John Irwin

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1882-1896)

John Irwin was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1896 for 7 teams, including the Worcester Ruby Legs, a span of 15 seasons. In 322 career games, he hit .246 with 312 hits, 3 home runs, and 93 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 .246
HR 3
RBI 93
H 312
OPS .634
PIV -615
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 168 lb
Born
7/21/1861 in Toronto, ON, CAN
Died
2/28/1934 in Boston, MA, USA
MLB Debut
1882-05-31
Last Game
1896-08-08
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Career Batting Statistics

John Irwin — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
322 1,269 222 312 55 19 3 93 56 102 74 .246 .308 .326 .634 -615

Career AVG .246 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .308 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .326 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .634 vs. league average .655 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Irwin 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
1882 WOR NL 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1884 BSU UA 105 432 81 101 22 6 1 0 0 15 0 .234 .243 (-4%) .278 (-7%) .327 (-2%) .606 (-4%) -314.6
1886 PH4 AA 3 13 4 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 .231 — — — — 0.0
1887 WS8 NL 8 31 6 11 2 0 2 3 6 3 6 .355 — — — — 0.0
1888 WS8 NL 37 126 14 28 5 2 0 8 15 5 18 .222 .238 (-7%) .290 (-10%) .319 (-8%) .610 (-9%) -165.3
1889 WS8 NL 58 228 42 66 11 4 0 25 10 25 14 .289 .263 (+10%) .334 (+11%) .357 (+4%) .691 (+7%) 335.3
1890 BFP PL 77 308 62 72 11 4 0 34 18 43 19 .234 .260 (-10%) .336 (avg) .351 (-16%) .687 (-8%) -310.7
1891 BS2 AA 19 72 6 16 2 2 0 15 6 6 9 .222 .254 (-13%) .331 (-15%) .343 (-11%) .675 (-13%) -160.6
1891 LS2 AA 14 55 7 15 1 1 0 7 1 5 6 .273 .254 (+7%) .331 (+4%) .343 (-5%) .675 (-1%) -160.6
Career · 9 seasons 322 1,269 222 312 55 19 3 93 56 102 74 .246 — — — — -777

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 Irwin — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 13 0 110 11 5 14
2B 1 0 2 5 2 1
3B 258 0 311 507 169 36
OF 17 0 25 5 4 0
SS 35 0 66 103 29 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

John Irwin — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1882 WOR 1B 1 0 7 0 4 1
1884 BSU 3B 105 0 117 191 87 7
1886 PH4 3B 1 0 0 4 0 0
1886 PH4 SS 2 0 2 3 2 0
1887 WS8 3B 4 0 4 7 2 0
1887 WS8 SS 5 0 9 12 3 1
1888 WS8 3B 10 0 12 10 7 1
1888 WS8 SS 27 0 54 87 23 5
1889 WS8 3B 58 0 82 129 32 14
1890 BFP 1B 12 0 103 11 1 13
1890 BFP 2B 1 0 2 5 2 1
1890 BFP 3B 64 0 79 139 29 13
1891 BS2 3B 2 0 4 5 3 0
1891 BS2 OF 17 0 25 5 4 0
1891 BS2 SS 1 0 1 1 1 0
1891 LS2 3B 14 0 13 22 9 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

John Irwin Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 13
Second Base 1
Third Base 258
Shortstop 35
Left Field 9
Right Field 9

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Gil Hatfield
    .247 avg, 6 HR
  2. 88
    Alfredo Amezaga
    .247 avg, 12 HR
  3. 87
    Chico Walker
    .246 avg, 17 HR
  4. 86
    Swede Risberg
    .243 avg, 6 HR
  5. 85
    Nanny Fernandez
    .248 avg, 16 HR
  6. 84
    Cool Turner
    .254 avg, 4 HR

John Irwin: the record in brief

John Irwin's major league career runs from a debut on May 31, 1882 to a final game on August 8, 1896. The season rows list, in order, the Worcester Ruby Legs (1882), the Boston Reds (1884 to 1891), the Philadelphia Athletics (1886), the Washington Nationals (1887 through 1889), the Buffalo Bisons (1890), and the Louisville Colonels (1891). Irwin played primarily as a third baseman and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Born on July 21, 1861, in Toronto, ON, CAN, Irwin was listed at 5 feet, 10 inches and 168 pounds. The bio records the death on February 28, 1934, in Boston, MA, USA.

In 322 games and 1,269 at bats, Irwin batted .246 with 312 hits, plus 3 home runs, 93 RBI, and 56 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .308 and the slugging percentage .326, for an OPS of .634. Against a .253 league average for those years, Irwin's .246 average was near the norm. No season topped the 101 hits of 1884. Irwin drove in a season-high 34 runs in 1890. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .234 in 1884, did not top the league's .243.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Irwin

What years did John Irwin play?
John Irwin played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1896.
Was John Irwin a pitcher?
No. John Irwin was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did John Irwin hit?
John Irwin hit 3 career home runs with 312 hits.
What was John Irwin's career batting average?
John Irwin batted .246 over his career, with 312 hits in 1,269 at bats.
How many RBI did John Irwin have?
John Irwin drove in 93 runs in his career.
Is John Irwin in the Hall of Fame?
No. John Irwin has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.