Frank Isbell

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1898-1909)

Frank Isbell was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1909 for the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,119 career games, he hit .250 with 1,056 hits, 13 home runs, and 455 RBI. He also pitched in 17 games, going 4-7 with a 3.46 ERA.

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 .250
HR 13
RBI 455
H 1,056
OPS .616
PIV -2,813
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 190 lb
Born
8/21/1875 in Delevan, NY, USA
Died
7/15/1941 in Wichita, KS, USA
MLB Debut
1898-05-01
Last Game
1909-10-03

Full name: William Frank Isbell

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Career Batting Statistics

Frank Isbell — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,119 4,219 501 1,056 158 62 13 455 253 190 352 .250 .289 .326 .616 -2,813

Career AVG .250 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .289 vs. league average .312 across their career seasons — 7.2% below league average.

Career SLG .326 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .616 vs. league average .639 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Frank Isbell 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
1898 CHN NL 45 159 17 37 4 0 0 8 3 3 13 .233 .270 (-14%) .333 (-25%) .347 (-26%) .680 (-25%) -628.2
1901 CHA AL 137 556 93 143 15 8 3 70 52 36 37 .257 .271 (-5%) .326 (-5%) .359 (-8%) .686 (-7%) -561.3
1902 CHA AL 137 515 62 130 14 4 4 59 38 14 28 .252 .266 (-5%) .321 (-14%) .343 (-7%) .665 (-11%) -900.9
1903 CHA AL 138 546 52 132 25 9 2 59 26 12 65 .242 .261 (-8%) .316 (-16%) .345 (-4%) .662 (-10%) -942.7
1904 CHA AL 96 314 27 66 10 3 1 34 19 16 37 .210 .246 (-15%) .300 (-15%) .321 (-16%) .622 (-15%) -693.1
1905 CHA AL 94 341 55 101 21 11 2 45 15 15 28 .296 .248 (+19%) .307 (+9%) .322 (+36%) .629 (+23%) 1144.7
1906 CHA AL 143 549 71 153 18 11 0 57 37 30 34 .279 .247 (+13%) .307 (+5%) .315 (+12%) .622 (+9%) 745.1
1907 CHA AL 125 486 60 118 19 7 0 41 22 22 36 .243 .245 (-1%) .304 (-8%) .308 (+1%) .613 (-3%) -345.8
1908 CHA AL 84 320 31 79 15 3 1 49 18 19 40 .247 .240 (+3%) .298 (avg) .306 (+5%) .605 (+2%) 86.0
1909 CHA AL 120 433 33 97 17 6 0 33 23 23 34 .224 .244 (-8%) .306 (-14%) .312 (-7%) .618 (-10%) -716.2
Career · 10 seasons 1,119 4,219 501 1,056 158 62 13 455 253 190 352 .250 — — — — -2,813

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 Pitching Statistics

Frank Isbell — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
4 7 17 9 7 0 1 88.1 92 34 0 43 19 3.46 -1186.3

Career ERA 3.46 vs. league average 3.04 across their career seasons — 14.0% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Frank Isbell — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1898 CHN NL 4 7 13 9 7 0 0 81.0 86 32 42 16 3.56 3.59 (+1%) -1186.3
1901 CHA AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 1 0 0 9.00 — 0.0
1902 CHA AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 3 1 1 1 2.25 — 0.0
1906 CHA AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 0 0 2 0.00 — 0.0
1907 CHA AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0.1 0 0 0 0 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 4 7 17 9 7 0 1 88.1 92 34 43 19 3.46 — -1,186

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Frank Isbell — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 26 4 8 4 0 0 4 0 6 .308

Playoff Batting by Year

Frank Isbell — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1906 WS CHA 6 26 4 8 4 0 0 4 0 6 .308

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1139 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Frank Isbell — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home56220482394996241.244
Away56021762655607205.257

Pitching — Home / Away

Frank Isbell — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1054.1481928153.15
Away731.044181545.23

Last 10 Games — Batting

Frank Isbell — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1909-10-03 CHWDETL 401000001
1909-09-11 CHWSLAL 300000011
1909-09-09 CHWSLAL 300000001
1909-09-08 CHWSLAW 301100100
1909-09-06 CHWCLEW 200000010
1909-09-06 CHWCLEL 200000000
1909-09-05 CHWCLEL 100000000
1909-09-04 CHWSLAL 400000000
1909-09-03 CHWSLAW 312100100
1909-09-02 CHWSLAW 400000001

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Frank Isbell — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1907-10-06 CHWCLE SV 0.1000000
1906-10-07 CHWDET — 2.0100020
1902-09-28 CHWSLA — 1.0321110
1901-06-12 CHWBLA — 1.0211000
1898-08-18 CHCBSN L 2.01199110
1898-08-05 CHCBLN L 9.01064740
1898-07-23 CHCCL4 L 8.01042800
1898-07-04 CHCCL4 W 9.01033400
1898-06-30 CHCNY1 W 9.0854510
1898-06-23 CHCBSN L 3.0110100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Frank Isbell — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 619 225 6663 455 99 337
2B 351 343 758 1023 99 104
3B 23 0 27 58 19 2
C 2 1 4 2 0 0
OF 103 66 146 10 9 1
P 17 0 7 24 6 3
SS 15 3 24 36 10 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Frank Isbell — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1898 CHN 2B 3 0 2 8 5 0
1898 CHN 3B 3 0 2 7 3 1
1898 CHN OF 28 0 40 3 2 0
1898 CHN P 13 0 7 19 6 2
1898 CHN SS 2 0 3 6 3 2
1901 CHA 1B 137 0 1387 101 31 79
1901 CHA 2B 2 0 1 2 0 0
1901 CHA 3B 1 0 0 2 1 0
1901 CHA P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1901 CHA SS 1 0 1 1 0 0
1902 CHA 1B 133 0 1401 93 21 97
1902 CHA C 1 0 0 2 0 0
1902 CHA P 1 0 0 3 0 0
1902 CHA SS 4 0 4 7 1 3
1903 CHA 1B 117 0 1180 87 20 57
1903 CHA 2B 2 0 3 3 0 0
1903 CHA 3B 19 0 25 49 15 1
1903 CHA OF 1 0 3 0 0 0
1903 CHA SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1904 CHA 1B 57 56 599 48 9 22
1904 CHA 2B 27 27 53 80 11 6
1904 CHA OF 5 3 5 0 0 0
1904 CHA SS 4 2 6 17 5 1
1905 CHA 1B 9 7 68 14 1 4
1905 CHA 2B 43 42 76 112 7 18
1905 CHA OF 41 38 65 5 4 1
1905 CHA SS 2 1 10 5 1 2
1906 CHA 2B 132 132 292 363 35 36
1906 CHA C 1 1 4 0 0 0
1906 CHA OF 14 10 17 0 1 0
1906 CHA P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1907 CHA 2B 119 118 276 384 30 41
1907 CHA OF 5 5 9 1 0 0
1907 CHA P 1 0 0 1 0 1
1907 CHA SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1908 CHA 1B 65 62 824 46 9 30
1908 CHA 2B 18 19 40 58 9 0
1909 CHA 1B 101 100 1204 66 8 48
1909 CHA 2B 5 5 15 13 2 3
1909 CHA OF 9 10 7 1 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Frank Isbell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 17
Catcher 2
First Base 618
Second Base 354
Third Base 23
Shortstop 15
Left Field 16
Center Field 32
Right Field 55

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Frank Isbell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Danny Richardson
    .254 avg, 32 HR
  2. 90
    George Moriarty
    .251 avg, 5 HR
  3. 89
    Wid Conroy
    .248 avg, 22 HR
  4. 87
    Bill Coughlin
    .252 avg, 15 HR
  5. 85
    Frank Taveras
    .255 avg, 2 HR
  6. 83
    Hick Carpenter
    .259 avg, 18 HR

Frank Isbell: the record in brief

May 1, 1898 and October 3, 1909 bracket Frank Isbell's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Isbell's seasons break down as the Chicago Orphans (1898) and the Chicago White Sox (1901 to 1909). Isbell played primarily as a first baseman and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on August 21, 1875, in Delevan, NY, USA and a listed size of 190 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Isbell's death is recorded on July 15, 1941, in Wichita, KS, USA. Isbell's full given name, per the bio, is William Frank Isbell.

The batting record for Isbell: 1,119 games, 1,056 hits in 4,219 at bats, and a .250 average, adding 13 homers, 455 runs batted in, and 253 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .289 and .326 give Isbell a career OPS of .616. Isbell hit .250 while the league hit .254 over the same span, a figure close to average. Isbell collected a career-high 153 hits in 1906.

Frequently Asked Questions about Frank Isbell

What years did Frank Isbell play?
Frank Isbell played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1909.
Was Frank Isbell a pitcher?
Both. Frank Isbell pitched in 17 games, going 4-7 with a 3.46 ERA, but spent most of his career as a First Baseman.
How many home runs did Frank Isbell hit?
Frank Isbell hit 13 career home runs with 1,056 hits.
What teams did Frank Isbell play for?
Frank Isbell played for 2 teams: the Chicago Orphans (1898) and the Chicago White Sox (1901–1909).
What were Frank Isbell's career stats?
In 1,119 games, Frank Isbell had 1,056 hits, 13 home runs, 455 RBI, 501 runs, and 253 stolen bases, with a .250 batting average. As a pitcher, in 17 games, he went 4-7 with a 3.46 ERA, 19 strikeouts, 88.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
What position did Frank Isbell play?
Frank Isbell played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Frank Isbell and how much did he weigh?
Frank Isbell was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Frank Isbell hit each season?
Frank Isbell's home runs by season: 0 in 1898, 3 in 1901, 4 in 1902, 2 in 1903, 1 in 1904, 2 in 1905, 0 in 1906, 0 in 1907, 1 in 1908, and 0 in 1909. His most in one season was 4, in 1902.
What was Frank Isbell's career batting average?
Frank Isbell batted .250 over his career, with 1,056 hits in 4,219 at bats.
How many RBI did Frank Isbell have?
Frank Isbell drove in 455 runs in his career.
What was Frank Isbell's career ERA?
Frank Isbell finished with a 3.46 career ERA, going 4-7 with 19 strikeouts.
Is Frank Isbell in the Hall of Fame?
No. Frank Isbell has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.