Bob O'Farrell, baseball player, 1915-1935

Bob O'Farrell

Born: 10/19/1896 in Waukegan, IL, USA

Died: 2/20/1988 in Waukegan, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1915-09-05 | Final Game: 1935-09-23

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Robert Arthur O'Farrell

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Biography

Bob O'Farrell was a notable American professional baseball player born in 1896, whose career spanned from 1915 to 1935. Primarily recognized as a position player, O'Farrell played in a total of 1,492 games during his time in Major League Baseball. He established himself as a consistent hitter, amassing 1,120 hits and finishing his career with a solid batting average of .273. His offensive contributions included 51 home runs and 549 runs batted in (RBIs), showcasing his ability to drive in runs and support his team’s offensive efforts. Additionally, O'Farrell demonstrated speed on the bases, recording 35 stolen bases throughout his career. O'Farrell's career unfolded during a transformative era in baseball, marking the transition from the deadball era to a more power-oriented game. His performance in the field and at the plate contributed to the teams he played for, including the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, leaving a lasting impression in the early development of modern baseball strategies. His ability to adapt to the evolving game and maintain a respectable level of performance over two decades exemplified his dedication and skill, securing his place in baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1492 4101 517 1120 201 58 51 549 35 547 408 0.273 0.360 0.388 0.748 3004.4

Career AVG .273 vs. league average .276 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .360 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — +6.6% above league average.

Career SLG .388 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.748 vs. league average 0.720 across their career seasons — near 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
1915 CHC NL 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1916 CHC NL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1917 CHC NL 3 8 1 3 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 0.375 — — — — 0.0
1918 CHC NL 52 113 9 32 7 3 1 14 0 10 15 0.283 .255 (+11%) .318 (+9%) .326 (+30%) .645 (+20%) 324.7
1919 CHC NL 49 125 11 27 4 2 0 9 2 7 10 0.216 .262 (-18%) .322 (-20%) .347 (-20%) .670 (-20%) -432.6
1920 CHC NL 94 270 29 67 11 4 3 19 1 34 23 0.248 .271 (-9%) .331 (avg) .363 (-3%) .694 (-2%) -35.5
1921 CHC NL 96 260 32 65 12 7 4 32 2 18 14 0.250 .286 (-13%) .344 (-13%) .395 (avg) .739 (-6%) -397.5
1922 CHC NL 128 392 68 127 18 8 4 60 5 79 34 0.324 .285 (+13%) .345 (+27%) .397 (+11%) .743 (+18%) 1857.2
1923 CHC NL 131 452 73 144 25 4 12 84 10 67 38 0.319 .282 (+13%) .344 (+18%) .390 (+21%) .734 (+20%) 1993.2
1924 CHC NL 71 183 25 44 6 2 3 28 2 30 13 0.240 .283 (-15%) .345 (+1%) .389 (-12%) .734 (-6%) -131.5
1925 CHC NL 17 22 2 4 0 1 0 3 0 2 5 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1925 STL NL 94 317 37 88 13 2 3 32 0 46 26 0.278 .288 (-4%) .349 (+7%) .407 (-12%) .756 (-3%) 0.0
1926 STL NL 147 492 63 144 30 9 7 68 1 61 44 0.293 .279 (+5%) .345 (+7%) .390 (+11%) .735 (+9%) 966.8
1927 STL NL 61 178 19 47 10 1 0 18 3 23 22 0.264 .282 (-6%) .344 (+1%) .392 (-16%) .736 (-8%) -200.9
1928 STL NL 16 52 6 11 1 0 0 4 2 13 9 0.212 .280 (-25%) .342 (+8%) .395 (-42%) .737 (-19%) -105.3
1928 NY1 NL 75 133 23 26 6 0 2 20 2 34 16 0.195 .280 (-30%) .342 (+5%) .395 (-28%) .737 (-13%) -105.3
1929 NY1 NL 91 248 35 76 14 3 4 42 3 28 30 0.306 .289 (+6%) .353 (+8%) .415 (+5%) .769 (+6%) 371.7
1930 NY1 NL 94 249 37 75 16 4 4 54 1 31 21 0.301 .293 (+2%) .354 (+7%) .429 (+4%) .784 (+5%) 316.7
1931 NY1 NL 85 174 11 39 8 3 1 19 0 21 23 0.224 .276 (-19%) .338 (-8%) .388 (-17%) .726 (-13%) -403.5
1932 NY1 NL 50 67 7 16 3 0 0 8 0 11 10 0.239 .275 (-13%) .335 (+6%) .391 (-28%) .726 (-12%) -94.5
1933 STL NL 55 163 16 39 4 2 2 20 0 15 25 0.239 .270 (-11%) .329 (-8%) .377 (-14%) .707 (-11%) -305.9
1934 CIN NL 44 123 10 30 8 3 1 9 0 11 19 0.244 .278 (-12%) .340 (-10%) .392 (-3%) .733 (-6%) -166.8
1934 CHC NL 22 67 3 15 3 0 0 5 0 3 11 0.224 .278 (-19%) .340 (-24%) .392 (-32%) .733 (-28%) -166.8
1935 STL NL 14 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
10 26 2 7 1 0 0 2 2 2 0.269

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1926 WS SLN 7 23 2 7 1 0 0 2 2 2 0.304
1918 WS CHN 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
C 1338 0 4295 980 130 101

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1915 CHN C 2 0 1 1 1 0
1916 CHN C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1917 CHN C 3 0 9 1 0 1
1918 CHN C 45 0 115 36 4 3
1919 CHN C 38 0 119 48 6 5
1920 CHN C 86 0 317 100 19 6
1921 CHN C 90 0 269 87 12 8
1922 CHN C 125 0 446 143 14 22
1923 CHN C 124 0 418 118 13 11
1924 CHN C 57 0 204 40 4 5
1925 CHN C 3 0 6 0 0 0
1925 SLN C 92 0 324 67 10 5
1926 SLN C 146 0 466 117 10 12
1927 SLN C 53 0 141 45 4 5
1928 SLN C 14 0 61 4 1 1
1928 NY1 C 63 0 138 27 2 1
1929 NY1 C 84 0 254 22 6 2
1930 NY1 C 69 0 259 34 8 6
1931 NY1 C 80 0 223 27 5 1
1932 NY1 C 41 0 85 9 3 2
1933 SLN C 50 0 211 19 7 1
1934 CIN C 42 0 124 25 1 2
1934 CHN C 22 0 93 10 0 2
1935 SLN C 8 0 12 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1335

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1926 Most Valuable Player
1926 TSN All-Star C
1923 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1923 Baseball Magazine All-Star C

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1926 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 79.0 80 0