Tom Needham

Born: 4/17/1879 in Ireland

Died: 12/14/1926 in Steubenville, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1904-05-12 | Final Game: 1914-07-08

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Thomas Joseph Needham

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Biography

Tom Needham, born in 1879, was a professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1904 to 1914. Primarily playing as a position player, Needham appeared in 523 games throughout his time in Major League Baseball. He recorded a total of 311 hits, including 8 home runs, and drove in 117 runs, showcasing his ability to contribute offensively despite finishing his career with a batting average of .209. Known for his speed on the base paths, he successfully stole 20 bases, highlighting his agility and competitive spirit during the early 20th century. Playing in an era characterized by the rise of formalized baseball strategies and the transition from the deadball era, Needham's contributions came at a time when the game was evolving. Though his statistics may not reflect the prolific offensive production seen in later generations, his presence on the field for a decade marked him as a determined player in a competitive landscape. Needham's legacy is remembered as part of the fabric of early baseball history, contributing to the development of the game as it gained popularity across the United States.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
523	1491	113	311	50	10	8	117	20	109	187	0.209	0.274	0.272	0.546	-2793.6

Career AVG .209 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 17.3% below league average.

Career OBP .274 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 13.0% below league average.

Career SLG .272 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 17.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.546 vs. league average 0.645 across their career seasons — 15.3% 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
1904	BSN	NL	84	269	18	70	12	3	4	19	3	11	32	0.260	.246 (+5%)	.300 (-3%)	.321 (+16%)	.622 (+7%)	203.6
1905	BSN	NL	83	271	21	59	6	1	2	17	3	24	36	0.218	.248 (-12%)	.307 (-5%)	.322 (-17%)	.629 (-11%)	-400.0
1906	BSN	NL	83	285	11	54	8	2	1	12	3	13	25	0.189	.247 (-23%)	.307 (-25%)	.315 (-23%)	.622 (-24%)	-1178.7
1907	BSN	NL	86	260	19	51	6	2	1	19	4	18	29	0.196	.245 (-20%)	.304 (-13%)	.308 (-20%)	.613 (-17%)	-683.8
1908	NY1	NL	54	91	8	19	3	0	0	11	0	12	11	0.209	.240 (-13%)	.298 (+14%)	.306 (-21%)	.605 (-4%)	52.6
1909	CHC	NL	13	28	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0.143	—	—	—	—	0.0
1910	CHC	NL	31	76	9	14	3	1	0	10	1	10	10	0.184	.249 (-26%)	.317 (-10%)	.326 (-24%)	.644 (-17%)	-178.2
1911	CHC	NL	27	62	4	12	2	0	0	5	2	9	14	0.194	.266 (-27%)	.336 (-6%)	.356 (-37%)	.693 (-22%)	-186.4
1912	CHC	NL	33	90	12	16	5	0	0	10	3	7	13	0.178	.268 (-34%)	.335 (-23%)	.358 (-35%)	.694 (-29%)	-422.8
1913	CHC	NL	20	42	5	10	4	1	0	11	0	4	8	0.238	—	—	—	—	0.0
1914	CHC	NL	9	17	3	2	1	0	0	3	1	1	4	0.118	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1910	WS	CHN	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	7	5	48	1	0	2
2B	5	5	6	16	2	0
3B	1	1	0	1	1	1
C	465	342	1841	661	97	43
OF	5	3	1	0	1	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1904	BSN	C	77	75	326	140	27	8
1904	BSN	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1905	BSN	1B	2	2	18	1	0	1
1905	BSN	C	77	76	292	134	23	6
1905	BSN	OF	3	2	1	0	1	0
1906	BSN	1B	2	2	19	0	0	1
1906	BSN	2B	5	5	6	16	2	0
1906	BSN	3B	1	1	0	1	1	1
1906	BSN	C	76	70	317	114	17	9
1906	BSN	OF	1	1	0	0	0	0
1907	BSN	1B	1	1	7	0	0	0
1907	BSN	C	78	75	281	101	13	9
1908	NY1	C	47	18	168	30	5	2
1909	CHN	C	7	6	43	5	1	0
1910	CHN	1B	1	0	2	0	0	0
1910	CHN	C	27	22	131	31	3	0
1911	CHN	C	23	0	94	32	2	2
1912	CHN	C	32	0	116	39	1	3
1913	CHN	1B	1	0	2	0	0	0
1913	CHN	C	14	0	51	24	3	4
1914	CHN	C	7	0	22	11	2	0