Tom Burns

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1880-1892)

Tom Burns was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1880 to 1892 for the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,251 career games, he hit .266 with 1,307 hits, 39 home runs, and 683 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,365.

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 .266
HR 39
RBI 683
H 1,307
OPS .670
PIV 3,365
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'7" / 152 lb
Born
3/30/1857 in Honesdale, PA, USA
Died
3/19/1902 in Jersey City, NJ, USA
MLB Debut
1880-05-01
Last Game
1892-07-22

Full name: Thomas Everett Burns

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Career Batting Statistics

Tom Burns — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,251 4,920 722 1,307 236 69 39 683 162 270 454 .266 .305 .365 .670 3,365

Career AVG .266 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +5.3% above league average.

Career OBP .305 vs. league average .308 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .365 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +7.7% above league average.

Career OPS .670 vs. league average .647 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tom Burns 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
1880 CHN NL 85 333 47 103 17 3 0 43 0 12 23 .309 .244 (+26%) .267 (+25%) .319 (+18%) .586 (+21%) 1122.8
1881 CHN NL 84 342 41 95 20 3 4 42 0 14 22 .278 .260 (+7%) .290 (+6%) .338 (+15%) .628 (+11%) 566.4
1882 CHN NL 84 355 55 88 23 6 0 48 0 15 28 .248 .248 (avg) .275 (+1%) .329 (+5%) .605 (+3%) 144.7
1883 CHN NL 97 405 69 119 37 7 2 67 0 13 31 .294 .257 (+14%) .285 (+10%) .345 (+26%) .631 (+19%) 1169.6
1884 CHN NL 83 343 54 84 14 2 7 44 0 13 50 .245 .243 (+1%) .278 (-2%) .327 (+10%) .606 (+4%) 184.7
1885 CHN NL 111 445 82 121 23 9 7 71 0 16 48 .272 .244 (+11%) .287 (+3%) .325 (+26%) .613 (+16%) 981.7
1886 CHN NL 112 445 64 123 18 10 3 65 15 14 40 .276 .246 (+12%) .302 (-1%) .331 (+15%) .634 (+7%) 367.9
1887 CHN NL 115 424 57 112 20 10 3 60 32 34 32 .264 .270 (-2%) .331 (-3%) .373 (+2%) .705 (-1%) -107.0
1888 CHN NL 134 483 60 115 12 6 3 70 34 26 49 .238 .238 (avg) .290 (-3%) .319 (-4%) .610 (-4%) -263.4
1889 CHN NL 136 525 64 135 27 6 4 66 18 32 57 .257 .263 (-2%) .334 (-9%) .357 (-1%) .691 (-5%) -537.5
1890 CHN NL 139 538 86 149 17 6 5 86 44 57 45 .277 .260 (+6%) .336 (+3%) .351 (+2%) .687 (+3%) 331.9
1891 CHN NL 59 243 36 55 8 1 1 17 18 21 21 .226 .254 (-11%) .331 (-13%) .343 (-19%) .675 (-16%) -596.6
1892 PIT NL 12 39 7 8 0 0 0 4 1 3 8 .205 — — — — 0.0
Career · 13 seasons 1,251 4,920 722 1,307 236 69 39 683 162 270 454 .266 — — — — 3,365

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

Tom Burns — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.1 2 0 0 2 1 0.00 0.0

Career ERA 0.00 vs. league average 2.37 across their career seasons — 100.0% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tom Burns — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1880 CHN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.1 2 0 2 1 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 1 season 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.1 2 0 2 1 0.00 — 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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Tom Burns — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
13 46 5 8 2 2 0 1 0 2 .174

Playoff Batting by Year

Tom Burns — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1886 WS CHN 6 21 2 6 2 1 0 1 0 2 .286
1885 WS CHN 7 25 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .080

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tom Burns — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 66 0 198 197 54 27
3B 704 0 1043 1494 327 118
C 2 0 3 2 2 0
OF 14 0 24 3 1 2
P 1 0 0 0 0 0
SS 474 0 600 1461 355 120

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tom Burns — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1880 CHN 3B 9 0 8 14 5 0
1880 CHN C 2 0 3 2 2 0
1880 CHN P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1880 CHN SS 79 0 62 186 39 9
1881 CHN 2B 3 0 10 13 1 1
1881 CHN 3B 3 0 6 1 3 1
1881 CHN SS 80 0 100 249 52 20
1882 CHN 2B 43 0 129 127 25 21
1882 CHN SS 41 0 60 131 40 9
1883 CHN 2B 19 0 59 57 28 5
1883 CHN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1883 CHN SS 79 0 121 260 56 25
1884 CHN 3B 3 0 3 5 1 0
1884 CHN SS 80 0 99 254 68 21
1885 CHN 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1885 CHN SS 111 0 151 370 96 35
1886 CHN 3B 112 0 149 247 49 12
1887 CHN 3B 107 0 168 246 61 23
1887 CHN OF 8 0 16 2 0 2
1888 CHN 3B 134 0 194 273 49 16
1889 CHN 3B 136 0 225 301 72 30
1890 CHN 3B 139 0 188 290 54 25
1891 CHN 3B 53 0 92 107 24 11
1891 CHN OF 2 0 7 0 0 0
1891 CHN SS 4 0 7 11 4 1
1892 PIT 3B 8 0 10 10 9 0
1892 PIT OF 3 0 1 1 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tom Burns Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 1
Catcher 2
Second Base 66
Third Base 704
Shortstop 474
Left Field 10
Center Field 2
Right Field 2

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Tom Burns (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Kitty Bransfield
    .270 avg, 13 HR
  2. 77
    Bill Bradley
    .271 avg, 34 HR
  3. 76
    Buck Weaver
    .272 avg, 21 HR
  4. 73
    John Morrill
    .260 avg, 43 HR
  5. 72
    Art Fletcher
    .277 avg, 32 HR
  6. 72
    Jerry Denny
    .260 avg, 74 HR

Tom Burns: the record in brief

May 1, 1880 and July 22, 1892 bracket Tom Burns's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago White Stockings (1880 through 1889), the Chicago Colts (1890 through 1891), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1892). Born on March 30, 1857, in Honesdale, PA, USA, Burns is listed as a third baseman and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 152 pounds on a 5-foot-7 frame. Burns died on March 19, 1902, in Jersey City, NJ, USA. Burns's full given name, per the bio, is Thomas Everett Burns.

The batting record for Burns: 1,251 games, 1,307 hits in 4,920 at bats, and a .266 average; the totals also include 39 home runs, 683 runs batted in, and 162 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .305 clip and slugging .365, Burns finished with a .670 OPS. Set against a .252 league average for the same years, Burns's .266 average sits 5.3% above it.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Burns

What years did Tom Burns play?
Tom Burns played in Major League Baseball from 1880 to 1892.
Was Tom Burns a pitcher?
No. Tom Burns was a position player (Third Baseman), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
How many home runs did Tom Burns hit?
Tom Burns hit 39 career home runs with 1,307 hits.
What teams did Tom Burns play for?
Tom Burns played for 2 teams: the Chicago Colts (1880–1891) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1892).
What were Tom Burns's career stats?
In 1,251 games, Tom Burns had 1,307 hits, 39 home runs, 683 RBI, 722 runs, and 162 stolen bases, with a .266 batting average.
What position did Tom Burns play?
Tom Burns played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Tom Burns and how much did he weigh?
Tom Burns was listed at 5 feet 7 inches and 152 pounds.
How many home runs did Tom Burns hit each season?
Tom Burns's home runs by season: 0 in 1880, 4 in 1881, 0 in 1882, 2 in 1883, 7 in 1884, 7 in 1885, 3 in 1886, 3 in 1887, 3 in 1888, 4 in 1889, 5 in 1890, 1 in 1891, and 0 in 1892. His most in one season was 7, in 1884 and 1885.
What was Tom Burns's career batting average?
Tom Burns batted .266 over his career, with 1,307 hits in 4,920 at bats.
How many RBI did Tom Burns have?
Tom Burns drove in 683 runs in his career.
What was Tom Burns's career ERA?
Tom Burns finished with a 0.00 career ERA, going 0-0 with 1 strikeouts.
Is Tom Burns in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tom Burns has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.