Johnny Bates
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1906-1914)
Johnny Bates was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1914 for 5 teams, including the Boston Braves, a span of 9 seasons. In 1,154 career games, he hit .278 with 1,087 hits, 25 home runs, and 417 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 12,085.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'7" / 168 lb
- Died
- 2/10/1949 in Steubenville, OH, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1906-04-12
- Last Game
- 1914-10-10
Full name: John William Bates
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,154 | 3,913 | 565 | 1,087 | 167 | 73 | 25 | 417 | 187 | 503 | 428 | .278 | .367 | .377 | .744 | 12,085 |
Career AVG .278 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.
Career OBP .367 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — +15.6% above league average.
Career SLG .377 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — +13.9% above league average.
Career OPS .744 vs. league average .649 across their career seasons — +14.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | BSN | NL | 140 | 504 | 52 | 127 | 21 | 5 | 6 | 54 | 9 | 36 | 82 | .252 | .247 (+2%) | .307 (+2%) | .315 (+11%) | .622 (+7%) | 590.9 |
| 1907 | BSN | NL | 126 | 447 | 52 | 116 | 18 | 12 | 2 | 49 | 11 | 39 | 56 | .260 | .245 (+6%) | .304 (+8%) | .308 (+19%) | .613 (+13%) | 1007.4 |
| 1908 | BSN | NL | 127 | 445 | 48 | 115 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 25 | 35 | 47 | .258 | .240 (+7%) | .298 (+6%) | .306 (+6%) | .605 (+6%) | 435.9 |
| 1909 | BSN | NL | 63 | 236 | 27 | 68 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 15 | 20 | 28 | .288 | .244 (+18%) | .306 (+15%) | .312 (+25%) | .618 (+20%) | 749.4 |
| 1909 | PHI | NL | 77 | 266 | 43 | 78 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 22 | 28 | 25 | .293 | .244 (+20%) | .306 (+19%) | .312 (+13%) | .618 (+16%) | 749.4 |
| 1910 | PHI | NL | 135 | 498 | 91 | 152 | 26 | 11 | 3 | 61 | 31 | 61 | 49 | .305 | .249 (+22%) | .317 (+21%) | .326 (+28%) | .644 (+25%) | 2392.8 |
| 1911 | CIN | NL | 148 | 518 | 89 | 151 | 24 | 13 | 1 | 61 | 33 | 103 | 59 | .292 | .266 (+9%) | .336 (+23%) | .356 (+10%) | .693 (+17%) | 2215.4 |
| 1912 | CIN | NL | 81 | 239 | 45 | 69 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 29 | 10 | 47 | 16 | .289 | .268 (+7%) | .335 (+21%) | .358 (+14%) | .694 (+17%) | 905.7 |
| 1913 | CIN | NL | 131 | 407 | 63 | 113 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 51 | 21 | 67 | 30 | .278 | .259 (+7%) | .325 (+19%) | .345 (+12%) | .670 (+16%) | 1513.7 |
| 1914 | CIN | NL | 58 | 155 | 29 | 39 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 4 | 28 | 17 | .252 | .255 (-1%) | .322 (+18%) | .339 (+18%) | .661 (+18%) | 550.6 |
| 1914 | CHN | NL | 9 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 550.6 |
| 1914 | BLF | FL | 59 | 190 | 24 | 58 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 29 | 6 | 38 | 18 | .305 | .255 (+20%) | .322 (+33%) | .339 (+13%) | .661 (+23%) | 550.6 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 1,154 | 3,913 | 565 | 1,087 | 167 | 73 | 25 | 417 | 187 | 503 | 428 | .278 | — | — | — | — | 12,212 | ||
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 (1156 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 591 | 1924 | 293 | 542 | 16 | 203 | .282 |
| Away | 565 | 1991 | 271 | 545 | 9 | 198 | .274 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914-10-10 | BLF | BRF | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1914-10-10 | BLF | BRF | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1914-10-09 | BLF | BRF | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1914-10-08 | BLF | BRF | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1914-10-07 | BLF | PTF | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1914-10-07 | BLF | PTF | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1914-10-06 | BLF | PTF | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1914-10-06 | BLF | PTF | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1914-10-05 | BLF | PTF | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-10-05 | BLF | PTF | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1080 | 632 | 2078 | 162 | 106 | 37 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | BSN | OF | 140 | 140 | 238 | 12 | 11 | 4 |
| 1907 | BSN | OF | 120 | 118 | 171 | 18 | 4 | 5 |
| 1908 | BSN | OF | 117 | 111 | 205 | 15 | 12 | 2 |
| 1909 | BSN | OF | 60 | 60 | 123 | 15 | 8 | 0 |
| 1909 | PHI | OF | 73 | 72 | 128 | 12 | 6 | 3 |
| 1910 | PHI | OF | 131 | 131 | 308 | 24 | 16 | 8 |
| 1911 | CIN | OF | 147 | 0 | 352 | 21 | 13 | 4 |
| 1912 | CIN | OF | 65 | 0 | 157 | 15 | 9 | 4 |
| 1913 | CIN | OF | 111 | 0 | 192 | 19 | 12 | 6 |
| 1914 | CIN | OF | 54 | 0 | 91 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| 1914 | CHN | OF | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914 | BLF | OF | 59 | 0 | 108 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 217 |
| Center Field | 641 |
| Right Field | 226 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Johnny Bates (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Johnny Bates: the record in brief
The profile opens with Johnny Bates's first major league game on April 12, 1906; the last one listed came on October 10, 1914. Bates played for the Boston Beaneaters (1906), the Boston Doves (1907 through 1909), the Philadelphia Phillies (1909 to 1910), the Cincinnati Reds (1911 through 1914), the Chicago Cubs (1914), and the Baltimore Terrapins (1914). Listed as an outfielder, Bates threw and hit left-handed. Bates is listed at 5'7" and 168 pounds. Bates was born on January 10, 1884, in Steubenville, OH, USA. Bates's death is recorded on February 10, 1949, in Steubenville, OH, USA. On the record, Johnny Bates was born John William Bates.
The batting record for Bates: 1,154 games, 1,087 hits in 3,913 at bats, and a .278 average; the totals also include 25 home runs, 417 RBI, and 187 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .367 and the slugging percentage .377, for an OPS of .744. Measured against the leagues Bates played in, the .278 career average compares with a .253 league average over the same seasons, 9.6% above the league.
Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Bates
- What years did Johnny Bates play?
- Johnny Bates played in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1914.
- Was Johnny Bates a pitcher?
- No. Johnny Bates was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Johnny Bates hit?
- Johnny Bates hit 25 career home runs with 1087 hits.
- What was Johnny Bates's career batting average?
- Johnny Bates batted .278 over his career, with 1,087 hits in 3,913 at bats.
- How many RBI did Johnny Bates have?
- Johnny Bates drove in 417 runs in his career.
- Is Johnny Bates in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Johnny Bates has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.