Al Atkinson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1884-1887)

Al Atkinson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1887 for the Philadelphia Athletics, the Chicago/Pittsburgh (Union League), and the Baltimore Monumentals, a span of 4 seasons. Across 106 career appearances, he went 51-51 with a 3.96 ERA and 435 strikeouts. He also batted .165 with 1 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 345.8.

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 51–51
ERA 3.96
WHIP 1.26
SO 435
Pitcher PIV 345.8
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 165 lb
Born
3/9/1861 in Clinton, IL, USA
Died
6/17/1952 in McNatt, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1884-05-01
Last Game
1887-08-13

Full name: Albert Wright Atkinson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Al Atkinson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
51 51 106 106 99 3 0 915.0 943 403 21 209 435 3.96 345.8

Career ERA 3.96 vs. league average 3.49 across their career seasons — 13.5% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Al Atkinson — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1884 PH4 AA 11 11 22 22 20 1 0 184.1 186 86 21 93 4.20 3.11 (-35%) 613.0
1884 CHU UA 6 10 16 16 16 1 0 140.0 127 43 21 104 2.76 3.11 (+11%) 2811.4
1884 BLU UA 3 5 8 8 8 0 0 69.1 60 18 12 50 2.34 3.11 (+25%) 13.3
1886 PH4 AA 25 17 45 45 44 1 0 396.2 414 174 101 154 3.95 3.37 (-17%) -2433.4
1887 PH4 AA 6 8 15 15 11 0 0 124.2 156 82 54 34 5.92 4.17 (-42%) -658.4
Career · 5 seasons 51 51 106 106 99 3 0 915.0 943 403 209 435 3.96 — 346

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

Al Atkinson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
110 387 55 64 7 2 1 14 7 36 12 .165 .238 .202 .440 -1,388

Career AVG .165 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 34.4% below league average.

Career OBP .238 vs. league average .301 across their career seasons — 20.9% below league average.

Career SLG .202 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 41.1% below league average.

Career OPS .440 vs. league average .643 across their career seasons — 31.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Al Atkinson — 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
1884 PH4 AA 22 83 13 16 3 1 0 0 0 4 0 .193 .243 (-21%) .278 (-14%) .327 (-23%) .606 (-19%) -202.6
1884 CHU UA 19 68 4 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .206 .243 (-15%) .278 (-26%) .327 (-37%) .606 (-32%) -202.6
1884 BLU UA 8 29 3 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .138 — — — — -202.6
1886 PH4 AA 45 148 27 18 1 1 0 9 4 26 0 .122 .246 (-51%) .302 (-16%) .331 (-57%) .634 (-38%) -701.2
1887 PH4 AA 16 59 8 12 2 0 1 5 3 5 12 .203 .270 (-25%) .331 (-20%) .373 (-23%) .705 (-21%) -196.8
Career · 5 seasons 110 387 55 64 7 2 1 14 7 36 12 .165 — — — — -1,506

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.

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Al Atkinson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 9 0 5 0 1 0
P 106 0 50 174 42 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Al Atkinson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1884 PH4 OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1884 PH4 P 22 0 12 39 15 0
1884 CHU OF 3 0 0 0 1 0
1884 CHU P 16 0 2 39 12 1
1884 BLU P 8 0 6 15 4 1
1886 PH4 P 45 0 21 55 7 1
1887 PH4 OF 4 0 5 0 0 0
1887 PH4 P 15 0 9 26 4 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Al Atkinson — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 106
Left Field 2
Center Field 3
Right Field 4

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Al Atkinson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Larry McKeon
    46-64, 3.71 ERA
  2. 92
    Pete Conway
    61-61, 3.59 ERA
  3. 73
    Dennis Ribant
    24-29, 3.87 ERA
  4. 71
    Don Nottebart
    36-51, 3.65 ERA
  5. 70
    Jack Cronin
    43-58, 3.40 ERA
  6. 69
    Steve Ontiveros
    34-31, 3.67 ERA

Al Atkinson: the record in brief

Al Atkinson's major league career runs from a debut on May 1, 1884 to a final game on August 13, 1887. Club by club, the record runs the Philadelphia Athletics (1884 through 1887), the Chicago/Pittsburgh (Union League) (1884), and the Baltimore Monumentals (1884). Atkinson played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on March 9, 1861, in Clinton, IL, USA and a listed size of 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds. Atkinson's death is recorded on June 17, 1952, in McNatt, MO, USA. On the record, Al Atkinson was born Albert Wright Atkinson.

Atkinson pitched in 106 games, starting 106, and finished with a 51-51 record and 3.96 ERA. The same table counts 435 strikeouts and 99 complete games. The league ERA over Atkinson's seasons was 3.49, so the 3.96 figure ran 13.5% worse than average. Atkinson won 25 games in 1886, the most of any season listed. 1886 was Atkinson's sharpest full season, a 3.95 ERA against the league's 3.37.

Frequently Asked Questions about Al Atkinson

What years did Al Atkinson play?
Al Atkinson played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1887.
Was Al Atkinson a pitcher?
Yes. Al Atkinson pitched in the major leagues, recording 51 wins and 435 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Al Atkinson hit?
Al Atkinson hit 1 career home runs with 64 hits.
What was Al Atkinson's career batting average?
Al Atkinson batted .165 over his career, with 64 hits in 387 at bats.
How many RBI did Al Atkinson have?
Al Atkinson drove in 14 runs in his career.
What was Al Atkinson's career ERA?
Al Atkinson finished with a 3.96 career ERA, going 51-51 with 435 strikeouts.