Ben Sanders

Born: 2/16/1865 in Catharpin, VA, USA

Died: 8/29/1930 in Memphis, TN, USA

MLB Debut: 1888-06-06 | Final Game: 1892-10-14

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 210 lbs

Full name: Alexander Bennett Sanders

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Biography

Ben Sanders, born in 1865, was a notable pitcher who played professionally from 1888 until his retirement on October 14, 1892. During his career, he established himself as a competent and reliable arm in a period that was transitioning from the deadball era to a more offensive-oriented game. Sanders finished his career with a record of 80-70 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.24, which underscored his ability to keep runs to a minimum in an era where pitching was becoming increasingly crucial. Throughout his time in Major League Baseball, Sanders recorded a total of 468 strikeouts and achieved 2 saves, showcasing his skill as a strikeout pitcher and his capability to close out games when called upon. His contributions to the teams he played for during the late 19th century helped lay the groundwork for the evolution of pitching in baseball, as the sport began to emphasize specialized roles and strategies that would dominate the game in the following decades.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
80	70	168	157	144	14	2	1385.0	1496	498	34	297	468	3.24	0

Career ERA 3.24 vs. league average 3.55 across their career seasons — 8.9% 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
1888	PHI	NL	19	10	31	29	28	8	0	275.3	240	58	33	121	1.90	2.95 (+36%)	5185.9
1889	PHI	NL	19	18	44	39	34	1	1	349.7	406	138	96	123	3.55	3.93 (+10%)	4146.8
1890	PHP	PL	19	18	43	40	37	2	1	346.7	412	145	69	107	3.76	3.88 (+3%)	3879.1
1891	PH4	AA	11	5	19	18	15	0	0	145.0	157	61	37	40	3.79	3.52 (-8%)	1310.3
1892	LS3	NL	12	19	31	31	30	3	0	268.3	281	96	62	77	3.22	3.28 (+2%)	2977.3

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
247	948	132	257	43	16	5	113	27	47	62	0.271	0.310	0.366	0.676	117.2

Career AVG .271 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +7.0% above league average.

Career OBP .310 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .366 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — +7.2% above league average.

Career OPS 0.676 vs. league average 0.665 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
1888	PHI	NL	57	236	26	58	11	2	1	25	13	8	12	0.246	.238 (+3%)	.290 (-5%)	.319 (+1%)	.610 (-2%)	-115.5
1889	PHI	NL	44	169	21	47	8	2	0	21	4	6	11	0.278	.263 (+5%)	.334 (-8%)	.357 (-2%)	.691 (-5%)	-196.4
1890	PHP	PL	52	189	31	59	6	6	0	30	2	10	10	0.312	.260 (+20%)	.336 (+3%)	.351 (+16%)	.687 (+10%)	226.1
1891	PH4	AA	40	156	24	39	6	4	1	19	2	7	12	0.250	.254 (-2%)	.331 (-12%)	.343 (+5%)	.675 (-4%)	-166.6
1892	LS3	NL	54	198	30	54	12	2	3	18	6	16	17	0.273	.244 (+11%)	.316 (+4%)	.327 (+22%)	.644 (+13%)	369.5

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	PO	A	E	DP
1B	15	147	6	6	4
3B	1	0	0	1	0
OF	69	92	8	10	1
P	168	74	310	35	11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1888	PHI	3B	1	0	0	1	0
1888	PHI	OF	25	38	5	2	0
1888	PHI	P	31	17	74	7	1
1889	PHI	OF	3	2	0	0	0
1889	PHI	P	44	22	58	11	1
1890	PHP	OF	10	13	2	2	1
1890	PHP	P	43	17	93	9	5
1891	PH4	OF	22	26	0	5	0
1891	PH4	P	19	6	31	3	1
1892	LS3	1B	15	147	6	6	4
1892	LS3	OF	9	13	1	1	0
1892	LS3	P	31	12	54	5	3