Tom Acker

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1956-1959)

Tom Acker was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1959 for the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 4 seasons. Across 153 career appearances, he went 19-13 with a 4.12 ERA and 256 strikeouts.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 19–13
ERA 4.12
WHIP 1.35
SO 256
Pitcher PIV -69.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 215 lb
Born
3/7/1930 in Paterson, NJ, USA
Died
1/4/2021 in Narvon, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1956-04-20
Last Game
1959-09-20

Full name: Thomas James Acker

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Career Pitching Statistics

Tom Acker — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
19 13 153 23 5 1 8 380.1 365 174 43 150 256 4.12 -69.0

Career ERA 4.12 vs. league average 3.89 across their career seasons — 5.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tom Acker — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1956 CIN NL 4 3 29 7 1 1 1 83.2 60 22 29 54 2.37 3.96 (+40%) 1462.5
1957 CIN NL 10 5 49 6 1 0 4 108.2 122 60 41 67 4.97 3.83 (-30%) -1785.6
1958 CIN NL 4 3 38 10 3 0 1 124.2 126 63 43 90 4.55 3.86 (-18%) 2174.2
1959 CIN NL 1 2 37 0 0 0 2 63.1 57 29 37 45 4.12 3.90 (-6%) -1920.1
Career · 4 seasons 19 13 153 23 5 1 8 380.1 365 174 150 256 4.12 — -69

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Tom Acker — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
153 77 10 5 0 0 0 2 0 12 46 .065 .200 .065 .265 0

Career AVG .065 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 74.8% below league average.

Career OBP .200 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 38.7% below league average.

Career SLG .065 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 83.5% below league average.

Career OPS .265 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — 63.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tom Acker — 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
1956 CIN NL 29 19 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 12 .053 — — — — 0.0
1957 CIN NL 49 19 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 15 .053 — — — — 0.0
1958 CIN NL 38 30 5 2 0 0 0 1 0 5 16 .067 — — — — 0.0
1959 CIN NL 37 9 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .111 — — — — 0.0
Career · 4 seasons 153 77 10 5 0 0 0 2 0 12 46 .065 — — — — 0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (306 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Tom Acker — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home78393200.051
Away75387302.079

Pitching — Home / Away

Tom Acker — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home78207.119387751353.78
Away75173.017287761214.53

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Tom Acker — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1959-09-20 CINPIT — 1.0000100
1959-09-15 CINSFG — 1.0222210
1959-09-11 CINATL — 2.0233341
1959-09-10 CINCHC — 0.1000010
1959-08-25 CINCHC — 1.0000010
1959-08-20 CINLAD — 2.0211011
1959-08-16 CINPHI — 2.0100030
1959-08-16 CINPHI — 1.0211000
1959-08-14 CINPHI — 1.2443510
1959-07-26 CINPHI — 1.0211011

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tom Acker — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 153 23 19 49 1 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tom Acker — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1956 CIN P 29 7 9 15 0 0
1957 CIN P 49 6 7 16 0 1
1958 CIN P 38 10 2 13 1 0
1959 CIN P 37 0 1 5 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tom Acker — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 153

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Tom Acker (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Rich Folkers
    19-23, 4.11 ERA
  2. 93
    Bill Gogolewski
    15-24, 4.02 ERA
  3. 93
    John Boozer
    14-16, 4.09 ERA
  4. 92
    Chuck Cary
    14-26, 4.17 ERA
  5. 90
    Mike Armstrong
    19-17, 4.10 ERA
  6. 89
    Oscar Villarreal
    24-15, 3.86 ERA

Tom Acker: the record in brief

According to the bio, Tom Acker debuted on April 20, 1956 and played a final game on September 20, 1959. Every season row on the page belongs to the Cincinnati Redlegs, from 1956 through 1959. Acker played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on March 7, 1930, in Paterson, NJ, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds. Acker's death is recorded on January 4, 2021, in Narvon, PA, USA. Acker's full given name, per the bio, is Thomas James Acker.

Acker's career pitching line is 19 wins, 13 losses and a 4.12 ERA over 153 appearances. Acker had 256 strikeouts. The league ERA over Acker's seasons was 3.89, so the 4.12 figure ran 5.8% worse than average. Acker won 10 games in 1957, the most of any season listed. 1958 produced Acker's most strikeouts, 90. 1956 was Acker's sharpest full season, a 2.37 ERA against the league's 3.96.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Acker

What years did Tom Acker play?
Tom Acker played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1959.
Was Tom Acker a pitcher?
Yes. Tom Acker pitched in the major leagues, recording 19 wins and 256 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Tom Acker hit?
Tom Acker hit 0 career home runs with 5 hits.
What teams did Tom Acker play for?
Tom Acker played for one team, the Cincinnati Redlegs (1956–1959).
What were Tom Acker's career stats?
In 153 games, Tom Acker went 19-13 with a 4.12 ERA, 256 strikeouts, 380.1 innings pitched, and 8 saves.
What position did Tom Acker play?
Tom Acker played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Tom Acker and how much did he weigh?
Tom Acker was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 215 pounds.
What was Tom Acker's career ERA?
Tom Acker finished with a 4.12 career ERA, going 19-13 with 256 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Tom Acker have?
Tom Acker recorded 256 career strikeouts.
Is Tom Acker in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tom Acker has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.