John Knight

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1905-1913)

John Knight was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1913 for 4 teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 9 seasons. In 767 career games, he hit .239 with 636 hits, 14 home runs, and 270 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 .239
HR 14
RBI 270
H 636
OPS .609
PIV -1,794
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 180 lb
Born
10/6/1885 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Died
12/19/1965 in Walnut Creek, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1905-04-14
Last Game
1913-10-04

Full name: John Wesley Knight

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Career Batting Statistics

John Knight — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
767 2,664 301 636 96 24 14 270 86 211 448 .239 .300 .309 .609 -1,794

Career AVG .239 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 6.0% below league average.

Career OBP .300 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 5.5% below league average.

Career SLG .309 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 6.9% below league average.

Career OPS .609 vs. league average .649 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Knight 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 PHA AL 88 325 28 66 12 1 3 29 4 9 68 .203 .248 (-18%) .307 (-26%) .322 (-15%) .629 (-21%) -1015.8
1906 PHA AL 74 253 29 49 7 2 3 20 6 19 63 .194 .247 (-22%) .307 (-19%) .315 (-13%) .622 (-16%) -594.6
1907 PHA AL 40 139 6 29 7 1 0 12 1 10 26 .209 .245 (-15%) .304 (-11%) .308 (-12%) .613 (-11%) -217.6
1907 BOS AL 98 360 31 78 9 3 2 29 8 19 53 .217 .245 (-12%) .304 (-16%) .308 (-11%) .613 (-13%) -217.6
1909 NYA AL 116 360 46 85 8 5 0 40 15 37 68 .236 .244 (-3%) .306 (+1%) .312 (-8%) .618 (-4%) -118.7
1910 NYA AL 117 414 58 129 25 4 3 45 23 34 55 .312 .249 (+25%) .317 (+17%) .326 (+26%) .644 (+22%) 1622.3
1911 NYA AL 132 470 69 126 16 7 3 62 18 42 63 .268 .266 (+1%) .336 (+2%) .356 (-2%) .693 (avg) 65.7
1912 WS1 AL 32 93 10 15 2 1 0 9 4 16 25 .161 .268 (-40%) .335 (-15%) .358 (-43%) .694 (-30%) -394.8
1913 NYA AL 70 250 24 59 10 0 0 24 7 25 27 .236 .259 (-9%) .325 (-5%) .345 (-20%) .670 (-13%) -415.4
Career · 9 seasons 767 2,664 301 636 96 24 14 270 86 211 448 .239 — — — — -1,286

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 (770 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

John Knight — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home37512551592966151.236
Away39514111433398120.240

Last 10 Games — Batting

John Knight — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1913-10-04 NYYPHAW 121000040
1913-10-03 NYYPHAW 302000100
1913-10-03 NYYPHAL 410000110
1913-09-30 NYYBOSL 301000000
1913-09-30 NYYBOSL 300000001
1913-09-26 NYYMINL 000000010
1913-09-17 NYYCHWL 311000110
1913-09-16 NYYDETL 201000010
1913-09-15 NYYDETL 301000100
1913-09-13 NYYDETW 400000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

John Knight — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 124 42 1207 100 22 62
2B 100 36 221 277 42 26
3B 211 206 269 442 69 25
OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
SS 320 224 660 894 158 100

Season-by-Season Fielding

John Knight — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1905 PHA 3B 4 4 6 4 2 0
1905 PHA SS 79 77 139 185 38 9
1906 PHA 2B 7 8 11 19 2 0
1906 PHA 3B 67 65 71 130 17 6
1907 PHA 3B 40 40 49 82 21 5
1907 BOS 3B 92 92 129 211 28 13
1907 BOS SS 4 3 11 11 4 3
1909 NYA 1B 19 20 190 17 3 11
1909 NYA 2B 17 21 38 46 7 4
1909 NYA 3B 3 1 5 5 1 0
1909 NYA SS 76 65 141 204 38 19
1910 NYA 1B 23 22 247 8 3 9
1910 NYA 2B 7 7 13 17 2 0
1910 NYA 3B 4 4 8 9 0 0
1910 NYA OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
1910 NYA SS 79 79 169 247 32 39
1911 NYA 1B 27 0 236 26 5 14
1911 NYA 2B 21 0 54 80 17 8
1911 NYA 3B 1 0 1 1 0 1
1911 NYA SS 82 0 200 247 46 30
1912 WS1 1B 5 0 40 4 0 2
1912 WS1 2B 27 0 55 45 8 8
1913 NYA 1B 50 0 494 45 11 26
1913 NYA 2B 21 0 50 70 6 6

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

John Knight Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 126
Second Base 107
Third Base 217
Shortstop 314
Right Field 1

Award Voting History

John Knight — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1911 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 4.0 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

John Knight (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Brendan Ryan
    .233 avg, 19 HR
  2. 97
    Jose Uribe
    .241 avg, 19 HR
  3. 91
    Tom Downey
    .240 avg, 7 HR
  4. 87
    Chico Fernandez
    .240 avg, 40 HR
  5. 86
    Wayne Tolleson
    .241 avg, 9 HR
  6. 83
    Bill McClellan
    .242 avg, 6 HR

John Knight: the record in brief

John Knight's major league career runs from a debut on April 14, 1905 to a final game on October 4, 1913. Knight played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1905 to 1907), the Boston Americans (1907), the New York Highlanders (1909 to 1911), the Washington Senators (1912), and the New York Yankees (1913). Born on October 6, 1885, in Philadelphia, PA, USA, Knight is listed as a shortstop and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. Knight's death is recorded on December 19, 1965, in Walnut Creek, CA, USA. The given name on file is John Wesley Knight.

Across 767 games at the plate, Knight's career line reads 636 hits in 2,664 at bats for a .239 average, along with 14 home runs, 270 RBI, and 86 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .300 clip and slugging .309, Knight finished with a .609 OPS. Set against a .254 league average for the same years, Knight's .239 average sits 6.0% below it. 1910 produced Knight's most hits, 129 of them for the New York Highlanders. Knight drove in a season-high 62 runs in 1911.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Knight

What years did John Knight play?
John Knight played in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1913.
Was John Knight a pitcher?
No. John Knight was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did John Knight hit?
John Knight hit 14 career home runs with 636 hits.
What teams did John Knight play for?
John Knight played for 4 teams: the Philadelphia Athletics (1905–1907), the Boston Americans (1907), the New York Yankees (1909–1911, 1913), and the Washington Senators (1912).
What were John Knight's career stats?
In 767 games, John Knight had 636 hits, 14 home runs, 270 RBI, 301 runs, and 86 stolen bases, with a .239 batting average.
What position did John Knight play?
John Knight played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was John Knight and how much did he weigh?
John Knight was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 180 pounds.
How many home runs did John Knight hit each season?
John Knight's home runs by season: 3 in 1905, 3 in 1906, 2 in 1907, 0 in 1909, 3 in 1910, 3 in 1911, 0 in 1912, and 0 in 1913. His most in one season was 3, in 1905, 1906, 1910, and 1911.
What was John Knight's career batting average?
John Knight batted .239 over his career, with 636 hits in 2,664 at bats.
How many RBI did John Knight have?
John Knight drove in 270 runs in his career.
Is John Knight in the Hall of Fame?
No. John Knight has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.