Henry Kessler

Born: 7/27/1851 in Brooklyn, NY, USA

Died: 1/8/1900 in Franklin, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1873-08-04 | Final Game: 1877-06-16

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 144 lbs

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Biography

Henry Kessler was a professional baseball player born in 1851, who played in the late 19th century, an era characterized by the transition from the early days of baseball to a more organized and competitive sport. Kessler’s career spanned from 1873 to June 16, 1877, during a time when the game was still evolving, and the foundations for modern baseball were being laid. He was primarily recognized as a position player, participating in a total of 105 games throughout his career. Kessler recorded 110 hits with a batting average of .253, contributing 23 RBIs to his teams. While he did not hit any home runs or steal bases, his consistent hitting and ability to get on base were valuable to his teams in an era where the game emphasized contact and strategy over power. Kessler's contributions to the game during its formative years reflect the challenges and developments of baseball as it grew in popularity and complexity. His career, although brief, remains a part of the rich tapestry of baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
105	434	51	110	8	0	0	23	0	10	15	0.253	0.270	0.272	0.542	-279.4

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — 5.8% below league average.

Career OBP .270 vs. league average .280 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .272 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 17.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.542 vs. league average 0.609 across their career seasons — 11.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1873	BR2		1	5	0	1	0	1	0	0	0.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
1874	BR2		14	56	8	17	1	4	0	2	0.304	.273 (+11%)	.282 (+8%)	.333 (-4%)	.615 (+2%)	18.2
1875	BR2		25	105	17	26	2	7	1	2	0.248	.253 (-2%)	.260 (-2%)	.309 (-14%)	.570 (-9%)	-102.3
1876	CN1	NL	59	248	26	64	5	11	7	10	0.258	.265 (-3%)	.277 (avg)	.320 (-13%)	.598 (-7%)	-195.3
1877	CN1	NL	6	20	0	2	0	0	2	1	0.100	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	3	0	23	1	2	1
2B	5	3	15	6	12	0
3B	1	1	0	2	1	2
C	17	8	51	15	33	2
OF	27	1	33	9	16	2
SS	64	0	81	171	67	12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1873	BR2	1B	1	0	14	1	2	0
1874	BR2	2B	4	3	12	5	10	0
1874	BR2	3B	1	1	0	2	1	2
1874	BR2	C	9	8	36	6	15	0
1874	BR2	OF	4	1	4	0	3	0
1875	BR2	1B	1	0	3	0	0	0
1875	BR2	2B	1	0	3	1	2	0
1875	BR2	C	3	0	8	1	3	1
1875	BR2	OF	7	0	9	2	8	0
1875	BR2	SS	18	0	24	53	20	1
1876	CN1	OF	16	0	20	7	5	2
1876	CN1	SS	46	0	57	118	47	11
1877	CN1	1B	1	0	6	0	0	1
1877	CN1	C	5	0	7	8	15	1