Art Nichols
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1898-1903)
Art Nichols was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1903 for the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 6 seasons. In 241 career games, he hit .245 with 194 hits, 3 home runs, and 90 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 175 lb
- Died
- 8/9/1945 in Willimantic, CT, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1898-09-16
- Last Game
- 1903-07-05
Full name: Arthur Francis Nichols
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 241 | 793 | 112 | 194 | 28 | 3 | 3 | 90 | 51 | 50 | 71 | .245 | .308 | .299 | .606 | -978 |
Career AVG .245 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — 9.8% below league average.
Career OBP .308 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 6.5% below league average.
Career SLG .299 vs. league average .354 across their career seasons — 15.5% below league average.
Career OPS .606 vs. league average .683 across their career seasons — 11.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | CHN | NL | 14 | 42 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1899 | CHN | NL | 17 | 47 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .255 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1900 | CHN | NL | 8 | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1901 | SLN | NL | 93 | 308 | 50 | 75 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 33 | 14 | 10 | 35 | .244 | .271 (-10%) | .326 (-11%) | .359 (-14%) | .686 (-13%) | -601.2 |
| 1902 | SLN | NL | 73 | 251 | 36 | 67 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 18 | 21 | 19 | .267 | .266 (avg) | .321 (+4%) | .343 (-5%) | .665 (-1%) | 29.1 |
| 1903 | SLN | NL | 36 | 120 | 13 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 10 | .192 | .261 (-27%) | .316 (-11%) | .345 (-40%) | .662 (-26%) | -406.4 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 241 | 793 | 112 | 194 | 28 | 3 | 3 | 90 | 51 | 50 | 71 | .245 | — | — | — | — | -978 | ||
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 (244 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 126 | 392 | 53 | 100 | 1 | 46 | .255 |
| Away | 118 | 400 | 60 | 94 | 2 | 42 | .235 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903-07-05 | STL | BSN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903-06-14 | STL | BSN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1903-06-10 | STL | NY1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903-05-28 | STL | BRO | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903-05-27 | STL | BRO | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903-05-26 | STL | BRO | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1903-05-25 | STL | NY1 | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903-05-23 | STL | NY1 | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1903-05-22 | STL | NY1 | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1903-05-21 | STL | NY1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 81 | 0 | 856 | 27 | 18 | 37 |
| C | 96 | 0 | 336 | 97 | 22 | 11 |
| OF | 51 | 0 | 88 | 10 | 4 | 5 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | CHN | C | 14 | 0 | 47 | 13 | 2 | 1 |
| 1899 | CHN | C | 15 | 0 | 44 | 10 | 4 | 3 |
| 1900 | CHN | C | 7 | 0 | 21 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 1901 | SLN | C | 47 | 0 | 187 | 51 | 10 | 5 |
| 1901 | SLN | OF | 40 | 0 | 69 | 9 | 3 | 4 |
| 1902 | SLN | 1B | 56 | 0 | 577 | 24 | 10 | 26 |
| 1902 | SLN | C | 11 | 0 | 31 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| 1902 | SLN | OF | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903 | SLN | 1B | 25 | 0 | 279 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| 1903 | SLN | C | 2 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1903 | SLN | OF | 7 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 96 |
| First Base | 81 |
| Left Field | 7 |
| Center Field | 30 |
| Right Field | 14 |
Art Nichols: the record in brief
September 16, 1898 and July 5, 1903 bracket Art Nichols's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago Orphans (1898 through 1900) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1901 to 1903). Nichols, born on July 14, 1871, in Manchester, NH, USA, is listed as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 5 feet, 10 inches and 175 pounds. The bio records the death on August 9, 1945, in Willimantic, CT, USA. The given name on file is Arthur Francis Nichols.
Nichols finished with 194 hits from 793 at bats in 241 games, which works out to .245, along with 3 home runs, 90 runs batted in, and 51 stolen bases. Nichols's career OPS of .606 combines a .308 on-base mark with .299 slugging. Measured against the leagues Nichols played in, the .245 career average compares with a .271 league average over the same seasons, 9.8% below the league. The OPS comparison is .606 to a league .683, 11.2% below average. Nichols collected a career-high 75 hits in 1901. The RBI column peaks at 33 in 1901.
Frequently Asked Questions about Art Nichols
- What years did Art Nichols play?
- Art Nichols played in Major League Baseball from 1898 to 1903.
- Was Art Nichols a pitcher?
- No. Art Nichols was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Art Nichols hit?
- Art Nichols hit 3 career home runs with 194 hits.
- What teams did Art Nichols play for?
- Art Nichols played for 2 teams: the Chicago Orphans (1898–1900) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1901–1903).
- What were Art Nichols's career stats?
- In 241 games, Art Nichols had 194 hits, 3 home runs, 90 RBI, 112 runs, and 51 stolen bases, with a .245 batting average.
- What position did Art Nichols play?
- Art Nichols played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Art Nichols and how much did he weigh?
- Art Nichols was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds.
- How many home runs did Art Nichols hit each season?
- Art Nichols's home runs by season: 0 in 1898, 1 in 1899, 0 in 1900, 1 in 1901, 1 in 1902, and 0 in 1903. His most in one season was 1, in 1899, 1901, and 1902.
- What was Art Nichols's career batting average?
- Art Nichols batted .245 over his career, with 194 hits in 793 at bats.
- How many RBI did Art Nichols have?
- Art Nichols drove in 90 runs in his career.
- Is Art Nichols in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Art Nichols has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.