Denny Lyons

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1885-1897)

Denny Lyons was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1885 to 1897 for 6 teams, including the Providence Grays, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,123 career games, he hit .310 with 1,334 hits, 62 home runs, and 756 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 20,500.

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 .310
HR 62
RBI 756
H 1,334
OPS .850
PIV 20,500
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 185 lb
Born
3/12/1866 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
Died
1/2/1929 in Covington, KY, USA
MLB Debut
1885-09-18
Last Game
1897-07-23

Full name: Dennis Patrick Aloysius Lyons

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Career Batting Statistics

Denny Lyons — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,123 4,300 933 1,334 244 69 62 756 224 623 280 .310 .407 .442 .850 20,500

Career AVG .310 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — +16.5% above league average.

Career OBP .407 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +22.6% above league average.

Career SLG .442 vs. league average .360 across their career seasons — +22.9% above league average.

Career OPS .850 vs. league average .692 across their career seasons — +22.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Denny Lyons 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
1885 PRO NL 4 16 3 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 .125 — — — — 0.0
1886 PH4 AA 32 123 22 26 3 1 0 11 7 8 0 .211 .246 (-14%) .302 (-7%) .331 (-24%) .634 (-16%) -242.8
1887 PH4 AA 137 570 128 209 43 14 6 102 73 47 16 .367 .270 (+35%) .331 (+27%) .373 (+40%) .705 (+34%) 3847.3
1888 PH4 AA 111 456 93 135 22 5 6 83 39 41 43 .296 .238 (+24%) .290 (+25%) .319 (+27%) .610 (+26%) 2119.7
1889 PH4 AA 131 510 135 168 36 4 9 82 10 79 44 .329 .263 (+25%) .334 (+28%) .357 (+31%) .691 (+29%) 3255.4
1890 PH4 AA 88 339 79 120 29 5 7 73 21 57 0 .354 .260 (+36%) .336 (+37%) .351 (+51%) .687 (+44%) 2967.5
1891 SL4 AA 120 451 124 142 24 3 11 84 9 88 58 .315 .254 (+24%) .331 (+34%) .343 (+32%) .675 (+33%) 3432.9
1892 NY1 NL 108 389 71 100 16 7 8 51 11 59 37 .257 .244 (+5%) .316 (+13%) .327 (+21%) .644 (+17%) 1297.2
1893 PIT NL 131 490 103 150 19 16 3 105 19 97 29 .306 .279 (+9%) .356 (+21%) .379 (+13%) .735 (+17%) 2078.5
1894 PIT NL 72 257 52 82 14 4 4 51 14 43 13 .319 .309 (+3%) .379 (+12%) .435 (+4%) .814 (+8%) 525.0
1895 SLN NL 34 132 24 39 6 0 2 25 3 15 7 .295 .296 (avg) .361 (+5%) .399 (-3%) .761 (+1%) 62.3
1896 PIT NL 118 436 77 134 25 6 4 71 13 67 25 .307 .290 (+6%) .354 (+14%) .387 (+8%) .741 (+11%) 1227.1
1897 PIT NL 37 131 22 27 6 4 2 17 5 22 5 .206 .291 (-29%) .354 (-2%) .387 (-7%) .741 (-5%) -70.4
Career · 13 seasons 1,123 4,300 933 1,334 244 69 62 756 224 623 280 .310 — — — — 20,500

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

Denny Lyons — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 36 0 346 15 5 14
3B 1085 0 1675 2130 509 165

Season-by-Season Fielding

Denny Lyons — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1885 PRO 3B 4 0 6 8 3 0
1886 PH4 3B 32 0 35 53 21 1
1887 PH4 3B 137 0 255 215 73 29
1888 PH4 3B 111 0 159 193 49 11
1889 PH4 1B 1 0 7 0 1 0
1889 PH4 3B 130 0 202 291 80 29
1890 PH4 3B 88 0 147 203 35 15
1891 SL4 3B 120 0 151 246 59 16
1892 NY1 3B 108 0 152 206 53 13
1893 PIT 3B 131 0 214 303 46 23
1894 PIT 3B 72 0 121 157 32 11
1895 SLN 3B 34 0 62 50 14 2
1896 PIT 3B 116 0 165 201 44 15
1897 PIT 1B 35 0 339 15 4 14
1897 PIT 3B 2 0 6 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Denny Lyons Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 36
Third Base 1085

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Denny Lyons (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    George Grantham
    .302 avg, 105 HR
  2. 97
    Jackie Robinson HOF
    .313 avg, 141 HR
  3. 92
    Henry Larkin
    .303 avg, 53 HR
  4. 90
    Ben Taylor HOF
    .328 avg, 33 HR
  5. 88
    John Kruk
    .300 avg, 100 HR
  6. 87
    Hughie Jennings HOF
    .312 avg, 18 HR

Denny Lyons: the record in brief

Denny Lyons played a first major league game on September 18, 1885 and a last one on July 23, 1897. By club, Lyons's seasons break down as the Providence Grays (1885), the Philadelphia Athletics (1886 through 1890), the St. Louis Browns (1891 through 1895), the New York Giants (1892), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1893 to 1897). Lyons played primarily as a third baseman and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on March 12, 1866, in Cincinnati, OH, USA and a listed size of 5 feet, 10 inches and 185 pounds. Lyons's death is recorded on January 2, 1929, in Covington, KY, USA. Denny Lyons was the playing name; the full given name is Dennis Patrick Aloysius.

In 1,123 games and 4,300 at bats, Lyons batted .310 with 1,334 hits, adding 62 homers, 756 RBI, and 224 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .407 clip and slugging .442, Lyons finished with a .850 OPS. The league as a whole hit .266 across Lyons's seasons, which puts the .310 career mark 16.5% above average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Denny Lyons

What years did Denny Lyons play?
Denny Lyons played in Major League Baseball from 1885 to 1897.
Was Denny Lyons a pitcher?
No. Denny Lyons was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Denny Lyons hit?
Denny Lyons hit 62 career home runs with 1334 hits.
What was Denny Lyons's career batting average?
Denny Lyons batted .310 over his career, with 1,334 hits in 4,300 at bats.
How many RBI did Denny Lyons have?
Denny Lyons drove in 756 runs in his career.
Is Denny Lyons in the Hall of Fame?
No. Denny Lyons has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.