Fred Merkle

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1907-1926)

Fred Merkle was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1926 for 4 teams, including the New York Giants, a span of 20 seasons. In 1,638 career games, he hit .273 with 1,580 hits, 61 home runs, and 733 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 8,181.

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 .273
HR 61
RBI 733
H 1,580
OPS .714
PIV 8,181
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 190 lb
Born
12/20/1888 in Watertown, WI, USA
Died
3/2/1956 in Daytona Beach, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1907-09-21
Last Game
1926-09-26

Full name: Carl Frederick Rudolf Merkle

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Career Batting Statistics

Fred Merkle — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,638 5,782 720 1,580 290 82 61 733 272 454 645 .273 .331 .383 .714 8,181

Career AVG .273 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +5.3% above league average.

Career OBP .331 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .383 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — +11.3% above league average.

Career OPS .714 vs. league average .668 across their career seasons — +6.9% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Fred Merkle 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
1907 NY1 NL 15 47 0 12 1 0 0 5 0 1 7 .255 — — — — 0.0
1908 NY1 NL 38 41 6 11 2 1 1 7 0 4 9 .268 — — — — 0.0
1909 NY1 NL 79 236 15 45 9 1 0 20 8 16 46 .191 .244 (-22%) .306 (-20%) .312 (-24%) .618 (-22%) -736.9
1910 NY1 NL 144 506 75 148 35 14 4 70 23 44 59 .292 .249 (+17%) .317 (+11%) .326 (+35%) .644 (+23%) 1982.9
1911 NY1 NL 149 541 80 153 24 10 12 84 49 43 60 .283 .266 (+6%) .336 (+2%) .356 (+21%) .693 (+12%) 1104.0
1912 NY1 NL 129 479 82 148 22 6 11 84 37 42 70 .309 .268 (+15%) .335 (+11%) .358 (+25%) .694 (+19%) 1749.9
1913 NY1 NL 153 563 78 147 30 13 3 69 35 41 60 .261 .259 (+1%) .325 (-3%) .345 (+9%) .670 (+3%) 144.7
1914 NY1 NL 146 512 71 132 25 7 7 63 23 52 80 .258 .255 (+1%) .322 (+2%) .339 (+11%) .661 (+6%) 559.5
1915 NY1 NL 140 505 52 151 25 3 4 62 20 36 39 .299 .250 (+19%) .318 (+9%) .332 (+16%) .651 (+12%) 1132.0
1916 NY1 NL 112 401 45 95 19 3 7 44 17 33 46 .237 .248 (-5%) .314 (-2%) .326 (+8%) .640 (+3%) 194.3
1916 BRO NL 23 69 6 16 1 0 0 2 2 7 4 .232 .248 (-7%) .314 (-1%) .326 (-25%) .640 (-13%) 194.3
1917 BRO NL 2 8 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .125 — — — — 0.0
1917 CHN NL 146 549 65 146 30 9 3 57 13 42 60 .266 .248 (+7%) .312 (+3%) .323 (+14%) .635 (+9%) 0.0
1918 CHN NL 129 482 55 143 25 5 3 65 21 35 36 .297 .255 (+16%) .318 (+10%) .326 (+19%) .645 (+14%) 1205.2
1919 CHN NL 133 498 52 133 20 6 3 62 20 33 35 .267 .262 (+2%) .322 (-2%) .347 (avg) .670 (-1%) -111.8
1920 CHN NL 92 330 33 94 20 4 3 38 3 24 32 .285 .271 (+5%) .331 (+1%) .363 (+9%) .694 (+5%) 269.3
1925 NYA AL 7 13 4 5 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 .385 — — — — 0.0
1926 NYA AL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 18 seasons 1,638 5,782 720 1,580 290 82 61 733 272 454 645 .273 — — — — 7,687

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

Fred Merkle — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
27 88 10 21 3 1 1 9 9 18 .239

Playoff Batting by Year

Fred Merkle — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1918 WS CHN 6 18 1 5 0 0 0 1 4 3 .278
1916 WS BRO 3 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 .250
1913 WS NY1 4 13 3 3 0 0 1 3 1 2 .231
1912 WS NY1 8 33 5 9 2 1 0 3 0 7 .273
1911 WS NY1 6 20 1 3 1 0 0 1 2 6 .150

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1645 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Fred Merkle — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home805271334476238360.281
Away840307237681823390.266

Last 10 Games — Batting

Fred Merkle — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1926-09-26 NYYSLAL 200000000
1925-07-29 NYYSLAW 100000000
1925-07-21 NYYDETW 300000000
1925-07-19 NYYDETL 211000010
1925-07-17 NYYCLEW 000000100
1925-07-15 NYYCLEW 221100300
1925-07-07 NYYSLAL 101000000
1925-07-05 NYYMINL 312000000
1920-10-02 CHCSTLL 401000000
1920-10-01 CHCSTLW 512100011

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Fred Merkle — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1547 219 15419 847 252 839
2B 3 2 3 5 0 1
3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
OF 46 1 91 8 2 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Fred Merkle — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1907 NY1 1B 15 14 122 7 7 4
1908 NY1 1B 11 1 60 1 0 2
1908 NY1 2B 1 1 2 2 0 1
1908 NY1 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1908 NY1 OF 5 1 3 0 0 0
1909 NY1 1B 70 61 625 27 16 29
1909 NY1 2B 1 1 1 3 0 0
1910 NY1 1B 144 143 1390 84 29 87
1911 NY1 1B 148 0 1375 117 22 73
1912 NY1 1B 129 0 1229 72 27 77
1913 NY1 1B 153 0 1463 76 22 86
1914 NY1 1B 146 0 1463 88 16 80
1915 NY1 1B 110 0 1123 53 13 62
1915 NY1 OF 30 0 68 5 2 1
1916 NY1 1B 112 0 1183 58 20 61
1916 BRO 1B 15 0 126 4 1 3
1916 BRO OF 4 0 5 1 0 0
1917 BRO 1B 2 0 23 1 0 1
1917 CHN 1B 140 0 1415 66 26 84
1917 CHN OF 6 0 15 2 0 1
1918 CHN 1B 129 0 1388 82 15 69
1919 CHN 1B 132 0 1494 56 23 66
1919 CHN 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1920 CHN 1B 85 0 906 54 15 52
1920 CHN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1925 NYA 1B 5 0 28 1 0 3
1926 NYA 1B 1 0 6 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Fred Merkle Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 1550
Second Base 3
Third Base 2
Left Field 12
Center Field 29
Right Field 9

Award Voting History

Fred Merkle — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1912 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 4.0 64 0
1911 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 19.0 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

Fred Merkle (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Harry Steinfeldt
    .267 avg, 27 HR
  2. 93
    Phil Garner
    .260 avg, 109 HR
  3. 89
    Billy Shindle
    .269 avg, 31 HR
  4. 88
    Adam Kennedy
    .272 avg, 80 HR
  5. 87
    Bill Bradley
    .271 avg, 34 HR
  6. 87
    Bill Hallman
    .272 avg, 21 HR

Fred Merkle: the record in brief

According to the bio, Fred Merkle debuted on September 21, 1907 and played a final game on September 26, 1926. Merkle played for the New York Giants (1907 to 1916), the Brooklyn Robins (1916 through 1917), the Chicago Cubs (1917 to 1920), and the New York Yankees (1925 to 1926). At 6 feet, 1 inch and 190 pounds, Merkle is listed as a first baseman. Merkle batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is December 20, 1888, in Watertown, WI, USA. Merkle's death is recorded on March 2, 1956, in Daytona Beach, FL, USA. The given name on file is Carl Frederick Rudolf Merkle.

Merkle's career batting table shows 1,638 games, 5,782 at bats and 1,580 hits, a .273 average; the totals also include 61 homers, 733 runs batted in, and 272 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .331 and .383 give Merkle a career OPS of .714. Set against a .259 league average for the same years, Merkle's .273 average sits 5.3% above it.

Frequently Asked Questions about Fred Merkle

What years did Fred Merkle play?
Fred Merkle played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1926.
Was Fred Merkle a pitcher?
No. Fred Merkle was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Fred Merkle hit?
Fred Merkle hit 61 career home runs with 1,580 hits.
What teams did Fred Merkle play for?
Fred Merkle played for 4 teams: the New York Giants (1907–1916), the Brooklyn Robins (1916–1917), the Chicago Cubs (1917–1920), and the New York Yankees (1925–1926).
What were Fred Merkle's career stats?
In 1,638 games, Fred Merkle had 1,580 hits, 61 home runs, 733 RBI, 720 runs, and 272 stolen bases, with a .273 batting average.
What position did Fred Merkle play?
Fred Merkle played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Fred Merkle and how much did he weigh?
Fred Merkle was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Fred Merkle hit each season?
Fred Merkle's home runs by season: 0 in 1907, 1 in 1908, 0 in 1909, 4 in 1910, 12 in 1911, 11 in 1912, 3 in 1913, 7 in 1914, 4 in 1915, 7 in 1916, 3 in 1917, 3 in 1918, 3 in 1919, 3 in 1920, 0 in 1925, and 0 in 1926. His most in one season was 12, in 1911.
What was Fred Merkle's career batting average?
Fred Merkle batted .273 over his career, with 1,580 hits in 5,782 at bats.
How many RBI did Fred Merkle have?
Fred Merkle drove in 733 runs in his career.
Is Fred Merkle in the Hall of Fame?
No. Fred Merkle has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.