Lou Bierbauer

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1886-1898)

Lou Bierbauer was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1886 to 1898 for 4 teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,385 career games, he hit .267 with 1,524 hits, 34 home runs, and 839 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 .267
HR 34
RBI 839
H 1,524
OPS .656
PIV -5,619
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 140 lb
Born
9/28/1865 in Erie, PA, USA
Died
1/31/1926 in Erie, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1886-04-17
Last Game
1898-04-30

Full name: Louis W. Bierbauer

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Career Batting Statistics

Lou Bierbauer — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,385 5,713 821 1,524 209 95 34 839 206 268 160 .267 .301 .354 .656 -5,619

Career AVG .267 vs. league average .268 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .301 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 10.1% below league average.

Career SLG .354 vs. league average .361 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .656 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — 5.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lou Bierbauer 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
1886 PH4 AA 137 522 56 118 17 5 2 47 19 21 0 .226 .246 (-8%) .302 (-15%) .331 (-13%) .634 (-14%) -1108.8
1887 PH4 AA 126 530 74 144 19 7 1 82 40 13 12 .272 .270 (avg) .331 (-13%) .373 (-9%) .705 (-11%) -1003.2
1888 PH4 AA 134 535 83 143 20 9 0 80 34 25 13 .267 .238 (+12%) .290 (+4%) .319 (+6%) .610 (+5%) 341.1
1889 PH4 AA 130 549 80 167 27 7 7 105 17 29 30 .304 .263 (+15%) .334 (+3%) .357 (+17%) .691 (+10%) 894.8
1890 BRP PL 133 589 128 180 31 11 7 99 16 40 15 .306 .260 (+17%) .336 (+4%) .351 (+23%) .687 (+14%) 1301.5
1891 PIT NL 121 500 60 103 13 6 1 47 12 28 19 .206 .254 (-19%) .331 (-24%) .343 (-24%) .675 (-24%) -1899.4
1892 PIT NL 152 649 81 153 20 9 8 65 11 25 29 .236 .244 (-4%) .316 (-17%) .327 (+1%) .644 (-8%) -967.6
1893 PIT NL 128 528 84 150 19 11 4 94 11 36 12 .284 .279 (+2%) .356 (-6%) .379 (+1%) .735 (-2%) -315.2
1894 PIT NL 131 528 87 160 20 13 3 109 19 26 10 .303 .309 (-2%) .379 (-11%) .435 (-6%) .814 (-9%) -919.3
1895 PIT NL 118 470 54 122 13 11 1 71 18 19 8 .260 .296 (-12%) .361 (-19%) .399 (-15%) .761 (-17%) -1457.3
1896 PIT NL 59 258 33 74 10 6 0 39 7 5 7 .287 .290 (-1%) .354 (-15%) .387 (-4%) .741 (-9%) -485.6
1897 SLN NL 12 46 1 10 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 .217 — — — — 0.0
1898 SLN NL 4 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 13 seasons 1,385 5,713 821 1,524 209 95 34 839 206 268 160 .267 — — — — -5,619

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 Pitching Statistics

Lou Bierbauer — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 4 0 0 0 1 14.2 13 5 0 5 5 3.07 -253.3

Career ERA 3.07 vs. league average 3.49 across their career seasons — 12.0% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lou Bierbauer — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1886 PH4 AA 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 10.2 8 5 5 1 4.22 3.37 (-25%) -253.3
1887 PH4 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1.0 0 0 0 1 0.00 — 0.0
1888 PH4 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3.0 5 0 0 3 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 3 seasons 0 0 4 0 0 0 1 14.2 13 5 5 5 3.07 — -253

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

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

Batting — Home / Away

Lou Bierbauer — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home220000.000
Away270000.000

Last 4 Games — Batting

Lou Bierbauer — Last 4 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1898-04-30 STLCL4W 500000002
1898-04-29 STLCL4L 200000000
1898-04-17 STLCHCL 000000010
1898-04-15 STLCHCL 200000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Lou Bierbauer — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1366 0 3726 4563 574 620
3B 14 0 22 24 2 2
C 5 0 24 2 3 0
P 4 0 0 0 0 0
SS 3 0 5 11 6 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Lou Bierbauer — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1886 PH4 2B 133 0 380 429 80 54
1886 PH4 C 4 0 24 2 3 0
1886 PH4 P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1886 PH4 SS 2 0 2 4 6 1
1887 PH4 2B 126 0 332 378 61 45
1887 PH4 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1888 PH4 2B 121 0 342 399 68 39
1888 PH4 3B 13 0 22 24 2 2
1888 PH4 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1889 PH4 2B 130 0 472 406 55 80
1889 PH4 C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1890 BRP 2B 133 0 372 468 62 77
1891 PIT 2B 121 0 331 384 55 42
1892 PIT 2B 152 0 385 555 49 66
1893 PIT 2B 128 0 352 441 34 71
1894 PIT 2B 131 0 310 456 50 58
1895 PIT 2B 118 0 285 405 39 52
1896 PIT 2B 59 0 140 206 12 32
1897 SLN 2B 12 0 25 33 5 4
1898 SLN 2B 2 0 0 3 4 0
1898 SLN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1898 SLN SS 1 0 3 7 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Lou Bierbauer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 4
Catcher 5
Second Base 1366
Third Base 14
Shortstop 3

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Lou Bierbauer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    George Cutshaw
    .265 avg, 25 HR
  2. 91
    Kitty Bransfield
    .270 avg, 13 HR
  3. 88
    Dots Miller
    .263 avg, 32 HR
  4. 86
    Tom Burns
    .266 avg, 39 HR
  5. 81
    Hughie Critz
    .268 avg, 38 HR
  6. 81
    Bill Hallman
    .272 avg, 21 HR

Lou Bierbauer: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 17, 1886 and the final game on April 30, 1898, Lou Bierbauer built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Philadelphia Athletics (1886 to 1889), the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders (1890), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1891 through 1896), and the St. Louis Browns (1897 through 1898). Bierbauer played primarily as a second baseman and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Born on September 28, 1865, in Erie, PA, USA, Bierbauer was listed at 5'8" and 140 pounds. Bierbauer's death is recorded on January 31, 1926, in Erie, PA, USA. The bio lists the given name Louis W.

The batting record for Bierbauer: 1,385 games, 1,524 hits in 5,713 at bats, and a .267 average, adding 34 homers, 839 RBI, and 206 stolen bases. Bierbauer's career OPS of .656 combines a .301 on-base mark with .354 slugging. Against a .268 league average for those years, Bierbauer's .267 average was near the norm. Bierbauer collected a career-high 180 hits in 1890. 1894 brought the most runs batted in, 109.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lou Bierbauer

What years did Lou Bierbauer play?
Lou Bierbauer played in Major League Baseball from 1886 to 1898.
Was Lou Bierbauer a pitcher?
No. Lou Bierbauer was a position player (Second Baseman), though he did pitch in 4 career games.
How many home runs did Lou Bierbauer hit?
Lou Bierbauer hit 34 career home runs with 1524 hits.
What was Lou Bierbauer's career batting average?
Lou Bierbauer batted .267 over his career, with 1,524 hits in 5,713 at bats.
How many RBI did Lou Bierbauer have?
Lou Bierbauer drove in 839 runs in his career.
What was Lou Bierbauer's career ERA?
Lou Bierbauer finished with a 3.07 career ERA, going 0-0 with 5 strikeouts.