Alex McCarthy
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1910-1917)
Alex McCarthy was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1910 to 1917 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 8 seasons. In 432 career games, he hit .229 with 306 hits, 5 home runs, and 122 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
- Position
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 150 lb
- Died
- 3/12/1978 in Salisbury, MD, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1910-10-07
- Last Game
- 1917-07-24
Full name: Alexander George McCarthy
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 432 | 1,335 | 136 | 306 | 34 | 11 | 5 | 122 | 23 | 104 | 123 | .229 | .295 | .282 | .577 | -2,481 |
Career AVG .229 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 10.3% below league average.
Career OBP .295 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 8.6% below league average.
Career SLG .282 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 16.5% below league average.
Career OPS .577 vs. league average .661 across their career seasons — 12.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | PIT | NL | 3 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .083 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1911 | PIT | NL | 50 | 150 | 18 | 36 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 31 | 4 | 14 | 24 | .240 | .266 (-10%) | .336 (-9%) | .356 (-8%) | .693 (-9%) | -211.3 |
| 1912 | PIT | NL | 111 | 401 | 53 | 111 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 41 | 8 | 30 | 26 | .277 | .268 (+3%) | .335 (-1%) | .358 (-7%) | .694 (-4%) | -237.6 |
| 1913 | PIT | NL | 31 | 74 | 7 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 7 | .203 | .259 (-22%) | .325 (-8%) | .345 (-22%) | .670 (-15%) | -151.7 |
| 1914 | PIT | NL | 57 | 173 | 14 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 17 | .150 | .255 (-41%) | .322 (-40%) | .339 (-47%) | .661 (-44%) | -1125.7 |
| 1915 | PIT | NL | 21 | 49 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 10 | .204 | — | — | — | — | -115.6 |
| 1915 | CHN | NL | 23 | 72 | 4 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | .264 | .250 (+5%) | .318 (+3%) | .332 (+4%) | .651 (+4%) | -115.6 |
| 1916 | CHN | NL | 37 | 107 | 10 | 26 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 7 | .243 | .248 (-2%) | .314 (+9%) | .326 (-3%) | .640 (+3%) | 91.2 |
| 1916 | PIT | NL | 50 | 146 | 11 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 10 | .199 | .248 (-20%) | .314 (-10%) | .326 (-33%) | .640 (-22%) | 91.2 |
| 1917 | PIT | NL | 49 | 151 | 15 | 33 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 11 | 13 | .219 | .248 (-12%) | .312 (-12%) | .323 (-24%) | .635 (-18%) | -371.6 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 432 | 1,335 | 136 | 306 | 34 | 11 | 5 | 122 | 23 | 104 | 123 | .229 | — | — | — | — | -2,147 | ||
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 (432 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 230 | 691 | 64 | 158 | 4 | 70 | .229 |
| Away | 202 | 649 | 71 | 148 | 1 | 53 | .228 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917-07-24 | PIT | NY1 | L | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1917-07-23 | PIT | NY1 | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1917-07-14 | PIT | BRO | L | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1917-07-13 | PIT | BRO | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1917-07-13 | PIT | BRO | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1917-07-12 | PIT | BRO | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1917-07-07 | PIT | PHI | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1917-07-06 | PIT | PHI | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1917-07-05 | PIT | STL | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1917-07-04 | PIT | STL | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B | 207 | 0 | 424 | 604 | 46 | 88 |
| 3B | 100 | 0 | 113 | 188 | 6 | 22 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 111 | 3 | 223 | 297 | 25 | 41 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | PIT | SS | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| 1911 | PIT | 2B | 11 | 0 | 24 | 39 | 2 | 8 |
| 1911 | PIT | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911 | PIT | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911 | PIT | SS | 33 | 0 | 70 | 88 | 3 | 12 |
| 1912 | PIT | 2B | 105 | 0 | 237 | 320 | 22 | 52 |
| 1912 | PIT | 3B | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1913 | PIT | 2B | 6 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1913 | PIT | 3B | 12 | 0 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913 | PIT | SS | 12 | 0 | 19 | 27 | 5 | 3 |
| 1914 | PIT | 2B | 10 | 0 | 17 | 44 | 6 | 3 |
| 1914 | PIT | 3B | 36 | 0 | 39 | 79 | 3 | 6 |
| 1914 | PIT | SS | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 1 |
| 1915 | PIT | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915 | PIT | 2B | 9 | 0 | 18 | 20 | 2 | 2 |
| 1915 | PIT | 3B | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 1915 | PIT | SS | 5 | 0 | 14 | 17 | 1 | 2 |
| 1915 | CHN | 2B | 12 | 0 | 34 | 35 | 2 | 8 |
| 1915 | CHN | 3B | 12 | 0 | 13 | 33 | 0 | 3 |
| 1915 | CHN | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1916 | CHN | 2B | 34 | 0 | 54 | 95 | 11 | 9 |
| 1916 | CHN | SS | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1916 | PIT | 2B | 7 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| 1916 | PIT | 3B | 5 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1916 | PIT | SS | 39 | 0 | 92 | 100 | 9 | 15 |
| 1917 | PIT | 2B | 13 | 0 | 28 | 36 | 1 | 3 |
| 1917 | PIT | 3B | 26 | 0 | 42 | 39 | 3 | 9 |
| 1917 | PIT | SS | 9 | 0 | 15 | 40 | 2 | 6 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 211 |
| Third Base | 100 |
| Shortstop | 112 |
| Left Field | 1 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Viator College | Bourbonnais | IL | 1907, 1908, 1909 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Alex McCarthy (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Alex McCarthy: the record in brief
Alex McCarthy played a first major league game on October 7, 1910 and a last one on July 24, 1917. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1910 to 1917) and the Chicago Cubs (1915 to 1916). At 5'9" and 150 pounds, McCarthy is listed as a second baseman. McCarthy both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. McCarthy was born on May 12, 1889, in Chicago, IL, USA. The bio records the death on March 12, 1978, in Salisbury, MD, USA. Alex McCarthy was the playing name; the full given name is Alexander George.
McCarthy's career batting table shows 432 games, 1,335 at bats and 306 hits, a .229 average, adding 5 homers, 122 runs batted in, and 23 stolen bases. McCarthy got on base at a .295 rate and slugged .282 (.577 OPS). Measured against the leagues McCarthy played in, the .229 career average compares with a .256 league average over the same seasons, 10.3% below the league. The hits column peaks at 111, in 1912. McCarthy drove in a season-high 41 runs in 1912.
Frequently Asked Questions about Alex McCarthy
- What years did Alex McCarthy play?
- Alex McCarthy played in Major League Baseball from 1910 to 1917.
- Was Alex McCarthy a pitcher?
- No. Alex McCarthy was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Alex McCarthy hit?
- Alex McCarthy hit 5 career home runs with 306 hits.
- What was Alex McCarthy's career batting average?
- Alex McCarthy batted .229 over his career, with 306 hits in 1,335 at bats.
- How many RBI did Alex McCarthy have?
- Alex McCarthy drove in 122 runs in his career.
- Is Alex McCarthy in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Alex McCarthy has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.