Hippo Vaughn, baseball player, 1908-1921

Hippo Vaughn

Born: 4/9/1888 in Weatherford, TX, USA

Died: 5/29/1966 in Chicago, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1908-06-19 | Final Game: 1921-07-09

Bats: B | Throws: L | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: James Leslie Vaughn

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Hippo Vaughn, born in 1888, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from 1908 to 1921. Known for his imposing stature and competitive spirit, Vaughn compiled a career record of 178 wins and 137 losses, establishing himself as one of the more effective pitchers of his era. With an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.49, he demonstrated exceptional skill on the mound, earning respect from teammates and opponents alike. Over his career, Vaughn struck out 1,416 batters, showcasing his ability to overpower hitters during a time when the game was characterized by a more contact-oriented style of play. Vaughn's playing style was marked by a combination of power pitching and strategic placement, which allowed him to excel in various conditions and against a wide array of batters. Although he played during the early 20th century, an era that witnessed significant changes in the game, Vaughn remained a key figure on the field until his retirement on July 9, 1921. His contributions to the game, including five saves, reflect not only his versatility as a pitcher but also his ability to adapt to the evolving dynamics of baseball during his time. Vaughn's legacy endures as a testament to the artistry of pitching in the early days of professional baseball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
178 137 390 331 215 41 5 2730.0 2461 754 39 817 1416 2.49 0

Career ERA 2.49 vs. league average 3.06 across their career seasons — 18.7% 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
1908 NYY AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.3 1 1 4 2 3.86 — -
1910 NYY AL 13 11 30 25 18 5 1 221.7 190 45 58 107 1.83 2.79 (+34%) -
1911 NYY AL 8 10 26 18 11 0 0 145.7 158 71 54 74 4.39 3.37 (-30%) -
1912 NYY AL 2 8 15 10 5 1 0 63.0 66 36 37 46 5.14 3.36 (-53%) -
1912 WSN AL 4 3 12 8 4 0 0 81.0 75 26 43 49 2.89 3.36 (+14%) -
1913 CHC NL 5 1 7 6 5 2 0 56.0 37 9 27 36 1.45 3.07 (+53%) -
1914 CHC NL 21 13 42 35 23 4 1 293.7 236 67 109 165 2.05 2.93 (+30%) -
1915 CHC NL 20 12 41 34 18 4 1 269.7 240 86 77 148 2.87 2.90 (+1%) -
1916 CHC NL 17 15 44 35 21 4 1 294.0 269 72 67 144 2.20 2.78 (+21%) -
1917 CHC NL 23 13 41 38 27 5 0 295.7 255 66 91 195 2.01 2.69 (+25%) -
1918 CHC NL 22 10 35 33 27 8 0 290.3 216 56 76 148 1.74 2.83 (+39%) -
1919 CHC NL 21 14 38 37 25 4 1 306.7 264 61 62 141 1.79 3.09 (+42%) -
1920 CHC NL 19 16 40 38 24 4 0 301.0 301 85 81 131 2.54 3.45 (+26%) -
1921 CHC NL 3 11 17 14 7 0 0 109.3 153 73 31 30 6.01 4.02 (-49%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
392 921 81 159 25 6 3 61 12 68 285 0.173 0.232 0.223 0.454 -4049.0

Career AVG .173 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 33.4% below league average.

Career OBP .232 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 28.3% below league average.

Career SLG .223 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — 35.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.454 vs. league average 0.666 across their career seasons — 31.8% 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
1908 NYY AL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1910 NYY AL 30 75 6 10 1 0 0 4 1 7 23 0.133 .249 (-47%) .317 (-35%) .326 (-55%) .644 (-45%) -511.5
1911 NYY AL 26 49 4 7 1 0 0 3 1 9 20 0.143 — — — — -269.8
1912 NYY AL 15 21 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0.095 — — — — 0.0
1912 WSN AL 12 30 2 6 2 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1913 CHC NL 7 21 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 0.190 — — — — 0.0
1914 CHC NL 42 97 10 14 3 1 1 3 2 5 33 0.144 .255 (-43%) .322 (-42%) .339 (-33%) .661 (-38%) -615.6
1915 CHC NL 43 86 8 14 3 0 0 9 3 7 27 0.163 .250 (-35%) .318 (-24%) .332 (-41%) .651 (-32%) -431.4
1916 CHC NL 44 104 4 14 1 1 0 7 0 3 46 0.135 .248 (-46%) .314 (-49%) .326 (-50%) .640 (-50%) -828.3
1917 CHC NL 41 100 7 16 2 1 0 6 1 9 33 0.160 .248 (-36%) .312 (-27%) .323 (-38%) .635 (-32%) -501.5
1918 CHC NL 35 96 13 23 3 2 0 8 4 6 21 0.240 .255 (-6%) .318 (-11%) .326 (-4%) .645 (-8%) -136.7
1919 CHC NL 38 98 5 17 4 0 0 2 0 8 27 0.173 .262 (-34%) .322 (-27%) .347 (-38%) .670 (-33%) -517.7
1920 CHC NL 40 102 14 22 3 1 1 12 0 12 23 0.216 .271 (-21%) .331 (-10%) .363 (-19%) .694 (-15%) -236.5
1921 CHC NL 17 41 2 10 2 0 1 5 0 2 12 0.244 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1918 WS CHN 3 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 3 3 0 27.0 17 3 5 17 1.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1918 WS CHN 1 2 3 3 0 27.0 17 3 5 17 1.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 390 25 92 740 74 17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1908 NYA P 2 0 0 2 0 0
1910 NYA P 30 25 5 73 8 2
1911 NYA P 26 0 9 41 4 1
1912 NYA P 15 0 4 22 3 0
1912 WS1 P 12 0 1 31 1 0
1913 CHN P 7 0 3 13 2 1
1914 CHN P 42 0 11 75 13 1
1915 CHN P 41 0 5 70 8 1
1916 CHN P 44 0 6 82 4 0
1917 CHN P 41 0 14 89 7 2
1918 CHN P 35 0 14 73 3 2
1919 CHN P 38 0 10 74 9 3
1920 CHN P 40 0 9 71 10 4
1921 CHN P 17 0 1 24 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 390

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1919 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2
1919 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1918 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1918 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1918 Pitching Triple Crown