Joe Sommer, baseball player, 1880-1890

Joe Sommer

Born: 11/20/1858 in Covington, KY, USA

Died: 1/16/1938 in Cincinnati, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1880-07-08 | Final Game: 1890-10-15

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Joseph John Sommer

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Biography

Joe Sommer, born in 1858, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball during the late 19th century. His career spanned from 1880 to 1890, a time characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensive-oriented game. Over the course of 920 games, Sommer amassed 911 hits, demonstrating a consistent ability to make contact at the plate. He recorded 11 home runs and drove in 342 runs, showcasing his capacity to contribute to his team's scoring efforts. With a career batting average of .248 and 101 stolen bases, Sommer was known for his agility and speed, which were valuable assets during a period when base running was a crucial aspect of the game. Sommer played in an era where the game was evolving, and his performance reflected the skills demanded of players at the time. While not one of the most celebrated stars of his day, he left a notable mark in the history of baseball through his durability and contributions on the field. His career, which extended until October 15, 1890, positioned him as a steady presence in the lineups of his teams, and he remains a part of the rich tapestry of early professional baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 6 0 0 0 1 14.0 33 15 1 7 3 9.64 0

Career ERA 9.64 vs. league average 3.60 across their career seasons — 167.8% worse 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
1883 CN2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 9 3 1 2 5.40 — 0.0
1885 BL2 AA 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 3.0 6 3 0 0 9.00 — 0.0
1886 BL2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 14 8 3 1 18.00 — 0.0
1887 BL2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 1 1 0 9.00 — 0.0
1890 CL4 NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 0 2 0 0.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
920 3675 617 911 109 42 11 342 101 238 118 0.248 0.297 0.309 0.607 -2789.8

Career AVG .248 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .297 vs. league average .305 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .309 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 9.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.607 vs. league average 0.645 across their career seasons — 5.9% 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
1880 CN1 NL 24 88 10 16 1 0 0 6 0 0 2 0.182 .244 (-26%) .267 (-32%) .319 (-40%) .586 (-36%) -422.0
1882 CN2 AA 80 354 82 102 12 6 1 29 0 24 0 0.288 .248 (+16%) .275 (+21%) .329 (+10%) .605 (+15%) 943.6
1883 CN2 AA 97 413 79 115 5 7 3 52 0 20 0 0.278 .257 (+8%) .285 (+9%) .345 (avg) .631 (+4%) 376.7
1884 BL2 AA 107 479 96 129 11 10 4 0 0 8 0 0.269 .243 (+11%) .278 (+5%) .327 (+10%) .606 (+8%) 546.3
1885 BL2 AA 110 471 84 118 23 6 1 44 0 24 0 0.251 .244 (+3%) .287 (+1%) .325 (+2%) .613 (+2%) 103.3
1886 BL2 AA 139 560 79 117 18 4 1 52 31 24 0 0.209 .246 (-15%) .302 (-19%) .331 (-21%) .634 (-20%) -2121.9
1887 BL2 AA 131 463 88 123 11 5 0 65 29 63 36 0.266 .270 (-2%) .331 (+8%) .373 (-17%) .705 (-5%) -164.5
1888 BL2 AA 79 297 31 65 10 0 0 35 13 18 29 0.219 .238 (-8%) .290 (-9%) .319 (-21%) .610 (-15%) -677.2
1889 BL2 AA 106 386 51 85 13 2 1 36 18 42 49 0.220 .263 (-17%) .334 (-11%) .357 (-24%) .691 (-18%) -1227.5
1890 CL4 NL 9 35 4 8 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0.229 — — — — 0.0
1890 BL3 AA 38 129 13 33 4 2 0 23 10 13 0 0.256 .260 (-2%) .336 (-4%) .351 (-9%) .687 (-7%) 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 0 17 1 0 0
2B 48 0 125 138 26 13
3B 124 0 158 210 73 12
C 1 0 2 0 0 0
OF 713 0 1325 109 157 26
P 6 0 1 1 1 0
SS 43 0 59 116 26 13

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1880 CN1 3B 1 0 2 0 1 0
1880 CN1 C 1 0 2 0 0 0
1880 CN1 OF 22 0 38 4 4 1
1880 CN1 SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1882 CN2 OF 80 0 188 9 16 2
1883 CN2 3B 3 0 4 6 2 0
1883 CN2 OF 94 0 171 11 31 1
1883 CN2 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1884 BL2 2B 1 0 4 0 0 0
1884 BL2 3B 97 0 118 168 54 10
1884 BL2 OF 9 0 16 8 4 1
1885 BL2 1B 1 0 11 1 0 0
1885 BL2 3B 2 0 2 2 3 0
1885 BL2 OF 107 0 229 14 21 2
1885 BL2 P 2 0 1 0 0 0
1885 BL2 SS 2 0 2 4 0 0
1886 BL2 2B 32 0 84 86 14 9
1886 BL2 3B 11 0 18 16 3 0
1886 BL2 OF 95 0 186 12 22 4
1886 BL2 P 1 0 0 1 1 0
1886 BL2 SS 3 0 2 9 5 1
1887 BL2 2B 13 0 35 48 11 4
1887 BL2 3B 10 0 14 18 10 2
1887 BL2 OF 110 0 187 15 22 4
1887 BL2 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1887 BL2 SS 2 0 1 3 1 0
1888 BL2 1B 1 0 6 0 0 0
1888 BL2 2B 2 0 2 4 1 0
1888 BL2 OF 44 0 54 7 9 1
1888 BL2 SS 34 0 53 98 20 12
1889 BL2 OF 105 0 172 24 15 7
1889 BL2 SS 1 0 1 2 0 0
1890 CL4 OF 9 0 15 0 4 0
1890 CL4 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1890 BL3 OF 38 0 69 5 9 3

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 6
Catcher 1
First Base 2
Second Base 48
Third Base 124
Shortstop 43
Left Field 567
Center Field 15
Right Field 132