Fred Pfeffer, baseball player, 1882-1897

Fred Pfeffer

Born: 3/17/1860 in Louisville, KY, USA

Died: 4/10/1932 in Chicago, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1882-05-01 | Final Game: 1897-06-14

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 184 lbs

Full name: Nathaniel Frederick Pfeffer

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Biography

Fred Pfeffer was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1882 to 1897. Born in 1860, Pfeffer made his mark in the early years of professional baseball, a time characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a more modern style of play. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 2-1, demonstrating his ability to contribute effectively on the mound despite a relatively brief playing tenure. His earned run average (ERA) stood at an impressive 2.62, reflecting his skill in limiting runs and maintaining a strong defensive presence. Throughout his career, Pfeffer struck out 13 batters and recorded 2 saves, showcasing his versatility and reliability in critical moments. While he may not have achieved the notoriety of some of his contemporaries, Pfeffer's contributions to the game during a formative period in baseball history helped lay the groundwork for future generations of pitchers. His career in the late 19th century offers a glimpse into the evolution of pitching strategies and the growing importance of specialized roles within the game.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
2 1 8 2 2 0 2 44.7 41 13 1 20 13 2.62 0

Career ERA 2.62 vs. league average 3.55 across their career seasons — 26.3% better 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
1884 CHC NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 3 1 1 0 9.00 — -
1885 CHC NL 2 1 5 2 2 0 2 31.7 26 9 8 13 2.56 3.03 (+16%) -
1892 LS3 NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 4 1 5 0 1.80 — 0.0
1894 LS3 NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 7.0 8 2 6 0 2.57 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1671 6560 1096 1680 231 120 94 1021 383 527 503 0.256 0.313 0.371 0.684 1532.8

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .313 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .371 vs. league average .355 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.684 vs. league average 0.678 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
1882 TRN NL 85 330 26 72 7 4 1 43 0 1 24 0.218 .248 (-12%) .275 (-20%) .329 (-17%) .605 (-19%) -999.5
1883 CHC NL 96 371 41 87 22 7 1 45 0 8 50 0.235 .257 (-9%) .285 (-12%) .345 (-2%) .631 (-7%) -490.2
1884 CHC NL 112 467 105 135 10 10 25 101 0 25 47 0.289 .243 (+19%) .278 (+17%) .327 (+57%) .606 (+38%) 2838.1
1885 CHC NL 112 469 90 113 12 7 5 73 0 26 47 0.241 .244 (-1%) .287 (-2%) .325 (+1%) .613 (-1%) -73.0
1886 CHC NL 118 474 88 125 17 8 7 95 30 36 46 0.264 .246 (+7%) .302 (+4%) .331 (+14%) .634 (+9%) 729.0
1887 CHC NL 123 479 95 133 21 6 16 89 57 34 20 0.278 .270 (+3%) .331 (-1%) .373 (+20%) .705 (+10%) 790.2
1888 CHC NL 135 517 90 129 22 10 8 57 64 32 38 0.250 .238 (+5%) .290 (+2%) .319 (+18%) .610 (+10%) 817.8
1889 CHC NL 134 531 85 128 15 7 7 77 45 53 51 0.241 .263 (-9%) .334 (-6%) .357 (-6%) .691 (-6%) -665.4
1890 CHP PL 124 499 86 128 21 8 5 80 27 44 23 0.257 .260 (-1%) .336 (-5%) .351 (+3%) .687 (-1%) -227.7
1891 CHC NL 137 498 93 123 12 9 7 77 40 79 60 0.247 .254 (-3%) .331 (+7%) .343 (+2%) .675 (+4%) 576.4
1892 LS3 NL 124 470 78 121 14 9 2 76 27 67 36 0.257 .244 (+5%) .316 (+11%) .327 (+3%) .644 (+7%) 787.2
1893 LS3 NL 125 508 85 129 29 12 3 75 32 51 18 0.254 .279 (-9%) .356 (-10%) .379 (-1%) .735 (-5%) -716.4
1894 LS3 NL 105 414 70 128 12 15 5 61 32 30 14 0.309 .309 (avg) .379 (-6%) .435 (+3%) .814 (-1%) -230.6
1895 LS3 NL 11 45 8 13 1 0 0 5 2 5 3 0.289 — — — — -76.4
1896 NY1 NL 4 14 1 2 0 0 0 4 0 1 1 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1896 CHC NL 94 360 45 88 16 7 2 52 22 23 20 0.244 .290 (-16%) .354 (-17%) .387 (-11%) .741 (-14%) 0.0
1897 CHC NL 32 114 10 26 0 1 0 11 5 12 5 0.228 .291 (-22%) .354 (-10%) .387 (-37%) .741 (-24%) -435.2

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
13 48 12 17 2 0 2 4 2 1 0.354

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1886 WS CHN 6 21 7 6 0 0 1 4 2 1 0.286
1885 WS CHN 7 27 5 11 2 0 1 0 0 0 0.407

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 15 0 124 7 11 5
2B 1538 0 4719 5108 857 894
3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
OF 3 0 3 0 0 0
P 8 0 3 7 0 0
SS 121 0 213 407 112 53

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1882 TRN 2B 2 0 8 6 3 0
1882 TRN SS 83 0 161 276 73 35
1883 CHN 1B 1 0 2 0 0 1
1883 CHN 2B 79 0 264 264 67 49
1883 CHN 3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1883 CHN SS 18 0 15 63 19 6
1884 CHN 2B 112 0 395 422 88 85
1884 CHN P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1885 CHN 2B 109 0 325 391 86 66
1885 CHN OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
1885 CHN P 5 0 1 6 0 0
1886 CHN 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1886 CHN 2B 118 0 343 340 73 66
1887 CHN 2B 123 0 393 402 72 68
1887 CHN OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1888 CHN 2B 135 0 421 457 65 78
1889 CHN 2B 134 0 452 483 56 69
1890 CHP 2B 124 0 441 387 76 73
1891 CHN 2B 137 0 429 474 77 78
1892 LS3 1B 10 0 87 6 8 3
1892 LS3 2B 116 0 313 377 50 72
1892 LS3 P 1 0 1 1 0 0
1893 LS3 2B 125 0 355 398 49 74
1894 LS3 2B 91 0 263 288 36 59
1894 LS3 P 1 0 1 0 0 0
1894 LS3 SS 15 0 26 56 12 9
1895 LS3 1B 3 0 34 1 3 1
1895 LS3 2B 3 0 8 9 1 2
1895 LS3 SS 5 0 11 12 8 3
1896 NY1 2B 4 0 9 10 6 0
1896 CHN 2B 94 0 227 307 30 43
1897 CHN 2B 32 0 73 93 22 12

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 8
First Base 15
Second Base 1538
Third Base 1
Shortstop 121
Center Field 2
Right Field 1