Fred Goldsmith, baseball player, 1875-1884

Fred Goldsmith

Born: 5/15/1856 in New Haven, CT, USA

Died: 3/28/1939 in Berkley, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1875-10-23 | Final Game: 1884-09-10

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Fredrick Ernest Goldsmith

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Biography

Fred Goldsmith was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1875 to 1884. Born in 1856, Goldsmith made his mark during the formative years of professional baseball, a time when the game was rapidly evolving and establishing its identity. He compiled a career record of 112 wins and 68 losses, showcasing his effectiveness on the mound with an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.73. Over his nine-year career, he recorded 433 strikeouts, highlighting his ability to overpower batters and influence the outcome of games. Additionally, Goldsmith collected one save, underscoring his versatility as a pitcher. Goldsmith's career unfolded during an era characterized by the transition from the early days of baseball to a more organized sport, with the establishment of leagues and standardized rules. His contributions to the game were significant, as he helped set the foundation for future generations of pitchers. Goldsmith's playing style emphasized control and strategy, which were crucial in a period when the sport was still finding its footing. His achievements on the field have secured his place in baseball history, making him a noteworthy figure from the sport's early days.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
112 68 189 185 174 16 1 1609.7 1685 488 38 171 433 2.73 0

Career ERA 2.73 vs. league average 2.94 across their career seasons — 7.2% 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
1879 TRN NL 2 4 8 7 7 0 0 63.0 61 11 1 31 1.57 2.50 (+37%) 1108.8
1880 CHC NL 21 3 26 24 22 4 1 210.3 189 41 18 90 1.75 2.37 (+26%) -
1881 CHC NL 24 13 39 39 37 5 0 330.0 328 95 44 76 2.59 2.77 (+7%) -
1882 CHC NL 28 17 45 45 45 4 0 405.0 377 109 38 109 2.42 2.80 (+14%) -
1883 CHC NL 25 19 46 45 40 2 0 383.3 456 134 39 82 3.15 3.22 (+2%) -
1884 CHC NL 9 11 21 21 20 1 0 188.0 245 89 29 34 4.26 3.11 (-37%) -
1884 BL2 AA 3 1 4 4 3 0 0 30.0 29 9 2 11 2.70 3.11 (+13%) 202.3

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
219 855 128 193 33 10 3 75 0 26 125 0.226 0.249 0.298 0.547 -1314.8

Career AVG .226 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 9.7% below league average.

Career OBP .249 vs. league average .278 across their career seasons — 10.5% below league average.

Career SLG .298 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 9.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.547 vs. league average 0.607 across their career seasons — 10.0% 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
1875 NH1 1 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1879 TRN NL 9 38 6 9 1 0 0 2 0 1 3 0.237 — — — — 0.0
1880 CHC NL 35 142 24 37 4 2 0 15 0 2 15 0.261 .244 (+6%) .267 (+1%) .319 (-1%) .586 (avg) -1.4
1881 CHC NL 42 158 24 38 3 4 0 16 0 6 17 0.241 .260 (-8%) .290 (-8%) .338 (-8%) .628 (-8%) -197.7
1882 CHC NL 46 183 23 42 11 1 0 19 0 4 29 0.230 .248 (-8%) .275 (-11%) .329 (-9%) .605 (-10%) -275.6
1883 CHC NL 60 235 38 52 12 3 1 16 0 4 35 0.221 .257 (-14%) .285 (-18%) .345 (-10%) .631 (-14%) -539.5
1884 CHC NL 22 81 11 11 2 0 2 6 0 7 26 0.136 .243 (-44%) .278 (-27%) .327 (-28%) .606 (-28%) -300.7
1884 BL2 AA 4 14 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.143 — — — — -300.7

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 9 0 49 0 4 0
2B 1 0 4 3 3 0
OF 33 0 45 11 18 1
P 189 0 96 351 60 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1875 NH1 2B 1 0 4 3 3 0
1879 TRN 1B 1 0 4 0 0 0
1879 TRN OF 2 0 3 1 2 1
1879 TRN P 8 0 2 13 3 0
1880 CHN 1B 4 0 34 0 3 0
1880 CHN OF 10 0 10 4 6 0
1880 CHN P 26 0 11 49 2 0
1881 CHN OF 3 0 3 2 3 0
1881 CHN P 39 0 18 95 18 2
1882 CHN 1B 1 0 7 0 1 0
1882 CHN P 45 0 26 67 6 0
1883 CHN 1B 2 0 4 0 0 0
1883 CHN OF 16 0 28 3 7 0
1883 CHN P 46 0 23 86 17 3
1884 CHN OF 2 0 1 1 0 0
1884 CHN P 21 0 7 34 12 0
1884 BL2 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1884 BL2 P 4 0 9 7 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 189
First Base 9
Second Base 1
Left Field 11
Center Field 16
Right Field 6