Tom McLaughlin

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1883-1891)

Tom McLaughlin was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1883 to 1891 for the Louisville Colonels, the New York Metropolitans, and the Washington Statesmen, a span of 9 seasons. In 340 career games, he hit .192 with 227 hits, 2 home runs, and 81 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 .192
HR 2
RBI 81
H 227
OPS .500
PIV -3,047
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Born
3/28/1860 in Louisville, KY, USA
Died
7/21/1921 in Louisville, KY, USA
MLB Debut
1883-07-17
Last Game
1891-10-03

Full name: Thomas McLaughlin

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Career Batting Statistics

Tom McLaughlin — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
340 1,183 142 227 28 19 2 81 16 75 6 .192 .247 .253 .500 -3,047

Career AVG .192 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — 22.7% below league average.

Career OBP .247 vs. league average .297 across their career seasons — 16.8% below league average.

Career SLG .253 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 24.3% below league average.

Career OPS .500 vs. league average .631 across their career seasons — 20.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tom McLaughlin — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1883 LS2 AA 42 146 16 28 1 2 0 0 0 5 0 .192 .257 (-25%) .285 (-24%) .345 (-35%) .631 (-30%) -583.1
1884 LS2 AA 98 335 41 67 11 6 0 21 0 22 0 .200 .243 (-18%) .278 (-6%) .327 (-18%) .606 (-12%) -495.6
1885 LS2 AA 112 411 49 87 13 9 2 41 0 15 0 .212 .244 (-13%) .287 (-15%) .325 (-7%) .613 (-11%) -677.5
1886 NY4 AA 74 250 27 34 3 1 0 16 13 26 0 .136 .246 (-45%) .302 (-27%) .331 (-53%) .634 (-41%) -1370.9
1891 WS9 AA 14 41 9 11 0 1 0 3 3 7 6 .268 — — — — 80.2
Career · 5 seasons 340 1,183 142 227 28 19 2 81 16 75 6 .192 — — — — -3,047

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

Tom McLaughlin — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 5 0 51 2 1 3
2B 106 0 357 300 84 49
3B 6 0 6 14 5 2
OF 18 0 31 4 8 0
SS 209 0 288 693 126 63

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tom McLaughlin — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1883 LS2 1B 5 0 51 2 1 3
1883 LS2 2B 2 0 5 4 2 0
1883 LS2 3B 2 0 2 4 3 0
1883 LS2 OF 17 0 30 3 7 0
1883 LS2 SS 19 0 17 59 14 5
1884 LS2 2B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1884 LS2 3B 4 0 4 10 2 2
1884 LS2 SS 94 0 122 331 55 34
1885 LS2 2B 93 0 320 266 78 43
1885 LS2 SS 19 0 31 64 10 7
1886 NY4 2B 10 0 32 29 4 6
1886 NY4 OF 1 0 1 1 1 0
1886 NY4 SS 63 0 93 203 38 11
1891 WS9 SS 14 0 25 36 9 6

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tom McLaughlin — Career Games by Position
Position Games
First Base 5
Second Base 106
Third Base 6
Shortstop 209
Left Field 9
Center Field 9
Right Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Tom McLaughlin (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jelly Jackson
    .198 avg, 2 HR
  2. 90
    Sam Crane
    .203 avg, 3 HR
  3. 84
    Henry Easterday
    .180 avg, 9 HR
  4. 79
    Rich Morales
    .195 avg, 6 HR
  5. 75
    George Strief
    .208 avg, 5 HR
  6. 63
    Luis Gomez
    .210 avg, 0 HR

Tom McLaughlin: the record in brief

Between the debut on July 17, 1883 and the final game on October 3, 1891, Tom McLaughlin built the record summarized on this page. By club, McLaughlin's seasons break down as the Louisville Eclipse (1883 to 1884), the Louisville Colonels (1885), the New York Metropolitans (1886), and the Washington Statesmen (1891). Listed as a shortstop, McLaughlin threw and hit right-handed. McLaughlin was born on March 28, 1860, in Louisville, KY, USA. The bio records the death on July 21, 1921, in Louisville, KY, USA. The given name on file is Thomas McLaughlin.

McLaughlin finished with 227 hits from 1,183 at bats in 340 games, which works out to .192; the totals also include 2 homers and 81 RBI. The on-base percentage is .247 and the slugging percentage .253, for an OPS of .500. McLaughlin's .192 average ran 22.7% below the .248 that the league posted over the same seasons. In OPS terms, McLaughlin's .500 stands 20.8% below the league's .631. The hits column peaks at 87, in 1885. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .212 in 1885, did not top the league's .244.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tom McLaughlin

What years did Tom McLaughlin play?
Tom McLaughlin played in Major League Baseball from 1883 to 1891.
Was Tom McLaughlin a pitcher?
No. Tom McLaughlin was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Tom McLaughlin hit?
Tom McLaughlin hit 2 career home runs with 227 hits.
What was Tom McLaughlin's career batting average?
Tom McLaughlin batted .192 over his career, with 227 hits in 1,183 at bats.
How many RBI did Tom McLaughlin have?
Tom McLaughlin drove in 81 runs in his career.
Is Tom McLaughlin in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tom McLaughlin has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.