Ed Burns
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1912-1918)
Ed Burns was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1918 for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 7 seasons. In 321 career games, he hit .230 with 183 hits and 65 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
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'6" / 165 lb
- Died
- 5/30/1942 in Monterey, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1912-06-25
- Last Game
- 1918-07-27
Full name: Edward James Burns
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 321 | 796 | 48 | 183 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 65 | 14 | 83 | 59 | .230 | .308 | .271 | .579 | -1,037 |
Career AVG .230 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 9.8% below league average.
Career OBP .308 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .271 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 19.3% below league average.
Career OPS .579 vs. league average .657 across their career seasons — 11.8% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | SLN | NL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1913 | PHI | NL | 17 | 30 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1914 | PHI | NL | 70 | 139 | 8 | 36 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 20 | 12 | .259 | .255 (+1%) | .322 (+9%) | .339 (avg) | .661 (+4%) | 142.4 |
| 1915 | PHI | NL | 67 | 174 | 11 | 42 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 20 | 12 | .241 | .250 (-4%) | .318 (+3%) | .332 (-19%) | .651 (-8%) | -144.1 |
| 1916 | PHI | NL | 78 | 219 | 14 | 51 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 16 | 18 | .233 | .248 (-6%) | .314 (-6%) | .326 (-15%) | .640 (-11%) | -317.7 |
| 1917 | PHI | NL | 20 | 49 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 5 | .204 | — | — | — | — | -216.4 |
| 1918 | PHI | NL | 68 | 184 | 10 | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 20 | 9 | .207 | .255 (-19%) | .318 (-10%) | .326 (-32%) | .645 (-21%) | -500.8 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 321 | 796 | 48 | 183 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 65 | 14 | 83 | 59 | .230 | — | — | — | — | -1,037 | ||
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 (321 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 154 | 371 | 27 | 86 | 0 | 33 | .232 |
| Away | 167 | 424 | 21 | 97 | 0 | 30 | .229 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918-07-27 | PHI | CIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-07-26 | PHI | CHC | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-07-25 | PHI | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-07-24 | PHI | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-07-20 | PHI | PIT | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-07-20 | PHI | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-07-18 | PHI | PIT | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-07-17 | PHI | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-07-16 | PHI | CHC | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918-07-14 | PHI | CHC | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 291 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
| Center Field | 1 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary's College of California | Moraga | CA | 1906, 1907, 1908 |
Ed Burns: the record in brief
The profile opens with Ed Burns's first major league game on June 25, 1912; the last one listed came on July 27, 1918. The team column moves through the St. Louis Cardinals (1912) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1913 to 1918). Born on October 31, 1887, in San Francisco, CA, USA, Burns is listed as a catcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 5 feet, 6 inches and 165 pounds. The bio records the death on May 30, 1942, in Monterey, CA, USA. On the record, Ed Burns was born Edward James Burns.
Burns's career batting table shows 321 games, 796 at bats and 183 hits, a .230 average, plus 65 RBI. Reaching base at a .308 clip and slugging .271, Burns finished with a .579 OPS. Set against a .255 league average for the same years, Burns's .230 average sits 9.8% below it. The hits column peaks at 51, in 1916. 1914 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .259 against a league .255, a 1% edge. The seasons in which Burns beat the league batting average were 1914.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ed Burns
- What years did Ed Burns play?
- Ed Burns played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1918.
- Was Ed Burns a pitcher?
- No. Ed Burns was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Ed Burns hit?
- Ed Burns hit 0 career home runs with 183 hits.
- What was Ed Burns's career batting average?
- Ed Burns batted .230 over his career, with 183 hits in 796 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ed Burns have?
- Ed Burns drove in 65 runs in his career.
- Is Ed Burns in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ed Burns has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.