Fred Ketchum
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1899-1901)
Fred Ketchum was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1901 for the Louisville Colonels and the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 3 seasons. In 20 career games, he hit .277 with 23 hits and 7 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
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 157 lb
- Died
- 3/12/1908 in Cortland, NY, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1899-09-12
- Last Game
- 1901-05-04
Full name: Frederick L. Ketchum
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 83 | 18 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 6 | .277 | .286 | .289 | .575 | -128 |
Career AVG .277 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .286 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 14.5% below league average.
Career SLG .289 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — 20.3% below league average.
Career OPS .575 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — 17.5% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 | LS3 | NL | 15 | 61 | 13 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 6 | .295 | .282 (+4%) | .343 (-11%) | .366 (-15%) | .710 (-13%) | -128.3 |
| 1901 | PHA | AL | 5 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .227 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 20 | 83 | 18 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 6 | .277 | — | — | — | — | -128 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (20 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 5 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | .227 |
| Away | 15 | 61 | 13 | 18 | 0 | 5 | .295 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-05-04 | PHA | BLA | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901-05-03 | PHA | BLA | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901-05-02 | PHA | BOS | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901-05-01 | PHA | BOS | W | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901-04-29 | PHA | BOS | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-10-08 | LS3 | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-10-07 | LS3 | CIN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-10-06 | LS3 | CIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-10-05 | LS3 | CIN | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-10-04 | LS3 | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 9 |
| Center Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 10 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| State University of New York at Cortland | Cortland | NY | 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896 |
Fred Ketchum: the record in brief
September 12, 1899 and May 4, 1901 bracket Fred Ketchum's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Ketchum played for the Louisville Colonels (1899) and the Philadelphia Athletics (1901). Ketchum, born on July 27, 1875, in Elmira, NY, USA, is listed as an outfielder and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5-foot-8 and 157 pounds. The bio records the death on March 12, 1908, in Cortland, NY, USA. Ketchum's full given name, per the bio, is Frederick L. Ketchum.
Across 20 games at the plate, Ketchum's career line reads 23 hits in 83 at bats for a .277 average; the totals also include 7 RBI. Ketchum's career OPS of .575 combines a .286 on-base mark with .289 slugging. Ketchum hit .277 while the league hit .277 over the same span, a figure close to average. In OPS terms, Ketchum's .575 stands 17.5% below the league's .697. 1899 produced Ketchum's most hits, 18 of them for the Louisville Colonels. In 1899, a season of regular play, Ketchum hit .295 while the league hit .282.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fred Ketchum
- What years did Fred Ketchum play?
- Fred Ketchum played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1901.
- Was Fred Ketchum a pitcher?
- No. Fred Ketchum was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Fred Ketchum hit?
- Fred Ketchum hit 0 career home runs with 23 hits.
- What teams did Fred Ketchum play for?
- Fred Ketchum played for 2 teams: the Louisville Colonels (1899) and the Philadelphia Athletics (1901).
- What were Fred Ketchum's career stats?
- In 20 games, Fred Ketchum had 23 hits, 7 RBI, 18 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .277 batting average.
- What position did Fred Ketchum play?
- Fred Ketchum played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Fred Ketchum and how much did he weigh?
- Fred Ketchum was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 157 pounds.
- What was Fred Ketchum's career batting average?
- Fred Ketchum batted .277 over his career, with 23 hits in 83 at bats.
- How many RBI did Fred Ketchum have?
- Fred Ketchum drove in 7 runs in his career.
- Is Fred Ketchum in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Fred Ketchum has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.