SS 105 0 238 350 49 31

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 9
First Base 4
Second Base 10
Third Base 4
Shortstop 1238
Left Field 74
Center Field 9
Right Field 1