Dave Brain

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1901-1908)

Dave Brain was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1901 to 1908 for 6 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 8 seasons. In 679 career games, he hit .252 with 641 hits, 27 home runs, and 303 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,317.

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 .252
HR 27
RBI 303
H 641
OPS .655
PIV 1,317
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 170 lb
Born
1/24/1879 in Hereford, Herefordshire, England
Died
5/25/1959 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1901-04-24
Last Game
1908-10-07

Full name: David Leonard Brain

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Career Batting Statistics

Dave Brain — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
679 2,543 254 641 97 52 27 303 73 134 216 .252 .292 .363 .655 1,317

Career AVG .252 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .292 vs. league average .309 across their career seasons — 5.2% below league average.

Career SLG .363 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.

Career OPS .655 vs. league average .634 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dave Brain 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
1901 CHA AL 5 20 2 7 1 0 0 5 0 1 0 .350 — — — — 0.0
1903 SLN NL 119 464 44 107 8 15 1 60 21 25 29 .231 .261 (-12%) .316 (-15%) .345 (-8%) .662 (-11%) -874.3
1904 SLN NL 127 488 57 130 24 12 7 72 18 17 48 .266 .246 (+8%) .300 (-3%) .321 (+27%) .622 (+12%) 752.9
1905 SLN NL 44 158 11 36 4 5 1 17 4 8 16 .228 .248 (-8%) .307 (-12%) .322 (+4%) .629 (-4%) -143.1
1905 PIT NL 85 307 31 79 17 6 3 46 8 15 31 .257 .248 (+4%) .307 (-4%) .322 (+18%) .629 (+8%) -143.1
1906 BSN NL 139 525 43 131 19 5 5 45 11 29 47 .250 .247 (+1%) .307 (-5%) .315 (+6%) .622 (+1%) -56.3
1907 BSN NL 133 509 60 142 24 9 10 56 10 29 39 .279 .245 (+14%) .304 (+6%) .308 (+36%) .613 (+21%) 1697.0
1908 CIN NL 16 55 4 6 0 0 0 1 0 8 3 .109 .240 (-55%) .298 (-26%) .306 (-64%) .605 (-45%) -311.3
1908 NY1 NL 11 17 2 3 0 0 0 1 1 2 3 .176 — — — — -311.3
Career · 9 seasons 679 2,543 254 641 97 52 27 303 73 134 216 .252 — — — — 611

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 (676 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Dave Brain — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home349129412934821120.269
Away32712411252926111.235

Last 10 Games — Batting

Dave Brain — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1908-10-07 NY1BSNW 000000000
1908-10-01 NY1PHIL 100000000
1908-09-25 NY1CINL 100000001
1908-09-17 NY1STLW 101000000
1908-07-31 NY1STLW 100000000
1908-07-30 NY1STLW 000000000
1908-07-21 NY1STLW 511000101
1908-07-21 NY1STLL 401000000
1908-07-19 NY1STLW 410000001
1908-07-16 NY1CHCW 000000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dave Brain — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 4 3 40 3 2 1
2B 21 15 54 79 11 7
3B 431 383 600 1003 152 76
OF 47 46 89 5 2 0
SS 165 88 343 514 80 61

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dave Brain — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1901 CHA 2B 5 0 14 16 3 4
1903 SLN 3B 46 0 70 106 22 9
1903 SLN SS 72 0 163 244 41 34
1904 SLN 1B 4 3 40 3 2 1
1904 SLN 2B 13 13 35 55 6 3
1904 SLN 3B 30 30 40 68 14 1
1904 SLN OF 19 21 35 0 0 0
1904 SLN SS 59 57 109 182 23 21
1905 SLN 3B 6 6 8 15 0 0
1905 SLN OF 6 6 11 3 0 0
1905 SLN SS 29 27 58 74 13 4
1905 PIT 3B 78 78 82 170 21 13
1905 PIT SS 4 4 11 12 1 2
1906 BSN 3B 139 139 208 321 48 26
1907 BSN 3B 130 130 191 323 47 27
1907 BSN OF 3 3 7 2 0 0
1908 CIN OF 16 16 36 0 2 0
1908 NY1 2B 3 2 5 8 2 0
1908 NY1 3B 2 0 1 0 0 0
1908 NY1 OF 3 0 0 0 0 0
1908 NY1 SS 1 0 2 2 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dave Brain Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 4
Second Base 22
Third Base 432
Shortstop 166
Left Field 28
Center Field 15
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

Dave Brain (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    John Ganzel
    .251 avg, 18 HR
  2. 81
    Fred Beck
    .252 avg, 33 HR
  3. 80
    John Kerins
    .252 avg, 20 HR
  4. 69
    Adeiny Hechavarria
    .253 avg, 37 HR
  5. 69
    Luis Rivas
    .257 avg, 34 HR
  6. 65
    Joe Werrick
    .250 avg, 10 HR

Dave Brain: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 24, 1901 and the final game on October 7, 1908, Dave Brain built the record summarized on this page. By club, Brain's seasons break down as the Chicago White Sox (1901), the St. Louis Cardinals (1903 to 1905), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1905), the Boston Beaneaters (1906), the Boston Doves (1907), the Cincinnati Reds (1908), and the New York Giants (1908). Brain played primarily as a third baseman and batted and threw right-handed. Born on January 24, 1879, in Hereford, Herefordshire, England, Brain was listed at 5'10" and 170 pounds. Brain died on May 25, 1959, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Dave Brain was the playing name; the full given name is David Leonard.

Brain finished with 641 hits from 2,543 at bats in 679 games, which works out to .252, adding 27 home runs, 303 runs batted in, and 73 stolen bases. Brain got on base at a .292 rate and slugged .363 (.655 OPS). Against a .251 league average for those years, Brain's .252 average was near the norm.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Brain

What years did Dave Brain play?
Dave Brain played in Major League Baseball from 1901 to 1908.
Was Dave Brain a pitcher?
No. Dave Brain was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Dave Brain hit?
Dave Brain hit 27 career home runs with 641 hits.
What teams did Dave Brain play for?
Dave Brain played for 6 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1901), the St. Louis Cardinals (1903–1905), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1905), the Boston Doves (1906–1907), the Cincinnati Reds (1908), and the New York Giants (1908).
What were Dave Brain's career stats?
In 679 games, Dave Brain had 641 hits, 27 home runs, 303 RBI, 254 runs, and 73 stolen bases, with a .252 batting average.
What position did Dave Brain play?
Dave Brain played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Dave Brain and how much did he weigh?
Dave Brain was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 170 pounds.
How many home runs did Dave Brain hit each season?
Dave Brain's home runs by season: 0 in 1901, 1 in 1903, 7 in 1904, 4 in 1905, 5 in 1906, 10 in 1907, and 0 in 1908. His most in one season was 10, in 1907.
What was Dave Brain's career batting average?
Dave Brain batted .252 over his career, with 641 hits in 2,543 at bats.
How many RBI did Dave Brain have?
Dave Brain drove in 303 runs in his career.
Is Dave Brain in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dave Brain has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.