Nap Rucker

Born: 9/30/1884 in Crabapple, GA, USA

Died: 12/19/1970 in Alpharetta, GA, USA

MLB Debut: 1907-04-15 | Final Game: 1916-09-13

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: George Napoleon Rucker

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Biography

Nap Rucker was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, known for his contributions to the game during the early 20th century. Born in 1884, Rucker's career spanned from 1907 until his retirement in 1916. He played primarily for the Brooklyn Robins, where he developed a reputation for his exceptional control and ability to pitch deep into games. Rucker concluded his career with a record of 134-134, an earned run average (ERA) of 2.42, and a total of 1,217 strikeouts, showcasing his skill as a formidable competitor in an era defined by the evolution of pitching. Rucker's playing style was characterized by a smooth delivery and a keen understanding of the art of pitching, which allowed him to excel in a league that was increasingly becoming more offensive. Despite finishing with a balanced win-loss record, his ERA reflected his effectiveness on the mound, and his 14 saves underscored his versatility as both a starter and a reliever. Rucker's impact on the game extended beyond his statistics, as he was a key figure in the development of pitching strategies during a transformative period in baseball history. His legacy is remembered among baseball enthusiasts and historians as a testament to the skill and resilience required to succeed in the challenging environment of early 20th-century baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
134	134	336	274	186	38	14	2375.3	2089	639	41	701	1217	2.42	0

Career ERA 2.42 vs. league average 2.87 across their career seasons — 15.6% 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
1907	BRO	NL	15	13	37	30	26	4	0	275.3	242	63	80	131	2.06	2.50 (+18%)	1255.4
1908	BRO	NL	17	19	42	37	30	6	1	333.3	265	77	125	199	2.08	2.40 (+13%)	1154.3
1909	BRO	NL	13	19	38	33	28	6	1	309.3	245	77	101	201	2.24	2.55 (+12%)	1970.1
1910	BRO	NL	17	18	41	39	27	6	0	320.3	293	92	84	147	2.58	2.79 (+7%)	2417.3
1911	BRO	NL	22	18	48	33	23	5	4	315.7	255	95	110	190	2.71	3.37 (+20%)	1362.4
1912	BRO	NL	18	21	45	34	23	6	4	297.7	272	73	72	151	2.21	3.36 (+34%)	3912.9
1913	BRO	NL	14	15	41	33	16	4	3	260.0	236	83	67	111	2.87	3.07 (+6%)	2247.2
1914	BRO	NL	7	6	16	16	5	0	0	103.7	113	39	27	35	3.39	2.93 (-16%)	136.6
1915	BRO	NL	9	4	19	15	7	1	1	122.7	134	33	28	38	2.42	2.90 (+16%)	148.9
1916	BRO	NL	2	1	9	4	1	0	0	37.3	34	7	7	14	1.69	2.78 (+39%)	482.6

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
336	805	44	157	10	6	1	44	2	22	117	0.195	0.216	0.226	0.443	-3865.4

Career AVG .195 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 22.9% below league average.

Career OBP .216 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 32.0% below league average.

Career SLG .226 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 31.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.443 vs. league average 0.650 across their career seasons — 32.0% 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
1907	BRO	NL	37	97	6	15	1	1	0	8	0	3	23	0.155	.245 (-37%)	.304 (-41%)	.308 (-40%)	.613 (-40%)	-599.8
1908	BRO	NL	42	117	3	21	0	1	0	6	1	1	14	0.179	.240 (-25%)	.298 (-38%)	.306 (-36%)	.605 (-37%)	-656.1
1909	BRO	NL	38	101	3	12	1	0	0	0	0	2	16	0.119	.244 (-51%)	.306 (-56%)	.312 (-59%)	.618 (-57%)	-876.2
1910	BRO	NL	41	110	6	23	1	0	0	3	0	2	15	0.209	.249 (-16%)	.317 (-30%)	.326 (-33%)	.644 (-32%)	-558.0
1911	BRO	NL	48	104	6	21	2	2	1	9	0	3	15	0.202	.266 (-24%)	.336 (-33%)	.356 (-19%)	.693 (-26%)	-500.9
1912	BRO	NL	45	102	8	25	2	1	0	12	1	3	12	0.245	.268 (-9%)	.335 (-21%)	.358 (-21%)	.694 (-21%)	-374.8
1913	BRO	NL	41	87	3	21	1	0	0	0	0	4	10	0.241	.259 (-7%)	.325 (-16%)	.345 (-27%)	.670 (-21%)	-299.6
1914	BRO	NL	16	34	6	9	1	1	0	1	0	1	4	0.265	—	—	—	—	0.0
1915	BRO	NL	19	42	2	9	1	0	0	3	0	3	6	0.214	—	—	—	—	0.0
1916	BRO	NL	9	11	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	2	0.091	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1916	WS	BRO	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
0	0	1	0	0	2.0	1	0	0	3	0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1916	WS	BRO	0	0	1	0	0	2.0	1	0	0	3	0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	336	139	55	625	24	18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1907	BRO	P	37	30	5	73	7	4
1908	BRO	P	42	37	13	107	4	1
1909	BRO	P	38	33	3	67	4	3
1910	BRO	P	41	39	6	80	2	0
1911	BRO	P	48	0	7	88	3	1
1912	BRO	P	45	0	5	82	1	3
1913	BRO	P	41	0	5	50	2	1
1914	BRO	P	16	0	4	29	0	1
1915	BRO	P	19	0	6	40	1	2
1916	BRO	P	9	0	1	9	0	2

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Pitcher	336

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1912	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P2
1912	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P3
1911	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P5
1911	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P4
1910	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P2
1908	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P5
1908	Baseball Magazine All-Star	P3