Ducky Holmes

Born: 1/28/1869 in Des Moines, IA, USA

Died: 8/5/1932 in Truro, IA, USA

MLB Debut: 1895-08-08 | Final Game: 1905-09-29

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'6" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: James William Holmes

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Biography

Ducky Holmes, born in 1869, was a professional baseball pitcher who played from 1895 until his final game on September 29, 1905. Throughout his career, he was known for his unique style of play during a time when baseball was evolving and transitioning from the deadball era to a more modern game. Holmes made a total of 12 appearances in Major League Baseball, recording a win-loss record of 1-1 and finishing his career with an earned run average (ERA) of 6.58. He struck out 3 batters over the course of his time in the league, yet did not register any saves, which reflects the limited role he occupied on the mound. Holmes played in an era characterized by the rapid growth of baseball's popularity and the establishment of professional leagues. While his career statistics may not reflect the dominant performances of some of his contemporaries, he contributed to the rich tapestry of early baseball history. As the game evolved, Holmes' experiences as a pitcher during this formative period remain a part of the narrative that shaped the future of the sport. His time in the league, albeit brief, places him among the myriad of players who paved the way for the generations that followed.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
1	1	4	2	1	0	0	26.0	42	19	1	12	3	6.58	0

Career ERA 6.58 vs. league average 4.57 across their career seasons — 44.0% 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
1895	LS3	NL	1	0	2	1	1	0	0	14.0	16	9	4	0	5.79	4.77 (-21%)	-284.0
1896	LS3	NL	0	1	2	1	0	0	0	12.0	26	10	8	3	7.50	4.36 (-72%)	-130.6

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
933	3605	540	1014	142	58	17	375	236	236	304	0.281	0.336	0.367	0.703	1883.8

Career AVG .281 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .336 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .367 vs. league average .355 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.703 vs. league average 0.684 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
1895	LS3	NL	40	161	33	60	10	2	3	20	9	12	9	0.373	.296 (+26%)	.361 (+18%)	.399 (+29%)	.761 (+24%)	698.4
1896	LS3	NL	47	141	22	38	3	2	0	18	8	13	5	0.270	.290 (-7%)	.354 (+2%)	.387 (-18%)	.741 (-8%)	-150.4
1897	LS3	NL	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1897	NY1	NL	80	310	52	82	8	6	1	45	30	18	31	0.265	.291 (-9%)	.354 (-12%)	.387 (-13%)	.741 (-12%)	0.0
1898	STL	NL	23	101	9	24	1	1	0	0	4	2	11	0.238	.270 (-12%)	.333 (-22%)	.347 (-23%)	.680 (-23%)	-379.3
1898	BLN	NL	113	442	54	126	10	9	1	64	25	23	41	0.285	.270 (+5%)	.333 (avg)	.347 (+2%)	.680 (+1%)	-379.3
1899	BLN	NL	138	553	80	177	31	7	4	66	50	39	58	0.320	.282 (+13%)	.343 (+11%)	.366 (+15%)	.710 (+13%)	1517.3
1901	DET	AL	131	537	90	158	28	10	4	62	35	37	27	0.294	.271 (+8%)	.326 (+6%)	.359 (+13%)	.686 (+10%)	956.5
1902	DET	AL	92	362	50	93	15	4	2	33	16	28	28	0.257	.266 (-4%)	.321 (-1%)	.343 (-2%)	.665 (-1%)	-68.2
1903	WSN	AL	21	71	13	16	3	1	1	8	10	5	9	0.225	.261 (-14%)	.316 (-10%)	.345 (-2%)	.662 (-6%)	-69.8
1903	CHW	AL	86	344	53	96	7	5	0	18	25	25	32	0.279	.261 (+7%)	.316 (+6%)	.345 (-5%)	.662 (avg)	-69.8
1904	CHW	AL	68	251	42	78	11	9	1	19	13	14	21	0.311	.246 (+26%)	.300 (+18%)	.321 (+36%)	.622 (+27%)	1014.6
1905	CHW	AL	92	328	42	66	15	2	0	22	11	19	30	0.201	.248 (-19%)	.307 (-16%)	.322 (-20%)	.629 (-18%)	-999.7

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	3	0	5	5	3	0
3B	11	0	11	16	6	0
OF	884	149	1607	137	143	30
P	4	0	1	7	0	0
SS	11	0	16	30	15	5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1895	LS3	3B	4	0	5	4	3	0
1895	LS3	OF	29	0	32	7	11	1
1895	LS3	P	2	0	1	4	0	0
1895	LS3	SS	8	0	11	17	7	1
1896	LS3	2B	1	0	0	2	1	0
1896	LS3	OF	33	0	43	6	13	1
1896	LS3	P	2	0	0	3	0	0
1896	LS3	SS	1	0	1	3	5	2
1897	LS3	SS	1	0	4	4	0	2
1897	NY1	OF	78	0	115	9	13	2
1897	NY1	SS	1	0	0	6	3	0
1898	SLN	OF	22	0	39	6	5	3
1898	BLN	OF	113	0	247	13	18	4
1899	BLN	OF	138	0	321	24	27	5
1901	DET	OF	131	0	217	18	24	5
1902	DET	OF	92	0	155	16	9	5
1903	WS1	2B	2	0	5	3	2	0
1903	WS1	3B	4	0	3	7	1	0
1903	WS1	OF	14	0	26	5	3	0
1903	CHA	3B	3	0	3	5	2	0
1903	CHA	OF	82	0	151	14	6	0
1904	CHA	OF	63	61	111	8	3	3
1905	CHA	OF	89	88	150	11	11	1