John Bass
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1871-1877)
John Bass was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1877 for the Cleveland Forest Citys, the Brooklyn Atlantics, and the Harlem Stars, a span of 7 seasons. In 25 career games, he hit .290 with 29 hits, 3 home runs, and 19 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 466.
- 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
- Shortstop
- Height / Weight
- 5'6" / 150 lb
- Born
- 1848 in Baltimore, MD, USA
- Died
- 9/25/1888 in Denver, CO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1871-05-04
- Last Game
- 1877-08-20
Full name: John Elias Bass
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 100 | 19 | 29 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .290 | .311 | .600 | .911 | 466 |
Career AVG .290 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .311 vs. league average .298 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .600 vs. league average .354 across their career seasons — +69.4% above league average.
Career OPS .911 vs. league average .652 across their career seasons — +39.6% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1871 | CL1 | 22 | 89 | 18 | 27 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .303 | .286 (+6%) | .311 (+5%) | .383 (+67%) | .695 (+39%) | 466.1 | |
| 1872 | BR2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | |
| 1877 | HAR | NL | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 25 | 100 | 19 | 29 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .290 | — | — | — | — | 466 | ||
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 Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1 |
| Shortstop | 22 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 2 |
John Bass: the record in brief
Between the debut on May 4, 1871 and the final game on August 20, 1877, John Bass built the record summarized on this page. Bass played for the Cleveland Forest Citys (1871), the Brooklyn Atlantics (1872), and the Hartford Dark Blues (1877). Bass played primarily as a shortstop. Born in 1848, in Baltimore, MD, USA, Bass was listed at 5'6" and 150 pounds. Bass died on September 25, 1888, in Denver, CO, USA. Bass's full given name, per the bio, is John Elias Bass.
Across 25 games at the plate, Bass's career line reads 29 hits in 100 at bats for a .290 average, plus 3 home runs and 19 RBI. The on-base percentage is .311 and the slugging percentage .600, for an OPS of .911. The .290 career average is close to the .281 the league hit across the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 39.6% above league average (.911 against .652). 1871 produced Bass's most hits, 27 of them for the Cleveland Forest Citys.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Bass
- What years did John Bass play?
- John Bass played in Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1877.
- Was John Bass a pitcher?
- No. John Bass was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did John Bass hit?
- John Bass hit 3 career home runs with 29 hits.
- What teams did John Bass play for?
- John Bass played for 3 teams: the Cleveland Forest Citys (1871), the Brooklyn Atlantics (1872), and the Hartford Dark Blues (1877).
- What were John Bass's career stats?
- In 25 games, John Bass had 29 hits, 3 home runs, 19 RBI, and 19 runs, with a .290 batting average.
- What position did John Bass play?
- John Bass played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was John Bass and how much did he weigh?
- John Bass was listed at 5 feet 6 inches and 150 pounds.
- How many home runs did John Bass hit each season?
- John Bass's home runs by season: 3 in 1871, 0 in 1872, and 0 in 1877. His most in one season was 3, in 1871.
- What was John Bass's career batting average?
- John Bass batted .290 over his career, with 29 hits in 100 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Bass have?
- John Bass drove in 19 runs in his career.
- Is John Bass in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Bass has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.