Mule Watson, baseball player, 1918-1924

Mule Watson

Born: 10/15/1896 in Arizona, LA, USA

Died: 8/25/1949 in Shreveport, LA, USA

MLB Debut: 1918-07-04 | Final Game: 1924-09-18

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: John Reaves Watson

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Biography

Mule Watson, born in 1896, was a talented pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1918 until his final game on September 18, 1924. Known for his competitive spirit and resilience on the mound, Watson concluded his career with a record of 50-53 and an earned run average (ERA) of 4.03. Over his six-season career, he recorded 208 strikeouts and notched four saves, showcasing his ability to both start games and secure victories from the bullpen. Watson's playing era was characterized by the transition from the deadball era to the more offense-oriented style of the 1920s. Despite facing significant challenges, including fierce competition and evolving strategies in the game, he established himself as a reliable pitcher for his teams during a time when the sport was beginning to embrace the long ball. His contributions on the mound remain a part of baseball history, and he is remembered for his dedication to the game and the impact he had during his time in the league.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
50 53 178 126 53 8 4 941.7 1062 422 44 256 208 4.03 0

Career ERA 4.03 vs. league average 3.74 across their career seasons — 7.8% 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
1918 PHA AL 7 10 21 19 11 3 0 141.7 139 53 44 30 3.37 2.83 (-19%) 24.4
1919 PHA AL 0 1 4 2 0 0 0 14.3 17 11 7 6 6.91 3.09 (-124%) -669.7
1920 BSN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3.0 0 0 0 0 0.00 — 0.0
1920 PIT NL 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 11.3 15 11 7 1 8.74 3.45 (-154%) -942.6
1920 BSN NL 5 4 12 10 4 2 0 71.7 79 30 17 16 3.77 3.45 (-9%) 0.0
1921 BSN NL 14 13 44 31 15 1 2 259.3 269 111 57 48 3.85 4.02 (+4%) -460.4
1922 BSN NL 8 14 41 29 8 1 1 201.0 262 105 59 53 4.70 4.18 (-12%) -134.1
1923 BSN NL 1 2 11 4 1 0 1 31.3 42 18 20 10 5.17 4.03 (-28%) -873.4
1923 NY1 NL 8 5 17 15 8 0 0 108.3 117 41 21 26 3.41 4.03 (+15%) -1248.3
1924 NY1 NL 7 4 22 16 6 1 0 99.7 122 42 24 18 3.79 4.13 (+8%) -975.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
178 322 23 53 7 4 2 21 0 6 108 0.165 0.182 0.230 0.412 -1311.0

Career AVG .165 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — 40.6% below league average.

Career OBP .182 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 46.0% below league average.

Career SLG .230 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 39.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.412 vs. league average 0.714 across their career seasons — 42.3% 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
1918 PHA AL 21 47 0 6 1 0 0 3 0 1 17 0.128 — — — — 0.0
1919 PHA AL 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1920 BSN NL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1920 PIT NL 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1920 BSN NL 12 23 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 9 0.130 — — — — 0.0
1921 BSN NL 44 87 9 12 2 1 0 1 0 1 36 0.138 .286 (-52%) .344 (-57%) .395 (-53%) .739 (-55%) -863.2
1922 BSN NL 41 66 4 13 1 1 0 1 0 1 17 0.197 .285 (-31%) .345 (-36%) .397 (-39%) .743 (-38%) -447.8
1923 BSN NL 11 8 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1923 NY1 NL 17 46 3 8 3 0 0 4 0 0 13 0.174 — — — — 0.0
1924 NY1 NL 22 35 4 9 0 2 2 11 0 2 11 0.257 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1924 WS NY1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1923 WS NY1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 2 1 1 2.7 4 3 1 1 10.12

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1924 WS NY1 0 0 1 0 1 0.7 0 0 0 0 0.00
1923 WS NY1 0 0 1 1 0 2.0 4 3 1 1 13.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
P 178 0 22 235 15 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1918 PHA 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1918 PHA P 21 0 5 30 3 3
1919 PHA P 4 0 0 9 0 0
1920 BSN P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1920 PIT P 5 0 0 3 0 1
1920 BSN P 12 0 0 22 1 0
1921 BSN P 44 0 7 72 6 1
1922 BSN P 41 0 4 47 3 1
1923 BSN P 11 0 2 7 0 0
1923 NY1 P 17 0 3 22 1 0
1924 NY1 P 22 0 1 22 1 3

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 178
First Base 1

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Baylor University Waco TX 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917