John Harkins

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1884-1888)

John Harkins was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1888 for the Cleveland Blues, the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, and the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 5 seasons. Across 139 career appearances, he went 51-83 with a 4.09 ERA and 489 strikeouts. He also batted .228 with 2 home runs.

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 51–83
ERA 4.09
WHIP 1.37
SO 489
Pitcher PIV -6008.3
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 205 lb
Born
4/12/1859 in New Brunswick, NJ, USA
Died
11/18/1940 in New Brunswick, NJ, USA
MLB Debut
1884-05-02
Last Game
1888-05-01

Full name: John Joseph Harkins

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

John Harkins — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
51 83 139 137 131 4 0 1183.1 1,262 538 26 358 489 4.09 -6008.3

Career ERA 4.09 vs. league average 3.31 across their career seasons — 23.6% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Harkins — 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 CL2 NL 12 32 46 45 42 3 0 391.0 399 160 108 192 3.68 3.11 (-18%) -2393.0
1885 BR3 AA 14 20 34 34 33 1 0 293.0 303 122 56 141 3.75 3.03 (-24%) 1238.3
1886 BR3 AA 15 16 34 33 33 0 0 292.1 286 117 114 118 3.60 3.37 (-7%) -3009.8
1887 BR3 AA 10 14 24 24 22 0 0 199.0 262 133 77 36 6.02 4.17 (-44%) -1843.9
1888 BL2 AA 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 8.0 12 6 3 2 6.75 — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 51 83 139 137 131 4 0 1,183.1 1,262 538 358 489 4.09 — -6,008

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

John Harkins — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
173 631 73 144 17 6 2 66 6 41 57 .228 .276 .284 .560 -888

Career AVG .228 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — 8.1% below league average.

Career OBP .276 vs. league average .297 across their career seasons — 7.0% below league average.

Career SLG .284 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 15.3% below league average.

Career OPS .560 vs. league average .632 across their career seasons — 11.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Harkins — 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 CL2 NL 61 229 24 47 4 2 0 20 0 7 45 .205 .243 (-16%) .278 (-18%) .327 (-27%) .606 (-23%) -684.6
1885 BR3 AA 43 159 20 42 4 2 1 15 0 9 0 .264 .244 (+8%) .287 (+5%) .325 (+3%) .613 (+4%) 99.1
1886 BR3 AA 41 142 18 32 4 2 1 15 2 17 0 .225 .246 (-9%) .302 (+2%) .331 (-9%) .634 (-4%) -37.2
1887 BR3 AA 27 98 10 23 5 0 0 16 4 7 11 .235 .270 (-13%) .331 (-12%) .373 (-24%) .705 (-18%) -265.7
1888 BL2 AA 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 173 631 73 144 17 6 2 66 6 41 57 .228 — — — — -888

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

John Harkins — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1 0 1 0 0 1
3B 2 0 3 0 1 0
OF 38 0 41 2 14 0
P 139 0 85 234 40 6
SS 1 0 0 2 2 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

John Harkins — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1884 CL2 3B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1884 CL2 OF 17 0 26 2 6 0
1884 CL2 P 46 0 15 81 17 3
1884 CL2 SS 1 0 0 2 2 0
1885 BR3 3B 1 0 1 0 1 0
1885 BR3 OF 9 0 8 0 4 0
1885 BR3 P 34 0 36 57 10 0
1886 BR3 OF 8 0 5 0 3 0
1886 BR3 P 34 0 24 57 8 2
1887 BR3 2B 1 0 1 0 0 1
1887 BR3 OF 4 0 2 0 1 0
1887 BR3 P 24 0 10 35 5 1
1888 BL2 P 1 0 0 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

John Harkins — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 139
Second Base 1
Third Base 2
Shortstop 1
Left Field 10
Center Field 7
Right Field 21

College History

John Harkins — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Rutgers - the State University of New Jersey New Brunswick NJ 1881, 1882

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

John Harkins (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Al Mays
    53-89, 3.91 ERA
  2. 91
    Bob Barr
    49-98, 3.85 ERA
  3. 88
    Ed Cushman
    62-81, 3.86 ERA
  4. 82
    Bill Phillips
    70-76, 4.09 ERA
  5. 73
    Boom-Boom Beck
    38-69, 4.30 ERA
  6. 65
    Tom Lovett
    88-59, 3.94 ERA

John Harkins: the record in brief

The profile opens with John Harkins's first major league game on May 2, 1884; the last one listed came on May 1, 1888. The team column moves through the Cleveland Blues (1884), the Brooklyn Grays (1885 through 1887), and the Baltimore Orioles (1888). Listed as a pitcher, Harkins both batted and threw right-handed. Harkins is listed at 6'1" and 205 pounds. The birth record reads April 12, 1859, in New Brunswick, NJ, USA. The bio records the death on November 18, 1940, in New Brunswick, NJ, USA. On the record, John Harkins was born John Joseph Harkins.

Across 139 games (137 starts), Harkins recorded 51 wins against 83 losses with a 4.09 ERA. The totals include 489 strikeouts and 131 complete games. The league ERA over Harkins's seasons was 3.31, so the 4.09 figure ran 23.6% worse than average. The best win total was 15, in 1886. The strikeout high was 192 in 1884. 1886 was Harkins's sharpest full season, a 3.60 ERA against the league's 3.37.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Harkins

What years did John Harkins play?
John Harkins played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1888.
Was John Harkins a pitcher?
Yes. John Harkins pitched in the major leagues, recording 51 wins and 489 strikeouts.
How many home runs did John Harkins hit?
John Harkins hit 2 career home runs with 144 hits.
What teams did John Harkins play for?
John Harkins played for 3 teams: the Cleveland Blues (1884), the Brooklyn Grays (1885–1887), and the Baltimore Orioles (1888).
What were John Harkins's career stats?
In 139 games, John Harkins went 51-83 with a 4.09 ERA, 489 strikeouts, and 1,183.1 innings pitched. At the plate he had 144 hits and 2 home runs.
What position did John Harkins play?
John Harkins played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was John Harkins and how much did he weigh?
John Harkins was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 205 pounds.
What was John Harkins's career ERA?
John Harkins finished with a 4.09 career ERA, going 51-83 with 489 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did John Harkins have?
John Harkins recorded 489 career strikeouts.
Is John Harkins in the Hall of Fame?
No. John Harkins has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.