Frank Bates
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1898-1899)
Frank Bates was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1899 for the Cleveland Spiders and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 2 seasons. Across 26 career appearances, he went 3-19 with a 6.33 ERA and 18 strikeouts.
- 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- — / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 156 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1898-10-07
- Last Game
- 1899-09-09
Full name: Creed Napoleon Bates
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | CL4 | NL | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 29.0 | 30 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 3.10 | 3.59 (+14%) | -45.4 |
| 1899 | SLN | NL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1.04 | — | 0.0 |
| 1899 | CL4 | NL | 1 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 153.0 | 239 | 123 | 105 | 13 | 7.24 | 3.85 (-88%) | -7416.5 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 3 | 19 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 190.2 | 276 | 134 | 121 | 18 | 6.33 | — | -7,462 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 77 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 21 | .208 | .322 | .221 | .543 | -236 |
Career AVG .208 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — 24.9% below league average.
Career OBP .322 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .221 vs. league average .357 across their career seasons — 38.1% below league average.
Career OPS .543 vs. league average .696 across their career seasons — 21.9% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | CL4 | NL | 4 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1899 | SLN | NL | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1899 | CL4 | NL | 21 | 65 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 19 | .215 | .282 (-24%) | .343 (-12%) | .366 (-37%) | .710 (-25%) | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 27 | 77 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 | 21 | .208 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (53 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 9 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | .231 |
| Away | 18 | 50 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 3 | .200 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 9 | 67.2 | 85 | 45 | 43 | 6 | 5.99 |
| Away | 17 | 123.0 | 191 | 112 | 78 | 12 | 8.20 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899-09-09 | CL4 | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1899-09-05 | CL4 | CIN | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-08-30 | CL4 | BSN | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1899-08-24 | CL4 | NY1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1899-08-18 | CL4 | BRO | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1899-08-16 | CL4 | BRO | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 1899-08-12 | CL4 | NY1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1899-07-21 | CL4 | WSN | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-07-20 | CL4 | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1899-07-18 | CL4 | WSN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899-09-09 | CL4 | CHC | L | 8.0 | 15 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1899-09-05 | CL4 | CIN | L | 8.0 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 1899-08-30 | CL4 | BSN | L | 9.0 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1899-08-24 | CL4 | NY1 | L | 9.0 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| 1899-08-18 | CL4 | BRO | L | 7.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1899-08-16 | CL4 | BRO | L | 8.0 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-08-12 | CL4 | NY1 | L | 8.0 | 18 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 1899-07-21 | CL4 | WSN | L | 8.0 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1899-07-18 | CL4 | WSN | L | 2.0 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-07-17 | CL4 | BLN | L | 4.0 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 26 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Frank Bates: the record in brief
The profile opens with Frank Bates's first major league game on October 7, 1898; the last one listed came on September 9, 1899. The team column moves through the Cleveland Spiders (1898 through 1899) and the St. Louis Perfectos (1899). Bates played primarily as a pitcher. The bio adds a birth date on September 28, 1876, in Cleveland, TN, USA and a listed size of 5 feet, 10 inches and 156 pounds. On the record, Frank Bates was born Creed Napoleon Bates.
Bates pitched in 26 games, starting 23, and finished with a 3-19 record and 6.33 ERA. The same table counts 18 strikeouts and 21 complete games. Against a 3.72 league ERA for the same seasons, the 6.33 mark was 70.0% worse. 1899 was Bates's sharpest full season, a 7.24 ERA against the league's 3.85.
Bates played 26 games at pitcher, more than anywhere else, and also saw time at left field (1) and right field (1). Fielding on the mound produced 14 putouts and 47 assists against 9 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Frank Bates
- What years did Frank Bates play?
- Frank Bates played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1899.
- Was Frank Bates a pitcher?
- Yes. Frank Bates pitched in the major leagues, recording 3 wins and 18 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Frank Bates hit?
- Frank Bates hit 0 career home runs with 16 hits.
- What was Frank Bates's career batting average?
- Frank Bates batted .208 over his career, with 16 hits in 77 at bats.
- How many RBI did Frank Bates have?
- Frank Bates drove in 5 runs in his career.
- What was Frank Bates's career ERA?
- Frank Bates finished with a 6.33 career ERA, going 3-19 with 18 strikeouts.