Jack Gleason
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1877-1886)
Jack Gleason was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1877 to 1886 for 6 teams, including the St. Louis Stars, a span of 10 seasons. In 343 career games, he hit .269 with 384 hits, 9 home runs, and 31 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,514.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- — / 170 lb
- Died
- 9/4/1944 in St. Louis, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1877-10-02
- Last Game
- 1886-08-31
Full name: John Day Gleason
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 343 | 1,425 | 253 | 384 | 59 | 14 | 9 | 31 | 8 | 95 | 2 | .269 | .320 | .349 | .670 | 2,514 |
Career AVG .269 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — +8.7% above league average.
Career OBP .320 vs. league average .287 across their career seasons — +11.7% above league average.
Career SLG .349 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — +5.5% above league average.
Career OPS .670 vs. league average .618 across their career seasons — +8.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877 | SL3 | NL | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1882 | SL4 | AA | 78 | 331 | 53 | 84 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | .254 | .248 (+2%) | .275 (+12%) | .329 (-7%) | .605 (+2%) | 274.4 |
| 1883 | SL4 | AA | 9 | 34 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .235 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1883 | LS2 | AA | 84 | 355 | 69 | 106 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | .299 | .257 (+16%) | .285 (+21%) | .345 (+7%) | .631 (+13%) | 0.0 |
| 1884 | SLU | UA | 92 | 395 | 90 | 128 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | .324 | .243 (+33%) | .278 (+29%) | .327 (+35%) | .606 (+32%) | 2062.1 |
| 1885 | SL5 | NL | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1886 | PH4 | AA | 77 | 299 | 39 | 56 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 31 | 8 | 16 | 0 | .187 | .246 (-24%) | .302 (-16%) | .331 (-18%) | .634 (-17%) | -721.6 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 343 | 1,425 | 253 | 384 | 59 | 14 | 9 | 31 | 8 | 95 | 2 | .269 | — | — | — | — | 1,615 | ||
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
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 328 | 0 | 373 | 602 | 273 | 47 |
| OF | 16 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| SS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1877 | SL3 | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1882 | SL4 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1882 | SL4 | 3B | 73 | 0 | 107 | 168 | 83 | 11 |
| 1882 | SL4 | OF | 6 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1883 | SL4 | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1883 | SL4 | OF | 9 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1883 | LS2 | 3B | 83 | 0 | 83 | 107 | 49 | 6 |
| 1883 | LS2 | SS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1884 | SLU | 3B | 92 | 0 | 95 | 170 | 80 | 11 |
| 1885 | SL5 | 3B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1886 | PH4 | 3B | 77 | 0 | 85 | 150 | 60 | 19 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 328 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
| Left Field | 9 |
| Center Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 6 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jack Gleason (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jack Gleason: the record in brief
Between the debut on October 2, 1877 and the final game on August 31, 1886, Jack Gleason built the record summarized on this page. Gleason played for the St. Louis Brown Stockings (1877 to 1882), the St. Louis Browns (1883), the Louisville Eclipse (1883), the St. Louis Maroons (1884 to 1885), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1886). Gleason played primarily as a third baseman and threw and hit right-handed. Gleason was born on July 14, 1854, in St. Louis, MO, USA. The bio records the death on September 4, 1944, in St. Louis, MO, USA. The bio lists the given name John Day.
In 343 games and 1,425 at bats, Gleason batted .269 with 384 hits, along with 9 home runs and 31 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .320 clip and slugging .349, Gleason finished with a .670 OPS. Over the seasons Gleason played, league hitters batted .248; the .269 career figure is 8.7% above that. Gleason collected a career-high 128 hits in 1884. The RBI column peaks at 31 in 1886.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jack Gleason
- What years did Jack Gleason play?
- Jack Gleason played in Major League Baseball from 1877 to 1886.
- Was Jack Gleason a pitcher?
- No. Jack Gleason was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Jack Gleason hit?
- Jack Gleason hit 9 career home runs with 384 hits.
- What teams did Jack Gleason play for?
- Jack Gleason played for 5 teams: the St. Louis Brown Stockings (1877), the St. Louis Browns (1882–1883), the Louisville Eclipse (1883), the St. Louis Maroons (1884–1885), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1886).
- What were Jack Gleason's career stats?
- In 343 games, Jack Gleason had 384 hits, 9 home runs, 31 RBI, 253 runs, and 8 stolen bases, with a .269 batting average.
- What position did Jack Gleason play?
- Jack Gleason played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How much did Jack Gleason weigh?
- Jack Gleason was listed at 170 pounds.
- How many home runs did Jack Gleason hit each season?
- Jack Gleason's home runs by season: 0 in 1877, 2 in 1882, 2 in 1883, 4 in 1884, 0 in 1885, and 1 in 1886. His most in one season was 4, in 1884.
- What was Jack Gleason's career batting average?
- Jack Gleason batted .269 over his career, with 384 hits in 1,425 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jack Gleason have?
- Jack Gleason drove in 31 runs in his career.
- Is Jack Gleason in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jack Gleason has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.