Rube Foster, baseball player

Rube Foster

⭐ Hall of Fame 1981

Born: 9/17/1879 in La Grange, TX, USA

Died: 12/9/1930 in Kankakee, IL, USA

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 230 lbs

Full name: Andrew Bishop Foster

📋 View Manager Career

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Rube Foster, born in 1879, was a pivotal figure in the history of baseball, renowned for his contributions as a position player and his profound impact on the game beyond his playing career. Although his official career statistics reflect no games played, Foster's legacy is firmly anchored in his role as a pioneering team owner and manager in the Negro Leagues. He was instrumental in establishing the Chicago American Giants and served as a key advocate for the integration of African American players into professional baseball during an era of segregation. Foster's vision extended beyond the diamond as he was a driving force behind the formation of the Negro National League in 1920, which provided a structured environment for black players to showcase their talents. His leadership and commitment to the sport earned him induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, cementing his status as one of the most significant figures in baseball history. Rube Foster's legacy is not just measured by statistics but by his enduring influence on the game and his relentless fight for equality in a challenging period for African American athletes.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
29.0 29.0 5.0 10.0 1.0 2.0 0 2.0 0 0 0 0.345 0.345 0.517 0.862

Pitching

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
16.0 0 0 6.0 6.0 0 0 0.0 28.0 12.0 3.0 3.0 0 0 0.48

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1903 18.0 18.0 3.0 6.0 1.0 1.0 0 2.0 0 0 0 0.333 0.333 0.500 0.833
1904 10.0 10.0 2.0 4.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.400 0.400 0.600 1.000
1913 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
1903 10.0 0 0 4.0 4.0 0 0 0.0 19.0 6.0 2.0 0 0 0 0.50
1904 6.0 0 0 2.0 2.0 0 0 0.0 9.0 6.0 1.0 3.0 0 0 0.45

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
49 17 82 73 62 7 1 662.3 546 165 11 176 354 2.24 0

Career ERA 2.24 vs. league average 2.84 across their career seasons — 21.1% better 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
1903 CXG EAS 4 0 4 4 4 1 0 36.0 19 3 7 19 0.75 3.10 (+76%) 749.9
1904 PG IND 4 0 4 4 4 0 0 36.0 21 6 9 41 1.50 2.66 (+44%) 168.2
1905 PG EAS 2 0 3 3 3 0 0 32.0 21 4 3 21 1.12 2.82 (+60%) 514.4
1906 PG EAS 4 2 10 8 7 1 1 72.0 62 16 21 39 2.00 2.68 (+25%) 625.2
1907 LEL WES 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 7 0 1 4 0.00 2.50 (+100%) 0.0
1908 LEL WES 5 1 6 6 6 0 0 54.0 46 12 18 26 2.00 2.40 (+17%) -11.6
1909 LEL WES 2 0 2 2 2 2 0 18.0 11 0 4 11 0.00 2.55 (+100%) 389.0
1910 LEL WES 3 0 4 4 4 0 0 40.0 29 5 5 20 1.12 2.79 (+60%) 592.1
1911 CAG WES 4 1 8 5 3 0 0 56.7 46 13 12 33 2.06 3.37 (+39%) 1176.6
1912 CAG WES 6 2 10 8 7 0 0 74.3 66 17 17 31 2.06 3.36 (+39%) 1214.8
1913 CAG WES 4 3 8 8 5 1 0 63.3 75 33 21 38 4.69 3.07 (-53%) 358.3
1914 CAG WES 5 4 10 9 7 2 0 72.7 57 20 25 32 2.48 2.93 (+15%) -79.4
1915 CAG WES 2 2 7 6 4 0 0 53.3 48 24 13 20 4.05 2.90 (-40%) 596.5
1916 CAG WES 1 1 2 2 2 0 0 18.0 17 2 9 8 1.00 2.78 (+64%) -93.0
1917 CAG WES 2 1 3 3 3 0 0 27.0 21 10 11 11 3.33 2.69 (-24%) 1.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
139 440 52 131 18 6 4 61 10 20 0 0.298 0.331 0.393 0.724 263.6

Career AVG .298 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +18.0% above league average.

Career OBP .331 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .393 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — +19.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.724 vs. league average 0.645 across their career seasons — +12.2% above 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
1903 CXG EAS 5 17 3 6 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0.353 — — — — 0.0
1904 PG IND 7 24 6 9 2 1 0 4 2 1 0 0.375 — — — — 0.0
1905 PG EAS 10 43 2 15 1 1 0 10 3 1 0 0.349 — — — — 0.0
1906 PG EAS 19 72 10 23 5 2 0 9 2 3 0 0.319 .247 (+29%) .307 (+16%) .315 (+41%) .622 (+28%) 263.6
1907 LEL WES 2 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1908 LEL WES 13 41 8 14 2 0 1 10 0 1 0 0.341 — — — — 0.0
1909 LEL WES 5 14 1 5 2 0 0 4 0 1 0 0.357 — — — — 0.0
1910 LEL WES 7 18 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1911 CAG WES 9 21 2 6 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1912 CAG WES 18 47 2 13 2 1 0 7 0 2 0 0.277 — — — — 0.0
1913 CAG WES 12 36 2 8 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0.222 — — — — 0.0
1914 CAG WES 13 45 9 19 2 0 3 11 1 1 0 0.422 — — — — 0.0
1915 CAG WES 12 34 4 9 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 0.265 — — — — 0.0
1916 CAG WES 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1917 CAG WES 4 14 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.071 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 27 8 227 22 17 10
3B 1 0 1 1 1 0
OF 22 16 16 6 3 0
P 82 26 26 178 18 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1903 CXG P 4 4 1 12 1 0
1904 PG OF 2 2 6 6 1 0
1904 PG P 4 4 2 5 0 1
1905 PG OF 7 7 7 0 1 0
1905 PG P 3 3 2 7 0 1
1906 PG 1B 5 5 43 4 4 1
1906 PG OF 8 6 2 0 1 0
1906 PG P 10 8 4 26 3 2
1907 LEL OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
1907 LEL P 1 1 0 3 0 0
1908 LEL 1B 3 3 34 2 1 2
1908 LEL OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1908 LEL P 6 6 4 14 2 0
1909 LEL 1B 2 0 12 1 1 2
1909 LEL OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1909 LEL P 2 0 0 7 0 0
1910 LEL 1B 1 0 4 1 0 1
1910 LEL OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1910 LEL P 4 0 3 12 0 0
1911 CAG P 8 0 1 15 2 0
1912 CAG 1B 6 0 41 1 3 2
1912 CAG P 10 0 2 18 0 0
1913 CAG 1B 3 0 18 6 2 1
1913 CAG 3B 1 0 1 1 1 0
1913 CAG P 8 0 2 19 2 0
1914 CAG 1B 3 0 28 4 0 0
1914 CAG P 10 0 2 16 7 0
1915 CAG 1B 3 0 36 2 6 1
1915 CAG P 7 0 2 13 1 1
1916 CAG P 2 0 1 5 0 0
1917 CAG 1B 1 0 11 1 0 0
1917 CAG P 3 0 0 6 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 82
First Base 27
Third Base 1
Left Field 3
Center Field 1
Right Field 18