Jack Boyle

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

Jack Boyle was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1886 to 1898 for 5 teams, including the Cincinnati Red Stockings, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,087 career games, he hit .253 with 1,070 hits, 23 home runs, and 570 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 23
RBI 570
H 1,070
OPS .643
PIV -6,391
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 190 lb
Born
3/22/1867 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
Died
1/6/1913 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1886-10-08
Last Game
1898-08-16

Full name: John Anthony Boyle

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Career Batting Statistics

Jack Boyle — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,087 4,232 671 1,070 139 54 23 570 126 326 339 .253 .315 .328 .643 -6,391

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .268 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.

Career OBP .315 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 6.0% below league average.

Career SLG .328 vs. league average .361 across their career seasons — 9.4% below league average.

Career OPS .643 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — 7.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jack Boyle (b. 1867) 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 CN2 AA 1 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200 — — — — 0.0
1887 SL4 AA 88 350 48 66 3 1 2 41 7 20 51 .189 .270 (-30%) .331 (-29%) .373 (-41%) .705 (-35%) -1899.7
1888 SL4 AA 71 257 33 62 8 1 1 23 11 13 40 .241 .238 (+1%) .290 (-2%) .319 (-9%) .610 (-5%) -171.8
1889 SL4 AA 99 347 54 85 11 5 3 42 5 21 42 .245 .263 (-7%) .334 (-10%) .357 (-7%) .691 (-9%) -493.6
1890 CHP PL 100 369 56 96 9 5 1 49 11 44 29 .260 .260 (avg) .336 (+3%) .351 (-9%) .687 (-3%) -91.7
1891 SL4 AA 121 434 76 122 18 8 5 79 18 44 35 .281 .254 (+11%) .331 (+10%) .343 (+15%) .675 (+12%) 1043.4
1892 NY1 NL 120 436 52 80 8 8 0 32 10 36 41 .183 .244 (-25%) .316 (-20%) .327 (-27%) .644 (-24%) -1534.2
1893 PHI NL 116 504 105 144 29 9 4 81 22 41 30 .286 .279 (+2%) .356 (-1%) .379 (+6%) .735 (+2%) 166.2
1894 PHI NL 117 510 103 153 23 10 4 89 23 46 27 .300 .309 (-3%) .379 (-5%) .435 (-6%) .814 (-6%) -524.5
1895 PHI NL 133 565 90 143 17 4 0 67 13 35 23 .253 .296 (-15%) .361 (-16%) .399 (-26%) .761 (-21%) -2008.0
1896 PHI NL 40 145 17 43 4 1 1 28 3 6 7 .297 .290 (+2%) .354 (-2%) .387 (-7%) .741 (-5%) -104.5
1897 PHI NL 75 288 37 73 9 1 2 36 3 19 13 .253 .291 (-13%) .354 (-13%) .387 (-19%) .741 (-17%) -772.6
1898 PHI NL 6 22 0 2 0 1 0 3 0 1 1 .091 — — — — 0.0
Career · 13 seasons 1,087 4,232 671 1,070 139 54 23 570 126 326 339 .253 — — — — -6,391

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

Jack Boyle — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
10 40 5 12 0 1 0 6 2 6 .300

Playoff Batting by Year

Jack Boyle — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1888 WS SL4 4 16 4 7 0 1 0 4 2 2 .438
1887 WS SL4 6 24 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 4 .208

Game Log & Splits

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jack Boyle — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home260000.000
Away4160203.125

Last 6 Games — Batting

Jack Boyle — Last 6 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1898-08-16 PHIPITL 300000010
1898-05-28 PHICHCW 500000100
1898-05-26 PHICHCL 400000001
1898-05-25 PHIPITL 401010200
1898-05-21 PHICL4L 301000000
1898-04-27 PHIBSNL 300000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jack Boyle — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 458 0 4113 232 97 262
2B 7 0 14 16 3 0
3B 51 0 62 95 30 3
C 544 0 2432 683 237 61
OF 15 0 14 5 1 2
SS 43 0 49 98 33 13

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jack Boyle — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1886 CN2 C 1 0 8 2 3 0
1887 SL4 1B 2 0 12 2 1 1
1887 SL4 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1887 SL4 C 86 0 339 114 52 7
1887 SL4 OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1888 SL4 C 70 0 381 123 37 11
1888 SL4 OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1889 SL4 1B 4 0 14 1 1 0
1889 SL4 2B 1 0 0 1 1 0
1889 SL4 3B 12 0 15 24 3 2
1889 SL4 C 80 0 378 108 27 11
1889 SL4 OF 5 0 2 1 1 1
1890 CHP 1B 7 0 64 2 3 4
1890 CHP 3B 30 0 38 58 25 1
1890 CHP C 50 0 218 49 17 5
1890 CHP OF 2 0 2 2 0 0
1890 CHP SS 16 0 13 43 16 6
1891 SL4 1B 3 0 16 0 0 0
1891 SL4 2B 3 0 6 7 1 0
1891 SL4 3B 7 0 9 12 1 0
1891 SL4 C 91 0 428 88 35 11
1891 SL4 OF 3 0 2 0 0 0
1891 SL4 SS 25 0 33 54 16 6
1892 NY1 1B 40 0 360 23 13 23
1892 NY1 C 79 0 418 126 46 9
1892 NY1 OF 2 0 6 2 0 1
1892 NY1 SS 2 0 3 1 1 1
1893 PHI 1B 112 0 1066 74 14 71
1893 PHI 2B 2 0 6 7 1 0
1893 PHI C 6 0 13 1 0 0
1894 PHI 1B 117 0 976 62 19 78
1894 PHI 2B 1 0 2 1 0 0
1894 PHI 3B 1 0 0 1 1 0
1895 PHI 1B 133 0 1245 61 36 69
1896 PHI 1B 12 0 113 1 3 7
1896 PHI C 28 0 83 21 9 3
1897 PHI 1B 24 0 215 4 4 7
1897 PHI C 50 0 158 47 8 3
1898 PHI 1B 4 0 32 2 3 2
1898 PHI C 3 0 8 4 3 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jack Boyle (b. 1867) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 544
First Base 458
Second Base 7
Third Base 51
Shortstop 43
Left Field 6
Center Field 2
Right Field 7

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Jack Boyle (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Frank O'Rourke
    .254 avg, 15 HR
  2. 87
    Sid Farrar
    .253 avg, 18 HR
  3. 86
    Heinie Wagner
    .250 avg, 10 HR
  4. 82
    James Casey
    .258 avg, 9 HR
  5. 81
    Lenny Randle
    .257 avg, 27 HR
  6. 81
    Danny Richardson
    .254 avg, 32 HR

Jack Boyle: the record in brief

According to the bio, Jack Boyle debuted on October 8, 1886 and played a final game on August 16, 1898. The season rows list, in order, the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1886), the St. Louis Browns (1887 through 1891), the Chicago Pirates (1890), the New York Giants (1892), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1893 through 1898). Boyle is listed as a catcher at 6'4" and 190 pounds. Boyle batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is March 22, 1867, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. The bio records the death on January 6, 1913, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. The given name on file is John Anthony Boyle.

Boyle collected 1,070 hits in 4,232 at bats across 1,087 games, good for a .253 batting average, along with 23 homers, 570 RBI, and 126 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .315 and the slugging percentage .328, for an OPS of .643. Measured against the leagues Boyle played in, the .253 career average compares with a .268 league average over the same seasons, 5.7% below the league. The highest hit total in a season was 153, in 1894.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jack Boyle

What years did Jack Boyle play?
Jack Boyle played in Major League Baseball from 1886 to 1898.
Was Jack Boyle a pitcher?
No. Jack Boyle was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Jack Boyle hit?
Jack Boyle hit 23 career home runs with 1070 hits.
What was Jack Boyle's career batting average?
Jack Boyle batted .253 over his career, with 1,070 hits in 4,232 at bats.
How many RBI did Jack Boyle have?
Jack Boyle drove in 570 runs in his career.
Is Jack Boyle in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jack Boyle has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.