George Derby

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1881-1883)

George Derby was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1881 to 1883 for the Detroit Wolverines and the Buffalo Bisons, a span of 3 seasons. Across 110 career appearances, he went 48-56 with a 3.01 ERA and 428 strikeouts. He also batted .196 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 5117.5.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 48–56
ERA 3.01
WHIP 1.29
SO 428
Pitcher PIV 5117.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 175 lb
Born
7/15/1857 in Webster, MA, USA
Died
7/4/1925 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1881-05-02
Last Game
1883-07-03

Full name: George Henry Derby

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Career Pitching Statistics

George Derby — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
48 56 110 107 105 12 1 964.1 1,064 322 14 182 428 3.01 5117.5

Career ERA 3.01 vs. league average 2.99 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

George Derby — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1881 DTN NL 29 26 56 55 55 9 0 494.2 505 121 86 212 2.20 2.77 (+21%) 4767.8
1882 DTN NL 17 20 40 39 38 3 0 362.0 386 131 81 182 3.26 2.80 (-16%) 848.1
1883 BFN NL 2 10 14 13 12 0 1 107.2 173 70 15 34 5.85 3.22 (-82%) -498.4
Career · 3 seasons 48 56 110 107 105 12 1 964.1 1,064 322 182 428 3.01 — 5,117

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 Batting Statistics

George Derby — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
115 444 40 87 6 2 0 23 0 11 59 .196 .215 .218 .434 -1,780

Career AVG .196 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 23.1% below league average.

Career OBP .215 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 24.0% below league average.

Career SLG .218 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 35.5% below league average.

Career OPS .434 vs. league average .622 across their career seasons — 30.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

George Derby — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1881 DTN NL 59 236 17 44 3 1 0 12 0 4 29 .186 .260 (-28%) .290 (-31%) .338 (-39%) .628 (-35%) -1131.3
1882 DTN NL 40 149 13 29 2 1 0 8 0 7 23 .195 .248 (-22%) .275 (-16%) .329 (-33%) .605 (-25%) -472.1
1883 BFN NL 16 59 10 14 1 0 0 3 0 0 7 .237 .257 (-8%) .285 (-17%) .345 (-26%) .631 (-22%) -176.2
Career · 3 seasons 115 444 40 87 6 2 0 23 0 11 59 .196 — — — — -1,780

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

George Derby — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 9 0 10 1 3 0
P 110 0 49 192 17 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

George Derby — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1881 DTN OF 4 0 7 1 3 0
1881 DTN P 56 0 25 97 9 4
1882 DTN OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1882 DTN P 40 0 19 69 4 1
1883 BFN OF 3 0 2 0 0 0
1883 BFN P 14 0 5 26 4 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

George Derby — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 110
Left Field 4
Center Field 4
Right Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

George Derby (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    The Only Nolan
    23-52, 2.98 ERA
  2. 91
    Bob Emslie
    44-44, 3.19 ERA
  3. 91
    Jack Cronin
    43-58, 3.40 ERA
  4. 82
    Pete Conway
    61-61, 3.59 ERA
  5. 82
    Ben Sanders
    80-70, 3.24 ERA
  6. 81
    Nat Hudson
    48-26, 3.08 ERA

George Derby: the record in brief

George Derby's major league career runs from a debut on May 2, 1881 to a final game on July 3, 1883. The season rows list, in order, the Detroit Wolverines (1881 to 1882) and the Buffalo Bisons (1883). Born on July 15, 1857, in Webster, MA, USA, Derby is listed as a pitcher and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Derby's listed size is 6 feet, 0 inches and 175 pounds. Derby died on July 4, 1925, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The bio lists the given name George Henry.

The pitching table credits Derby with a 48-56 record and a 3.01 ERA in 110 games. Derby had 428 strikeouts, 105 complete games, and 12 shutouts. Derby's 3.01 ERA was close to the 2.99 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 29 wins of 1881. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 2.20 in 1881, when the league's was 2.77. Pitcher PIV, the site's era-adjusted run-prevention measure, totals 5,117.5 for Derby's career.

Frequently Asked Questions about George Derby

What years did George Derby play?
George Derby played in Major League Baseball from 1881 to 1883.
Was George Derby a pitcher?
Yes. George Derby pitched in the major leagues, recording 48 wins and 428 strikeouts.
How many home runs did George Derby hit?
George Derby hit 0 career home runs with 87 hits.
What teams did George Derby play for?
George Derby played for 2 teams: the Detroit Wolverines (1881–1882) and the Buffalo Bisons (1883).
What were George Derby's career stats?
In 110 games, George Derby went 48-56 with a 3.01 ERA, 428 strikeouts, 964.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 87 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did George Derby play?
George Derby played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was George Derby and how much did he weigh?
George Derby was listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds.
What was George Derby's career ERA?
George Derby finished with a 3.01 career ERA, going 48-56 with 428 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did George Derby have?
George Derby recorded 428 career strikeouts.
Is George Derby in the Hall of Fame?
No. George Derby has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.