Bob Ferguson, baseball player, 1871-1884

Bob Ferguson

Born: 1/31/1845 in Brooklyn, NY, USA

Died: 5/3/1894 in Brooklyn, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1871-05-18 | Final Game: 1884-07-01

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 149 lbs

Full name: Robert Vavasour Ferguson

📋 View Manager Career

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Bob Ferguson, born in 1845, was a professional baseball player who made his mark in the early days of Major League Baseball. He played as a pitcher from 1871 until his retirement on July 1, 1884. Ferguson’s career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, as the sport was transitioning from its nascent years into a more organized and competitive framework. Throughout his career, Ferguson compiled a record of 1-3 with an earned run average (ERA) of 5.65, reflecting the challenges pitchers faced in an era dominated by aggressive hitting and evolving strategies. He recorded a total of 1 strikeout, showcasing the different approach to pitching at the time, which often relied more on contact than on overpowering hitters. Despite limited statistical accomplishments, Ferguson was part of the foundational era of baseball, contributing to the development of the game as it grew in popularity and complexity. His time in the league coincided with the establishment of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, marking a significant chapter in the sport’s history.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 3.00

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1945 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Pitching

Season W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
1945 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 3.00

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
1 3 11 4 4 0 0 57.3 110 36 3 7 1 5.65 0

Career ERA 5.65 vs. league average 2.95 across their career seasons — 91.5% 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
1871 NY2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 8 3 0 0 27.00 — 0.0
1873 BR2 0 1 4 1 1 0 0 19.3 41 12 2 0 5.59 3.40 (-64%) -660.1
1874 BR2 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 12 4 3 0 4.00 2.19 (-83%) 0.0
1875 HR1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 9 5 0 0 22.50 — 0.0
1877 HAR NL 1 1 3 2 2 0 0 25.0 38 11 2 1 3.96 2.81 (-41%) -120.4
1883 PHI NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 1 0 0 9.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
824 3467 544 920 102 30 1 357 16 128 136 0.265 0.292 0.313 0.604 60.2

Career AVG .265 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .292 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .313 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 5.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.604 vs. league average 0.614 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
1871 NY2 33 158 30 38 6 1 0 25 4 3 2 0.241 .286 (-16%) .311 (-18%) .383 (-24%) .695 (-22%) -540.9
1872 BR2 37 164 33 46 3 0 0 19 4 3 0 0.280 .285 (-2%) .296 (-1%) .347 (-14%) .644 (-8%) -171.6
1873 BR2 51 228 36 59 3 5 0 25 1 4 8 0.259 .290 (-11%) .304 (-11%) .357 (-12%) .661 (-11%) -417.5
1874 BR2 56 245 34 64 4 0 0 19 5 2 7 0.261 .273 (-4%) .282 (-5%) .333 (-17%) .615 (-12%) -385.0
1875 HR1 85 366 65 88 10 4 0 43 2 3 5 0.240 .253 (-5%) .260 (-5%) .309 (-7%) .570 (-6%) -324.3
1876 HAR NL 69 310 48 82 8 5 0 32 0 2 11 0.265 .265 (avg) .277 (-3%) .320 (+1%) .598 (-1%) -82.9
1877 HAR NL 58 254 40 65 7 2 0 35 0 3 10 0.256 .271 (-6%) .289 (-8%) .337 (-11%) .626 (-10%) -389.8
1878 CHC NL 61 259 44 91 10 2 0 39 0 10 12 0.351 .259 (+35%) .278 (+35%) .319 (+27%) .597 (+31%) 1228.7
1879 TRN NL 30 123 18 31 5 2 0 4 0 4 3 0.252 .255 (-1%) .270 (+2%) .328 (-1%) .599 (avg) 9.9
1880 TRN NL 82 332 55 87 9 0 0 22 0 24 24 0.262 .244 (+7%) .267 (+17%) .319 (-10%) .586 (+2%) 321.4
1881 TRN NL 85 339 56 96 13 5 1 35 0 29 12 0.283 .260 (+9%) .290 (+17%) .338 (+6%) .628 (+11%) 755.2
1882 TRN NL 81 319 44 82 15 2 0 32 0 23 21 0.257 .248 (+4%) .275 (+11%) .329 (-4%) .605 (+3%) 263.2
1883 PHI NL 86 329 39 85 9 2 0 27 0 18 21 0.258 .257 (avg) .285 (+4%) .345 (-14%) .631 (-6%) -206.2
1884 PT1 AA 10 41 2 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.146 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 3 0 34 0 4 0
2B 353 10 1131 1075 267 169
3B 397 111 742 1105 466 45
C 9 3 34 3 10 0
OF 6 0 5 0 2 0
P 11 1 4 12 3 1
SS 59 0 72 232 46 17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1871 NY2 2B 11 10 29 22 13 4
1871 NY2 3B 20 20 31 58 26 3
1871 NY2 C 5 3 19 0 4 0
1871 NY2 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1872 BR2 3B 37 36 86 178 63 8
1872 BR2 C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1873 BR2 3B 50 0 109 211 109 10
1873 BR2 P 4 0 0 4 1 0
1874 BR2 3B 55 55 79 158 75 1
1874 BR2 C 2 0 8 1 4 0
1874 BR2 P 1 1 0 3 1 1
1875 HR1 3B 85 0 173 157 69 7
1875 HR1 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1876 HAR 3B 69 0 124 133 54 5
1877 HAR 3B 56 0 109 155 50 6
1877 HAR P 3 0 4 4 1 0
1878 CHN 2B 4 0 13 10 4 0
1878 CHN C 1 0 7 2 2 0
1878 CHN SS 57 0 71 226 40 17
1879 TRN 2B 6 0 24 26 5 4
1879 TRN 3B 24 0 29 55 20 5
1880 TRN 2B 82 0 294 255 58 38
1881 TRN 2B 85 0 263 254 55 47
1882 TRN 2B 79 0 247 221 44 38
1882 TRN SS 2 0 1 6 6 0
1883 PHI 2B 86 0 261 287 88 38
1883 PHI P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1884 PT1 1B 3 0 34 0 4 0
1884 PT1 3B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1884 PT1 OF 6 0 5 0 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 11
Catcher 9
First Base 3
Second Base 353
Third Base 396
Shortstop 59
Center Field 1
Right Field 5