James Stafford, baseball player, 1890-1899

James Stafford

Born: 1/30/1868 in Thompson, CT, USA

Died: 9/18/1923 in Worcester, MA, USA

MLB Debut: 1890-08-27 | Final Game: 1899-10-12

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'8" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: James Joseph Stafford

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

James Stafford, born in 1868, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in the major leagues from 1890 until 1899. He is best remembered for his tenure during the late 19th century, a period known for its evolving styles of play and the transition from the deadball era to a more offense-oriented game. Stafford's career statistics reflect the challenges of his time, as he finished with a record of 3-9 and an earned run average (ERA) of 5.14, alongside 21 strikeouts. Although Stafford's career did not see the heights of many of his contemporaries, he contributed to the teams he played for with determination and resilience. His role as a pitcher during an era marked by significant changes in baseball strategies and player development showcased the competitive spirit of the time. Despite not achieving widespread recognition, Stafford's participation in the game during this formative period helped pave the way for future generations of pitchers.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
3 9 12 12 11 0 0 98.0 123 56 8 43 21 5.14 0

Career ERA 5.14 vs. league average 3.88 across their career seasons — 32.5% 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
1890 BFP PL 3 9 12 12 11 0 0 98.0 123 56 43 21 5.14 3.88 (-32%) -2768.2

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
571 2137 341 585 60 19 21 291 118 164 182 0.274 0.330 0.349 0.680 -2627.4

Career AVG .274 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .330 vs. league average .350 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.

Career SLG .349 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 7.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.680 vs. league average 0.728 across their career seasons — 6.7% 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
1890 BFP PL 15 49 11 7 1 0 0 3 2 7 8 0.143 — — — — -300.0
1893 NY1 NL 67 281 58 79 7 4 5 27 19 25 31 0.281 .279 (+1%) .356 (-3%) .379 (+2%) .735 (-1%) -54.1
1894 NY1 NL 14 46 10 10 1 1 0 4 2 10 7 0.217 — — — — -145.3
1895 NY1 NL 124 463 79 129 12 5 3 73 42 40 32 0.279 .296 (-6%) .361 (-5%) .399 (-14%) .761 (-9%) -865.9
1896 NY1 NL 59 230 28 66 9 1 0 40 15 13 18 0.287 .290 (-1%) .354 (-6%) .387 (-14%) .741 (-10%) -409.8
1897 NY1 NL 7 23 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 3 1 0.087 — — — — 0.0
1897 LS3 NL 113 441 68 122 16 5 7 54 15 31 35 0.277 .291 (-5%) .354 (-7%) .387 (-1%) .741 (-4%) 0.0
1898 LS3 NL 49 181 26 54 3 0 1 25 7 19 16 0.298 .270 (+10%) .333 (+10%) .347 (-4%) .680 (+3%) 153.0
1898 BSN NL 37 123 21 32 2 0 1 8 3 4 8 0.260 .270 (-4%) .333 (-13%) .347 (-13%) .680 (-13%) 153.0
1899 BSN NL 55 182 29 55 4 2 3 40 9 7 14 0.302 .282 (+7%) .343 (-4%) .366 (+8%) .710 (+2%) 12.9
1899 WAS NL 31 118 11 29 5 1 1 14 4 5 12 0.246 .282 (-13%) .343 (-20%) .366 (-10%) .710 (-15%) 12.9

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 0 22 1 1 2
2B 161 0 338 452 78 55
3B 12 0 17 23 8 1
OF 251 0 436 24 45 9
P 12 0 4 21 3 2
SS 131 0 266 432 97 47

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1890 BFP OF 4 0 5 0 2 0
1890 BFP P 12 0 4 21 3 2
1893 NY1 OF 67 0 129 8 15 4
1894 NY1 1B 1 0 11 0 1 2
1894 NY1 2B 1 0 3 1 0 0
1894 NY1 3B 6 0 8 10 6 1
1894 NY1 OF 5 0 7 0 2 0
1895 NY1 2B 110 0 242 329 56 44
1895 NY1 3B 2 0 3 5 1 0
1895 NY1 OF 12 0 20 2 4 0
1896 NY1 OF 53 0 78 9 10 2
1896 NY1 SS 6 0 15 17 2 3
1897 NY1 OF 5 0 4 0 0 0
1897 NY1 SS 2 0 4 4 5 1
1897 LS3 3B 1 0 2 3 0 0
1897 LS3 OF 7 0 15 0 0 0
1897 LS3 SS 105 0 203 358 72 35
1898 LS3 2B 28 0 58 78 15 6
1898 LS3 3B 1 0 1 4 0 0
1898 LS3 OF 22 0 33 4 2 3
1898 BSN 1B 1 0 11 1 0 0
1898 BSN OF 35 0 59 1 6 0
1899 BSN 2B 5 0 8 13 4 3
1899 BSN OF 41 0 86 0 4 0
1899 BSN SS 5 0 9 10 4 0
1899 WAS 2B 17 0 27 31 3 2
1899 WAS 3B 2 0 3 1 1 0
1899 WAS SS 13 0 35 43 14 8

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 12
First Base 2
Second Base 161
Third Base 12
Shortstop 131
Left Field 96
Center Field 111
Right Field 44