Charlie Bennett

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1878-1893)

Charlie Bennett was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1878 to 1893 for 4 teams, including the Milwaukee Grays, a span of 16 seasons. In 1,062 career games, he hit .256 with 978 hits, 55 home runs, and 533 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 9,873.

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 .256
HR 55
RBI 533
H 978
OPS .728
PIV 9,873
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 180 lb
Born
11/21/1854 in New Castle, PA, USA
Died
2/24/1927 in Detroit, MI, USA
MLB Debut
1878-05-01
Last Game
1893-09-30

Full name: Charles Wesley Bennett

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Career Batting Statistics

Charlie Bennett — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,062 3,821 549 978 203 67 55 533 42 478 572 .256 .340 .387 .728 9,873

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .340 vs. league average .310 across their career seasons — +9.7% above league average.

Career SLG .387 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — +13.4% above league average.

Career OPS .728 vs. league average .652 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Charlie Bennett 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
1878 ML2 NL 49 184 16 45 9 0 1 12 0 10 26 .245 .259 (-6%) .278 (+2%) .319 (-3%) .597 (-1%) 17.0
1880 WOR NL 51 193 20 44 9 3 0 18 0 10 30 .228 .244 (-7%) .267 (avg) .319 (-4%) .586 (-3%) -46.4
1881 DTN NL 76 299 44 90 18 7 7 64 0 18 37 .301 .260 (+16%) .290 (+17%) .338 (+41%) .628 (+30%) 1410.7
1882 DTN NL 84 342 43 103 16 10 5 51 0 20 33 .301 .248 (+21%) .275 (+23%) .329 (+37%) .605 (+30%) 1617.5
1883 DTN NL 92 371 56 113 34 7 5 55 0 26 59 .305 .257 (+18%) .285 (+22%) .345 (+37%) .631 (+31%) 1876.2
1884 DTN NL 90 341 37 90 18 6 3 40 0 36 40 .264 .243 (+8%) .278 (+20%) .327 (+16%) .606 (+18%) 1077.7
1885 DTN NL 91 349 49 94 24 13 5 60 0 47 37 .269 .244 (+10%) .287 (+24%) .325 (+40%) .613 (+32%) 1895.2
1886 DTN NL 72 235 37 57 13 5 4 34 4 48 29 .243 .246 (-2%) .302 (+23%) .331 (+18%) .634 (+20%) 964.9
1887 DTN NL 46 160 26 39 6 5 3 20 7 30 22 .244 .270 (-10%) .331 (+10%) .373 (+7%) .705 (+8%) 285.7
1888 DTN NL 74 258 32 68 12 4 5 29 4 31 40 .264 .238 (+10%) .290 (+19%) .319 (+25%) .610 (+22%) 982.1
1889 BSN NL 82 247 42 57 8 2 4 28 7 21 43 .231 .263 (-12%) .334 (-11%) .357 (-8%) .691 (-10%) -389.4
1890 BSN NL 85 281 59 60 17 2 3 40 6 72 56 .214 .260 (-18%) .336 (+12%) .351 (-9%) .687 (+1%) 366.2
1891 BSN NL 75 256 35 55 9 3 5 39 3 42 61 .215 .254 (-15%) .331 (avg) .343 (-3%) .675 (-2%) 4.9
1892 BSN NL 35 114 19 23 4 0 1 16 6 27 23 .202 .244 (-18%) .316 (+12%) .327 (-20%) .644 (-4%) 47.9
1893 BSN NL 60 191 34 40 6 0 4 27 5 40 36 .209 .279 (-25%) .356 (-1%) .379 (-20%) .735 (-11%) -237.4
Career · 15 seasons 1,062 3,821 549 978 203 67 55 533 42 478 572 .256 — — — — 9,873

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

Charlie Bennett — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
13 49 8 13 2 1 1 10 3 7 .265

Playoff Batting by Year

Charlie Bennett — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1892 CS BSN 2 7 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 .286
1887 WS DTN 11 42 6 11 2 1 0 9 3 5 .262

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Charlie Bennett — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 4 0 17 2 2 2
2B 23 0 57 59 14 9
3B 27 0 56 57 22 7
C 954 0 5123 1048 379 114
OF 70 0 67 7 15 1
SS 6 0 6 12 7 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Charlie Bennett — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1878 ML2 C 35 0 176 31 42 4
1878 ML2 OF 20 0 21 2 9 0
1880 WOR C 46 0 280 45 31 3
1880 WOR OF 6 0 11 2 1 1
1881 DTN 3B 5 0 9 17 5 2
1881 DTN C 70 0 418 85 20 6
1881 DTN OF 3 0 5 0 0 0
1882 DTN 1B 1 0 5 0 0 0
1882 DTN 2B 7 0 18 18 2 2
1882 DTN 3B 11 0 24 23 7 2
1882 DTN C 65 0 446 70 30 8
1882 DTN SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1883 DTN 2B 15 0 37 36 11 6
1883 DTN C 72 0 333 88 25 11
1883 DTN OF 12 0 12 0 2 0
1884 DTN 1B 1 0 4 1 2 0
1884 DTN 2B 1 0 2 5 1 1
1884 DTN 3B 1 0 1 0 1 0
1884 DTN C 80 0 454 97 50 9
1884 DTN OF 5 0 3 1 1 0
1884 DTN SS 4 0 4 10 7 0
1885 DTN 3B 10 0 22 17 9 3
1885 DTN C 62 0 347 87 38 10
1885 DTN OF 19 0 10 2 2 0
1886 DTN C 69 0 425 84 24 13
1886 DTN OF 4 0 5 0 0 0
1886 DTN SS 1 0 2 2 0 1
1887 DTN 1B 1 0 4 1 0 2
1887 DTN C 45 0 197 57 13 9
1887 DTN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1888 DTN 1B 1 0 4 0 0 0
1888 DTN C 73 0 424 94 18 10
1889 BSN C 82 0 419 74 23 9
1890 BSN C 85 0 448 90 23 8
1891 BSN C 75 0 383 75 19 10
1892 BSN C 35 0 169 31 11 3
1893 BSN C 60 0 204 40 12 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Charlie Bennett Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 954
First Base 4
Second Base 23
Third Base 27
Shortstop 6
Left Field 25
Center Field 25
Right Field 20

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Charlie Bennett (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bob O'Farrell
    .273 avg, 51 HR
  2. 94
    Phil Masi
    .264 avg, 47 HR
  3. 92
    Heinie Peitz
    .271 avg, 16 HR
  4. 89
    Charlie Moore
    .261 avg, 36 HR
  5. 88
    Frankie Hayes
    .259 avg, 119 HR
  6. 88
    John Roseboro
    .249 avg, 104 HR

Charlie Bennett: the record in brief

Between the debut on May 1, 1878 and the final game on September 30, 1893, Charlie Bennett built the record summarized on this page. By club, Bennett's seasons break down as the Milwaukee Grays (1878), the Worcester Ruby Legs (1880), the Detroit Wolverines (1881 to 1888), and the Boston Beaneaters (1889 through 1893). Bennett played primarily as a catcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on November 21, 1854, in New Castle, PA, USA, Bennett was listed at 5'11" and 180 pounds. The bio records the death on February 24, 1927, in Detroit, MI, USA. Bennett's full given name, per the bio, is Charles Wesley Bennett.

Bennett collected 978 hits in 3,821 at bats across 1,062 games, good for a .256 batting average; the totals also include 55 home runs, 533 runs batted in, and 42 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .340 clip and slugging .387, Bennett finished with a .728 OPS. Bennett hit .256 while the league hit .254 over the same span, a figure close to average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Charlie Bennett

What years did Charlie Bennett play?
Charlie Bennett played in Major League Baseball from 1878 to 1893.
Was Charlie Bennett a pitcher?
No. Charlie Bennett was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Charlie Bennett hit?
Charlie Bennett hit 55 career home runs with 978 hits.
What teams did Charlie Bennett play for?
Charlie Bennett played for 4 teams: the Milwaukee Grays (1878), the Worcester Ruby Legs (1880), the Detroit Wolverines (1881–1888), and the Boston Beaneaters (1889–1893).
What were Charlie Bennett's career stats?
In 1,062 games, Charlie Bennett had 978 hits, 55 home runs, 533 RBI, 549 runs, and 42 stolen bases, with a .256 batting average.
What position did Charlie Bennett play?
Charlie Bennett played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Charlie Bennett and how much did he weigh?
Charlie Bennett was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 180 pounds.
How many home runs did Charlie Bennett hit each season?
Charlie Bennett's home runs by season: 1 in 1878, 0 in 1880, 7 in 1881, 5 in 1882, 5 in 1883, 3 in 1884, 5 in 1885, 4 in 1886, 3 in 1887, 5 in 1888, 4 in 1889, 3 in 1890, 5 in 1891, 1 in 1892, and 4 in 1893. His most in one season was 7, in 1881.
What was Charlie Bennett's career batting average?
Charlie Bennett batted .256 over his career, with 978 hits in 3,821 at bats.
How many RBI did Charlie Bennett have?
Charlie Bennett drove in 533 runs in his career.
Is Charlie Bennett in the Hall of Fame?
No. Charlie Bennett has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.