John Ganzel
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1898-1908)
John Ganzel was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1908 for 5 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 11 seasons. In 747 career games, he hit .251 with 682 hits, 18 home runs, and 336 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 195 lb
- Died
- 1/14/1959 in Orlando, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1898-04-21
- Last Game
- 1908-09-30
Full name: John Henry Ganzel
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 747 | 2,715 | 281 | 682 | 104 | 50 | 18 | 336 | 48 | 136 | 173 | .251 | .298 | .346 | .644 | -198 |
Career AVG .251 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .298 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — 5.4% below league average.
Career SLG .346 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .644 vs. league average .648 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | PIT | NL | 15 | 45 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | .133 | — | — | — | — | -319.0 |
| 1900 | CHN | NL | 78 | 284 | 29 | 78 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 32 | 5 | 10 | 10 | .275 | .279 (-2%) | .338 (-7%) | .366 (+8%) | .705 (+1%) | -33.9 |
| 1901 | NY1 | NL | 138 | 526 | 42 | 113 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 66 | 6 | 20 | 32 | .215 | .271 (-21%) | .326 (-22%) | .359 (-27%) | .686 (-25%) | -1961.1 |
| 1903 | NYA | AL | 129 | 476 | 62 | 132 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 71 | 9 | 30 | 38 | .277 | .261 (+6%) | .316 (+6%) | .345 (+9%) | .662 (+8%) | 714.4 |
| 1904 | NYA | AL | 130 | 465 | 50 | 121 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 48 | 13 | 24 | 41 | .260 | .246 (+5%) | .300 (+3%) | .321 (+17%) | .622 (+10%) | 749.3 |
| 1907 | CIN | NL | 145 | 531 | 61 | 135 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 64 | 9 | 29 | 24 | .254 | .245 (+4%) | .304 (-3%) | .308 (+18%) | .613 (+8%) | 458.1 |
| 1908 | CIN | NL | 112 | 388 | 32 | 97 | 16 | 10 | 1 | 53 | 6 | 19 | 27 | .250 | .240 (+4%) | .298 (-3%) | .306 (+14%) | .605 (+6%) | 194.7 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 747 | 2,715 | 281 | 682 | 104 | 50 | 18 | 336 | 48 | 136 | 173 | .251 | — | — | — | — | -198 | ||
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 (748 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 387 | 1366 | 141 | 348 | 6 | 148 | .255 |
| Away | 361 | 1349 | 140 | 335 | 12 | 157 | .248 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908-09-30 | CIN | CHC | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908-09-29 | CIN | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908-09-12 | CIN | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908-09-11 | CIN | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908-09-03 | CIN | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908-09-02 | CIN | PIT | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1908-09-01 | CIN | PIT | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908-08-31 | CIN | PIT | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1908-08-30 | CIN | BSN | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1908-08-29 | CIN | BSN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 726 | 367 | 7430 | 416 | 102 | 362 |
| 2B | 9 | 9 | 10 | 30 | 2 | 4 |
| SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | PIT | 1B | 12 | 0 | 102 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 1900 | CHN | 1B | 78 | 0 | 817 | 34 | 17 | 40 |
| 1901 | NY1 | 1B | 138 | 0 | 1421 | 77 | 21 | 59 |
| 1903 | NYA | 1B | 129 | 0 | 1385 | 94 | 18 | 68 |
| 1904 | NYA | 1B | 118 | 118 | 1243 | 63 | 16 | 49 |
| 1904 | NYA | 2B | 9 | 9 | 10 | 30 | 2 | 4 |
| 1904 | NYA | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907 | CIN | 1B | 143 | 143 | 1346 | 84 | 14 | 89 |
| 1908 | CIN | 1B | 108 | 106 | 1116 | 61 | 12 | 52 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 726 |
| Second Base | 9 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Ganzel (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
John Ganzel: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 21, 1898 and the final game on September 30, 1908, John Ganzel built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Pittsburgh Pirates (1898), the Chicago Orphans (1900), the New York Giants (1901), the New York Highlanders (1903 to 1904), and the Cincinnati Reds (1907 through 1908). Ganzel played primarily as a first baseman and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on April 7, 1874, in Kalamazoo, MI, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-0 and 195 pounds. The bio records the death on January 14, 1959, in Orlando, FL, USA. Ganzel's full given name, per the bio, is John Henry Ganzel.
In 747 games and 2,715 at bats, Ganzel batted .251 with 682 hits, along with 18 homers, 336 runs batted in, and 48 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .298 clip and slugging .346, Ganzel finished with a .644 OPS. Ganzel hit .251 while the league hit .257 over the same span, a figure close to average. The highest hit total in a season was 135, in 1907. The RBI column peaks at 71 in 1903.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Ganzel
- What years did John Ganzel play?
- John Ganzel played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1908.
- Was John Ganzel a pitcher?
- No. John Ganzel was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did John Ganzel hit?
- John Ganzel hit 18 career home runs with 682 hits.
- What was John Ganzel's career batting average?
- John Ganzel batted .251 over his career, with 682 hits in 2,715 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Ganzel have?
- John Ganzel drove in 336 runs in his career.
- Is John Ganzel in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Ganzel has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.