Dell Darling
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1883-1891)
Dell Darling was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1883 to 1891 for 4 teams, including the Buffalo Bisons, a span of 9 seasons. In 175 career games, he hit .240 with 151 hits, 7 home runs, and 83 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 448.
- 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
- 5'8" / 170 lb
- Died
- 11/20/1904 in Erie, PA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1883-07-03
- Last Game
- 1891-09-10
Full name: Conrad Darling
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 175 | 628 | 109 | 151 | 24 | 13 | 7 | 83 | 29 | 91 | 96 | .240 | .340 | .354 | .694 | 448 |
Career AVG .240 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 6.7% below league average.
Career OBP .340 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — +5.8% above league average.
Career SLG .354 vs. league average .349 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .694 vs. league average .670 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1883 | BFN | NL | 6 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1887 | CHN | NL | 38 | 141 | 28 | 45 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 18 | .319 | .270 (+18%) | .331 (+24%) | .373 (+31%) | .705 (+28%) | 704.2 |
| 1888 | CHN | NL | 20 | 75 | 12 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 12 | .213 | .238 (-11%) | .290 (-13%) | .319 (+13%) | .610 (avg) | -17.5 |
| 1889 | CHN | NL | 36 | 120 | 14 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 25 | 22 | .192 | .263 (-27%) | .334 (-1%) | .357 (-39%) | .691 (-21%) | -300.0 |
| 1890 | CHP | PL | 58 | 221 | 45 | 57 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 39 | 5 | 29 | 28 | .258 | .260 (-1%) | .336 (+4%) | .351 (+7%) | .687 (+6%) | 237.7 |
| 1891 | SL4 | AA | 17 | 53 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 11 | .132 | .254 (-48%) | .331 (-19%) | .343 (-23%) | .675 (-21%) | -176.6 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 175 | 628 | 109 | 151 | 24 | 13 | 7 | 83 | 29 | 91 | 96 | .240 | — | — | — | — | 448 | ||
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 | 29 | 0 | 252 | 12 | 12 | 15 |
| 2B | 5 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 1 |
| 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 108 | 0 | 535 | 145 | 57 | 10 |
| OF | 27 | 0 | 27 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
| SS | 16 | 0 | 14 | 46 | 17 | 9 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1883 | BFN | C | 6 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| 1887 | CHN | C | 20 | 0 | 114 | 41 | 17 | 2 |
| 1887 | CHN | OF | 20 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 1888 | CHN | C | 20 | 0 | 139 | 26 | 12 | 5 |
| 1889 | CHN | C | 36 | 0 | 172 | 45 | 9 | 2 |
| 1890 | CHP | 1B | 29 | 0 | 252 | 12 | 12 | 15 |
| 1890 | CHP | 2B | 3 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 1890 | CHP | 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1890 | CHP | C | 9 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 1890 | CHP | OF | 7 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1890 | CHP | SS | 15 | 0 | 14 | 46 | 17 | 9 |
| 1891 | SL4 | 2B | 2 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| 1891 | SL4 | C | 17 | 0 | 78 | 23 | 12 | 0 |
| 1891 | SL4 | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 108 |
| First Base | 29 |
| Second Base | 5 |
| Third Base | 2 |
| Shortstop | 16 |
| Right Field | 27 |
Dell Darling: the record in brief
The profile opens with Dell Darling's first major league game on July 3, 1883; the last one listed came on September 10, 1891. The season rows list, in order, the Buffalo Bisons (1883), the Chicago White Stockings (1887 through 1889), the Chicago Pirates (1890), and the St. Louis Browns (1891). The bio lists Darling as a catcher who both batted and threw right-handed. Darling is listed at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds. The birth record reads December 21, 1861, in Erie, PA, USA. The bio records the death on November 20, 1904, in Erie, PA, USA. Dell Darling was the playing name; the full given name is Conrad.
Darling finished with 151 hits from 628 at bats in 175 games, which works out to .240, along with 7 home runs, 83 runs batted in, and 29 stolen bases. Darling's career OPS of .694 combines a .340 on-base mark with .354 slugging. Set against a .258 league average for the same years, Darling's .240 average sits 6.7% below it. 1890 produced Darling's most hits, 57 of them for the Chicago Pirates.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dell Darling
- What years did Dell Darling play?
- Dell Darling played in Major League Baseball from 1883 to 1891.
- Was Dell Darling a pitcher?
- No. Dell Darling was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Dell Darling hit?
- Dell Darling hit 7 career home runs with 151 hits.
- What was Dell Darling's career batting average?
- Dell Darling batted .240 over his career, with 151 hits in 628 at bats.
- How many RBI did Dell Darling have?
- Dell Darling drove in 83 runs in his career.
- Is Dell Darling in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Dell Darling has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.