Tricky Nichols, baseball player, 1875-1882

Tricky Nichols

Born: 7/26/1850 in Bridgeport, CT, USA

Died: 8/22/1897 in Bridgeport, CT, USA

MLB Debut: 1875-04-19 | Final Game: 1882-07-11

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'7" | Weight: 150 lbs

Full name: Frederick C. Nichols

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Biography

Tricky Nichols, born in 1850, was a professional baseball pitcher who played from 1875 until 1882. During his career, he showcased his talent in an era that was characterized by the early development of baseball as a professional sport, transitioning from the informal play of the 19th century to a more organized league structure. Nichols played in a time when pitching styles were still evolving, and his contributions to the game were notable despite his overall record of 28 wins and 73 losses. Nichols finished his career with a 3.04 ERA and recorded 174 strikeouts, indicating his capability as a pitcher in an era where strikeouts were less frequent than in modern baseball. Although he did not secure any saves, his ability to keep opponents from scoring exemplified his skill on the mound. Nichols' career spanned a crucial period in baseball history that laid the groundwork for the future of the sport, and he remains a part of the tapestry of early professional baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
28 73 106 98 90 1 0 881.0 1045 298 6 91 174 3.04 0

Career ERA 3.04 vs. league average 2.50 across their career seasons — 21.7% 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
1875 NH1 4 29 34 33 30 0 0 288.0 321 76 9 48 2.38 2.23 (-7%) 1045.6
1876 BSN NL 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 7 1 0 0 1.00 2.31 (+57%) 0.0
1877 SL3 NL 18 23 42 39 35 1 0 350.0 376 101 53 80 2.60 2.81 (+7%) -975.4
1878 PRO NL 4 7 11 10 10 0 0 98.0 157 46 8 21 4.22 2.30 (-83%) -121.0
1880 WOR NL 0 2 2 2 2 0 0 17.7 29 8 4 4 4.08 2.37 (-72%) -170.7
1882 BL2 AA 1 12 16 13 12 0 0 118.3 155 66 17 21 5.02 2.80 (-79%) -780.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
125 460 40 78 7 4 0 16 5 12 27 0.170 0.191 0.202 0.393 -2115.9

Career AVG .170 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 33.4% below league average.

Career OBP .191 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 30.2% below league average.

Career SLG .202 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 37.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.393 vs. league average 0.596 across their career seasons — 34.1% 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
1875 NH1 34 119 12 23 0 2 0 5 5 0 2 0.193 .253 (-24%) .260 (-26%) .309 (-27%) .570 (-26%) -421.1
1876 BSN NL 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1877 SL3 NL 51 186 22 31 4 2 0 9 0 3 15 0.167 .271 (-39%) .289 (-38%) .337 (-38%) .626 (-38%) -1075.5
1878 PRO NL 11 49 2 9 2 0 0 2 0 2 10 0.184 — — — — -168.4
1880 WOR NL 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1882 BL2 AA 26 95 4 15 1 0 0 0 0 7 0 0.158 .248 (-36%) .275 (-22%) .329 (-49%) .605 (-37%) -450.9

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 33 0 41 2 11 0
P 106 0 39 235 44 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1875 NH1 OF 3 0 2 0 2 0
1875 NH1 P 34 0 14 107 28 4
1876 BSN P 1 0 0 2 0 0
1877 SL3 OF 16 0 18 0 4 0
1877 SL3 P 42 0 14 62 4 1
1878 PRO P 11 0 6 27 1 2
1880 WOR P 2 0 0 3 3 0
1882 BL2 OF 14 0 21 2 5 0
1882 BL2 P 16 0 5 34 8 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 106
Left Field 1
Center Field 30
Right Field 2