Ben Shaw, baseball player, 1917-1918

Ben Shaw

Born: 6/18/1893 in La Center, KY, USA

Died: 3/16/1959 in Cleveland, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1917-04-11 | Final Game: 1918-08-27

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

Full name: Benjamin Nathaniel Shaw

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Biography

Ben Shaw, born in 1893, was a professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1917 to 1918. Primarily a position player, Shaw made a brief but memorable impact in the early years of Major League Baseball, a period characterized by the transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-minded play that would follow. Over the course of his career, he appeared in 23 games, amassing 7 hits and driving in 2 runs, which reflected the challenges faced by players during a time when scoring was often hard-fought. Shaw finished his career with a batting average of .184, with no home runs and no stolen bases recorded. Despite his modest statistics, his participation in the league during World War I placed him among the ranks of players who contributed to the sport during a tumultuous time in American history. Though his time on the field was limited, Ben Shaw remains a part of baseball's rich tapestry, representing a generation of players who shaped the game's early development.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
23 38 5 7 1 0 0 2 0 2 2 0.184 0.262 0.211 0.472 0.0

Career AVG .184 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 26.8% below league average.

Career OBP .262 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 16.9% below league average.

Career SLG .211 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 35.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.472 vs. league average 0.640 across their career seasons — 26.2% 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
1917 PIT NL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1918 PIT NL 21 36 5 7 1 0 0 2 0 2 2 0.194 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 9 0 52 1 1 3
C 5 0 15 1 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1918 PIT 1B 9 0 52 1 1 3
1918 PIT C 5 0 15 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 5
First Base 9

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Rhodes College Memphis TN 1916
Union University Jackson TN 1915