Asa Brainard

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1871-1874)

Asa Brainard was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1874 for the Washington Olympics, the Middletown Mansfields, and the Baltimore Canaries, a span of 4 seasons. Across 85 career appearances, he went 24-53 with a 4.40 ERA and 25 strikeouts. He also batted .248 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 55.0.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 24–53
ERA 4.40
WHIP 1.70
SO 25
Pitcher PIV 55.0
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
— / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 150 lb
Born
1841 in Albany, NY, USA
Died
12/29/1888 in Denver, CO, USA
MLB Debut
1871-05-05
Last Game
1874-10-14

Full name: Asahel Brainard

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Career Pitching Statistics

Asa Brainard — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
24 53 85 82 77 0 0 699.2 1,109 342 6 78 25 4.40 55.0

Career ERA 4.40 vs. league average 3.22 across their career seasons — 36.5% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Asa Brainard — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1871 WS3 12 15 30 30 30 0 0 264.0 361 132 37 13 4.50 4.22 (-7%) 849.2
1872 WS3 2 7 9 9 9 0 0 79.0 148 56 5 1 6.38 3.66 (-74%) 122.0
1872 MID 0 2 2 2 1 0 0 8.0 13 5 0 0 5.62 — 0.0
1873 BL1 5 7 14 14 12 0 0 108.2 182 50 9 3 4.14 3.40 (-22%) 285.5
1874 BL1 5 22 30 27 25 0 0 240.0 405 99 27 8 3.71 2.19 (-69%) -1201.7
Career · 5 seasons 24 53 85 82 77 0 0 699.2 1,109 342 78 25 4.40 — 55

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 Batting Statistics

Asa Brainard — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
108 467 71 116 11 0 0 45 4 10 7 .248 .264 .272 .536 -1,125

Career AVG .248 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 12.3% below league average.

Career OBP .264 vs. league average .297 across their career seasons — 11.1% below league average.

Career SLG .272 vs. league average .352 across their career seasons — 22.8% below league average.

Career OPS .536 vs. league average .649 across their career seasons — 17.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Asa Brainard — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1871 WS3 30 134 24 30 4 0 0 21 4 7 2 .224 .286 (-22%) .311 (-16%) .383 (-34%) .695 (-26%) -488.2
1872 WS3 9 43 8 16 3 0 0 6 0 0 0 .372 — — — — 0.0
1872 MID 6 25 2 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .200 — — — — 0.0
1873 BL1 16 69 18 18 1 0 0 9 0 0 2 .261 .290 (-10%) .304 (-14%) .357 (-23%) .661 (-19%) -181.7
1874 BL1 47 196 19 47 3 0 0 8 0 2 3 .240 .273 (-12%) .282 (-12%) .333 (-23%) .615 (-18%) -454.9
Career · 5 seasons 108 467 71 116 11 0 0 45 4 10 7 .248 — — — — -1,125

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.

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Asa Brainard — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 26 23 32 53 29 1
OF 5 1 1 0 0 0
P 85 68 29 86 28 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Asa Brainard — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1871 WS3 P 30 30 18 28 8 1
1872 WS3 P 9 9 1 9 6 0
1872 MID 2B 4 4 8 10 6 0
1872 MID OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1872 MID P 2 2 0 2 0 0
1873 BL1 2B 1 0 0 2 1 0
1873 BL1 OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1873 BL1 P 14 0 2 14 5 0
1874 BL1 2B 21 19 24 41 22 1
1874 BL1 OF 2 1 1 0 0 0
1874 BL1 P 30 27 8 33 9 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Asa Brainard — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 85
Second Base 25
Left Field 1
Center Field 1
Right Field 4

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Asa Brainard (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bill Stearns
    13-64, 4.28 ERA
  2. 88
    Jim Britt
    26-64, 4.26 ERA
  3. 30
    Bill Hubbell
    40-63, 4.68 ERA
  4. 30
    Tim McNamara
    14-29, 4.78 ERA
  5. 30
    Johnny Couch
    29-34, 4.63 ERA
  6. 30
    Luther McDonald
    36-26, 4.28 ERA

Asa Brainard: the record in brief

Asa Brainard played a first major league game on May 5, 1871 and a last one on October 14, 1874. By club, Brainard's seasons break down as the Washington Olympics (1871 through 1872), the Middletown Mansfields (1872), and the Baltimore Canaries (1873 to 1874). The bio lists Brainard's primary position as pitcher. The recorded size is 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds. The birth record reads in 1841, in Albany, NY, USA. Brainard's death is recorded on December 29, 1888, in Denver, CO, USA. The given name on file is Asahel Brainard.

Brainard pitched in 85 games, starting 82, and finished with a 24-53 record and 4.40 ERA. The same table counts 25 strikeouts and 77 complete games. The league ERA over Brainard's seasons was 3.22, so the 4.40 figure ran 36.5% worse than average. No season topped the 12 wins of 1871. In 1874, one of the busiest seasons, Brainard posted a 3.71 ERA; the league figure that year was 2.19.

Frequently Asked Questions about Asa Brainard

What years did Asa Brainard play?
Asa Brainard played in Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1874.
Was Asa Brainard a pitcher?
Yes. Asa Brainard pitched in the major leagues, recording 24 wins and 25 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Asa Brainard hit?
Asa Brainard hit 0 career home runs with 116 hits.
What was Asa Brainard's career batting average?
Asa Brainard batted .248 over his career, with 116 hits in 467 at bats.
How many RBI did Asa Brainard have?
Asa Brainard drove in 45 runs in his career.
What was Asa Brainard's career ERA?
Asa Brainard finished with a 4.40 career ERA, going 24-53 with 25 strikeouts.