Buttercup Dickerson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1878-1885)
Buttercup Dickerson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1878 to 1885 for 8 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 8 seasons. In 408 career games, he hit .284 with 500 hits, 4 home runs, and 127 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,141.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'6" / 140 lb
- Died
- 7/23/1920 in Baltimore, MD, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1878-07-15
- Last Game
- 1885-06-01
Full name: Lewis Pessano Dickerson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 408 | 1,762 | 302 | 500 | 84 | 34 | 4 | 127 | 0 | 48 | 51 | .284 | .304 | .377 | .680 | 3,141 |
Career AVG .284 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — +14.0% above league average.
Career OBP .304 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — +7.9% above league average.
Career SLG .377 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — +14.2% above league average.
Career OPS .680 vs. league average .611 across their career seasons — +11.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1878 | CN1 | NL | 29 | 123 | 17 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .309 | .259 (+19%) | .278 (+11%) | .319 (+15%) | .597 (+13%) | 202.8 |
| 1879 | CN1 | NL | 81 | 350 | 73 | 102 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 57 | 0 | 3 | 27 | .291 | .255 (+14%) | .270 (+10%) | .328 (+34%) | .599 (+23%) | 1083.8 |
| 1880 | TRN | NL | 30 | 119 | 15 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .193 | .244 (-21%) | .267 (-23%) | .319 (-24%) | .586 (-23%) | -359.6 |
| 1880 | WOR | NL | 31 | 133 | 22 | 39 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .293 | .244 (+20%) | .267 (+12%) | .319 (+39%) | .586 (+26%) | -359.6 |
| 1881 | WOR | NL | 80 | 367 | 48 | 116 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 31 | 0 | 8 | 8 | .316 | .260 (+22%) | .290 (+14%) | .338 (+20%) | .628 (+17%) | 963.2 |
| 1883 | PT1 | AA | 85 | 354 | 62 | 88 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | .249 | .257 (-3%) | .285 (avg) | .345 (-14%) | .631 (-8%) | -311.4 |
| 1884 | SLU | UA | 46 | 211 | 49 | 77 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .365 | .243 (+50%) | .278 (+39%) | .327 (+36%) | .606 (+38%) | 1164.1 |
| 1884 | BL2 | AA | 13 | 56 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .214 | .243 (-12%) | .278 (+4%) | .327 (-13%) | .606 (-5%) | 1164.1 |
| 1884 | LS2 | AA | 8 | 28 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 1164.1 |
| 1885 | BFN | NL | 5 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .048 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 408 | 1,762 | 302 | 500 | 84 | 34 | 4 | 127 | 0 | 48 | 51 | .284 | — | — | — | — | 4,711 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 3B | 5 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| OF | 396 | 0 | 681 | 94 | 133 | 16 |
| SS | 9 | 0 | 10 | 15 | 10 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1878 | CN1 | OF | 29 | 0 | 56 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| 1879 | CN1 | OF | 81 | 0 | 144 | 9 | 38 | 1 |
| 1880 | TRN | OF | 30 | 0 | 77 | 7 | 9 | 3 |
| 1880 | TRN | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1880 | WOR | OF | 31 | 0 | 48 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 1881 | WOR | OF | 80 | 0 | 153 | 28 | 22 | 6 |
| 1883 | PT1 | 2B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1883 | PT1 | OF | 78 | 0 | 106 | 28 | 34 | 2 |
| 1883 | PT1 | SS | 8 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 10 | 0 |
| 1884 | SLU | 3B | 4 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 1884 | SLU | OF | 42 | 0 | 65 | 12 | 9 | 2 |
| 1884 | BL2 | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1884 | BL2 | OF | 12 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1884 | LS2 | OF | 8 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1885 | BFN | OF | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 2 |
| Third Base | 5 |
| Shortstop | 9 |
| Left Field | 216 |
| Center Field | 117 |
| Right Field | 64 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Buttercup Dickerson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Buttercup Dickerson: the record in brief
Buttercup Dickerson played a first major league game on July 15, 1878 and a last one on June 1, 1885. Club by club, the record runs the Cincinnati Reds (1878 to 1879), the Troy Trojans (1880), the Worcester Ruby Legs (1880 through 1881), the Pittsburg Alleghenys (1883), the St. Louis Maroons (1884), the Baltimore Orioles (1884), the Louisville Eclipse (1884), and the Buffalo Bisons (1885). Dickerson played primarily as an outfielder and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on October 11, 1858, in Tyaskin, MD, USA and a listed size of 5 feet, 6 inches and 140 pounds. The bio records the death on July 23, 1920, in Baltimore, MD, USA. The given name on file is Lewis Pessano Dickerson.
Dickerson finished with 500 hits from 1,762 at bats in 408 games, which works out to .284; the totals also include 4 homers and 127 RBI. Reaching base at a .304 clip and slugging .377, Dickerson finished with a .680 OPS.
Frequently Asked Questions about Buttercup Dickerson
- What years did Buttercup Dickerson play?
- Buttercup Dickerson played in Major League Baseball from 1878 to 1885.
- Was Buttercup Dickerson a pitcher?
- No. Buttercup Dickerson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Buttercup Dickerson hit?
- Buttercup Dickerson hit 4 career home runs with 500 hits.
- What teams did Buttercup Dickerson play for?
- Buttercup Dickerson played for 8 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1878–1879), the Troy Trojans (1880), the Worcester Ruby Legs (1880–1881), the Pittsburg Alleghenys (1883), the St. Louis Maroons (1884), the Baltimore Orioles (1884), the Louisville Eclipse (1884), and the Buffalo Bisons (1885).
- What were Buttercup Dickerson's career stats?
- In 408 games, Buttercup Dickerson had 500 hits, 4 home runs, 127 RBI, and 302 runs, with a .284 batting average.
- What position did Buttercup Dickerson play?
- Buttercup Dickerson played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Buttercup Dickerson and how much did he weigh?
- Buttercup Dickerson was listed at 5 feet 6 inches and 140 pounds.
- How many home runs did Buttercup Dickerson hit each season?
- Buttercup Dickerson's home runs by season: 0 in 1878, 2 in 1879, 0 in 1880, 1 in 1881, 0 in 1883, 1 in 1884, and 0 in 1885. His most in one season was 2, in 1879.
- What was Buttercup Dickerson's career batting average?
- Buttercup Dickerson batted .284 over his career, with 500 hits in 1,762 at bats.
- How many RBI did Buttercup Dickerson have?
- Buttercup Dickerson drove in 127 runs in his career.
- Is Buttercup Dickerson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Buttercup Dickerson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.