Otto Hess

Born: 10/10/1878 in Bern, Bern, Switzerland

Died: 2/25/1926 in Tucson, AZ, USA

MLB Debut: 1902-08-03 | Final Game: 1915-06-13

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Otto C. Hess

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Biography

Otto Hess was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1902 to 1915. Born in 1878, he played during a transformative period in baseball, characterized by the early development of the modern game and its evolving pitching styles. Over his career, Hess recorded a win-loss record of 70-90 and achieved an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.98, showcasing his effectiveness on the mound during an era when pitching was becoming increasingly prominent. Hess was known for his ability to strike out batters, finishing his career with a total of 580 strikeouts. While his record may not reflect a dominant win-loss percentage, his contributions to the game were significant, particularly in a time when pitchers often faced more challenging conditions and competition. Additionally, he recorded 5 saves, indicating his capability to close out games in critical moments. Otto Hess remains a notable figure in early 20th-century baseball, illustrating the evolution of pitching in the sport's history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
70	90	198	165	129	18	5	1418.0	1355	469	25	448	580	2.98	0

Career ERA 2.98 vs. league average 2.85 across their career seasons — near 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
1902	CLE	AL	2	4	7	4	4	0	0	43.7	67	29	23	13	5.98	3.17 (-88%)	-606.6
1904	CLE	AL	8	7	21	16	15	4	0	151.3	134	28	31	64	1.67	2.66 (+37%)	788.6
1905	CLE	AL	10	15	26	25	22	4	0	213.7	179	75	72	109	3.16	2.82 (-12%)	654.3
1906	CLE	AL	20	17	43	36	33	7	3	333.7	274	68	85	167	1.83	2.68 (+31%)	1485.3
1907	CLE	AL	6	6	17	14	7	0	1	93.3	84	30	37	36	2.89	2.50 (-16%)	-1485.5
1908	CLE	AL	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	7.0	11	4	1	2	5.14	—	0.0
1912	BSN	NL	12	17	33	31	21	0	0	254.0	270	106	90	80	3.76	3.36 (-12%)	-1814.2
1913	BSN	NL	7	17	29	27	19	2	0	218.3	231	93	70	80	3.83	3.07 (-25%)	-3239.2
1914	BSN	NL	5	6	14	11	7	1	1	89.0	89	30	33	24	3.03	2.93 (-4%)	-1289.4
1915	BSN	NL	0	1	4	1	1	0	0	14.0	16	6	6	5	3.86	2.90 (-33%)	-182.9

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
280	714	63	154	21	9	5	58	4	27	212	0.216	0.248	0.291	0.540	-1448.6

Career AVG .216 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 14.7% below league average.

Career OBP .248 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 21.1% below league average.

Career SLG .291 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 11.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.540 vs. league average 0.645 across their career seasons — 16.3% 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
1902	CLE	AL	7	14	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	6	0.071	—	—	—	—	0.0
1904	CLE	AL	34	100	4	12	2	1	0	5	0	3	27	0.120	.246 (-51%)	.300 (-52%)	.321 (-50%)	.622 (-51%)	-773.6
1905	CLE	AL	54	173	15	44	8	1	2	13	2	7	59	0.254	.248 (+2%)	.307 (-5%)	.322 (+7%)	.629 (+1%)	-4.3
1906	CLE	AL	53	154	13	31	5	2	0	11	1	2	53	0.201	.247 (-19%)	.307 (-31%)	.315 (-18%)	.622 (-24%)	-642.5
1907	CLE	AL	19	30	4	4	0	0	0	0	1	4	8	0.133	—	—	—	—	0.0
1908	CLE	AL	9	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1912	BSN	NL	33	94	10	23	4	4	0	10	0	0	26	0.245	.268 (-9%)	.335 (-27%)	.358 (+4%)	.694 (-11%)	-242.1
1913	BSN	NL	35	83	9	26	0	1	2	11	0	7	15	0.313	.259 (+21%)	.325 (+13%)	.345 (+19%)	.670 (+16%)	213.9
1914	BSN	NL	31	47	5	11	1	0	1	6	0	1	11	0.234	—	—	—	—	0.0
1915	BSN	NL	5	5	1	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	0.400	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	6	0	20	0	0	1
OF	51	46	71	10	5	2
P	198	91	96	380	30	11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1902	CLE	P	7	0	4	16	3	0
1904	CLE	OF	12	10	12	4	2	0
1904	CLE	P	21	16	13	45	3	0
1905	CLE	OF	28	28	52	5	3	2
1905	CLE	P	26	25	22	62	6	0
1906	CLE	OF	5	3	4	1	0	0
1906	CLE	P	43	36	25	86	6	4
1907	CLE	OF	2	1	0	0	0	0
1907	CLE	P	17	14	6	26	2	0
1908	CLE	OF	4	4	3	0	0	0
1908	CLE	P	4	0	1	3	0	0
1912	BSN	P	33	0	11	47	3	3
1913	BSN	P	29	0	11	58	4	2
1914	BSN	1B	5	0	19	0	0	1
1914	BSN	P	14	0	3	33	2	2
1915	BSN	1B	1	0	1	0	0	0
1915	BSN	P	4	0	0	4	1	0