Frank Kitson

Born: 9/11/1869 in Watson, MI, USA

Died: 4/13/1930 in Allegan, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1898-05-19 | Final Game: 1907-07-22

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Frank R. Kitson

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Biography

Frank Kitson was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball during the early 20th century, playing from 1898 to 1907. Born in 1869, Kitson made his debut in an era marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offense-oriented style of play. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 129 wins and 118 losses, showcasing his durability and competitiveness on the mound. With a career earned run average (ERA) of 3.17, Kitson demonstrated his ability to effectively manage opposing hitters, contributing to his team's successes during his tenure. Kitson recorded a total of 736 strikeouts, illustrating his proficiency in overpowering batters with his pitching skills. Additionally, he notched 7 saves, further highlighting his versatility as a pitcher who could be relied upon in crucial moments of games. Throughout his career, Kitson established himself as a significant figure in the league, leaving a lasting impact on the game during a formative period in baseball history. His contributions to the sport are remembered as part of the rich tapestry of early baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
129	118	304	250	211	19	7	2221.7	2333	782	52	488	736	3.17	0

Career ERA 3.17 vs. league average 3.08 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
1898	BLN	NL	8	5	17	13	13	1	0	119.3	123	43	35	32	3.24	3.59 (+10%)	887.5
1899	BLN	NL	22	16	40	37	34	2	0	326.7	327	101	65	75	2.78	3.85 (+28%)	3731.9
1900	BRO	NL	15	13	40	30	21	2	4	253.3	283	118	56	55	4.19	3.68 (-14%)	-584.2
1901	BRO	NL	19	11	38	32	26	5	2	280.7	312	93	67	127	2.98	3.49 (+14%)	1689.4
1902	BRO	NL	19	13	32	31	29	3	0	268.7	258	83	49	114	2.78	3.17 (+12%)	3811.0
1903	DET	AL	15	16	31	28	28	2	0	257.7	277	74	38	102	2.58	3.10 (+17%)	1650.2
1904	DET	AL	9	13	26	24	19	0	0	199.7	211	68	38	69	3.07	2.66 (-15%)	-1045.2
1905	DET	AL	12	14	33	27	21	3	1	225.7	230	87	57	78	3.47	2.82 (-23%)	-541.7
1906	WSN	AL	6	14	30	21	15	1	0	197.0	196	80	57	59	3.65	2.68 (-37%)	-
1907	WSN	AL	0	3	5	3	2	0	0	32.0	41	14	9	11	3.94	2.50 (-58%)	-
1907	NYY	AL	4	0	12	4	3	0	0	61.0	75	21	17	14	3.10	2.50 (-24%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
352	979	119	235	28	17	4	95	14	38	155	0.240	0.273	0.316	0.589	-1992.8

Career AVG .240 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 7.7% below league average.

Career OBP .273 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 14.0% below league average.

Career SLG .316 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 6.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.589 vs. league average 0.655 across their career seasons — 10.1% 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
1898	BLN	NL	31	86	13	27	1	3	0	16	2	5	7	0.314	.270 (+16%)	.333 (+7%)	.347 (+14%)	.680 (+11%)	131.9
1899	BLN	NL	45	134	12	27	7	1	0	8	7	5	13	0.201	.282 (-29%)	.343 (-31%)	.366 (-27%)	.710 (-29%)	-705.5
1900	BRO	NL	43	109	20	32	5	1	0	16	2	6	13	0.294	.279 (+5%)	.338 (-2%)	.366 (-2%)	.705 (-2%)	-58.1
1901	BRO	NL	47	133	22	35	5	2	1	16	0	4	16	0.263	.271 (-3%)	.326 (-11%)	.359 (-2%)	.686 (-6%)	-173.3
1902	BRO	NL	40	117	10	32	3	4	1	11	0	3	12	0.274	.266 (+3%)	.321 (-7%)	.343 (+14%)	.665 (+4%)	15.6
1903	DET	AL	36	116	12	21	0	2	0	4	2	2	31	0.181	.261 (-31%)	.316 (-36%)	.345 (-38%)	.662 (-37%)	-694.9
1904	DET	AL	27	72	9	15	0	0	1	4	0	1	21	0.208	.246 (-16%)	.300 (-20%)	.321 (-22%)	.622 (-21%)	-221.4
1905	DET	AL	33	87	8	16	2	0	0	4	0	3	21	0.184	.248 (-26%)	.307 (-31%)	.322 (-36%)	.629 (-34%)	-447.8
1906	WSN	AL	33	90	9	22	4	4	1	12	1	8	16	0.244	.247 (-1%)	.307 (avg)	.315 (+30%)	.622 (+15%)	160.7
1907	WSN	AL	5	10	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0.100	—	—	—	—	0.0
1907	NYY	AL	12	25	4	7	1	0	0	4	0	0	3	0.280	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	1	0	4	0	0	0
OF	19	0	21	1	1	0
P	304	79	77	548	38	7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1898	BLN	OF	11	0	12	1	1	0
1898	BLN	P	17	0	4	32	5	0
1899	BLN	P	40	0	12	68	2	1
1900	BRO	OF	1	0	1	0	0	0
1900	BRO	P	40	0	12	39	5	0
1901	BRO	1B	1	0	4	0	0	0
1901	BRO	OF	2	0	2	0	0	0
1901	BRO	P	38	0	13	56	4	2
1902	BRO	P	32	0	7	70	3	1
1903	DET	OF	5	0	6	0	0	0
1903	DET	P	31	0	9	69	3	0
1904	DET	P	26	24	6	68	4	2
1905	DET	P	33	27	5	65	7	0
1906	WS1	P	30	21	5	62	3	1
1907	WS1	P	5	3	0	5	1	0
1907	NYA	P	12	4	4	14	1	0