Tricky Nichols

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1875-1882)

Tricky Nichols was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1875 to 1882 for 6 teams, including the New Haven Elm Citys, a span of 8 seasons. Across 106 career appearances, he went 28-73 with a 3.04 ERA and 174 strikeouts. He also batted .170 with 0 home runs.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 28–73
ERA 3.04
WHIP 1.29
SO 174
Pitcher PIV -901.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'7" / 150 lb
Born
7/26/1850 in Bridgeport, CT, USA
Died
8/22/1897 in Bridgeport, CT, USA
MLB Debut
1875-04-19
Last Game
1882-07-11

Full name: Frederick C. Nichols

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Career Pitching Statistics

Tricky Nichols — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
28 73 106 98 90 1 0 881.0 1,045 298 6 91 174 3.04 -901.7

Career ERA 3.04 vs. league average 2.50 across their career seasons — 21.7% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tricky Nichols — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1875 NH1 4 29 34 33 30 0 0 288.0 321 76 9 48 2.38 2.23 (-7%) 1045.6
1876 BSN NL 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 7 1 0 0 1.00 2.31 (+57%) 0.0
1877 SL3 NL 18 23 42 39 35 1 0 350.0 376 101 53 80 2.60 2.81 (+7%) -900.4
1878 PRO NL 4 7 11 10 10 0 0 98.0 157 46 8 21 4.22 2.30 (-83%) -118.3
1880 WOR NL 0 2 2 2 2 0 0 17.2 29 8 4 4 4.08 2.37 (-72%) -169.9
1882 BL2 AA 1 12 16 13 12 0 0 118.1 155 66 17 21 5.02 2.80 (-79%) -758.7
Career · 6 seasons 28 73 106 98 90 1 0 881.0 1,045 298 91 174 3.04 — -902

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 Batting Statistics

Tricky Nichols — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
125 460 40 78 7 4 0 16 5 12 27 .170 .191 .202 .393 -1,954

Career AVG .170 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 33.4% below league average.

Career OBP .191 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 30.2% below league average.

Career SLG .202 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 37.3% below league average.

Career OPS .393 vs. league average .596 across their career seasons — 34.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tricky Nichols — 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
1875 NH1 34 119 12 23 0 2 0 5 5 0 2 .193 .253 (-24%) .260 (-26%) .309 (-27%) .570 (-26%) -392.5
1876 BSN NL 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1877 SL3 NL 51 186 22 31 4 2 0 9 0 3 15 .167 .271 (-39%) .289 (-38%) .337 (-38%) .626 (-38%) -969.5
1878 PRO NL 11 49 2 9 2 0 0 2 0 2 10 .184 — — — — -164.5
1880 WOR NL 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1882 BL2 AA 26 95 4 15 1 0 0 0 0 7 0 .158 .248 (-36%) .275 (-22%) .329 (-49%) .605 (-37%) -427.1
Career · 6 seasons 125 460 40 78 7 4 0 16 5 12 27 .170 — — — — -1,954

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

Tricky Nichols — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 33 0 41 2 11 0
P 106 0 39 235 44 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tricky Nichols — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1875 NH1 OF 3 0 2 0 2 0
1875 NH1 P 34 0 14 107 28 4
1876 BSN P 1 0 0 2 0 0
1877 SL3 OF 16 0 18 0 4 0
1877 SL3 P 42 0 14 62 4 1
1878 PRO P 11 0 6 27 1 2
1880 WOR P 2 0 0 3 3 0
1882 BL2 OF 14 0 21 2 5 0
1882 BL2 P 16 0 5 34 8 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tricky Nichols — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 106
Left Field 1
Center Field 30
Right Field 2

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Tricky Nichols (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Denny Driscoll
    38-39, 3.08 ERA
  2. 93
    Harry McCormick
    41-58, 2.66 ERA
  3. 92
    The Only Nolan
    23-52, 2.98 ERA
  4. 87
    George Derby
    48-56, 3.01 ERA
  5. 86
    Doc Landis
    12-29, 3.36 ERA
  6. 84
    Sam Weaver
    68-80, 3.21 ERA

Tricky Nichols: the record in brief

Tricky Nichols's major league career runs from a debut on April 19, 1875 to a final game on July 11, 1882. Club by club, the record runs the New Haven Elm Citys (1875), the Boston Red Caps (1876), the St. Louis Brown Stockings (1877), the Providence Grays (1878), the Worcester Ruby Legs (1880), and the Baltimore Orioles (1882). At 150 pounds on a 5-foot-7 frame, Nichols is listed as a pitcher. Nichols batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Nichols was born on July 26, 1850, in Bridgeport, CT, USA. The bio records the death on August 22, 1897, in Bridgeport, CT, USA. Tricky Nichols was the playing name; the full given name is Frederick C.

Across 106 games (98 starts), Nichols recorded 28 wins against 73 losses with a 3.04 ERA. Nichols had 174 strikeouts and 90 complete games. The league ERA over Nichols's seasons was 2.50, so the 3.04 figure ran 21.7% worse than average. No season topped the 18 wins of 1877.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tricky Nichols

What years did Tricky Nichols play?
Tricky Nichols played in Major League Baseball from 1875 to 1882.
Was Tricky Nichols a pitcher?
Yes. Tricky Nichols pitched in the major leagues, recording 28 wins and 174 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Tricky Nichols hit?
Tricky Nichols hit 0 career home runs with 78 hits.
What was Tricky Nichols's career batting average?
Tricky Nichols batted .170 over his career, with 78 hits in 460 at bats.
How many RBI did Tricky Nichols have?
Tricky Nichols drove in 16 runs in his career.
What was Tricky Nichols's career ERA?
Tricky Nichols finished with a 3.04 career ERA, going 28-73 with 174 strikeouts.