Dickey Pearce

Born: 2/29/1836 in Brooklyn, NY, USA

Died: 9/18/1908 in Wareham, MA, USA

MLB Debut: 1871-05-18 | Final Game: 1877-10-06

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'3" | Weight: 161 lbs

Full name: Richard J. Pearce

📋 View Manager Career

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Dickey Pearce was a pioneering figure in early professional baseball, whose career spanned from 1871 to 1877. Born in 1836, Pearce played during a transformative period in the sport, when baseball was evolving into a more organized and commercially viable endeavor. As a position player, he participated in 291 games, amassing 333 hits and demonstrating a solid batting average of .251. His offensive contributions included 134 RBIs and 2 home runs, and he also showcased his speed on the basepaths with 13 stolen bases, reflecting the emerging emphasis on aggressive base running in the game. Pearce's playing style and versatility made him a valuable asset to his teams during the early days of the National Association and the National League. Although the statistics from this era may seem modest compared to modern standards, Pearce's contributions helped lay the groundwork for future generations of players. His career concluded on October 6, 1877, leaving behind a legacy as one of the early players who shaped the dynamics of professional baseball. Pearce remains a significant figure in the history of the game, representing the spirit and development of baseball in its formative years.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
0	0	2	0	0	0	0	5.3	10	2	0	0	0	3.38	0

Career ERA 3.38 vs. league average 2.23 across their career seasons — 51.6% 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	SL2		0	0	2	0	0	0	0	5.3	10	2	0	0	3.38	—	0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
291	1328	217	333	21	4	2	134	13	33	21	0.251	0.269	0.277	0.546	-2130.6

Career AVG .251 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 8.0% below league average.

Career OBP .269 vs. league average .285 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.

Career SLG .277 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 17.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.546 vs. league average 0.621 across their career seasons — 12.1% 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
1871	NY2		33	163	31	44	5	0	0	20	0	4	1	0.270	.286 (-6%)	.311 (-8%)	.383 (-22%)	.695 (-15%)	-373.6
1872	NY2		44	206	32	39	2	1	1	22	1	4	1	0.189	.285 (-34%)	.296 (-31%)	.347 (-36%)	.644 (-34%)	-1049.6
1873	BR2		55	262	42	72	6	0	1	23	3	8	2	0.275	.290 (-5%)	.304 (-3%)	.357 (-13%)	.661 (-8%)	-300.2
1874	BR2		56	255	48	75	1	0	0	26	1	6	1	0.294	.273 (+8%)	.282 (+10%)	.333 (-11%)	.615 (-1%)	41.6
1875	SL2		70	311	51	77	6	3	0	29	8	7	7	0.248	.253 (-2%)	.260 (+1%)	.309 (-8%)	.570 (-4%)	-109.6
1876	SL3	NL	25	102	12	21	1	0	0	10	0	3	5	0.206	.265 (-22%)	.277 (-18%)	.320 (-33%)	.598 (-26%)	-339.2
1877	SL3	NL	8	29	1	5	0	0	0	4	0	1	4	0.172	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	1	0	1	0	0	0
2B	3	0	2	1	3	0
3B	2	0	1	1	2	0
OF	3	2	4	0	0	0
P	2	0	0	1	1	0
SS	287	130	264	1076	279	66

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1871	NY2	SS	33	33	27	115	37	8
1872	NY2	OF	2	2	2	0	0	0
1872	NY2	SS	42	41	34	144	33	12
1873	BR2	1B	1	0	1	0	0	0
1873	BR2	2B	1	0	0	0	1	0
1873	BR2	SS	55	0	36	233	77	13
1874	BR2	2B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1874	BR2	3B	2	0	1	1	2	0
1874	BR2	SS	56	56	63	204	49	7
1875	SL2	P	2	0	0	1	1	0
1875	SL2	SS	70	0	74	262	69	17
1876	SL3	2B	1	0	2	1	2	0
1876	SL3	OF	1	0	2	0	0	0
1876	SL3	SS	23	0	23	87	12	6
1877	SL3	SS	8	0	7	31	2	3