Ira Flagstead
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1917-1930)
Ira Flagstead was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1917 to 1930 for 4 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,218 career games, he hit .290 with 1,202 hits, 40 home runs, and 450 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 6,130.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 165 lb
- Died
- 3/13/1940 in Olympia, WA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1917-07-20
- Last Game
- 1930-07-29
Full name: Ira James Flagstead
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,218 | 4,139 | 644 | 1,202 | 262 | 50 | 40 | 450 | 71 | 467 | 288 | .290 | .370 | .407 | .776 | 6,130 |
Career AVG .290 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .370 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — +7.9% above league average.
Career SLG .407 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .776 vs. league average .732 across their career seasons — +6.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | DET | AL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1919 | DET | AL | 97 | 287 | 43 | 95 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 41 | 6 | 35 | 39 | .331 | .262 (+26%) | .322 (+29%) | .347 (+38%) | .670 (+34%) | 1872.0 |
| 1920 | DET | AL | 110 | 311 | 40 | 73 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 35 | 3 | 37 | 27 | .235 | .271 (-14%) | .331 (-4%) | .363 (-7%) | .694 (-6%) | -247.1 |
| 1921 | DET | AL | 85 | 259 | 40 | 79 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 8 | 21 | 21 | .305 | .286 (+7%) | .344 (+8%) | .395 (-3%) | .739 (+2%) | 154.8 |
| 1922 | DET | AL | 44 | 91 | 21 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 16 | .308 | .285 (+8%) | .345 (+19%) | .397 (+33%) | .743 (+26%) | 449.1 |
| 1923 | DET | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1923 | BOS | AL | 109 | 382 | 55 | 119 | 23 | 4 | 8 | 53 | 7 | 37 | 26 | .312 | .282 (+10%) | .344 (+10%) | .390 (+17%) | .734 (+14%) | 0.0 |
| 1924 | BOS | AL | 149 | 560 | 106 | 172 | 35 | 7 | 5 | 43 | 10 | 77 | 41 | .307 | .283 (+8%) | .345 (+16%) | .389 (+8%) | .734 (+12%) | 1697.4 |
| 1925 | BOS | AL | 148 | 572 | 84 | 160 | 38 | 2 | 6 | 61 | 5 | 63 | 30 | .280 | .288 (-3%) | .349 (+2%) | .407 (-6%) | .756 (-2%) | -104.9 |
| 1926 | BOS | AL | 98 | 415 | 65 | 124 | 31 | 7 | 3 | 31 | 4 | 36 | 22 | .299 | .279 (+7%) | .345 (+5%) | .390 (+10%) | .735 (+8%) | 583.1 |
| 1927 | BOS | AL | 131 | 466 | 63 | 133 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 69 | 12 | 57 | 25 | .285 | .282 (+1%) | .344 (+9%) | .392 (+2%) | .736 (+5%) | 636.6 |
| 1928 | BOS | AL | 140 | 510 | 84 | 148 | 41 | 4 | 1 | 39 | 12 | 60 | 23 | .290 | .280 (+3%) | .342 (+7%) | .395 (-1%) | .737 (+3%) | 388.1 |
| 1929 | BOS | AL | 14 | 36 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | .306 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | WS1 | AL | 18 | 39 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 5 | .179 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | PIT | NL | 26 | 50 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | .280 | .289 (-3%) | .353 (-6%) | .415 (-13%) | .769 (-10%) | 0.0 |
| 1930 | PIT | NL | 44 | 156 | 21 | 39 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 1 | 17 | 9 | .250 | .293 (-15%) | .354 (-9%) | .429 (-11%) | .784 (-10%) | -271.8 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,218 | 4,139 | 644 | 1,202 | 262 | 50 | 40 | 450 | 71 | 467 | 288 | .290 | — | — | — | — | 5,157 | ||
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 (1219 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 613 | 2045 | 356 | 615 | 11 | 232 | .301 |
| Away | 606 | 2097 | 287 | 587 | 29 | 234 | .280 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930-07-29 | PIT | STL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-07-27 | PIT | NY1 | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1930-07-25 | PIT | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-07-23 | PIT | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-07-23 | PIT | PHI | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1930-07-21 | PIT | PHI | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-07-16 | PIT | BSN | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1930-07-16 | PIT | BSN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1930-07-15 | PIT | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930-06-23 | PIT | BRO | L | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 8 | 0 | 17 | 18 | 1 | 13 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 1036 | 0 | 2482 | 159 | 71 | 40 |
| SS | 56 | 0 | 111 | 141 | 28 | 8 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | DET | OF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1919 | DET | OF | 83 | 0 | 140 | 15 | 8 | 4 |
| 1920 | DET | OF | 82 | 0 | 164 | 13 | 6 | 4 |
| 1921 | DET | 2B | 8 | 0 | 17 | 18 | 1 | 13 |
| 1921 | DET | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921 | DET | OF | 12 | 0 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1921 | DET | SS | 55 | 0 | 111 | 139 | 27 | 8 |
| 1922 | DET | OF | 32 | 0 | 54 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 1923 | BOS | OF | 102 | 0 | 218 | 31 | 9 | 8 |
| 1923 | BOS | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1924 | BOS | OF | 144 | 0 | 374 | 9 | 10 | 2 |
| 1925 | BOS | OF | 144 | 0 | 429 | 24 | 11 | 6 |
| 1926 | BOS | OF | 98 | 0 | 264 | 14 | 5 | 4 |
| 1927 | BOS | OF | 129 | 0 | 326 | 19 | 5 | 4 |
| 1928 | BOS | OF | 135 | 0 | 346 | 18 | 10 | 4 |
| 1929 | BOS | OF | 13 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1929 | WS1 | OF | 11 | 0 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1929 | PIT | OF | 9 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1930 | PIT | OF | 40 | 0 | 70 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 8 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 56 |
| Left Field | 51 |
| Center Field | 704 |
| Right Field | 287 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 14th | 5.0 | 64 | 0 |
| 1927 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 18th | 3.0 | 64 | 0 |
| 1926 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 23th | 2.0 | 64 | 0 |
| 1925 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 7th | 10.0 | 64 | 0 |
| 1924 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 15th | 5.0 | 64 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ira Flagstead (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ira Flagstead: the record in brief
According to the bio, Ira Flagstead debuted on July 20, 1917 and played a final game on July 29, 1930. The team column moves through the Detroit Tigers (1917 through 1923), the Boston Red Sox (1923 to 1929), the Washington Senators (1929), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1929 through 1930). The bio lists Flagstead as an outfielder who both batted and threw right-handed. Flagstead is listed at 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds. The birth record reads September 22, 1893, in Montague, MI, USA. Flagstead died on March 13, 1940, in Olympia, WA, USA. The given name on file is Ira James Flagstead.
Flagstead finished with 1,202 hits from 4,139 at bats in 1,218 games, which works out to .290; the totals also include 40 home runs, 450 RBI, and 71 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .370 and .407 give Flagstead a career OPS of .776. The .290 career average is close to the .281 the league hit across the same seasons. The highest hit total in a season was 172, in 1924.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ira Flagstead
- What years did Ira Flagstead play?
- Ira Flagstead played in Major League Baseball from 1917 to 1930.
- Was Ira Flagstead a pitcher?
- No. Ira Flagstead was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Ira Flagstead hit?
- Ira Flagstead hit 40 career home runs with 1,202 hits.
- What teams did Ira Flagstead play for?
- Ira Flagstead played for 4 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1917, 1919–1923), the Boston Red Sox (1923–1929), the Washington Senators (1929), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1929–1930).
- What were Ira Flagstead's career stats?
- In 1,218 games, Ira Flagstead had 1,202 hits, 40 home runs, 450 RBI, 644 runs, and 71 stolen bases, with a .290 batting average.
- What position did Ira Flagstead play?
- Ira Flagstead played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ira Flagstead and how much did he weigh?
- Ira Flagstead was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds.
- How many home runs did Ira Flagstead hit each season?
- Ira Flagstead's home runs by season: 0 in 1917, 5 in 1919, 3 in 1920, 0 in 1921, 3 in 1922, 8 in 1923, 5 in 1924, 6 in 1925, 3 in 1926, 4 in 1927, 1 in 1928, 0 in 1929, and 2 in 1930. His most in one season was 8, in 1923.
- What was Ira Flagstead's career batting average?
- Ira Flagstead batted .290 over his career, with 1,202 hits in 4,139 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ira Flagstead have?
- Ira Flagstead drove in 450 runs in his career.
- Is Ira Flagstead in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ira Flagstead has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.