Jimmy Archer
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1904-1918)
Jimmy Archer was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1904 to 1918 for 5 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 15 seasons. In 847 career games, he hit .249 with 660 hits, 16 home runs, and 296 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
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 168 lb
- Died
- 3/29/1958 in Milwaukee, WI, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1904-09-06
- Last Game
- 1918-09-02
Full name: James Patrick Archer
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 847 | 2,646 | 246 | 660 | 106 | 34 | 16 | 296 | 36 | 124 | 283 | .249 | .288 | .333 | .621 | -2,519 |
Career AVG .249 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .288 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 9.5% below league average.
Career SLG .333 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .621 vs. league average .650 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 | PIT | NL | 7 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .150 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1907 | DET | AL | 18 | 42 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | .119 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1909 | CHN | NL | 80 | 261 | 31 | 60 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 5 | 12 | 31 | .230 | .244 (-6%) | .306 (-13%) | .312 (-7%) | .618 (-10%) | -411.5 |
| 1910 | CHN | NL | 98 | 313 | 36 | 81 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 41 | 6 | 14 | 49 | .259 | .249 (+4%) | .317 (-8%) | .326 (+13%) | .644 (+3%) | -7.5 |
| 1911 | CHN | NL | 116 | 387 | 41 | 98 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 41 | 5 | 18 | 43 | .253 | .266 (-5%) | .336 (-14%) | .356 (avg) | .693 (-7%) | -541.4 |
| 1912 | CHN | NL | 120 | 385 | 35 | 109 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 58 | 7 | 22 | 36 | .283 | .268 (+5%) | .335 (-2%) | .358 (+7%) | .694 (+3%) | 156.9 |
| 1913 | CHN | NL | 111 | 368 | 38 | 98 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 44 | 4 | 19 | 27 | .266 | .259 (+3%) | .325 (-4%) | .345 (+4%) | .670 (avg) | -81.3 |
| 1914 | CHN | NL | 79 | 248 | 17 | 64 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 9 | 9 | .258 | .255 (+1%) | .322 (-12%) | .339 (-8%) | .661 (-10%) | -426.0 |
| 1915 | CHN | NL | 97 | 309 | 21 | 75 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 5 | 11 | 38 | .243 | .250 (-3%) | .318 (-14%) | .332 (-4%) | .651 (-9%) | -492.9 |
| 1916 | CHN | NL | 77 | 205 | 11 | 45 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 3 | 12 | 24 | .220 | .248 (-12%) | .314 (-14%) | .326 (-13%) | .640 (-14%) | -426.3 |
| 1917 | CHN | NL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1918 | PIT | NL | 24 | 58 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .155 | .255 (-39%) | .318 (-38%) | .326 (-26%) | .645 (-32%) | -289.5 |
| 1918 | BRO | NL | 9 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .273 | — | — | — | — | -289.5 |
| 1918 | CIN | NL | 9 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .269 | — | — | — | — | -289.5 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 847 | 2,646 | 246 | 660 | 106 | 34 | 16 | 296 | 36 | 124 | 283 | .249 | — | — | — | — | -3,099 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (850 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 430 | 1287 | 126 | 336 | 8 | 164 | .261 |
| Away | 420 | 1358 | 118 | 325 | 8 | 143 | .239 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918-09-02 | CIN | STL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-09-02 | CIN | STL | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918-09-01 | CIN | STL | W | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-29 | CIN | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918-08-28 | CIN | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-25 | CIN | BSN | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-25 | CIN | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-24 | CIN | BSN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1918-08-23 | CIN | PHI | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-08-20 | BRO | CIN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 64 | 37 | 566 | 29 | 14 | 36 |
| 2B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 736 | 145 | 3293 | 979 | 127 | 76 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 | PIT | C | 7 | 7 | 25 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 1904 | PIT | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907 | DET | 2B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1907 | DET | C | 17 | 14 | 62 | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| 1909 | CHN | C | 80 | 76 | 408 | 97 | 21 | 7 |
| 1910 | CHN | 1B | 40 | 37 | 381 | 17 | 10 | 25 |
| 1910 | CHN | C | 49 | 48 | 239 | 80 | 10 | 6 |
| 1911 | CHN | 1B | 10 | 0 | 84 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 1911 | CHN | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911 | CHN | C | 102 | 0 | 476 | 124 | 14 | 11 |
| 1912 | CHN | C | 118 | 0 | 504 | 149 | 23 | 15 |
| 1913 | CHN | 1B | 8 | 0 | 58 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| 1913 | CHN | C | 103 | 0 | 455 | 138 | 19 | 6 |
| 1914 | CHN | C | 76 | 0 | 367 | 105 | 13 | 8 |
| 1915 | CHN | 1B | 4 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915 | CHN | C | 88 | 0 | 419 | 124 | 13 | 11 |
| 1916 | CHN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916 | CHN | C | 61 | 0 | 236 | 84 | 7 | 5 |
| 1918 | PIT | 1B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918 | PIT | C | 21 | 0 | 63 | 30 | 1 | 4 |
| 1918 | BRO | C | 7 | 0 | 17 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 1918 | CIN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1918 | CIN | C | 7 | 0 | 22 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 734 |
| First Base | 66 |
| Second Base | 2 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
| Left Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1914 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C1 |
| 1913 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C |
| 1912 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C1 |
| 1911 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C4 |
| 1910 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C2 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 13th | 6.0 | 64 | 0 |
| 1912 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 22th | 1.0 | 64 | 0 |
| 1911 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 16th | 5.0 | 64 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jimmy Archer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jimmy Archer: the record in brief
According to the bio, Jimmy Archer debuted on September 6, 1904 and played a final game on September 2, 1918. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1904 through 1918), the Detroit Tigers (1907), the Chicago Cubs (1909 to 1917), the Brooklyn Robins (1918), and the Cincinnati Reds (1918). Listed as a catcher, Archer batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 5'10" and 168 pounds. Archer was born on May 13, 1883, in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland. Archer died on March 29, 1958, in Milwaukee, WI, USA. The bio lists the given name James Patrick.
In 847 games and 2,646 at bats, Archer batted .249 with 660 hits; the totals also include 16 homers, 296 RBI, and 36 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .288 and .333 give Archer a career OPS of .621. Against a .253 league average for those years, Archer's .249 average was near the norm. The highest hit total in a season was 109, in 1912. Among the seasons with the heaviest workload, the best average was .283 in 1912, 5% above that year's league mark of .268.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jimmy Archer
- What years did Jimmy Archer play?
- Jimmy Archer played in Major League Baseball from 1904 to 1918.
- Was Jimmy Archer a pitcher?
- No. Jimmy Archer was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Jimmy Archer hit?
- Jimmy Archer hit 16 career home runs with 660 hits.
- What teams did Jimmy Archer play for?
- Jimmy Archer played for 5 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1904, 1918), the Detroit Tigers (1907), the Chicago Cubs (1909–1917), the Brooklyn Robins (1918), and the Cincinnati Reds (1918).
- What were Jimmy Archer's career stats?
- In 847 games, Jimmy Archer had 660 hits, 16 home runs, 296 RBI, 246 runs, and 36 stolen bases, with a .249 batting average.
- What position did Jimmy Archer play?
- Jimmy Archer played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jimmy Archer and how much did he weigh?
- Jimmy Archer was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 168 pounds.
- How many home runs did Jimmy Archer hit each season?
- Jimmy Archer's home runs by season: 0 in 1904, 0 in 1907, 1 in 1909, 2 in 1910, 4 in 1911, 5 in 1912, 2 in 1913, 0 in 1914, 1 in 1915, 1 in 1916, 0 in 1917, and 0 in 1918. His most in one season was 5, in 1912.
- What was Jimmy Archer's career batting average?
- Jimmy Archer batted .249 over his career, with 660 hits in 2,646 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jimmy Archer have?
- Jimmy Archer drove in 296 runs in his career.
- Is Jimmy Archer in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jimmy Archer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.