John O'Brien, baseball player, 1891-1899

John O'Brien

Born: 7/13/1866 in Saint John, NB, CAN

Died: 5/12/1913 in Lewiston, ME, USA

MLB Debut: 1891-07-25 | Final Game: 1899-10-07

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: John Joseph O'Brien

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

John O'Brien was a professional baseball player born in 1866, who played primarily as a position player during the late 19th century. His career spanned from July 25, 1891, to October 7, 1899, a period marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensive style of play. Over the course of his career, O'Brien appeared in 501 games, where he accumulated 486 hits and maintained a batting average of .254. His offensive contributions included 12 home runs and 229 RBIs, showcasing his ability to drive in runs during a time when scoring was often more challenging than it is today. O'Brien also displayed notable speed on the bases, finishing his career with 45 stolen bases, a testament to his agility and base-running acumen. While he may not have been a household name in the annals of baseball history, his contributions during a formative era of the sport helped lay the groundwork for future generations of players. O'Brien's career reflects the evolving nature of baseball and the increasing emphasis on both hitting and base-running as the game continued to develop in the late 19th century.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
501 1910 246 486 47 17 12 229 45 154 81 0.254 0.322 0.316 0.637 -4808.4

Career AVG .254 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — 9.4% below league average.

Career OBP .322 vs. league average .349 across their career seasons — 7.8% below league average.

Career SLG .316 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 15.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.637 vs. league average 0.724 across their career seasons — 12.0% 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
1891 BRO NL 43 167 22 41 4 2 0 26 4 12 17 0.246 .254 (-3%) .331 (-7%) .343 (-15%) .675 (-11%) -302.7
1893 CHC NL 4 14 3 5 0 1 0 1 0 2 2 0.357 — — — — 0.0
1895 LS3 NL 128 539 82 138 10 4 1 50 15 45 20 0.256 .296 (-14%) .361 (-10%) .399 (-26%) .761 (-19%) -2019.5
1896 LS3 NL 49 186 24 63 9 1 2 24 4 13 7 0.339 .290 (+17%) .354 (+9%) .387 (+11%) .741 (+10%) 335.9
1896 WAS NL 73 270 38 72 6 3 4 33 4 27 12 0.267 .290 (-8%) .354 (-3%) .387 (-8%) .741 (-6%) 335.9
1897 WAS NL 86 320 37 78 12 2 3 45 6 19 10 0.244 .291 (-16%) .354 (-13%) .387 (-17%) .741 (-15%) -911.9
1899 BLN NL 39 135 14 26 4 0 1 17 4 15 6 0.193 .282 (-32%) .343 (-18%) .366 (-33%) .710 (-26%) -566.8
1899 PIT NL 79 279 26 63 2 4 1 33 8 21 7 0.226 .282 (-20%) .343 (-17%) .366 (-26%) .710 (-22%) -566.8

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 3 0 35 1 1 2
2B 498 0 1222 1516 188 218

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1891 BRO 2B 43 0 85 102 32 13
1893 CHN 2B 4 0 10 8 2 1
1895 LS3 1B 3 0 35 1 1 2
1895 LS3 2B 125 0 304 396 46 56
1896 LS3 2B 49 0 125 147 24 19
1896 WAS 2B 73 0 166 228 20 33
1897 WAS 2B 86 0 223 260 30 43
1899 BLN 2B 39 0 98 132 8 21
1899 PIT 2B 79 0 211 243 26 32

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 3
Second Base 498