Dick Higham
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1871-1880)
Dick Higham was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1880 for 6 teams, including the New York Mutuals, a span of 10 seasons. In 372 career games, he hit .307 with 549 hits, 4 home runs, and 204 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,202.
- 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
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 171 lb
- Died
- 3/18/1905 in Chicago, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1871-06-01
- Last Game
- 1880-05-25
Full name: Richard Higham
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 372 | 1,786 | 384 | 549 | 85 | 15 | 4 | 204 | 20 | 17 | 28 | .307 | .314 | .378 | .692 | 3,202 |
Career AVG .307 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — +15.2% above league average.
Career OBP .314 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — +11.7% above league average.
Career SLG .378 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +14.1% above league average.
Career OPS .692 vs. league average .613 across their career seasons — +13.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1871 | NY2 | 21 | 94 | 21 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | .362 | .286 (+26%) | .311 (+20%) | .383 (+8%) | .695 (+14%) | 217.8 | |
| 1872 | BL1 | 50 | 245 | 72 | 84 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 4 | 2 | 3 | .343 | .285 (+20%) | .296 (+17%) | .347 (+20%) | .644 (+19%) | 705.6 | |
| 1873 | NY2 | 49 | 244 | 57 | 77 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .316 | .290 (+9%) | .304 (+6%) | .357 (+3%) | .661 (+4%) | 162.9 | |
| 1874 | NY2 | 65 | 333 | 58 | 87 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 38 | 5 | 4 | 0 | .261 | .273 (-4%) | .282 (-4%) | .333 (-1%) | .615 (-2%) | -123.5 | |
| 1875 | CH2 | 42 | 208 | 44 | 49 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | .236 | .253 (-7%) | .260 (-10%) | .309 (-7%) | .570 (-8%) | -225.7 | |
| 1875 | NY2 | 15 | 64 | 12 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .391 | .253 (+54%) | .260 (+50%) | .309 (+51%) | .570 (+51%) | -225.7 | |
| 1876 | HAR | NL | 67 | 312 | 59 | 102 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .327 | .265 (+23%) | .277 (+19%) | .320 (+27%) | .598 (+23%) | 1045.0 |
| 1878 | PRO | NL | 62 | 281 | 60 | 90 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 5 | 16 | .320 | .259 (+23%) | .278 (+19%) | .319 (+31%) | .597 (+25%) | 1008.6 |
| 1880 | TRN | NL | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 372 | 1,786 | 384 | 549 | 85 | 15 | 4 | 204 | 20 | 17 | 28 | .307 | — | — | — | — | 2,565 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 3 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2B | 56 | 16 | 136 | 115 | 76 | 14 |
| 3B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| C | 138 | 63 | 660 | 121 | 157 | 5 |
| OF | 223 | 52 | 219 | 48 | 77 | 6 |
| SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1871 | NY2 | 2B | 12 | 12 | 29 | 30 | 20 | 3 |
| 1871 | NY2 | C | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1871 | NY2 | OF | 8 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1872 | BL1 | 1B | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1872 | BL1 | 2B | 5 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| 1872 | BL1 | 3B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 1872 | BL1 | C | 25 | 21 | 131 | 24 | 28 | 0 |
| 1872 | BL1 | OF | 24 | 21 | 29 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| 1873 | NY2 | 2B | 18 | 0 | 35 | 25 | 22 | 8 |
| 1873 | NY2 | C | 17 | 0 | 98 | 16 | 22 | 1 |
| 1873 | NY2 | OF | 19 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| 1874 | NY2 | 2B | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1874 | NY2 | C | 48 | 41 | 248 | 45 | 51 | 4 |
| 1874 | NY2 | OF | 33 | 23 | 13 | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| 1875 | CH2 | 2B | 13 | 0 | 34 | 38 | 17 | 2 |
| 1875 | CH2 | C | 24 | 0 | 110 | 14 | 27 | 0 |
| 1875 | CH2 | OF | 14 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1875 | NY2 | 1B | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1875 | NY2 | 2B | 6 | 0 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 1 |
| 1875 | NY2 | C | 8 | 0 | 27 | 7 | 12 | 0 |
| 1875 | NY2 | OF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1876 | HAR | 2B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1876 | HAR | C | 13 | 0 | 38 | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| 1876 | HAR | OF | 59 | 0 | 57 | 16 | 11 | 1 |
| 1876 | HAR | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1878 | PRO | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1878 | PRO | OF | 62 | 0 | 76 | 27 | 24 | 4 |
| 1880 | TRN | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1880 | TRN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 137 |
| First Base | 3 |
| Second Base | 56 |
| Third Base | 2 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
| Center Field | 9 |
| Right Field | 215 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Dick Higham (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Dick Higham: the record in brief
June 1, 1871 and May 25, 1880 bracket Dick Higham's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the New York Mutuals (1871 through 1875), the Baltimore Canaries (1872), the Chicago White Stockings (1875), the Hartford Dark Blues (1876), the Providence Grays (1878), and the Troy Trojans (1880). Listed as an outfielder, Higham hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. The recorded size is 5'8" and 171 pounds. Higham was born on July 24, 1851, in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. Higham died on March 18, 1905, in Chicago, IL, USA. The given name on file is Richard Higham.
Higham finished with 549 hits from 1,786 at bats in 372 games, which works out to .307, plus 4 home runs, 204 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .314 and .378 give Higham a career OPS of .692. The league as a whole hit .267 across Higham's seasons, which puts the .307 career mark 15.2% above average. In OPS terms, Higham's .692 stands 13.0% above the league's .613.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dick Higham
- What years did Dick Higham play?
- Dick Higham played in Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1880.
- Was Dick Higham a pitcher?
- No. Dick Higham was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Dick Higham hit?
- Dick Higham hit 4 career home runs with 549 hits.
- What was Dick Higham's career batting average?
- Dick Higham batted .307 over his career, with 549 hits in 1,786 at bats.
- How many RBI did Dick Higham have?
- Dick Higham drove in 204 runs in his career.
- Is Dick Higham in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Dick Higham has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.