Otto Knabe

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1905-1916)

Otto Knabe was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1916 for 4 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,278 career games, he hit .247 with 1,103 hits, 8 home runs, and 365 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

AVG .247
HR 8
RBI 365
H 1,103
OPS .639
PIV -164
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 175 lb
Born
6/12/1884 in Carrick, PA, USA
Died
5/17/1961 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1905-10-03
Last Game
1916-09-25

Full name: Franz Otto Knabe

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Career Batting Statistics

Otto Knabe — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,278 4,469 572 1,103 178 48 8 365 143 485 326 .247 .325 .313 .639 -164

Career AVG .247 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .325 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .313 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 5.4% below league average.

Career OPS .639 vs. league average .649 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Otto Knabe 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
1905 PIT NL 3 10 0 3 1 0 0 2 0 3 2 .300 — — — — 0.0
1907 PHI NL 129 444 67 113 16 9 1 34 18 52 48 .255 .245 (+4%) .304 (+11%) .308 (+9%) .613 (+10%) 931.8
1908 PHI NL 151 555 63 121 26 8 0 27 27 49 46 .218 .240 (-9%) .298 (-3%) .306 (-4%) .605 (-4%) -249.4
1909 PHI NL 113 402 40 94 13 3 0 34 9 35 39 .234 .244 (-4%) .306 (avg) .312 (-10%) .618 (-5%) -190.2
1910 PHI NL 137 510 73 133 18 6 1 44 15 47 42 .261 .249 (+4%) .317 (+3%) .326 (avg) .644 (+1%) 142.4
1911 PHI NL 142 528 99 125 15 6 1 42 23 94 35 .237 .266 (-11%) .336 (+5%) .356 (-18%) .693 (-7%) -289.5
1912 PHI NL 126 426 56 120 11 4 0 46 16 55 20 .282 .268 (+5%) .335 (+9%) .358 (-9%) .694 (avg) 194.4
1913 PHI NL 148 571 70 150 25 7 2 53 14 45 26 .263 .259 (+1%) .325 (-2%) .345 (-1%) .670 (-1%) -151.5
1914 BLF FL 147 469 45 106 26 2 2 42 10 53 28 .226 .255 (-11%) .322 (-5%) .339 (-11%) .661 (-8%) -491.7
1915 BLF FL 103 320 38 81 16 2 1 25 7 37 16 .253 .250 (+1%) .318 (+5%) .332 (-2%) .651 (+1%) 145.6
1916 PIT NL 28 89 4 17 3 1 0 9 1 6 6 .191 .248 (-23%) .314 (-18%) .326 (-24%) .640 (-21%) -270.6
1916 CHN NL 51 145 17 40 8 0 0 7 3 9 18 .276 .248 (+11%) .314 (+4%) .326 (+1%) .640 (+3%) -270.6
Career · 12 seasons 1,278 4,469 572 1,103 178 48 8 365 143 485 326 .247 — — — — -499

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 (1281 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Otto Knabe — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home64622302825485196.246
Away63522362925573173.249

Last 10 Games — Batting

Otto Knabe — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1916-09-25 CHCBROL 100000000
1916-09-23 CHCBROL 000000000
1916-09-22 CHCNY1L 101000000
1916-09-18 CHCPHIL 000000010
1916-09-14 CHCBSNW 000000010
1916-09-13 CHCBSNL 000000000
1916-09-12 CHCBSNL 100000000
1916-08-29 CHCPHIL 302000110
1916-08-28 CHCPHIL 400000001
1916-08-27 CHCBSNW 412000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Otto Knabe — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1239 517 2743 3583 287 483
3B 4 3 2 9 3 1
OF 8 4 10 2 0 1
SS 1 0 0 1 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Otto Knabe — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1905 PIT 3B 3 3 2 9 3 1
1907 PHI 2B 121 121 293 336 26 53
1907 PHI OF 5 4 8 2 0 1
1908 PHI 2B 151 151 344 470 26 42
1909 PHI 2B 110 110 237 312 36 38
1909 PHI OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1910 PHI 2B 136 135 383 381 37 72
1911 PHI 2B 142 0 310 412 38 54
1912 PHI 2B 123 0 258 342 30 45
1913 PHI 2B 148 0 311 466 33 58
1914 BLF 2B 144 0 289 389 31 49
1915 BLF 2B 94 0 203 264 12 52
1915 BLF OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1916 PIT 2B 28 0 43 83 5 3
1916 CHN 2B 42 0 72 128 13 17
1916 CHN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1916 CHN OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
1916 CHN SS 1 0 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Otto Knabe Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 1240
Third Base 4
Shortstop 1
Left Field 2
Right Field 6

Award Voting History

Otto Knabe — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1913 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 4.0 64 0
1912 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 10.0 64 0
1911 Most Valuable Player NL 22th 2.0 64 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Otto Knabe (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bobby Byrne
    .254 avg, 10 HR
  2. 98
    Jack Barry
    .243 avg, 10 HR
  3. 98
    Roy Hartzell
    .252 avg, 12 HR
  4. 85
    Mike Mowrey
    .256 avg, 7 HR
  5. 83
    Ivan de Jesus
    .254 avg, 21 HR
  6. 79
    Frank O'Rourke
    .254 avg, 15 HR

Otto Knabe: the record in brief

Otto Knabe played a first major league game on October 3, 1905 and a last one on September 25, 1916. Knabe played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1905 to 1916), the Philadelphia Phillies (1907 through 1913), the Baltimore Terrapins (1914 to 1915), and the Chicago Cubs (1916). Knabe is listed as a second baseman at 5 feet, 8 inches and 175 pounds. Knabe both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is June 12, 1884, in Carrick, PA, USA. Knabe died on May 17, 1961, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The given name on file is Franz Otto Knabe.

Knabe collected 1,103 hits in 4,469 at bats across 1,278 games, good for a .247 batting average, adding 8 home runs, 365 runs batted in, and 143 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .325 and the slugging percentage .313, for an OPS of .639. Against a .253 league average for those years, Knabe's .247 average was near the norm. No season topped the 150 hits of 1913. Knabe stole 27 bases in 1908, the most of any season listed.

Frequently Asked Questions about Otto Knabe

What years did Otto Knabe play?
Otto Knabe played in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1916.
Was Otto Knabe a pitcher?
No. Otto Knabe was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Otto Knabe hit?
Otto Knabe hit 8 career home runs with 1103 hits.
What was Otto Knabe's career batting average?
Otto Knabe batted .247 over his career, with 1,103 hits in 4,469 at bats.
How many RBI did Otto Knabe have?
Otto Knabe drove in 365 runs in his career.
Is Otto Knabe in the Hall of Fame?
No. Otto Knabe has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.