Frank Kitson
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1898-1907)
Frank Kitson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1907 for 5 teams, including the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 10 seasons. Across 304 career appearances, he went 129-118 with a 3.17 ERA and 736 strikeouts. He also batted .240 with 4 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 8027.9.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 165 lb
- Died
- 4/13/1930 in Allegan, MI, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1898-05-19
- Last Game
- 1907-07-22
Full name: Frank R. Kitson
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | BLN | NL | 8 | 5 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 119.1 | 123 | 43 | 35 | 32 | 3.24 | 3.59 (+10%) | 887.5 |
| 1899 | BLN | NL | 22 | 16 | 40 | 37 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 326.2 | 327 | 101 | 65 | 75 | 2.78 | 3.85 (+28%) | 3731.9 |
| 1900 | BRO | NL | 15 | 13 | 40 | 30 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 253.1 | 283 | 118 | 56 | 55 | 4.19 | 3.68 (-14%) | -551.0 |
| 1901 | BRO | NL | 19 | 11 | 38 | 32 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 280.2 | 312 | 93 | 67 | 127 | 2.98 | 3.49 (+14%) | 1689.4 |
| 1902 | BRO | NL | 19 | 13 | 32 | 31 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 268.2 | 258 | 83 | 49 | 114 | 2.78 | 3.17 (+12%) | 3811.0 |
| 1903 | DET | AL | 15 | 16 | 31 | 28 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 257.2 | 277 | 74 | 38 | 102 | 2.58 | 3.10 (+17%) | 1650.2 |
| 1904 | DET | AL | 9 | 13 | 26 | 24 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 199.2 | 211 | 68 | 38 | 69 | 3.07 | 2.66 (-15%) | -997.8 |
| 1905 | DET | AL | 12 | 14 | 33 | 27 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 225.2 | 230 | 87 | 57 | 78 | 3.47 | 2.82 (-23%) | -514.1 |
| 1906 | WS1 | AL | 6 | 14 | 30 | 21 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 197.0 | 196 | 80 | 57 | 59 | 3.65 | 2.68 (-37%) | -948.4 |
| 1907 | WS1 | AL | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 32.0 | 41 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 3.94 | 2.50 (-58%) | -343.9 |
| 1907 | NYA | AL | 4 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 61.0 | 75 | 21 | 17 | 14 | 3.10 | 2.50 (-24%) | -386.9 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 129 | 118 | 304 | 250 | 211 | 19 | 7 | 2,221.2 | 2,333 | 782 | 488 | 736 | 3.17 | — | 8,028 | ||
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 Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 352 | 979 | 119 | 235 | 28 | 17 | 4 | 95 | 14 | 38 | 155 | .240 | .273 | .316 | .589 | -1,819 |
Career AVG .240 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 7.7% below league average.
Career OBP .273 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 14.0% below league average.
Career SLG .316 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 6.3% below league average.
Career OPS .589 vs. league average .655 across their career seasons — 10.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | BLN | NL | 31 | 86 | 13 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 7 | .314 | .270 (+16%) | .333 (+7%) | .347 (+14%) | .680 (+11%) | 131.9 |
| 1899 | BLN | NL | 45 | 134 | 12 | 27 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 13 | .201 | .282 (-29%) | .343 (-31%) | .366 (-27%) | .710 (-29%) | -643.5 |
| 1900 | BRO | NL | 43 | 109 | 20 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 13 | .294 | .279 (+5%) | .338 (-2%) | .366 (-2%) | .705 (-2%) | -53.2 |
| 1901 | BRO | NL | 47 | 133 | 22 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 16 | .263 | .271 (-3%) | .326 (-11%) | .359 (-2%) | .686 (-6%) | -157.4 |
| 1902 | BRO | NL | 40 | 117 | 10 | 32 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 12 | .274 | .266 (+3%) | .321 (-7%) | .343 (+14%) | .665 (+4%) | 15.6 |
| 1903 | DET | AL | 36 | 116 | 12 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 31 | .181 | .261 (-31%) | .316 (-36%) | .345 (-38%) | .662 (-37%) | -645.1 |
| 1904 | DET | AL | 27 | 72 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 21 | .208 | .246 (-16%) | .300 (-20%) | .321 (-22%) | .622 (-21%) | -209.3 |
| 1905 | DET | AL | 33 | 87 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 21 | .184 | .248 (-26%) | .307 (-31%) | .322 (-36%) | .629 (-34%) | -418.2 |
| 1906 | WS1 | AL | 33 | 90 | 9 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 16 | .244 | .247 (-1%) | .307 (avg) | .315 (+30%) | .622 (+15%) | 160.7 |
| 1907 | WS1 | AL | 5 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .100 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1907 | NYA | AL | 12 | 25 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .280 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 352 | 979 | 119 | 235 | 28 | 17 | 4 | 95 | 14 | 38 | 155 | .240 | — | — | — | — | -1,819 | ||
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 (656 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 168 | 446 | 64 | 116 | 0 | 49 | .260 |
| Away | 184 | 523 | 54 | 118 | 4 | 48 | .226 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 141 | 1048.1 | 1083 | 229 | 216 | 370 | 1.97 |
| Away | 163 | 1176.1 | 1257 | 349 | 277 | 370 | 2.67 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907-07-22 | NYY | SLA | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907-07-20 | NYY | SLA | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907-07-17 | NYY | CHW | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907-07-13 | NYY | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907-07-02 | NYY | PHA | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907-07-01 | NYY | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907-06-24 | NYY | BOS | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1907-06-19 | NYY | SLA | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1907-06-13 | NYY | CHW | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907-06-11 | NYY | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907-07-22 | NYY | SLA | — | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907-07-20 | NYY | SLA | — | 4.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1907-07-17 | NYY | CHW | — | 3.0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907-07-13 | NYY | DET | — | 4.0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1907-07-02 | NYY | PHA | W | 10.0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 1907-07-01 | NYY | MIN | W | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1907-06-24 | NYY | BOS | W | 9.0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1907-06-19 | NYY | SLA | — | 5.0 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1907-06-13 | NYY | CHW | — | 8.2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1907-06-11 | NYY | DET | — | 4.1 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 19 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| P | 304 | 79 | 77 | 548 | 38 | 7 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | BLN | OF | 11 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898 | BLN | P | 17 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 5 | 0 |
| 1899 | BLN | P | 40 | 0 | 12 | 68 | 2 | 1 |
| 1900 | BRO | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1900 | BRO | P | 40 | 0 | 12 | 39 | 5 | 0 |
| 1901 | BRO | 1B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901 | BRO | OF | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901 | BRO | P | 38 | 0 | 13 | 56 | 4 | 2 |
| 1902 | BRO | P | 32 | 0 | 7 | 70 | 3 | 1 |
| 1903 | DET | OF | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903 | DET | P | 31 | 0 | 9 | 69 | 3 | 0 |
| 1904 | DET | P | 26 | 24 | 6 | 68 | 4 | 2 |
| 1905 | DET | P | 33 | 27 | 5 | 65 | 7 | 0 |
| 1906 | WS1 | P | 30 | 21 | 5 | 62 | 3 | 1 |
| 1907 | WS1 | P | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1907 | NYA | P | 12 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 304 |
| First Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 3 |
| Center Field | 4 |
| Right Field | 12 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Frank Kitson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frank Kitson: the record in brief
Frank Kitson's major league career runs from a debut on May 19, 1898 to a final game on July 22, 1907. The season rows list, in order, the Baltimore Orioles (1898 through 1899), the Brooklyn Superbas (1900 through 1902), the Detroit Tigers (1903 to 1905), the Washington Senators (1906 to 1907), and the New York Highlanders (1907). Kitson played primarily as a pitcher and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on September 11, 1869, in Watson, MI, USA and a listed size of 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds. Kitson's death is recorded on April 13, 1930, in Allegan, MI, USA. Frank Kitson was the playing name; the full given name is Frank R.
Kitson's career pitching line is 129 wins, 118 losses and a 3.17 ERA over 304 appearances. Also on Kitson's record: 736 strikeouts, 211 complete games, and 19 shutouts. Kitson's 3.17 ERA was close to the 3.08 league figure for those seasons. The best win total was 22, in 1899.
Frequently Asked Questions about Frank Kitson
- What years did Frank Kitson play?
- Frank Kitson played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1907.
- Was Frank Kitson a pitcher?
- Yes. Frank Kitson pitched in the major leagues, recording 129 wins and 736 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Frank Kitson hit?
- Frank Kitson hit 4 career home runs with 235 hits.
- What was Frank Kitson's career batting average?
- Frank Kitson batted .240 over his career, with 235 hits in 979 at bats.
- How many RBI did Frank Kitson have?
- Frank Kitson drove in 95 runs in his career.
- What was Frank Kitson's career ERA?
- Frank Kitson finished with a 3.17 career ERA, going 129-118 with 736 strikeouts.