Joe Quest

Born: 11/16/1852 in New Castle, PA, USA

Died: 11/14/1924 in San Diego, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1871-08-30 | Final Game: 1886-07-13

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'6" | Weight: 150 lbs

Full name: Joseph L. Quest

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Biography

Joe Quest, born in 1852, was a professional baseball player who made his mark in the early days of Major League Baseball from 1871 until his retirement in 1886. A versatile position player, Quest participated in 596 games over his career, during which he recorded 499 hits, 161 RBIs, and a batting average of .217. While his offensive numbers may not stand out by modern standards, Quest's contributions to the game were significant during an era that was still developing in terms of professional play and fan engagement. Playing in a time before the advent of more advanced offensive strategies, Quest's style was reflective of the early baseball landscape where power hitting was not yet fully emphasized. He managed to hit one home run and steal five bases, showcasing some speed and power in an era dominated by contact hitting and small ball tactics. Quest's career spanned a transformative period in baseball history, as the game evolved from its rudimentary origins into a more organized and competitive sport. His legacy is preserved as part of the foundation upon which modern baseball was built, reflecting the challenges and dynamics of the game during the 19th century.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
596	2295	300	499	78	17	1	161	5	104	161	0.217	0.252	0.268	0.520	-4780.5

Career AVG .217 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 12.8% below league average.

Career OBP .252 vs. league average .285 across their career seasons — 11.5% below league average.

Career SLG .268 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 19.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.520 vs. league average 0.617 across their career seasons — 15.7% 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	CL1		3	13	1	3	1	0	0	2	0	1	0	0.231	—	—	—	—	0.0
1878	IN1	NL	62	278	45	57	3	2	0	13	0	12	24	0.205	.259 (-21%)	.278 (-15%)	.319 (-28%)	.597 (-22%)	-838.8
1879	CHC	NL	83	334	38	69	16	1	0	22	0	9	33	0.207	.255 (-19%)	.270 (-16%)	.328 (-21%)	.599 (-19%)	-930.0
1880	CHC	NL	82	300	37	71	12	1	0	27	0	8	16	0.237	.244 (-3%)	.267 (-4%)	.319 (-11%)	.586 (-8%)	-331.4
1881	CHC	NL	78	293	35	72	6	0	1	26	0	2	29	0.246	.260 (-6%)	.290 (-14%)	.338 (-18%)	.628 (-16%)	-750.4
1882	CHC	NL	42	159	24	32	5	2	0	15	0	8	16	0.201	.248 (-19%)	.275 (-13%)	.329 (-22%)	.605 (-18%)	-395.4
1883	DTN	NL	37	137	22	32	8	2	0	15	0	10	18	0.234	.257 (-9%)	.285 (avg)	.345 (-7%)	.631 (-4%)	-57.9
1883	SL4	AA	19	78	12	20	3	1	0	10	0	1	0	0.256	.257 (avg)	.285 (-7%)	.345 (-7%)	.631 (-7%)	-57.9
1884	SL4	AA	81	310	46	64	9	5	0	0	0	19	0	0.206	.243 (-15%)	.278 (-8%)	.327 (-18%)	.606 (-13%)	-610.5
1884	PT1	AA	12	43	2	9	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.209	—	—	—	—	-610.5
1885	DTN	NL	55	200	24	39	8	2	0	21	0	14	25	0.195	.244 (-20%)	.287 (-14%)	.325 (-22%)	.613 (-18%)	-534.0
1886	PH4	AA	42	150	14	31	4	1	0	10	5	20	0	0.207	.246 (-16%)	.302 (-1%)	.331 (-26%)	.634 (-14%)	-246.4

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	530	2	1597	1739	370	212
3B	1	0	1	0	1	0
OF	1	0	0	1	0	0
SS	66	1	80	213	54	20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1871	CL1	2B	2	2	2	6	6	0
1871	CL1	SS	1	1	1	0	1	0
1878	IN1	2B	62	0	228	196	60	27
1879	CHN	2B	83	0	263	331	48	30
1880	CHN	2B	80	0	223	270	58	26
1880	CHN	3B	1	0	1	0	1	0
1880	CHN	SS	2	0	2	8	1	0
1881	CHN	2B	77	0	238	249	37	28
1881	CHN	SS	1	0	4	3	0	0
1882	CHN	2B	41	0	113	127	33	18
1882	CHN	SS	1	0	0	1	2	0
1883	DTN	2B	37	0	114	112	26	25
1883	SL4	2B	19	0	48	49	12	4
1884	SL4	2B	81	0	234	244	57	39
1884	PT1	2B	7	0	20	25	3	4
1884	PT1	SS	5	0	7	17	4	2
1885	DTN	2B	39	0	107	122	26	10
1885	DTN	OF	1	0	0	1	0	0
1885	DTN	SS	15	0	10	46	11	3
1886	PH4	2B	2	0	7	8	4	1
1886	PH4	SS	41	0	56	138	35	15