Lave Cross

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1887-1907)

Lave Cross was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1887 to 1907 for 9 teams, including the Louisville Colonels, a span of 21 seasons. In 2,277 career games, he hit .292 with 2,651 hits, 47 home runs, and 1,378 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,703.

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 .292
HR 47
RBI 1,378
H 2,651
OPS .711
PIV 4,703
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 155 lb
Born
5/12/1866 in Milwaukee, WI, USA
Died
9/6/1927 in Toledo, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1887-04-23
Last Game
1907-06-08

Full name: Lafayette Napoleon Cross

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Career Batting Statistics

Lave Cross — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2,277 9,084 1,338 2,651 411 136 47 1,378 303 466 217 .292 .329 .383 .711 4,703

Career AVG .292 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — +10.1% above league average.

Career OBP .329 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .383 vs. league average .352 across their career seasons — +8.8% above league average.

Career OPS .711 vs. league average .680 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lave Cross 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
1887 LS2 AA 54 203 32 54 8 3 0 26 15 15 14 .266 .270 (-2%) .331 (-4%) .373 (-10%) .705 (-7%) -223.5
1888 LS2 AA 46 180 20 41 3 0 0 15 10 2 10 .228 .238 (-5%) .290 (-17%) .319 (-24%) .610 (-21%) -513.4
1889 PH4 AA 55 199 22 44 8 2 0 23 11 14 9 .221 .263 (-16%) .334 (-18%) .357 (-21%) .691 (-20%) -639.6
1890 PHP PL 63 245 42 73 7 8 3 47 5 12 6 .298 .260 (+14%) .336 (-2%) .351 (+22%) .687 (+10%) 301.4
1891 PH4 AA 110 402 66 121 20 14 5 52 14 38 23 .301 .254 (+18%) .331 (+10%) .343 (+33%) .675 (+22%) 1485.3
1892 PHI NL 140 541 84 149 15 10 4 69 18 39 16 .275 .244 (+12%) .316 (+3%) .327 (+11%) .644 (+7%) 600.8
1893 PHI NL 96 415 81 124 17 6 4 78 18 26 7 .299 .279 (+7%) .356 (-4%) .379 (+5%) .735 (avg) -64.7
1894 PHI NL 122 542 128 210 34 10 7 132 23 31 7 .387 .309 (+25%) .379 (+12%) .435 (+21%) .814 (+17%) 1944.6
1895 PHI NL 125 535 95 145 26 9 2 101 21 35 8 .271 .296 (-9%) .361 (-12%) .399 (-9%) .761 (-10%) -1004.2
1896 PHI NL 106 406 63 104 23 5 1 73 8 32 14 .256 .290 (-12%) .354 (-12%) .387 (-11%) .741 (-11%) -814.4
1897 PHI NL 88 344 37 89 17 5 3 51 10 10 15 .259 .291 (-11%) .354 (-20%) .387 (-6%) .741 (-13%) -846.2
1898 SLN NL 151 602 71 191 28 8 3 79 14 28 8 .317 .270 (+17%) .333 (+4%) .347 (+17%) .680 (+11%) 1024.5
1899 CL4 NL 38 154 15 44 5 0 1 20 2 8 0 .286 .282 (+1%) .343 (-5%) .366 (-8%) .710 (-7%) -163.4
1899 SLN NL 103 403 61 122 14 5 4 64 11 17 3 .303 .282 (+7%) .343 (-3%) .366 (+7%) .710 (+2%) -163.4
1900 SLN NL 16 61 6 18 1 0 0 6 1 1 2 .295 .279 (+6%) .338 (-10%) .366 (-15%) .705 (-12%) -121.7
1900 BRO NL 117 461 73 135 14 6 4 67 20 25 5 .293 .279 (+5%) .338 (-2%) .366 (+2%) .705 (avg) -121.7
1901 PHA AL 100 424 82 139 28 12 2 73 23 19 6 .328 .271 (+21%) .326 (+10%) .359 (+29%) .686 (+20%) 1356.4
1902 PHA AL 137 559 90 191 39 8 0 108 25 27 4 .342 .266 (+28%) .321 (+16%) .343 (+28%) .665 (+22%) 2220.2
1903 PHA AL 137 559 60 163 22 4 2 90 14 10 17 .292 .261 (+11%) .316 (-4%) .345 (+3%) .662 (avg) -160.9
1904 PHA AL 155 607 73 176 31 10 1 71 10 13 9 .290 .246 (+18%) .300 (+3%) .321 (+18%) .622 (+11%) 908.0
1905 PHA AL 147 587 69 156 29 5 0 77 8 26 12 .266 .248 (+7%) .307 (-3%) .322 (+3%) .629 (avg) -96.5
1906 WS1 AL 130 494 55 130 14 6 1 46 19 28 16 .263 .247 (+6%) .307 (-2%) .315 (+2%) .622 (avg) -52.4
1907 WS1 AL 41 161 13 32 8 0 0 10 3 10 6 .199 .245 (-19%) .304 (-19%) .308 (-20%) .613 (-19%) -447.8
Career · 23 seasons 2,277 9,084 1,338 2,651 411 136 47 1,378 303 466 217 .292 — — — — 4,407

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

Lave Cross — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 19 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .105

Playoff Batting by Year

Lave Cross — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1905 WS PHA 5 19 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .105

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1272 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Lave Cross — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home633248837677711384.312
Away63925792927197312.279

Last 10 Games — Batting

Lave Cross — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1907-06-08 MINCHWW 401000200
1907-06-07 MINSLAW 410000000
1907-06-06 MINSLAL 411000000
1907-06-05 MINSLAL 401000000
1907-06-04 MINSLAW 400000000
1907-06-03 MINPHAL 510000000
1907-06-03 MINPHAW 301000010
1907-05-31 MINPHAL 411000000
1907-05-30 MINNYYW 300000000
1907-05-30 MINNYYL 300000100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Lave Cross — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 7 0 67 5 3 7
2B 60 0 111 179 11 21
3B 1724 473 2310 3715 397 212
C 324 0 1473 419 138 38
OF 118 0 186 16 18 6
SS 65 0 115 219 23 31

Season-by-Season Fielding

Lave Cross — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1887 LS2 C 44 0 251 66 29 7
1887 LS2 OF 10 0 16 1 3 1
1888 LS2 C 37 0 202 60 20 3
1888 LS2 OF 11 0 14 2 2 1
1888 LS2 SS 2 0 3 5 0 0
1889 PH4 C 55 0 278 102 27 7
1890 PHP C 49 0 191 70 34 7
1890 PHP OF 15 0 25 0 4 0
1891 PH4 2B 1 0 1 4 1 1
1891 PH4 3B 24 0 28 49 9 2
1891 PH4 C 43 0 212 38 16 5
1891 PH4 OF 43 0 56 10 2 4
1891 PH4 SS 1 0 0 2 0 0
1892 PHI 2B 14 0 29 37 2 5
1892 PHI 3B 65 0 97 148 21 5
1892 PHI C 39 0 158 32 6 5
1892 PHI OF 25 0 39 3 5 0
1892 PHI SS 5 0 4 16 1 2
1893 PHI 1B 6 0 60 5 3 7
1893 PHI 3B 30 0 44 98 12 10
1893 PHI C 40 0 144 46 5 4
1893 PHI OF 10 0 27 0 2 0
1893 PHI SS 10 0 16 33 5 6
1894 PHI 2B 1 0 3 1 0 1
1894 PHI 3B 103 0 181 243 39 24
1894 PHI C 16 0 36 5 1 0
1894 PHI SS 7 0 10 19 2 4
1895 PHI 3B 125 0 191 308 32 23
1896 PHI 2B 6 0 10 17 1 4
1896 PHI 3B 61 0 88 136 15 9
1896 PHI C 1 0 1 0 0 0
1896 PHI OF 2 0 7 0 0 0
1896 PHI SS 37 0 77 134 13 17
1897 PHI 2B 38 0 68 120 7 10
1897 PHI 3B 47 0 71 94 16 5
1897 PHI OF 2 0 2 0 0 0
1897 PHI SS 1 0 2 3 0 0
1898 SLN 3B 149 0 215 351 33 20
1898 SLN SS 2 0 3 7 2 2
1899 CL4 3B 38 0 66 81 7 7
1899 SLN 3B 103 0 157 277 18 25
1900 SLN 3B 16 0 11 39 2 1
1900 BRO 3B 117 0 162 282 27 10
1901 PHA 3B 100 0 140 236 33 7
1902 PHA 3B 137 0 185 306 30 18
1903 PHA 1B 1 0 7 0 0 0
1903 PHA 3B 136 0 152 228 20 14
1904 PHA 3B 155 155 164 247 28 15
1905 PHA 3B 147 147 163 252 32 6
1906 WS1 3B 130 130 157 242 20 9
1907 WS1 3B 41 41 38 98 3 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Lave Cross Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 324
First Base 7
Second Base 60
Third Base 1724
Shortstop 65
Left Field 13
Center Field 34
Right Field 71

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Lave Cross (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Stuffy McInnis
    .307 avg, 20 HR
  2. 97
    Hal Chase
    .291 avg, 57 HR
  3. 97
    Bobby Wallace HOF
    .268 avg, 34 HR
  4. 96
    Del Pratt
    .292 avg, 43 HR
  5. 92
    Jimmy Collins HOF
    .294 avg, 65 HR
  6. 92
    Ed Konetchy
    .281 avg, 74 HR

Lave Cross: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 23, 1887 and the final game on June 8, 1907, Lave Cross built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Louisville Colonels (1887 through 1888), the Philadelphia Athletics (1889 to 1905), the Philadelphia Phillies (1892 through 1897), the St. Louis Browns (1898), the Cleveland Spiders (1899), the St. Louis Perfectos (1899), the St. Louis Cardinals (1900), and the Brooklyn Superbas (1900), among other clubs in the table. Listed as a third baseman, Cross both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 5 feet, 8 inches and 155 pounds. The birth record reads May 12, 1866, in Milwaukee, WI, USA. The bio records the death on September 6, 1927, in Toledo, OH, USA. The given name on file is Lafayette Napoleon Cross.

Cross's career batting table shows 2,277 games, 9,084 at bats and 2,651 hits, a .292 average, adding 47 homers, 1,378 RBI, and 303 stolen bases. Cross's career OPS of .711 combines a .329 on-base mark with .383 slugging.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lave Cross

What years did Lave Cross play?
Lave Cross played in Major League Baseball from 1887 to 1907.
Was Lave Cross a pitcher?
No. Lave Cross was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Lave Cross hit?
Lave Cross hit 47 career home runs with 2,651 hits.
What teams did Lave Cross play for?
Lave Cross played for 9 teams: the Louisville Colonels (1887–1888), the Philadelphia Athletics (1889), the Philadelphia Athletics (1890–1891), the Philadelphia Phillies (1892–1897), the St. Louis Cardinals (1898–1900), the Cleveland Spiders (1899), the Brooklyn Superbas (1900), the Philadelphia Athletics (1901–1905), and the Washington Senators (1906–1907).
What were Lave Cross's career stats?
In 2,277 games, Lave Cross had 2,651 hits, 47 home runs, 1,378 RBI, 1,338 runs, and 303 stolen bases, with a .292 batting average.
What position did Lave Cross play?
Lave Cross played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Lave Cross and how much did he weigh?
Lave Cross was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 155 pounds.
How many home runs did Lave Cross hit each season?
Lave Cross's home runs by season: 0 in 1887, 0 in 1888, 0 in 1889, 3 in 1890, 5 in 1891, 4 in 1892, 4 in 1893, 7 in 1894, 2 in 1895, 1 in 1896, 3 in 1897, 3 in 1898, 5 in 1899, 4 in 1900, 2 in 1901, 0 in 1902, 2 in 1903, 1 in 1904, 0 in 1905, 1 in 1906, and 0 in 1907. His most in one season was 7, in 1894.
What was Lave Cross's career batting average?
Lave Cross batted .292 over his career, with 2,651 hits in 9,084 at bats.
How many RBI did Lave Cross have?
Lave Cross drove in 1,378 runs in his career.
Is Lave Cross in the Hall of Fame?
No. Lave Cross has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.