Shorty Fuller

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1888-1896)

Shorty Fuller was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1896 for the Washington Nationals, the St. Louis Browns, and the New York Giants, a span of 9 seasons. In 964 career games, he hit .235 with 863 hits, 6 home runs, and 349 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

AVG .235
HR 6
RBI 349
H 863
OPS .611
PIV -7,035
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'6" / 157 lb
Born
10/10/1867 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
Died
4/11/1904 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1888-07-19
Last Game
1896-06-02

Full name: William Benjamin Fuller

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Career Batting Statistics

Shorty Fuller — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
964 3,678 651 863 96 43 6 349 260 444 198 .235 .322 .289 .611 -7,035

Career AVG .235 vs. league average .268 across their career seasons — 12.4% below league average.

Career OBP .322 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .289 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — 20.3% below league average.

Career OPS .611 vs. league average .700 across their career seasons — 12.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Shorty Fuller Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1888 WS8 NL 49 170 11 31 5 2 0 12 6 10 14 .182 .238 (-24%) .290 (-20%) .319 (-26%) .610 (-23%) -546.3
1889 SL4 AA 140 517 91 117 18 6 0 51 38 52 56 .226 .263 (-14%) .334 (-9%) .357 (-20%) .691 (-15%) -1163.8
1890 SL4 AA 130 526 118 146 9 9 1 40 60 73 0 .278 .260 (+7%) .336 (+12%) .351 (-5%) .687 (+3%) 663.0
1891 SL4 AA 135 576 105 122 14 7 2 61 42 67 28 .212 .254 (-17%) .331 (-10%) .343 (-21%) .675 (-16%) -1318.3
1892 NY1 NL 141 508 74 116 11 4 1 48 37 52 24 .228 .244 (-7%) .316 (-5%) .327 (-17%) .644 (-11%) -774.0
1893 NY1 NL 130 474 78 112 14 8 0 51 26 60 21 .236 .279 (-16%) .356 (-9%) .379 (-21%) .735 (-15%) -1141.7
1894 NY1 NL 95 377 82 104 14 4 2 47 32 52 16 .276 .309 (-11%) .379 (-3%) .435 (-20%) .814 (-12%) -718.2
1895 NY1 NL 126 458 82 103 11 3 0 32 15 64 34 .225 .296 (-24%) .361 (-11%) .399 (-34%) .761 (-23%) -1661.3
1896 NY1 NL 18 72 10 12 0 0 0 7 4 14 5 .167 .290 (-43%) .354 (-12%) .387 (-57%) .741 (-36%) -374.8
Career · 9 seasons 964 3,678 651 863 96 43 6 349 260 444 198 .235 — — — — -7,035

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

Shorty Fuller — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 41 0 85 117 17 21
3B 2 0 2 4 3 1
OF 2 0 4 0 0 0
SS 925 0 1773 3051 595 334

Season-by-Season Fielding

Shorty Fuller — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1888 WS8 2B 2 0 2 3 0 0
1888 WS8 SS 47 0 67 140 38 14
1889 SL4 SS 140 0 240 459 67 46
1890 SL4 SS 130 0 222 389 91 39
1891 SL4 2B 38 0 81 109 16 21
1891 SL4 SS 102 0 165 307 79 36
1892 NY1 SS 141 0 294 434 92 44
1893 NY1 SS 130 0 260 464 71 48
1894 NY1 2B 1 0 2 5 1 0
1894 NY1 3B 2 0 2 4 3 1
1894 NY1 OF 2 0 4 0 0 0
1894 NY1 SS 91 0 213 297 69 40
1895 NY1 SS 126 0 270 499 73 59
1896 NY1 SS 18 0 42 62 15 8

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Shorty Fuller Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 41
Third Base 2
Shortstop 925
Right Field 2

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Shorty Fuller (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Rollie Zeider
    .240 avg, 5 HR
  2. 91
    Cub Stricker
    .239 avg, 12 HR
  3. 87
    Julio Cruz
    .237 avg, 23 HR
  4. 86
    Bingo DeMoss
    .236 avg, 4 HR
  5. 81
    Ossie Vitt
    .238 avg, 4 HR
  6. 80
    Jack Barry
    .243 avg, 10 HR

Shorty Fuller: the record in brief

Between the debut on July 19, 1888 and the final game on June 2, 1896, Shorty Fuller built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Washington Nationals (1888), the St. Louis Browns (1889 through 1891), and the New York Giants (1892 through 1896). Listed as a shortstop, Fuller threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 157 pounds on a 5-foot-6 frame. The birth record reads October 10, 1867, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. The bio records the death on April 11, 1904, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Shorty Fuller was the playing name; the full given name is William Benjamin.

Fuller collected 863 hits in 3,678 at bats across 964 games, good for a .235 batting average, adding 6 homers, 349 RBI, and 260 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .322 and .289 give Fuller a career OPS of .611. Set against a .268 league average for the same years, Fuller's .235 average sits 12.4% below it. In OPS terms, Fuller's .611 stands 12.8% below the league's .700. No season topped the 146 hits of 1890.

Frequently Asked Questions about Shorty Fuller

What years did Shorty Fuller play?
Shorty Fuller played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1896.
Was Shorty Fuller a pitcher?
No. Shorty Fuller was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Shorty Fuller hit?
Shorty Fuller hit 6 career home runs with 863 hits.
What teams did Shorty Fuller play for?
Shorty Fuller played for 3 teams: the Washington Nationals (1888), the St. Louis Browns (1889–1891), and the New York Giants (1892–1896).
What were Shorty Fuller's career stats?
In 964 games, Shorty Fuller had 863 hits, 6 home runs, 349 RBI, 651 runs, and 260 stolen bases, with a .235 batting average.
What position did Shorty Fuller play?
Shorty Fuller played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Shorty Fuller and how much did he weigh?
Shorty Fuller was listed at 5 feet 6 inches and 157 pounds.
How many home runs did Shorty Fuller hit each season?
Shorty Fuller's home runs by season: 0 in 1888, 0 in 1889, 1 in 1890, 2 in 1891, 1 in 1892, 0 in 1893, 2 in 1894, 0 in 1895, and 0 in 1896. His most in one season was 2, in 1891 and 1894.
What was Shorty Fuller's career batting average?
Shorty Fuller batted .235 over his career, with 863 hits in 3,678 at bats.
How many RBI did Shorty Fuller have?
Shorty Fuller drove in 349 runs in his career.
Is Shorty Fuller in the Hall of Fame?
No. Shorty Fuller has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.