Sparky Adams

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1922-1934)

Sparky Adams was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1922 to 1934 for 4 teams, including the Chicago Cubs, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,424 career games, he hit .286 with 1,588 hits, 9 home runs, and 394 RBI.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .286
HR 9
RBI 394
H 1,588
OPS .695
PIV -4,573
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'5" / 151 lb
Born
8/26/1894 in Zerbe, PA, USA
Died
2/24/1989 in Pottsville, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1922-09-18
Last Game
1934-09-30

Full name: Earl John Adams

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Career Batting Statistics

Sparky Adams — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,424 5,557 844 1,588 249 48 9 394 154 453 223 .286 .343 .353 .695 -4,573

Career AVG .286 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .343 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .353 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 11.2% below league average.

Career OPS .695 vs. league average .741 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Sparky Adams Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1922 CHN NL 11 44 5 11 0 1 0 3 1 4 3 .250 — — — — 0.0
1923 CHN NL 95 311 40 90 12 0 4 35 20 26 10 .289 .282 (+2%) .344 (avg) .390 (-6%) .734 (-3%) -112.0
1924 CHN NL 117 418 66 117 11 5 1 27 15 40 20 .280 .283 (-1%) .345 (avg) .389 (-13%) .734 (-7%) -426.3
1925 CHN NL 149 627 95 180 29 8 2 48 26 44 15 .287 .288 (avg) .349 (-3%) .407 (-10%) .756 (-6%) -636.4
1926 CHN NL 154 624 95 193 35 3 0 39 27 52 27 .309 .279 (+11%) .345 (+6%) .390 (-4%) .735 (+1%) 221.4
1927 CHN NL 146 647 100 189 17 7 0 49 26 42 26 .292 .282 (+4%) .344 (-3%) .392 (-13%) .736 (-8%) -848.8
1928 PIT NL 135 539 91 149 14 6 0 38 8 64 18 .276 .280 (-2%) .342 (+4%) .395 (-18%) .737 (-8%) -466.1
1929 PIT NL 74 196 37 51 8 1 0 11 3 15 5 .260 .289 (-10%) .353 (-11%) .415 (-25%) .769 (-18%) -593.0
1930 SLN NL 137 570 98 179 36 9 0 55 7 45 27 .314 .293 (+7%) .354 (+3%) .429 (-5%) .784 (-1%) -107.9
1931 SLN NL 143 608 97 178 46 5 1 40 16 42 24 .293 .276 (+6%) .338 (+1%) .388 (avg) .726 (+1%) 4.4
1932 SLN NL 31 127 22 35 3 1 0 13 0 14 5 .276 .275 (avg) .335 (+5%) .391 (-20%) .726 (-8%) -117.1
1933 SLN NL 8 30 1 5 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 .167 — — — — 0.0
1933 CIN NL 137 538 59 141 21 1 1 22 3 44 30 .262 .270 (-3%) .329 (-3%) .377 (-18%) .707 (-11%) 0.0
1934 CIN NL 87 278 38 70 16 1 0 14 2 20 10 .252 .278 (-9%) .340 (-10%) .392 (-19%) .733 (-15%) -669.9
Career · 14 seasons 1,424 5,557 844 1,588 249 48 9 394 154 453 223 .286 — — — — -3,752

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Sparky Adams — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 25 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 5 .160

Playoff Batting by Year

Sparky Adams — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1931 WS SLN 2 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250
1930 WS SLN 6 21 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 .143

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1424 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Sparky Adams — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home72527694508344226.301
Away69927893947545166.270

Last 10 Games — Batting

Sparky Adams — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1934-09-30 CINSTLL 400000010
1934-09-29 CINSTLL 101000010
1934-09-28 CINSTLL 100000000
1934-09-27 CINSTLL 100000000
1934-09-25 CINCHCL 100000000
1934-09-23 CINSTLW 401000010
1934-09-23 CINSTLL 401000200
1934-09-21 CINPITL 512000000
1934-09-21 CINPITL 411000000
1934-09-20 CINNY1L 411000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Sparky Adams — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 551 0 1321 1888 85 332
3B 532 0 425 943 58 101
OF 4 0 5 1 0 1
SS 297 0 536 916 87 163

Season-by-Season Fielding

Sparky Adams — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1922 CHN 2B 11 0 18 35 5 5
1923 CHN OF 1 0 3 1 0 1
1923 CHN SS 79 0 153 248 28 44
1924 CHN 2B 19 0 55 66 3 15
1924 CHN SS 88 0 169 277 28 62
1925 CHN 2B 144 0 354 551 16 90
1925 CHN SS 5 0 13 22 0 5
1926 CHN 2B 136 0 324 485 29 93
1926 CHN 3B 19 0 12 35 2 4
1926 CHN SS 2 0 2 3 0 0
1927 CHN 2B 60 0 149 194 2 34
1927 CHN 3B 53 0 45 107 6 12
1927 CHN SS 40 0 82 142 10 23
1928 PIT 2B 107 0 265 343 18 54
1928 PIT OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1928 PIT SS 27 0 52 97 1 14
1929 PIT 2B 20 0 33 48 5 5
1929 PIT 3B 15 0 7 24 2 1
1929 PIT OF 2 0 2 0 0 0
1929 PIT SS 30 0 33 58 10 8
1930 SLN 2B 25 0 62 85 4 25
1930 SLN 3B 104 0 66 159 8 18
1930 SLN SS 7 0 12 20 4 3
1931 SLN 3B 138 0 118 223 13 29
1931 SLN SS 6 0 9 16 5 1
1932 SLN 3B 30 0 25 42 5 11
1933 SLN 3B 3 0 0 6 2 1
1933 SLN SS 5 0 5 16 1 2
1933 CIN 3B 132 0 121 272 15 15
1933 CIN SS 8 0 6 17 0 1
1934 CIN 2B 29 0 61 81 3 11
1934 CIN 3B 38 0 31 75 5 10

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Sparky Adams Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 552
Third Base 534
Shortstop 301
Left Field 2
Right Field 2

Award Voting History

Sparky Adams — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1931 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 18.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Sparky Adams (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Dave Cash
    .283 avg, 21 HR
  2. 72
    David Eckstein
    .280 avg, 35 HR
  3. 66
    Bucky Harris HOF
    .274 avg, 9 HR
  4. 64
    Jimmy Johnston
    .294 avg, 22 HR
  5. 64
    Johnny Temple
    .284 avg, 22 HR
  6. 63
    Milt Stock
    .289 avg, 22 HR

Sparky Adams: the record in brief

Sparky Adams played a first major league game on September 18, 1922 and a last one on September 30, 1934. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago Cubs (1922 through 1927), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1928 through 1929), the St. Louis Cardinals (1930 through 1933), and the Cincinnati Reds (1933 through 1934). The bio lists Adams as a second baseman who batted and threw right-handed. Adams is listed at 5-foot-5 and 151 pounds. Adams was born on August 26, 1894, in Zerbe, PA, USA. Adams's death is recorded on February 24, 1989, in Pottsville, PA, USA. Sparky Adams was the playing name; the full given name is Earl John.

Adams's career batting table shows 1,424 games, 5,557 at bats and 1,588 hits, a .286 average, plus 9 home runs, 394 RBI, and 154 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .343 and the slugging percentage .353, for an OPS of .695. Adams hit .286 while the league hit .282 over the same span, a figure close to average. The OPS comparison is .695 to a league .741, 6.2% below average. Adams collected a career-high 193 hits in 1926.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sparky Adams

What years did Sparky Adams play?
Sparky Adams played in Major League Baseball from 1922 to 1934.
Was Sparky Adams a pitcher?
No. Sparky Adams was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Sparky Adams hit?
Sparky Adams hit 9 career home runs with 1,588 hits.
What teams did Sparky Adams play for?
Sparky Adams played for 4 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1922–1927), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1928–1929), the St. Louis Cardinals (1930–1933), and the Cincinnati Reds (1933–1934).
What were Sparky Adams's career stats?
In 1,424 games, Sparky Adams had 1,588 hits, 9 home runs, 394 RBI, 844 runs, and 154 stolen bases, with a .286 batting average.
What position did Sparky Adams play?
Sparky Adams played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Sparky Adams and how much did he weigh?
Sparky Adams was listed at 5 feet 5 inches and 151 pounds.
How many home runs did Sparky Adams hit each season?
Sparky Adams's home runs by season: 0 in 1922, 4 in 1923, 1 in 1924, 2 in 1925, 0 in 1926, 0 in 1927, 0 in 1928, 0 in 1929, 0 in 1930, 1 in 1931, 0 in 1932, 1 in 1933, and 0 in 1934. His most in one season was 4, in 1923.
What was Sparky Adams's career batting average?
Sparky Adams batted .286 over his career, with 1,588 hits in 5,557 at bats.
How many RBI did Sparky Adams have?
Sparky Adams drove in 394 runs in his career.
Is Sparky Adams in the Hall of Fame?
No. Sparky Adams has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.