Charlie Ferguson

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1884-1887)

Charlie Ferguson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1887 for the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 4 seasons. Across 183 career appearances, he went 99-64 with a 2.67 ERA and 728 strikeouts. He also batted .288 with 6 home runs. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,697.

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 99–64
ERA 2.67
WHIP 1.12
SO 728
Pitcher PIV 10386.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 165 lb
Born
4/17/1863 in Charlottesville, VA, USA
Died
4/29/1888 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1884-05-01
Last Game
1887-10-08

Full name: Charles J. Ferguson

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Career Pitching Statistics

Charlie Ferguson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
99 64 183 170 165 13 4 1514.2 1,402 450 42 290 728 2.67 10386.2

Career ERA 2.67 vs. league average 3.40 across their career seasons — 21.4% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Charlie Ferguson — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1884 PHI NL 21 25 50 47 46 2 1 416.2 443 164 93 194 3.54 3.11 (-14%) -3224.2
1885 PHI NL 26 20 48 45 45 5 0 405.0 345 100 81 197 2.22 3.03 (+27%) 4035.9
1886 PHI NL 30 9 48 45 43 4 2 395.2 317 87 69 212 1.98 3.37 (+41%) 4934.7
1887 PHI NL 22 10 37 33 31 2 1 297.1 297 99 47 125 3.00 4.17 (+28%) 4639.8
Career · 4 seasons 99 64 183 170 165 13 4 1,514.2 1,402 450 290 728 2.67 — 10,386

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

Charlie Ferguson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
257 963 191 277 37 13 6 157 22 113 119 .288 .364 .372 .735 2,697

Career AVG .288 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +14.8% above league average.

Career OBP .364 vs. league average .299 across their career seasons — +21.7% above league average.

Career SLG .372 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +9.8% above league average.

Career OPS .735 vs. league average .637 across their career seasons — +15.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Charlie Ferguson — 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
1884 PHI NL 52 203 26 50 6 3 0 20 0 19 54 .246 .243 (+1%) .278 (+11%) .327 (-7%) .606 (+2%) 130.4
1885 PHI NL 61 235 42 72 8 3 1 27 0 23 18 .306 .244 (+26%) .287 (+28%) .325 (+16%) .613 (+22%) 887.4
1886 PHI NL 72 261 56 66 9 1 2 25 9 37 28 .253 .246 (+3%) .302 (+14%) .331 (-4%) .634 (+5%) 362.3
1887 PHI NL 72 264 67 89 14 6 3 85 13 34 19 .337 .270 (+25%) .331 (+26%) .373 (+26%) .705 (+26%) 1316.8
Career · 4 seasons 257 963 191 277 37 13 6 157 22 113 119 .288 — — — — 2,697

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

Charlie Ferguson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 27 0 57 65 10 4
3B 5 0 9 9 4 3
OF 53 0 91 9 14 0
P 183 0 99 310 36 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Charlie Ferguson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1884 PHI OF 5 0 12 1 1 0
1884 PHI P 50 0 23 72 12 4
1885 PHI OF 15 0 29 2 6 0
1885 PHI P 48 0 27 87 9 3
1886 PHI OF 27 0 39 4 5 0
1886 PHI P 48 0 33 97 9 1
1887 PHI 2B 27 0 57 65 10 4
1887 PHI 3B 5 0 9 9 4 3
1887 PHI OF 6 0 11 2 2 0
1887 PHI P 37 0 16 54 6 4

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Charlie Ferguson — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 183
Second Base 27
Third Base 5
Left Field 13
Center Field 22
Right Field 18

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Charlie Ferguson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jumbo McGinnis
    102-79, 2.95 ERA
  2. 91
    Roy Patterson
    81-72, 2.75 ERA
  3. 84
    Lady Baldwin
    73-41, 2.85 ERA
  4. 80
    Noodles Hahn
    130-94, 2.55 ERA
  5. 80
    Fred Goldsmith
    112-68, 2.73 ERA
  6. 80
    Charlie Sweeney
    64-52, 2.87 ERA

Charlie Ferguson: the record in brief

Charlie Ferguson played a first major league game on May 1, 1884 and a last one on October 8, 1887. Ferguson spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Philadelphia Quakers. Listed as a pitcher, Ferguson switch-hit and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6-foot-0 and 165 pounds. The birth record reads April 17, 1863, in Charlottesville, VA, USA. Ferguson's death is recorded on April 29, 1888, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The given name on file is Charles J. Ferguson.

The pitching table credits Ferguson with a 99-64 record and a 2.67 ERA in 183 games. Ferguson had 728 strikeouts, 165 complete games, and 13 shutouts. The leagues Ferguson pitched in allowed 3.40 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 21.4% better than average. The best win total was 30, in 1886. In 1886, one of the busiest seasons, Ferguson posted a 1.98 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.37.

Frequently Asked Questions about Charlie Ferguson

What years did Charlie Ferguson play?
Charlie Ferguson played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1887.
Was Charlie Ferguson a pitcher?
Yes. Charlie Ferguson pitched in the major leagues, recording 99 wins and 728 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Charlie Ferguson hit?
Charlie Ferguson hit 6 career home runs with 277 hits.
What teams did Charlie Ferguson play for?
Charlie Ferguson played for one team, the Philadelphia Quakers (1884–1887).
What were Charlie Ferguson's career stats?
In 183 games, Charlie Ferguson went 99-64 with a 2.67 ERA, 728 strikeouts, 1,514.2 innings pitched, and 4 saves. At the plate he had 277 hits and 6 home runs.
What position did Charlie Ferguson play?
Charlie Ferguson played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Charlie Ferguson and how much did he weigh?
Charlie Ferguson was listed at 6 feet and 165 pounds.
What was Charlie Ferguson's career ERA?
Charlie Ferguson finished with a 2.67 career ERA, going 99-64 with 728 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Charlie Ferguson have?
Charlie Ferguson recorded 728 career strikeouts.
Is Charlie Ferguson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Charlie Ferguson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.