Joe Birmingham

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1906-1914)

Joe Birmingham was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1914 for the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 9 seasons. In 771 career games, he hit .253 with 667 hits, 7 home runs, and 265 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 .253
HR 7
RBI 265
H 667
OPS .610
PIV -1,984
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 185 lb
Born
12/3/1884 in Elmira, NY, USA
Died
4/23/1946 in Tampico, Tamaulipas, México
MLB Debut
1906-09-12
Last Game
1914-07-25

Full name: Joseph Leo Birmingham

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Career Batting Statistics

Joe Birmingham — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
771 2,633 284 667 89 27 7 265 108 129 339 .253 .294 .316 .610 -1,984

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .294 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 7.3% below league average.

Career SLG .316 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .610 vs. league average .649 across their career seasons — 5.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Birmingham 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
1906 CLE AL 10 40 5 11 2 1 0 6 2 1 2 .275 — — — — 0.0
1907 CLE AL 137 476 55 112 10 9 1 33 23 16 73 .235 .245 (-4%) .304 (-13%) .308 (-3%) .613 (-8%) -653.7
1908 CLE AL 122 413 32 88 10 1 2 38 15 19 63 .213 .240 (-11%) .298 (-15%) .306 (-16%) .605 (-16%) -908.3
1909 CLE AL 100 343 29 99 10 5 1 38 12 19 57 .289 .244 (+18%) .306 (+9%) .312 (+14%) .618 (+11%) 608.3
1910 CLE AL 104 367 41 84 11 2 0 35 18 23 42 .229 .249 (-8%) .317 (-11%) .326 (-17%) .644 (-14%) -749.3
1911 CLE AL 125 447 55 136 18 5 2 51 16 15 41 .304 .266 (+14%) .336 (-1%) .356 (+7%) .693 (+3%) 143.2
1912 CLE AL 107 369 49 94 19 3 1 45 15 26 34 .255 .268 (-5%) .335 (-7%) .358 (-8%) .694 (-8%) -457.2
1913 CLE AL 47 131 16 37 9 1 0 15 7 8 22 .282 .259 (+9%) .325 (avg) .345 (+6%) .670 (+3%) 32.6
1914 CLE AL 19 47 2 6 0 0 0 4 0 2 5 .128 — — — — 0.0
Career · 9 seasons 771 2,633 284 667 89 27 7 265 108 129 339 .253 — — — — -1,984

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 (773 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Joe Birmingham — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home39513231503662120.277
Away3781316132307587.233

Last 10 Games — Batting

Joe Birmingham — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1914-07-25 CLEBOSL 100000000
1914-07-21 CLEPHAL 100000001
1914-07-08 CLENYYL 100000000
1914-07-05 CLECHWL 400000001
1914-07-04 CLEDETL 501000000
1914-07-04 CLEDETW 412000110
1914-07-03 CLEDETL 301000200
1914-07-02 CLEDETL 401000001
1914-06-30 CLESLAL 300000000
1914-06-30 CLESLAW 400000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Joe Birmingham — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 9 0 66 9 3 3
3B 18 2 23 41 6 4
OF 712 454 1478 129 70 38
SS 4 4 9 10 1 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Birmingham — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1906 CLE 3B 1 1 0 1 0 0
1906 CLE OF 9 8 18 2 0 0
1907 CLE OF 133 132 268 28 16 8
1907 CLE SS 3 3 9 7 1 3
1908 CLE OF 121 118 250 20 12 6
1908 CLE SS 1 1 0 3 0 0
1909 CLE OF 98 97 203 15 12 2
1910 CLE 3B 1 1 1 5 0 0
1910 CLE OF 103 99 223 24 10 8
1911 CLE 3B 16 0 22 35 6 4
1911 CLE OF 102 0 231 19 7 6
1912 CLE 1B 9 0 66 9 3 3
1912 CLE OF 96 0 198 18 11 8
1913 CLE OF 36 0 73 2 2 0
1914 CLE OF 14 0 14 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joe Birmingham Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 11
Third Base 19
Shortstop 4
Left Field 40
Center Field 643
Right Field 30

Award Voting History

Joe Birmingham — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1912 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 2.0 64 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Joe Birmingham (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Tony Scott
    .249 avg, 17 HR
  2. 92
    Mike Felder
    .249 avg, 14 HR
  3. 87
    Harry Niles
    .247 avg, 12 HR
  4. 86
    Ed Andrews
    .257 avg, 12 HR
  5. 83
    Joe Sommer
    .248 avg, 11 HR
  6. 81
    Jose Tartabull
    .261 avg, 2 HR

Joe Birmingham: the record in brief

According to the bio, Joe Birmingham debuted on September 12, 1906 and played a final game on July 25, 1914. The team column never changes: it is the Cleveland Naps from 1906 to 1914. The bio lists Birmingham as an outfielder who both batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 5 feet, 10 inches and 185 pounds. Birmingham was born on December 3, 1884, in Elmira, NY, USA. Birmingham's death is recorded on April 23, 1946, in Tampico, Tamaulipas, México. Joe Birmingham was the playing name; the full given name is Joseph Leo.

Birmingham finished with 667 hits from 2,633 at bats in 771 games, which works out to .253, adding 7 homers, 265 runs batted in, and 108 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .294 and the slugging percentage .316, for an OPS of .610. Against a .253 league average for those years, Birmingham's .253 average was near the norm. The OPS comparison is .610 to a league .649, 5.9% below average. 1911 produced Birmingham's most hits, 136 of them for the Cleveland Naps. 1911 brought the most runs batted in, 51. On the bases, the high point was 23 steals in 1907.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Birmingham

What years did Joe Birmingham play?
Joe Birmingham played in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1914.
Was Joe Birmingham a pitcher?
No. Joe Birmingham was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Joe Birmingham hit?
Joe Birmingham hit 7 career home runs with 667 hits.
What teams did Joe Birmingham play for?
Joe Birmingham played for one team, the Cleveland Naps (1906–1914).
What were Joe Birmingham's career stats?
In 771 games, Joe Birmingham had 667 hits, 7 home runs, 265 RBI, 284 runs, and 108 stolen bases, with a .253 batting average.
What position did Joe Birmingham play?
Joe Birmingham played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joe Birmingham and how much did he weigh?
Joe Birmingham was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did Joe Birmingham hit each season?
Joe Birmingham's home runs by season: 0 in 1906, 1 in 1907, 2 in 1908, 1 in 1909, 0 in 1910, 2 in 1911, 1 in 1912, 0 in 1913, and 0 in 1914. His most in one season was 2, in 1908 and 1911.
What was Joe Birmingham's career batting average?
Joe Birmingham batted .253 over his career, with 667 hits in 2,633 at bats.
How many RBI did Joe Birmingham have?
Joe Birmingham drove in 265 runs in his career.
Is Joe Birmingham in the Hall of Fame?
No. Joe Birmingham has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.