Doc Lavan, baseball player, 1913-1924

Doc Lavan

Born: 10/28/1890 in Grand Rapids, MI, USA

Died: 5/29/1952 in Detroit, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1913-06-22 | Final Game: 1924-05-04

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'8" | Weight: 151 lbs

Full name: John Leonard Lavan

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Biography

Doc Lavan was a professional baseball player who played primarily as a position player in Major League Baseball from 1913 until his retirement in 1924. Born in 1890, Lavan’s career spanned over a decade, during which he participated in 1,163 games. He recorded 954 hits, contributing to a batting average of .245, alongside 7 home runs and 377 RBIs. Known for his speed on the basepaths, Lavan also successfully stole 71 bases throughout his career, showcasing his ability to impact the game beyond just hitting. Lavan played during a transformative period in baseball, characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensive style of play. Despite not being a prolific home run hitter, his overall contributions to the teams he played for were significant. Lavan's versatility and steady presence in the infield made him a reliable player, and he remains an interesting figure in the annals of early 20th-century baseball, representing the hard-nosed style of play that characterized the era.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
32.0 32.0 5.0 11.0 1.0 0 0 2.0 0 1.0 2.0 0.344 0.344 0.375 0.719

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1920 9.0 9.0 0 2.0 1.0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 0.222 0.222 0.333 0.555
1921 23.0 23.0 5.0 9.0 0 0 0 1.0 0 1.0 2.0 0.391 0.391 0.391 0.782

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1163 3891 338 954 134 45 7 377 71 209 376 0.245 0.288 0.308 0.596 -8944.7

Career AVG .245 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 8.1% below league average.

Career OBP .288 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 12.7% below league average.

Career SLG .308 vs. league average .358 across their career seasons — 14.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.596 vs. league average 0.688 across their career seasons — 13.4% 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
1913 SLA AL 46 149 8 21 2 1 0 4 3 10 46 0.141 .259 (-46%) .325 (-35%) .345 (-51%) .670 (-44%) -1061.2
1913 PHA AL 5 14 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0.071 — — — — -1061.2
1914 SLA AL 75 239 21 63 7 4 1 21 6 17 39 0.264 .255 (+3%) .322 (-1%) .339 (avg) .661 (-1%) -51.9
1915 SLA AL 157 514 44 112 17 7 1 48 13 42 83 0.218 .250 (-13%) .318 (-12%) .332 (-15%) .651 (-13%) -1329.1
1916 SLA AL 110 343 32 81 13 1 0 19 7 32 38 0.236 .248 (-5%) .314 (-3%) .326 (-14%) .640 (-9%) -466.2
1917 SLA AL 118 355 19 85 8 5 0 30 5 19 34 0.239 .248 (-4%) .312 (-9%) .323 (-10%) .635 (-10%) -661.3
1918 WSN AL 117 464 44 129 17 2 0 45 12 14 21 0.278 .255 (+9%) .318 (-5%) .326 (-1%) .645 (-3%) -380.4
1919 STL NL 100 356 25 86 12 2 1 25 4 11 30 0.242 .262 (-8%) .322 (-18%) .347 (-15%) .670 (-17%) -1147.2
1920 STL NL 142 516 52 149 21 10 1 63 11 19 38 0.289 .271 (+6%) .331 (-4%) .363 (+3%) .694 (avg) -202.2
1921 STL NL 150 560 58 145 23 11 2 82 7 23 30 0.259 .286 (-10%) .344 (-16%) .395 (-11%) .739 (-13%) -1727.3
1922 STL NL 89 264 24 60 8 1 0 27 3 13 10 0.227 .285 (-20%) .345 (-22%) .397 (-33%) .743 (-28%) -1399.5
1923 STL NL 50 111 10 22 6 0 1 12 0 9 7 0.198 .282 (-30%) .344 (-23%) .390 (-28%) .734 (-26%) -518.5
1924 STL NL 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 3 0 14 1 1 1
2B 10 0 16 19 3 3
3B 9 0 8 20 2 1
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
SS 1126 0 2451 3628 455 559

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1913 SLA SS 46 0 82 141 25 24
1913 PHA SS 5 0 6 12 0 0
1914 SLA SS 74 0 178 193 34 17
1915 SLA SS 157 0 313 475 75 81
1916 SLA SS 106 0 217 386 32 52
1917 SLA 2B 7 0 15 16 3 3
1917 SLA SS 110 0 229 338 47 67
1918 WS1 OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1918 WS1 SS 117 0 275 354 57 43
1919 SLN SS 99 0 207 352 43 49
1920 SLN SS 138 0 327 489 50 77
1921 SLN SS 150 0 382 540 49 88
1922 SLN 3B 5 0 3 12 2 1
1922 SLN SS 82 0 169 246 28 39
1923 SLN 1B 3 0 14 1 1 1
1923 SLN 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1923 SLN 3B 4 0 5 8 0 0
1923 SLN SS 40 0 64 95 13 20
1924 SLN 2B 2 0 1 3 0 0
1924 SLN SS 2 0 2 7 2 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 3
Second Base 10
Third Base 10
Shortstop 1126
Center Field 1

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Hope College Holland MI 1909, 1910
University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 1912, 1913