Tom Downey
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1909-1915)
Tom Downey was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1909 to 1915 for 4 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 7 seasons. In 651 career games, he hit .240 with 520 hits, 7 home runs, and 188 RBI.
- 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 178 lb
- Died
- 8/3/1961 in Passaic, NJ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1909-05-07
- Last Game
- 1915-09-30
Full name: Thomas Edward Downey
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 651 | 2,170 | 256 | 520 | 69 | 25 | 7 | 188 | 87 | 198 | 206 | .240 | .306 | .304 | .610 | -2,128 |
Career AVG .240 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.
Career OBP .306 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 5.3% below league average.
Career SLG .304 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 9.9% below league average.
Career OPS .610 vs. league average .660 across their career seasons — 7.7% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | CIN | NL | 119 | 416 | 39 | 96 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 32 | 16 | 32 | 34 | .231 | .244 (-6%) | .306 (-6%) | .312 (-8%) | .618 (-7%) | -423.0 |
| 1910 | CIN | NL | 111 | 378 | 43 | 102 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 12 | 34 | 28 | .270 | .249 (+8%) | .317 (+5%) | .326 (avg) | .644 (+2%) | 223.3 |
| 1911 | CIN | NL | 111 | 360 | 50 | 94 | 16 | 7 | 0 | 36 | 10 | 44 | 38 | .261 | .266 (-2%) | .336 (+3%) | .356 (-3%) | .693 (-1%) | 9.5 |
| 1912 | PHI | NL | 54 | 171 | 27 | 50 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 3 | 21 | 20 | .292 | .268 (+9%) | .335 (+10%) | .358 (+6%) | .694 (+8%) | 268.7 |
| 1912 | CHN | NL | 13 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 268.7 |
| 1914 | BUF | FL | 151 | 541 | 69 | 118 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 42 | 35 | 40 | 55 | .218 | .255 (-15%) | .322 (-15%) | .339 (-18%) | .661 (-17%) | -1375.8 |
| 1915 | BUF | FL | 92 | 282 | 24 | 56 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 11 | 26 | 26 | .199 | .250 (-21%) | .318 (-16%) | .332 (-25%) | .651 (-21%) | -830.7 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 651 | 2,170 | 256 | 520 | 69 | 25 | 7 | 188 | 87 | 198 | 206 | .240 | — | — | — | — | -1,860 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (652 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 304 | 970 | 117 | 241 | 1 | 88 | .248 |
| Away | 348 | 1203 | 142 | 281 | 6 | 92 | .234 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915-09-30 | BUF | BRF | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-09-29 | BUF | BRF | W | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1915-09-27 | BUF | SLF | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-09-26 | BUF | SLF | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-09-26 | BUF | SLF | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-09-25 | BUF | SLF | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-09-24 | BUF | SLF | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-09-23 | BUF | PTF | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915-09-22 | BUF | PTF | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1915-09-21 | BUF | PTF | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2B | 184 | 0 | 404 | 543 | 49 | 73 |
| 3B | 135 | 41 | 177 | 257 | 36 | 16 |
| C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 306 | 186 | 648 | 887 | 168 | 104 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | CIN | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909 | CIN | SS | 119 | 119 | 260 | 363 | 62 | 54 |
| 1910 | CIN | 3B | 41 | 41 | 65 | 89 | 15 | 8 |
| 1910 | CIN | SS | 68 | 67 | 136 | 192 | 45 | 18 |
| 1911 | CIN | 1B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911 | CIN | 2B | 6 | 0 | 15 | 22 | 4 | 2 |
| 1911 | CIN | 3B | 5 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 1911 | CIN | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911 | CIN | SS | 93 | 0 | 198 | 267 | 48 | 26 |
| 1912 | PHI | 3B | 46 | 0 | 57 | 76 | 16 | 3 |
| 1912 | PHI | SS | 3 | 0 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 2 |
| 1912 | CHN | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1912 | CHN | 3B | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1912 | CHN | SS | 5 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| 1914 | BUF | 2B | 129 | 0 | 265 | 388 | 26 | 49 |
| 1914 | BUF | 3B | 5 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 2 |
| 1914 | BUF | SS | 16 | 0 | 31 | 35 | 3 | 3 |
| 1915 | BUF | 1B | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1915 | BUF | 2B | 48 | 0 | 124 | 130 | 19 | 22 |
| 1915 | BUF | 3B | 35 | 0 | 41 | 63 | 3 | 3 |
| 1915 | BUF | SS | 2 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1 |
| First Base | 3 |
| Second Base | 186 |
| Third Base | 134 |
| Shortstop | 309 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Tom Downey (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Tom Downey: the record in brief
Between the debut on May 7, 1909 and the final game on September 30, 1915, Tom Downey built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Cincinnati Reds (1909 through 1911), the Philadelphia Phillies (1912), the Chicago Cubs (1912), the Buffalo Buffeds (1914), and the Buffalo Blues (1915). Downey played primarily as a shortstop and batted from both sides and threw right-handed. Born on January 1, 1884, in Lewiston, ME, USA, Downey was listed at 5'10" and 178 pounds. The bio records the death on August 3, 1961, in Passaic, NJ, USA. Tom Downey was the playing name; the full given name is Thomas Edward.
In 651 games and 2,170 at bats, Downey batted .240 with 520 hits, adding 7 home runs, 188 runs batted in, and 87 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .306 and .304 give Downey a career OPS of .610. Measured against the leagues Downey played in, the .240 career average compares with a .256 league average over the same seasons, 6.2% below the league. In OPS terms, Downey's .610 stands 7.7% below the league's .660.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Downey
- What years did Tom Downey play?
- Tom Downey played in Major League Baseball from 1909 to 1915.
- Was Tom Downey a pitcher?
- No. Tom Downey was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Tom Downey hit?
- Tom Downey hit 7 career home runs with 520 hits.
- What was Tom Downey's career batting average?
- Tom Downey batted .240 over his career, with 520 hits in 2,170 at bats.
- How many RBI did Tom Downey have?
- Tom Downey drove in 188 runs in his career.
- Is Tom Downey in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Tom Downey has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.