Art Butler
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1911-1916)
Art Butler was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1916 for the Boston Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 6 seasons. In 454 career games, he hit .241 with 311 hits, 3 home runs, and 101 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 160 lb
- Died
- 10/7/1984 in Fall River, MA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1911-04-14
- Last Game
- 1916-10-01
Full name: Arthur Edward Butler
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 454 | 1,289 | 181 | 311 | 44 | 13 | 3 | 101 | 54 | 146 | 102 | .241 | .323 | .303 | .626 | -753 |
Career AVG .241 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 6.3% below league average.
Career OBP .323 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .303 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 11.6% below league average.
Career OPS .626 vs. league average .667 across their career seasons — 6.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | BSN | NL | 27 | 68 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 6 | .176 | .266 (-34%) | .336 (-22%) | .356 (-42%) | .693 (-32%) | -325.9 |
| 1912 | PIT | NL | 43 | 154 | 19 | 42 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 15 | 13 | .273 | .268 (+1%) | .335 (avg) | .358 (-4%) | .694 (-2%) | -34.4 |
| 1913 | PIT | NL | 82 | 214 | 40 | 60 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 32 | 14 | .280 | .259 (+8%) | .325 (+17%) | .345 (+1%) | .670 (+9%) | 453.9 |
| 1914 | SLN | NL | 86 | 274 | 29 | 55 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 14 | 39 | 23 | .201 | .255 (-21%) | .322 (-3%) | .339 (-18%) | .661 (-11%) | -356.8 |
| 1915 | SLN | NL | 130 | 469 | 73 | 119 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 31 | 26 | 47 | 34 | .254 | .250 (+1%) | .318 (+1%) | .332 (-8%) | .651 (-3%) | -162.4 |
| 1916 | SLN | NL | 86 | 110 | 9 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 12 | .209 | .248 (-16%) | .314 (-18%) | .326 (-22%) | .640 (-20%) | -327.8 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 454 | 1,289 | 181 | 311 | 44 | 13 | 3 | 101 | 54 | 146 | 102 | .241 | — | — | — | — | -753 | ||
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 (456 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 212 | 555 | 76 | 124 | 2 | 44 | .223 |
| Away | 244 | 734 | 102 | 186 | 1 | 60 | .253 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916-10-01 | STL | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-09-26 | STL | NY1 | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-09-23 | STL | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1916-09-22 | STL | BRO | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1916-09-21 | STL | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-09-20 | STL | BRO | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1916-09-19 | STL | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-09-18 | STL | BSN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916-09-14 | STL | PHI | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1916-09-13 | STL | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 85 | 0 | 149 | 193 | 23 | 24 |
| 3B | 17 | 0 | 15 | 26 | 3 | 1 |
| OF | 18 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| SS | 236 | 0 | 451 | 645 | 97 | 72 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | BSN | 2B | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 1911 | BSN | 3B | 14 | 0 | 14 | 26 | 3 | 1 |
| 1911 | BSN | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1912 | PIT | 2B | 43 | 0 | 71 | 99 | 7 | 12 |
| 1913 | PIT | 2B | 28 | 0 | 62 | 74 | 12 | 9 |
| 1913 | PIT | 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913 | PIT | OF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1913 | PIT | SS | 26 | 0 | 64 | 70 | 13 | 5 |
| 1914 | SLN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914 | SLN | SS | 83 | 0 | 155 | 228 | 30 | 24 |
| 1915 | SLN | 2B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915 | SLN | SS | 125 | 0 | 232 | 346 | 53 | 43 |
| 1916 | SLN | 2B | 8 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| 1916 | SLN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916 | SLN | OF | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1916 | SLN | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 85 |
| Third Base | 18 |
| Shortstop | 236 |
| Left Field | 2 |
| Center Field | 10 |
| Right Field | 6 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Art Butler (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Art Butler: the record in brief
The profile opens with Art Butler's first major league game on April 14, 1911; the last one listed came on October 1, 1916. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Rustlers (1911), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1912 to 1913), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1914 to 1916). The bio lists Butler as a shortstop who batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds. The birth record reads December 19, 1887, in Fall River, MA, USA. The bio records the death on October 7, 1984, in Fall River, MA, USA. The bio lists the given name Arthur Edward.
In 454 games and 1,289 at bats, Butler batted .241 with 311 hits, adding 3 home runs, 101 runs batted in, and 54 stolen bases. Butler's career OPS of .626 combines a .323 on-base mark with .303 slugging. Set against a .257 league average for the same years, Butler's .241 average sits 6.3% below it. The hits column peaks at 119, in 1915. Butler drove in a season-high 31 runs in 1915. Butler stole 26 bases in 1915, the most of any season listed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Art Butler
- What years did Art Butler play?
- Art Butler played in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1916.
- Was Art Butler a pitcher?
- No. Art Butler was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Art Butler hit?
- Art Butler hit 3 career home runs with 311 hits.
- What was Art Butler's career batting average?
- Art Butler batted .241 over his career, with 311 hits in 1,289 at bats.
- How many RBI did Art Butler have?
- Art Butler drove in 101 runs in his career.
- Is Art Butler in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Art Butler has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.