Neal Ball

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1907-1913)

Neal Ball was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1913 for the New York Yankees, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 7 seasons. In 502 career games, he hit .250 with 404 hits, 4 home runs, and 151 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 .250
HR 4
RBI 151
H 404
OPS .609
PIV -1,108
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'7" / 145 lb
Born
4/22/1881 in Grand Haven, MI, USA
Died
10/15/1957 in Bridgeport, CT, USA
MLB Debut
1907-09-11
Last Game
1913-06-30

Full name: Cornelius Ball

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Career Batting Statistics

Neal Ball — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
502 1,613 163 404 56 17 4 151 92 99 323 .250 .295 .314 .609 -1,108

Career AVG .250 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .295 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 7.1% below league average.

Career SLG .314 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 5.3% below league average.

Career OPS .609 vs. league average .649 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Neal Ball 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
1907 NYA AL 15 44 5 9 1 1 0 4 1 1 11 .205 — — — — 0.0
1908 NYA AL 132 446 35 110 16 2 0 38 32 21 91 .247 .240 (+3%) .298 (-5%) .306 (-5%) .605 (-5%) -344.7
1909 NYA AL 8 29 5 6 1 1 0 3 2 3 10 .207 — — — — 0.0
1909 CLE AL 96 324 29 83 13 2 1 25 17 17 48 .256 .244 (+5%) .306 (-4%) .312 (+2%) .618 (-1%) 0.0
1910 CLE AL 54 123 13 25 3 1 0 12 4 9 28 .203 .249 (-19%) .317 (-19%) .326 (-25%) .644 (-22%) -401.2
1911 CLE AL 116 412 45 122 14 9 3 45 21 27 94 .296 .266 (+11%) .336 (+1%) .356 (+11%) .693 (+6%) 356.6
1912 CLE AL 40 132 12 30 4 1 0 14 7 9 24 .227 .268 (-15%) .335 (-18%) .358 (-24%) .694 (-21%) -432.6
1912 BOS AL 18 45 10 9 2 0 0 6 5 3 4 .200 — — — — -432.6
1913 BOS AL 23 58 9 10 2 0 0 4 3 9 13 .172 .259 (-34%) .325 (-10%) .345 (-40%) .670 (-25%) -190.4
Career · 9 seasons 502 1,613 163 404 56 17 4 151 92 99 323 .250 — — — — -1,445

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

Neal Ball — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Neal Ball — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1912 WS BOS 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (514 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Neal Ball — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home26080680204177.253
Away25482484203367.246

Last 10 Games — Batting

Neal Ball — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1913-06-30 BOSMINL 200000011
1913-06-28 BOSNYYL 110000120
1913-06-28 BOSNYYW 310000000
1913-06-27 BOSNYYW 401000201
1913-06-27 BOSNYYW 410000011
1913-06-25 BOSNYYL 300000000
1913-06-06 BOSCHWW 000000000
1913-06-05 BOSCHWL 302000000
1913-06-03 BOSCHWW 000000000
1913-05-29 BOSMINL 000000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Neal Ball — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 179 18 369 477 55 58
3B 21 0 22 42 7 3
OF 6 5 6 0 1 0
SS 271 258 554 849 153 82

Season-by-Season Fielding

Neal Ball — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1907 NYA 2B 5 6 7 9 2 1
1907 NYA SS 11 9 22 27 11 2
1908 NYA 2B 1 1 2 0 1 0
1908 NYA SS 130 126 268 438 80 28
1909 NYA 2B 8 8 15 18 3 1
1909 CLE SS 95 94 198 289 46 42
1910 CLE 2B 7 3 19 25 1 1
1910 CLE 3B 3 0 2 5 0 0
1910 CLE OF 6 5 6 0 1 0
1910 CLE SS 27 29 48 66 9 9
1911 CLE 2B 94 0 206 289 29 38
1911 CLE 3B 17 0 20 37 7 3
1911 CLE SS 1 0 2 3 0 0
1912 CLE 2B 37 0 93 88 12 12
1912 BOS 2B 17 0 13 25 3 1
1913 BOS 2B 10 0 14 23 4 4
1913 BOS 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1913 BOS SS 7 0 16 26 7 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Neal Ball Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 172
Third Base 21
Shortstop 276
Center Field 5
Right Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Neal Ball (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Chris Getz
    .250 avg, 3 HR
  2. 97
    Alexi Casilla
    .247 avg, 12 HR
  3. 94
    Jerry Terrell
    .253 avg, 4 HR
  4. 93
    Rudy Hulswitt
    .253 avg, 3 HR
  5. 91
    Billy Lauder
    .260 avg, 5 HR
  6. 91
    Walter Barbare
    .260 avg, 1 HR

Neal Ball: the record in brief

Between the debut on September 11, 1907 and the final game on June 30, 1913, Neal Ball built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the New York Highlanders (1907 to 1909), the Cleveland Naps (1909 to 1912), and the Boston Red Sox (1912 through 1913). Ball played primarily as a shortstop and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on April 22, 1881, in Grand Haven, MI, USA and a listed size of 5-foot-7 and 145 pounds. Ball's death is recorded on October 15, 1957, in Bridgeport, CT, USA. Ball's full given name, per the bio, is Cornelius Ball.

Across 502 games at the plate, Ball's career line reads 404 hits in 1,613 at bats for a .250 average, adding 4 homers, 151 runs batted in, and 92 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .295 and .314 give Ball a career OPS of .609. The .250 career average is close to the .254 the league hit across the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 6.2% below league average (.609 against .649).

Frequently Asked Questions about Neal Ball

What years did Neal Ball play?
Neal Ball played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1913.
Was Neal Ball a pitcher?
No. Neal Ball was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Neal Ball hit?
Neal Ball hit 4 career home runs with 404 hits.
What teams did Neal Ball play for?
Neal Ball played for 3 teams: the New York Highlanders (1907–1909), the Cleveland Naps (1909–1912), and the Boston Red Sox (1912–1913).
What were Neal Ball's career stats?
In 502 games, Neal Ball had 404 hits, 4 home runs, 151 RBI, 163 runs, and 92 stolen bases, with a .250 batting average.
What position did Neal Ball play?
Neal Ball played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Neal Ball and how much did he weigh?
Neal Ball was listed at 5 feet 7 inches and 145 pounds.
How many home runs did Neal Ball hit each season?
Neal Ball's home runs by season: 0 in 1907, 0 in 1908, 1 in 1909, 0 in 1910, 3 in 1911, 0 in 1912, and 0 in 1913. His most in one season was 3, in 1911.
What was Neal Ball's career batting average?
Neal Ball batted .250 over his career, with 404 hits in 1,613 at bats.
How many RBI did Neal Ball have?
Neal Ball drove in 151 runs in his career.
Is Neal Ball in the Hall of Fame?
No. Neal Ball has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.