Lew Brown

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1876-1884)

Lew Brown was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1876 to 1884 for 6 teams, including the Boston Braves, a span of 9 seasons. In 378 career games, he hit .248 with 379 hits, 10 home runs, and 169 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 526.

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 .248
HR 10
RBI 169
H 379
OPS .631
PIV 526
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 185 lb
Born
2/1/1858 in Leominster, MA, USA
Died
1/15/1889 in Boston, MA, USA
MLB Debut
1876-06-17
Last Game
1884-10-19

Full name: Lewis J. Brown

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Lew Brown — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
378 1,531 205 379 83 31 10 169 0 45 155 .248 .269 .362 .631 526

Career AVG .248 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .269 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .362 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +9.0% above league average.

Career OPS .631 vs. league average .613 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lew Brown 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
1876 BSN NL 45 195 23 41 6 6 2 21 0 3 22 .210 .265 (-21%) .277 (-20%) .320 (+4%) .598 (-7%) -239.1
1877 BSN NL 58 221 27 56 12 8 1 31 0 6 33 .253 .271 (-7%) .289 (-6%) .337 (+17%) .626 (+6%) 139.2
1878 PRO NL 58 243 44 74 21 6 1 43 0 7 37 .305 .259 (+17%) .278 (+16%) .319 (+42%) .597 (+30%) 986.1
1879 PRO NL 53 229 23 59 13 4 2 38 0 4 24 .258 .255 (+1%) .270 (avg) .328 (+14%) .599 (+8%) 217.8
1879 CHN NL 6 21 2 6 1 0 0 3 0 1 4 .286 — — — — 217.8
1881 DTN NL 27 108 16 26 3 1 3 14 0 3 16 .241 .260 (-7%) .290 (-10%) .338 (+10%) .628 (+1%) -7.6
1881 PRO NL 18 75 9 18 3 1 0 10 0 4 13 .240 .260 (-8%) .290 (-4%) .338 (-9%) .628 (-7%) -7.6
1883 BSN NL 14 54 5 13 4 1 0 9 0 3 6 .241 .257 (-6%) .285 (-2%) .345 (+2%) .631 (avg) -1.2
1883 LS2 AA 14 60 6 11 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 .183 .257 (-29%) .285 (-31%) .345 (-28%) .631 (-29%) -1.2
1884 BSU UA 85 325 50 75 18 3 1 0 0 13 0 .231 .243 (-5%) .278 (-7%) .327 (-4%) .606 (-5%) -254.1
Career · 10 seasons 378 1,531 205 379 83 31 10 169 0 45 155 .248 — — — — 1,050

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

Lew Brown — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 2 0 0 0 1 2.0 6 6 0 5 0 27.00 0.0

Career ERA 27.00 vs. league average 3.02 across their career seasons — 794.1% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lew Brown — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1878 PRO NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 2 4 0 18.00 — 0.0
1884 BSU UA 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1.0 6 4 1 0 36.00 — 0.0
Career · 2 seasons 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 2.0 6 6 5 0 27.00 — 0

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

Lew Brown — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 118 0 1183 32 73 58
C 248 0 1485 376 245 31
OF 23 0 15 2 6 0
P 2 0 0 1 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Lew Brown — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1876 BSN C 45 0 192 45 40 4
1876 BSN OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1877 BSN 1B 4 0 27 0 0 0
1877 BSN C 55 0 360 67 49 5
1878 PRO 1B 15 0 178 3 11 7
1878 PRO C 45 0 232 84 43 11
1878 PRO OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1878 PRO P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1879 PRO C 48 0 286 63 63 5
1879 PRO OF 6 0 4 1 3 0
1879 CHN 1B 6 0 72 2 2 5
1881 DTN 1B 27 0 252 8 11 20
1881 PRO 1B 5 0 52 1 2 4
1881 PRO OF 13 0 9 1 2 0
1883 BSN 1B 14 0 146 2 9 7
1883 LS2 1B 14 0 134 5 17 6
1883 LS2 C 1 0 1 0 0 0
1884 BSU 1B 33 0 322 11 21 9
1884 BSU C 54 0 414 117 50 6
1884 BSU OF 2 0 1 0 1 0
1884 BSU P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Lew Brown Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 2
Catcher 248
First Base 118
Center Field 1
Right Field 23

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Lew Brown (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Sam Trott
    .250 avg, 3 HR
  2. 74
    Dick Buckley
    .245 avg, 26 HR
  3. 74
    Jose Trevino
    .235 avg, 41 HR
  4. 72
    Mike Difelice
    .236 avg, 28 HR
  5. 72
    Bob Kearney
    .233 avg, 27 HR
  6. 68
    Steve Lake
    .237 avg, 18 HR

Lew Brown: the record in brief

Between the debut on June 17, 1876 and the final game on October 19, 1884, Lew Brown built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Red Caps (1876 through 1877), the Providence Grays (1878 through 1881), the Chicago White Stockings (1879), the Detroit Wolverines (1881), the Boston Beaneaters (1883), the Louisville Eclipse (1883), and the Boston Reds (1884). Brown, born on February 1, 1858, in Leominster, MA, USA, is listed as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Brown's listed size is 185 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. Brown's death is recorded on January 15, 1889, in Boston, MA, USA. The given name on file is Lewis J. Brown.

Brown collected 379 hits in 1,531 at bats across 378 games, good for a .248 batting average, plus 10 homers and 169 runs batted in. Brown's career OPS of .631 combines a .269 on-base mark with .362 slugging.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lew Brown

What years did Lew Brown play?
Lew Brown played in Major League Baseball from 1876 to 1884.
Was Lew Brown a pitcher?
No. Lew Brown was a position player (Catcher), though he did pitch in 2 career games.
How many home runs did Lew Brown hit?
Lew Brown hit 10 career home runs with 379 hits.
What teams did Lew Brown play for?
Lew Brown played for 6 teams: the Boston Beaneaters (1876–1877, 1883), the Providence Grays (1878–1879, 1881), the Chicago White Stockings (1879), the Detroit Wolverines (1881), the Louisville Eclipse (1883), and the Boston Reds (1884).
What were Lew Brown's career stats?
In 378 games, Lew Brown had 379 hits, 10 home runs, 169 RBI, and 205 runs, with a .248 batting average.
What position did Lew Brown play?
Lew Brown played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Lew Brown and how much did he weigh?
Lew Brown was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did Lew Brown hit each season?
Lew Brown's home runs by season: 2 in 1876, 1 in 1877, 1 in 1878, 2 in 1879, 3 in 1881, 0 in 1883, and 1 in 1884. His most in one season was 3, in 1881.
What was Lew Brown's career batting average?
Lew Brown batted .248 over his career, with 379 hits in 1,531 at bats.
How many RBI did Lew Brown have?
Lew Brown drove in 169 runs in his career.
What was Lew Brown's career ERA?
Lew Brown finished with a 27.00 career ERA, going 0-0 with 0 strikeouts.
Is Lew Brown in the Hall of Fame?
No. Lew Brown has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.