Doc Gessler

Born: 12/23/1880 in Greensburg, PA, USA

Died: 12/26/1924 in Allegheny County, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1903-04-22 | Final Game: 1911-10-07

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Henry Homer Gessler

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Biography

Doc Gessler, born in 1880, was a prominent American baseball player whose career spanned from 1903 to 1911. Renowned for his versatility as a position player, Gessler participated in a total of 880 games during his time in Major League Baseball. He made a significant impact on the field with a career batting average of .28, showcasing his ability to hit consistently. Over the course of his career, he accumulated 831 hits, including 14 home runs and 363 runs batted in (RBIs). Additionally, Gessler demonstrated a keen sense of base running, achieving 142 stolen bases, which reflected the aggressive style of play characteristic of the era. Gessler’s playing years coincided with a transformative period in baseball, transitioning from the deadball era into a more offensive-minded game. His contributions were particularly notable for his ability to combine hitting with speed, making him a valuable asset to his teams. As he played for several clubs throughout his career, including the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees, Gessler left a lasting legacy as a skilled athlete who embodied the spirit of early 20th-century baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
880	2969	370	831	127	50	14	363	142	333	367	0.280	0.370	0.370	0.741	9855.9

Career AVG .280 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +11.7% above league average.

Career OBP .370 vs. league average .312 across their career seasons — +18.8% above league average.

Career SLG .370 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — +13.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.741 vs. league average 0.637 across their career seasons — +16.2% 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	DET	AL	29	105	9	25	5	4	0	12	1	3	23	0.238	.261 (-9%)	.316 (-14%)	.345 (+5%)	.662 (-4%)	-115.6
1903	BRO	NL	49	154	20	38	8	3	0	18	9	17	34	0.247	.261 (-6%)	.316 (+16%)	.345 (-2%)	.662 (+6%)	-115.6
1904	BRO	NL	104	341	41	99	18	4	2	28	13	30	44	0.290	.246 (+18%)	.300 (+18%)	.321 (+19%)	.622 (+19%)	1144.3
1905	BRO	NL	126	431	44	125	17	4	3	46	26	38	56	0.290	.248 (+17%)	.307 (+19%)	.322 (+14%)	.629 (+17%)	1480.8
1906	BRO	NL	9	33	3	8	1	2	0	4	3	3	2	0.242	—	—	—	—	0.0
1906	CHC	NL	34	83	8	21	3	0	0	10	4	12	12	0.253	.247 (+2%)	.307 (+15%)	.315 (-8%)	.622 (+3%)	0.0
1908	BOS	AL	128	435	55	134	13	14	3	63	19	51	47	0.308	.240 (+28%)	.298 (+32%)	.306 (+38%)	.605 (+35%)	2836.5
1909	BOS	AL	111	396	57	115	24	1	0	46	16	31	53	0.290	.244 (+19%)	.306 (+16%)	.312 (+14%)	.618 (+15%)	1069.7
1909	WSN	AL	17	54	10	13	2	1	0	8	4	12	2	0.241	.244 (-1%)	.306 (+32%)	.312 (+1%)	.618 (+16%)	1069.7
1910	WSN	AL	145	487	58	126	17	12	2	50	18	62	54	0.259	.249 (+4%)	.317 (+14%)	.326 (+9%)	.644 (+11%)	1250.1
1911	WSN	AL	128	450	65	127	19	5	4	78	29	74	40	0.282	.266 (+6%)	.336 (+21%)	.356 (+5%)	.693 (+12%)	1588.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1906	WS	CHN	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	120	118	1107	89	36	58
2B	1	1	1	1	0	0
OF	713	499	915	95	59	15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1903	DET	OF	28	0	36	1	1	1
1903	BRO	OF	43	0	56	4	1	1
1904	BRO	1B	1	0	10	1	1	0
1904	BRO	2B	1	1	1	1	0	0
1904	BRO	OF	88	84	170	15	16	2
1905	BRO	1B	107	107	998	77	30	54
1905	BRO	OF	12	10	19	2	3	0
1906	BRO	1B	9	9	79	9	5	4
1906	CHN	1B	1	1	4	0	0	0
1906	CHN	OF	21	18	27	4	0	0
1908	BOS	OF	126	124	162	8	9	4
1909	BOS	OF	109	105	135	18	11	1
1909	WS1	1B	1	1	11	1	0	0
1909	WS1	OF	16	16	19	1	0	1
1910	WS1	OF	144	142	161	23	9	3
1911	WS1	1B	1	0	5	1	0	0
1911	WS1	OF	126	0	130	19	9	2