Spud Johnson

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1889-1891)

Spud Johnson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1889 to 1891 for the Columbus Solons and the Cleveland Spiders, a span of 3 seasons. In 331 career games, he hit .302 with 400 hits, 4 home runs, and 238 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,916.

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 .302
HR 4
RBI 238
H 400
OPS .760
PIV 2,916
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
5'9" / 175 lb
Born
1856 in CAN
MLB Debut
1889-04-18
Last Game
1891-08-08

Full name: James Ralph Johnson

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Career Batting Statistics

Spud Johnson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
331 1,324 246 400 45 31 4 238 93 109 70 .302 .368 .392 .760 2,916

Career AVG .302 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +16.5% above league average.

Career OBP .368 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — +10.2% above league average.

Career SLG .392 vs. league average .351 across their career seasons — +11.8% above league average.

Career OPS .760 vs. league average .685 across their career seasons — +11.0% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Spud Johnson — 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
1889 CL6 AA 116 459 91 130 14 10 2 79 34 39 47 .283 .263 (+7%) .334 (+6%) .357 (+4%) .691 (+5%) 472.5
1890 CL6 AA 135 538 106 186 23 18 1 113 43 48 0 .346 .260 (+33%) .336 (+22%) .351 (+31%) .687 (+27%) 2775.3
1891 CL4 NL 80 327 49 84 8 3 1 46 16 22 23 .257 .254 (+1%) .331 (-4%) .343 (-10%) .675 (-7%) -331.8
Career · 3 seasons 331 1,324 246 400 45 31 4 238 93 109 70 .302 — — — — 2,916

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

Spud Johnson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 3 0 27 0 3 0
3B 44 0 62 75 27 8
OF 283 0 338 34 42 4
SS 1 0 3 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Spud Johnson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1889 CL6 1B 2 0 16 0 2 0
1889 CL6 3B 44 0 62 75 27 8
1889 CL6 OF 69 0 75 12 12 2
1889 CL6 SS 1 0 3 0 0 0
1890 CL6 OF 135 0 164 12 14 1
1891 CL4 1B 1 0 11 0 1 0
1891 CL4 OF 79 0 99 10 16 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Spud Johnson — Career Games by Position
Position Games
First Base 3
Third Base 44
Shortstop 1
Left Field 96
Right Field 187

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Spud Johnson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Evar Swanson
    .303 avg, 7 HR
  2. 96
    Sam Dungan
    .301 avg, 3 HR
  3. 92
    Bernardo Baró
    .295 avg, 16 HR
  4. 92
    Lefty Marr
    .289 avg, 2 HR
  5. 89
    Nat Rogers
    .302 avg, 14 HR
  6. 88
    Johnny Jones
    .296 avg, 24 HR

Spud Johnson: the record in brief

April 18, 1889 and August 8, 1891 bracket Spud Johnson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Columbus Solons (1889 through 1890) and the Cleveland Spiders (1891). Johnson, an outfielder by primary position, threw and hit left-handed. Johnson is listed at 175 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. Johnson was born in 1856, in CAN. On the record, Spud Johnson was born James Ralph Johnson.

The batting record for Johnson: 331 games, 400 hits in 1,324 at bats, and a .302 average, plus 4 homers, 238 RBI, and 93 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .368 clip and slugging .392, Johnson finished with a .760 OPS. Measured against the leagues Johnson played in, the .302 career average compares with a .259 league average over the same seasons, 16.5% above the league. Johnson collected a career-high 186 hits in 1890. The RBI column peaks at 113 in 1890. On the bases, the high point was 43 steals in 1890.

Frequently Asked Questions about Spud Johnson

What years did Spud Johnson play?
Spud Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1889 to 1891.
Was Spud Johnson a pitcher?
No. Spud Johnson was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Spud Johnson hit?
Spud Johnson hit 4 career home runs with 400 hits.
What was Spud Johnson's career batting average?
Spud Johnson batted .302 over his career, with 400 hits in 1,324 at bats.
How many RBI did Spud Johnson have?
Spud Johnson drove in 238 runs in his career.
Is Spud Johnson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Spud Johnson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.