Dave Malarcher

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (Final season: 1934)

Dave Malarcher was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball for 4 teams, including the Indianapolis ABCs. In 738 career games, he hit .267 with 686 hits, 7 home runs, and 281 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.

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 .267
HR 7
RBI 281
H 686
OPS .682
PIV -793
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
5'7" / 150 lb
Born
10/18/1894 in White Hall, LA, USA
Died
5/11/1982 in Chicago, IL, USA
Last Game
1934-10-02

Full name: David Julius Malarcher

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Dave Malarcher — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
257.0 205.0 39.0 46.0 2.0 1.0 0 8.0 37.0 9.0 18.0 .224 .354 .244 .598

Career Batting Statistics

Dave Malarcher — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
738 2,570 457 686 80 18 7 281 126 351 23 .267 .362 .320 .682 -793

Career AVG .267 vs. league average .275 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .362 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — +7.4% above league average.

Career SLG .320 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 15.5% below league average.

Career OPS .682 vs. league average .716 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dave Malarcher 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
1916 ABC WES 18 51 6 14 1 2 0 10 1 5 0 .275 .248 (+10%) .314 (+8%) .326 (+14%) .640 (+11%) 77.4
1917 ABC WES 58 193 24 45 6 2 0 10 6 19 0 .233 .248 (-6%) .312 (-1%) .323 (-12%) .635 (-7%) -150.7
1918 ABC WES 39 128 28 32 2 2 0 16 6 22 0 .250 .255 (-2%) .318 (+14%) .326 (-9%) .645 (+2%) 144.7
1919 DS WES 7 27 7 10 2 0 0 8 0 3 0 .370 — — — — 0.0
1920 CAG NNL 51 187 39 53 7 2 0 19 6 36 0 .283 .271 (+4%) .331 (+21%) .363 (-6%) .694 (+7%) 403.0
1921 CAG NNL 72 256 40 51 5 2 0 23 15 32 12 .199 .286 (-30%) .344 (-14%) .395 (-41%) .739 (-28%) -1087.0
1922 CAG NNL 33 107 9 26 2 1 0 11 3 14 3 .243 .285 (-15%) .345 (avg) .397 (-29%) .743 (-16%) -217.6
1923 CAG NNL 78 270 53 82 14 3 3 41 14 31 0 .304 .282 (+7%) .344 (+12%) .390 (+5%) .734 (+8%) 515.5
1924 CAG NNL 78 288 70 80 11 1 0 37 23 34 2 .278 .283 (-2%) .345 (+5%) .389 (-17%) .734 (-7%) -199.8
1925 CAG NNL 86 313 57 102 12 0 2 35 19 45 0 .326 .288 (+13%) .349 (+17%) .407 (-6%) .756 (+5%) 515.2
1926 CAG NNL 80 284 55 75 8 1 1 27 9 40 2 .264 .279 (-6%) .345 (+6%) .390 (-21%) .735 (-8%) -229.6
1927 CAG NNL 87 308 55 77 7 2 1 24 19 54 0 .250 .282 (-11%) .344 (+6%) .392 (-25%) .736 (-10%) -317.7
1928 CAG NNL 33 106 11 28 3 0 0 16 4 9 4 .264 .280 (-6%) .342 (-4%) .395 (-26%) .737 (-16%) -246.1
1931 CC2 NNL 12 36 2 11 0 0 0 4 1 5 0 .306 — — — — 0.0
1932 CAG NSL 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1933 CAG NN2 2 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1934 CAG NN2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 17 seasons 738 2,570 457 686 80 18 7 281 126 351 23 .267 — — — — -793

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 Pitching Statistics

Dave Malarcher — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 1 2 1 1 0 0 10.0 11 3 0 1 7 2.70 0.0

Career ERA 2.70 vs. league average 3.49 across their career seasons — 22.6% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dave Malarcher — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1917 ABC WES 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 8.0 10 3 0 6 3.38 — 0.0
1934 CAG NN2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 1 0 1 1 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 2 seasons 0 1 2 1 1 0 0 10.0 11 3 1 7 2.70 — 0

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Dave Malarcher — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
41 130 26 30 1 1 0 5 21 4 .231

Playoff Batting by Year

Dave Malarcher — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1934 NLC CAG 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1928 NNC CAG 7 19 3 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 .158
1927 NNC CAG 5 17 3 4 0 0 0 0 3 0 .235
1927 NWS CAG 9 29 7 6 1 0 0 2 5 0 .207
1926 NNC CAG 8 29 4 8 0 1 0 0 3 2 .276
1926 NWS CAG 11 35 9 9 0 0 0 3 6 2 .257

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (14 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Dave Malarcher — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home11377802.216
Away3103300.300

Last 10 Games — Batting

Dave Malarcher — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1927-08-14 CAGMEMW 411000000
1927-07-30 CAGSSNL 311000000
1926-07-13 CAGDAYW 511000010
1924-08-18 CAGDT1W 412000000
1924-05-18 CAGCUWW 421000110
1921-07-10 CAGSLGW 310000011
1921-07-10 CAGSLGW 201000021
1921-06-20 CAGCG1W 401000110
1921-06-19 CAGCG1W 301000010
1921-06-13 CAGIN4W 400000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dave Malarcher — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 89 27 90 133 14 16
3B 582 485 637 1027 108 66
C 3 0 16 2 0 0
OF 46 6 39 15 1 3
P 2 0 0 4 0 0
SS 21 4 17 37 7 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dave Malarcher — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1916 ABC 2B 16 0 25 48 10 5
1916 ABC SS 2 0 5 5 2 1
1917 ABC 2B 3 0 4 6 0 1
1917 ABC 3B 13 0 16 31 3 2
1917 ABC C 3 0 16 2 0 0
1917 ABC OF 39 0 37 14 1 3
1917 ABC P 1 0 0 4 0 0
1917 ABC SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1918 ABC 3B 33 0 53 69 5 2
1918 ABC SS 6 0 8 12 2 3
1919 DS 3B 7 7 12 15 1 1
1920 CAG 2B 1 0 1 0 1 0
1920 CAG 3B 50 50 63 113 10 4
1920 CAG SS 2 1 3 2 0 0
1921 CAG 3B 72 72 88 125 20 10
1921 CAG SS 1 0 0 1 0 0
1922 CAG 2B 12 12 22 26 1 4
1922 CAG 3B 14 11 8 15 2 1
1922 CAG OF 7 6 2 1 0 0
1923 CAG 2B 2 2 6 8 1 0
1923 CAG 3B 73 73 107 117 20 9
1923 CAG SS 5 3 1 17 3 1
1924 CAG 2B 1 0 1 1 0 0
1924 CAG 3B 78 78 68 165 17 8
1925 CAG 2B 40 0 0 0 0 0
1925 CAG 3B 42 0 0 0 0 0
1925 CAG SS 4 0 0 0 0 0
1926 CAG 2B 13 12 29 42 1 5
1926 CAG 3B 68 67 79 127 6 11
1927 CAG 3B 86 85 97 156 14 9
1928 CAG 3B 31 31 34 53 7 4
1931 CC2 2B 1 1 2 2 0 1
1931 CC2 3B 11 7 7 29 3 4
1932 CAG 3B 2 2 1 8 0 1
1933 CAG 3B 2 2 4 4 0 0
1934 CAG P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dave Malarcher Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 2
Catcher 3
Second Base 89
Third Base 582
Shortstop 21
Left Field 2
Center Field 1
Right Field 43

Most Similar Players

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

  1. 98
    George Shoch
    .264 avg, 10 HR
  2. 81
    William Louden
    .261 avg, 12 HR
  3. 66
    Ray Morgan
    .254 avg, 4 HR
  4. 64
    Fred Haney
    .275 avg, 8 HR
  5. 63
    Johnny Lipon
    .259 avg, 10 HR
  6. 60
    Reddy Mack
    .254 avg, 6 HR

Dave Malarcher: the record in brief

Dave Malarcher's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1916 to 1934. Malarcher played for the Indianapolis ABCs (1916 through 1918), the Detroit Stars (1919), the Chicago American Giants (1920 through 1934), and the Chicago Columbia Giants (1931). Malarcher is listed as a third baseman at 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds. The bio says Malarcher batted from both sides and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is October 18, 1894, in White Hall, LA, USA. The bio records the death on May 11, 1982, in Chicago, IL, USA. Dave Malarcher was the playing name; the full given name is David Julius.

In 738 games and 2,570 at bats, Malarcher batted .267 with 686 hits; the totals also include 7 homers, 281 runs batted in, and 126 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .362 clip and slugging .320, Malarcher finished with a .682 OPS. Against a .275 league average for those years, Malarcher's .267 average was near the norm. Malarcher collected a career-high 102 hits in 1925.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Malarcher

Was Dave Malarcher a pitcher?
No. Dave Malarcher was a position player (Third Baseman), though he did pitch in 2 career games.
How many home runs did Dave Malarcher hit?
Dave Malarcher hit 7 career home runs with 686 hits.
What was Dave Malarcher's career batting average?
Dave Malarcher batted .267 over his career, with 686 hits in 2,570 at bats.
How many RBI did Dave Malarcher have?
Dave Malarcher drove in 281 runs in his career.
What was Dave Malarcher's career ERA?
Dave Malarcher finished with a 2.70 career ERA, going 0-1 with 7 strikeouts.
Is Dave Malarcher in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dave Malarcher has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.