John Clapp
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1872-1883)
John Clapp was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1872 to 1883 for 8 teams, including the Middletown Mansfields, a span of 12 seasons. In 588 career games, he hit .283 with 713 hits, 7 home runs, and 279 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,148.
- 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
- 5'7" / 194 lb
- Died
- 12/18/1904 in Ithaca, NY, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1872-04-26
- Last Game
- 1883-09-28
Full name: John Edgar Clapp
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 588 | 2,523 | 459 | 713 | 92 | 35 | 7 | 279 | 17 | 112 | 51 | .283 | .313 | .355 | .668 | 4,148 |
Career AVG .283 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — +7.7% above league average.
Career OBP .313 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — +11.3% above league average.
Career SLG .355 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +6.6% above league average.
Career OPS .668 vs. league average .615 across their career seasons — +8.7% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872 | MID | 19 | 97 | 30 | 27 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .278 | .285 (-2%) | .296 (-4%) | .347 (+16%) | .644 (+7%) | 71.8 | |
| 1873 | PH1 | 45 | 204 | 36 | 62 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .304 | .290 (+5%) | .304 (+2%) | .357 (+8%) | .661 (+6%) | 158.2 | |
| 1874 | PH1 | 39 | 165 | 46 | 48 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .291 | .273 (+6%) | .282 (+5%) | .333 (+31%) | .615 (+19%) | 401.1 | |
| 1875 | PH1 | 60 | 292 | 65 | 77 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 39 | 9 | 7 | 1 | .264 | .253 (+4%) | .260 (+8%) | .309 (+9%) | .570 (+9%) | 351.9 | |
| 1876 | SL3 | NL | 64 | 298 | 60 | 91 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 8 | 2 | .305 | .265 (+15%) | .277 (+17%) | .320 (+4%) | .598 (+10%) | 494.6 |
| 1877 | SL3 | NL | 60 | 255 | 47 | 81 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 8 | 6 | .318 | .271 (+17%) | .289 (+17%) | .337 (+15%) | .626 (+16%) | 638.7 |
| 1878 | IN1 | NL | 63 | 263 | 42 | 80 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 13 | 8 | .304 | .259 (+17%) | .278 (+21%) | .319 (+12%) | .597 (+16%) | 697.8 |
| 1879 | BFN | NL | 70 | 292 | 47 | 77 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 11 | 11 | .264 | .255 (+3%) | .270 (+7%) | .328 (+6%) | .599 (+7%) | 316.6 |
| 1880 | CN1 | NL | 80 | 323 | 33 | 91 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 21 | 10 | .282 | .244 (+15%) | .267 (+22%) | .319 (+14%) | .586 (+18%) | 961.9 |
| 1881 | CL2 | NL | 68 | 261 | 47 | 66 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 35 | 6 | .253 | .260 (-3%) | .290 (+18%) | .338 (-7%) | .628 (+4%) | 382.4 |
| 1883 | NY1 | NL | 20 | 73 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 4 | .178 | .257 (-31%) | .285 (-19%) | .345 (-48%) | .631 (-35%) | -326.6 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 588 | 2,523 | 459 | 713 | 92 | 35 | 7 | 279 | 17 | 112 | 51 | .283 | — | — | — | — | 4,148 | ||
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
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 14 | 0 | 158 | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| 2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| C | 472 | 40 | 2307 | 537 | 364 | 35 |
| OF | 118 | 15 | 160 | 13 | 37 | 3 |
| SS | 12 | 0 | 4 | 29 | 11 | 2 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872 | MID | 1B | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1872 | MID | C | 19 | 16 | 66 | 21 | 16 | 1 |
| 1872 | MID | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1872 | MID | SS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 1873 | PH1 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1873 | PH1 | C | 43 | 0 | 182 | 35 | 26 | 2 |
| 1873 | PH1 | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1873 | PH1 | SS | 6 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 0 |
| 1874 | PH1 | C | 27 | 24 | 126 | 23 | 24 | 3 |
| 1874 | PH1 | OF | 15 | 15 | 19 | 1 | 10 | 1 |
| 1874 | PH1 | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1875 | PH1 | C | 60 | 0 | 305 | 62 | 53 | 4 |
| 1876 | SL3 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1876 | SL3 | C | 61 | 0 | 333 | 56 | 56 | 5 |
| 1876 | SL3 | OF | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1877 | SL3 | 1B | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1877 | SL3 | C | 53 | 0 | 269 | 44 | 40 | 2 |
| 1877 | SL3 | OF | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1878 | IN1 | 1B | 12 | 0 | 143 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| 1878 | IN1 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 1878 | IN1 | C | 9 | 0 | 29 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 1878 | IN1 | OF | 44 | 0 | 60 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| 1878 | IN1 | SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| 1879 | BFN | C | 63 | 0 | 286 | 60 | 36 | 4 |
| 1879 | BFN | OF | 7 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1880 | CN1 | C | 73 | 0 | 420 | 121 | 62 | 5 |
| 1880 | CN1 | OF | 10 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1881 | CL2 | C | 48 | 0 | 211 | 73 | 35 | 8 |
| 1881 | CL2 | OF | 21 | 0 | 37 | 6 | 9 | 2 |
| 1883 | NY1 | C | 16 | 0 | 80 | 31 | 13 | 1 |
| 1883 | NY1 | OF | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 469 |
| First Base | 13 |
| Second Base | 3 |
| Shortstop | 12 |
| Left Field | 62 |
| Center Field | 22 |
| Right Field | 35 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Clapp (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
John Clapp: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 26, 1872 and the final game on September 28, 1883, John Clapp built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Middletown Mansfields (1872), the Philadelphia Athletics (1873 through 1875), the St. Louis Brown Stockings (1876 to 1877), the Indianapolis Blues (1878), the Buffalo Bisons (1879), the Cincinnati Reds (1880), the Cleveland Blues (1881), and the New York Gothams (1883). Listed as a catcher, Clapp batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 194 pounds on a 5-foot-7 frame. The birth record reads July 15, 1851, in Ithaca, NY, USA. The bio records the death on December 18, 1904, in Ithaca, NY, USA. Clapp's full given name, per the bio, is John Edgar Clapp.
Clapp finished with 713 hits from 2,523 at bats in 588 games, which works out to .283; the totals also include 7 home runs and 279 RBI. Clapp's career OPS of .668 combines a .313 on-base mark with .355 slugging.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Clapp
- What years did John Clapp play?
- John Clapp played in Major League Baseball from 1872 to 1883.
- Was John Clapp a pitcher?
- No. John Clapp was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did John Clapp hit?
- John Clapp hit 7 career home runs with 713 hits.
- What was John Clapp's career batting average?
- John Clapp batted .283 over his career, with 713 hits in 2,523 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Clapp have?
- John Clapp drove in 279 runs in his career.
- Is John Clapp in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Clapp has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.