John Kerins
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1884-1890)
John Kerins was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1890 for 4 teams, including the Indianapolis Hoosiers, a span of 7 seasons. In 557 career games, he hit .252 with 561 hits, 20 home runs, and 217 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,643.
- 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 177 lb
- Died
- 9/8/1919 in Louisville, KY, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1884-05-01
- Last Game
- 1890-06-15
Full name: John Nelson Kerins
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 557 | 2,227 | 392 | 561 | 72 | 51 | 20 | 217 | 95 | 165 | 65 | .252 | .308 | .357 | .665 | 1,643 |
Career AVG .252 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .308 vs. league average .310 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .357 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .665 vs. league average .651 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1884 | IN2 | AA | 94 | 364 | 58 | 78 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .214 | .243 (-12%) | .278 (-18%) | .327 (-6%) | .606 (-11%) | -609.9 |
| 1885 | LS2 | AA | 112 | 456 | 65 | 111 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 51 | 0 | 20 | 0 | .243 | .244 (avg) | .287 (-2%) | .325 (+9%) | .613 (+3%) | 154.5 |
| 1886 | LS2 | AA | 120 | 487 | 113 | 131 | 19 | 9 | 4 | 50 | 26 | 66 | 0 | .269 | .246 (+9%) | .302 (+19%) | .331 (+11%) | .634 (+15%) | 1550.3 |
| 1887 | LS2 | AA | 112 | 476 | 101 | 140 | 18 | 19 | 5 | 57 | 49 | 38 | 26 | .294 | .270 (+9%) | .331 (+5%) | .373 (+19%) | .705 (+12%) | 997.4 |
| 1888 | LS2 | AA | 83 | 319 | 38 | 75 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 41 | 16 | 25 | 34 | .235 | .238 (-1%) | .290 (+2%) | .319 (-2%) | .610 (avg) | 34.0 |
| 1889 | LS2 | AA | 2 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1889 | BL2 | AA | 16 | 53 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | .283 | .263 (+7%) | .334 (-4%) | .357 (-10%) | .691 (-7%) | 0.0 |
| 1890 | SL4 | AA | 18 | 63 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .127 | .260 (-51%) | .336 (-33%) | .351 (-55%) | .687 (-44%) | -424.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 557 | 2,227 | 392 | 561 | 72 | 51 | 20 | 217 | 95 | 165 | 65 | .252 | — | — | — | — | 1,702 | ||
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 | 334 | 0 | 3294 | 119 | 132 | 131 |
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 3B | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| C | 163 | 0 | 1120 | 363 | 127 | 28 |
| OF | 71 | 0 | 88 | 6 | 20 | 1 |
| SS | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1884 | IN2 | 1B | 87 | 0 | 887 | 41 | 27 | 20 |
| 1884 | IN2 | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1884 | IN2 | C | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1884 | IN2 | OF | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1885 | LS2 | 1B | 96 | 0 | 966 | 28 | 56 | 47 |
| 1885 | LS2 | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1885 | LS2 | C | 19 | 0 | 104 | 44 | 9 | 5 |
| 1885 | LS2 | OF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1886 | LS2 | 1B | 47 | 0 | 495 | 19 | 16 | 25 |
| 1886 | LS2 | C | 65 | 0 | 487 | 157 | 46 | 12 |
| 1886 | LS2 | OF | 7 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 1886 | LS2 | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1887 | LS2 | 1B | 74 | 0 | 695 | 18 | 22 | 26 |
| 1887 | LS2 | C | 35 | 0 | 261 | 93 | 32 | 7 |
| 1887 | LS2 | OF | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1888 | LS2 | 1B | 4 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1888 | LS2 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1888 | LS2 | 3B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1888 | LS2 | C | 33 | 0 | 245 | 63 | 35 | 4 |
| 1888 | LS2 | OF | 47 | 0 | 63 | 2 | 12 | 1 |
| 1889 | LS2 | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1889 | LS2 | OF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1889 | BL2 | 1B | 9 | 0 | 50 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1889 | BL2 | C | 4 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 1889 | BL2 | OF | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1889 | BL2 | SS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1890 | SL4 | 1B | 17 | 0 | 170 | 10 | 6 | 12 |
| 1890 | SL4 | C | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 163 |
| First Base | 334 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 4 |
| Shortstop | 2 |
| Left Field | 13 |
| Center Field | 9 |
| Right Field | 49 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Kerins (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
John Kerins: the record in brief
According to the bio, John Kerins debuted on May 1, 1884 and played a final game on June 15, 1890. Club by club, the record runs the Indianapolis Hoosiers (1884), the Louisville Colonels (1885 through 1889), the Baltimore Orioles (1889), and the St. Louis Browns (1890). The bio lists Kerins as a first baseman who both batted and threw right-handed. Kerins is listed at 5'10" and 177 pounds. Kerins was born on July 15, 1858, in Indianapolis, IN, USA. Kerins died on September 8, 1919, in Louisville, KY, USA. Kerins's full given name, per the bio, is John Nelson Kerins.
The batting record for Kerins: 557 games, 561 hits in 2,227 at bats, and a .252 average; the totals also include 20 homers, 217 runs batted in, and 95 stolen bases. Kerins's career OPS of .665 combines a .308 on-base mark with .357 slugging. Kerins hit .252 while the league hit .253 over the same span, a figure close to average. Kerins collected a career-high 140 hits in 1887. 1887 brought the most runs batted in, 57.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Kerins
- What years did John Kerins play?
- John Kerins played in Major League Baseball from 1884 to 1890.
- Was John Kerins a pitcher?
- No. John Kerins was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did John Kerins hit?
- John Kerins hit 20 career home runs with 561 hits.
- What was John Kerins's career batting average?
- John Kerins batted .252 over his career, with 561 hits in 2,227 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Kerins have?
- John Kerins drove in 217 runs in his career.
- Is John Kerins in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Kerins has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.