Orator Shafer

Born: 10/4/1851 in Philadelphia, PA, USA

Died: 1/22/1922 in Philadelphia, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1874-05-23 | Final Game: 1890-09-13

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: George W. Shafer

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Biography

Orator Shafer, born in 1851, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball who played from 1874 until his retirement in 1890. Over the course of his career, he participated in 871 games, amassing a total of 1,000 hits and achieving a batting average of .282. Shafer was known for his offensive prowess, contributing 11 home runs and 317 RBIs, while also demonstrating base-running skills with 34 stolen bases. His ability to hit for average and drive in runs made him a valuable asset to the teams he played for during the late 19th century. Shafer's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, as the sport began to evolve from its early, more rudimentary stages into a more organized and competitive endeavor. His achievements on the field reflected the growing emphasis on batting skill and offensive strategy of the time. As a player who navigated the complexities of the game's development, Orator Shafer left a lasting mark on baseball history, exemplifying the talents and abilities that would pave the way for future generations of players.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
871	3552	601	1000	164	53	11	317	34	227	226	0.282	0.326	0.367	0.692	7363.1

Career AVG .282 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.

Career OBP .326 vs. league average .294 across their career seasons — +10.8% above league average.

Career SLG .367 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — +10.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.692 vs. league average 0.628 across their career seasons — +10.3% above 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
1874	HR1		9	35	6	8	0	0	1	3	0	0	4	0.229	—	—	—	—	0.0
1874	NY2		1	5	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
1875	PH2		19	70	10	17	2	1	0	6	2	0	4	0.243	.253 (-4%)	.260 (-7%)	.309 (-3%)	.570 (-5%)	-50.1
1877	LS1	NL	61	260	38	74	9	5	3	34	0	9	17	0.285	.271 (+5%)	.289 (+7%)	.337 (+16%)	.626 (+12%)	464.3
1878	IN1	NL	63	266	48	90	19	6	0	30	0	13	20	0.338	.259 (+30%)	.278 (+32%)	.319 (+43%)	.597 (+38%)	1491.0
1879	CHC	NL	73	316	53	96	13	0	0	35	0	6	28	0.304	.255 (+19%)	.270 (+17%)	.328 (+5%)	.599 (+10%)	554.9
1880	CL2	NL	83	338	62	90	14	9	0	21	0	17	36	0.266	.244 (+9%)	.267 (+13%)	.319 (+13%)	.586 (+13%)	674.5
1881	CL2	NL	85	343	48	88	13	6	1	34	0	23	20	0.257	.260 (-1%)	.290 (+5%)	.338 (avg)	.628 (+2%)	167.0
1882	CL2	NL	84	313	37	67	14	2	3	28	0	27	27	0.214	.248 (-14%)	.275 (avg)	.329 (-9%)	.605 (-5%)	-129.0
1883	BFN	NL	95	401	67	117	11	3	0	41	0	27	39	0.292	.257 (+13%)	.285 (+18%)	.345 (-3%)	.631 (+6%)	604.2
1884	SLU	UA	106	467	130	168	40	10	2	0	0	30	0	0.360	.243 (+48%)	.278 (+43%)	.327 (+53%)	.606 (+48%)	3689.8
1885	SL5	NL	69	257	30	50	11	2	0	18	0	19	31	0.195	.244 (-20%)	.287 (-13%)	.325 (-22%)	.613 (-18%)	-693.5
1885	PH4	AA	2	9	1	2	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	0.222	—	—	—	—	-693.5
1886	PH4	AA	21	82	15	22	3	3	0	8	3	8	0	0.268	.246 (+9%)	.302 (+10%)	.331 (+14%)	.634 (+12%)	142.9
1890	PH4	AA	100	390	55	110	15	5	1	58	29	47	0	0.282	.260 (+8%)	.336 (+9%)	.351 (+1%)	.687 (+5%)	446.9

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	7	0	48	2	1	2
2B	7	0	22	16	6	1
3B	6	0	2	7	4	0
OF	854	10	1309	290	259	32

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1874	HR1	OF	9	9	22	0	9	0
1874	NY2	OF	1	1	0	0	0	0
1875	PH2	1B	2	0	10	0	0	1
1875	PH2	3B	5	0	2	6	3	0
1875	PH2	OF	12	0	19	1	6	1
1877	LS1	1B	1	0	12	0	0	0
1877	LS1	OF	60	0	121	21	28	1
1878	IN1	OF	63	0	105	28	25	2
1879	CHN	3B	1	0	0	1	1	0
1879	CHN	OF	72	0	99	50	37	3
1880	CL2	OF	83	0	128	35	18	5
1881	CL2	OF	85	0	122	24	20	4
1882	CL2	OF	84	0	111	17	31	2
1883	BFN	OF	95	0	182	41	36	3
1884	SLU	1B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1884	SLU	2B	7	0	22	16	6	1
1884	SLU	OF	100	0	110	24	20	3
1885	SL5	OF	69	0	106	28	12	0
1885	PH4	OF	2	0	1	0	0	0
1886	PH4	OF	21	0	40	4	10	2
1890	PH4	1B	3	0	26	2	1	1
1890	PH4	OF	98	0	143	17	7	6