Darby O'Brien

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1887-1892)

Darby O'Brien was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1887 to 1892 for the New York Metropolitans, the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 6 seasons. In 709 career games, he hit .282 with 805 hits, 20 home runs, and 394 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 5,041.

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 .282
HR 20
RBI 394
H 805
OPS .732
PIV 5,041
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 186 lb
Born
9/1/1863 in Peoria, IL, USA
Died
6/15/1893 in Peoria, IL, USA
MLB Debut
1887-04-16
Last Game
1892-10-15

Full name: William Darby O'Brien

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Career Batting Statistics

Darby O'Brien — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
709 2,856 577 805 147 47 20 394 321 231 327 .282 .344 .387 .732 5,041

Career AVG .282 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — +10.1% above league average.

Career OBP .344 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +5.9% above league average.

Career SLG .387 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — +11.8% above league average.

Career OPS .732 vs. league average .671 across their career seasons — +9.0% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Darby O'Brien — 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
1887 NY4 AA 127 522 97 157 30 13 5 73 49 40 42 .301 .270 (+11%) .331 (+7%) .373 (+17%) .705 (+12%) 1182.2
1888 BR3 AA 136 532 105 149 27 6 2 65 55 30 61 .280 .238 (+17%) .290 (+12%) .319 (+14%) .610 (+13%) 1231.1
1889 BR3 AA 136 567 146 170 30 11 5 80 91 61 76 .300 .263 (+14%) .334 (+15%) .357 (+17%) .691 (+16%) 1918.8
1890 BRO NL 85 350 78 110 28 6 2 63 38 32 43 .314 .260 (+21%) .336 (+12%) .351 (+27%) .687 (+20%) 1183.0
1891 BRO NL 103 395 79 100 18 6 5 57 31 39 53 .253 .254 (avg) .331 (avg) .343 (+7%) .675 (+3%) 218.0
1892 BRO NL 122 490 72 119 14 5 1 56 57 29 52 .243 .244 (-1%) .316 (-9%) .327 (-9%) .644 (-9%) -692.2
Career · 6 seasons 709 2,856 577 805 147 47 20 394 321 231 327 .282 — — — — 5,041

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 Pitching Statistics

Darby O'Brien — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0.00 0.0

Career ERA 0.00 vs. league average 4.17 across their career seasons — 100.0% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Darby O'Brien — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1887 NY4 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 1 0 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 1 season 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 1 0 0.00 — 0

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

Darby O'Brien — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
15 55 11 8 0 2 0 7 13 11 .145

Playoff Batting by Year

Darby O'Brien — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1890 WS BRO 6 24 3 3 0 1 0 3 1 5 .125
1889 WS BR3 9 31 8 5 0 1 0 4 12 6 .161

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Darby O'Brien — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 10 0 67 4 5 5
3B 1 0 1 1 0 0
OF 703 0 1331 90 101 16
P 1 0 0 0 0 0
SS 2 0 0 3 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Darby O'Brien — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1887 NY4 1B 10 0 67 4 5 5
1887 NY4 3B 1 0 1 1 0 0
1887 NY4 OF 121 0 244 20 25 4
1887 NY4 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1887 NY4 SS 2 0 0 3 1 0
1888 BR3 OF 136 0 231 15 18 1
1889 BR3 OF 136 0 255 14 28 5
1890 BRO OF 85 0 176 14 8 2
1891 BRO OF 103 0 203 11 11 1
1892 BRO OF 122 0 222 16 11 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Darby O'Brien — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 1
First Base 10
Third Base 1
Shortstop 2
Left Field 655
Center Field 46
Right Field 4

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Darby O'Brien (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Eddie Burke
    .280 avg, 30 HR
  2. 79
    Ducky Holmes
    .281 avg, 17 HR
  3. 77
    Scott Podsednik
    .281 avg, 42 HR
  4. 73
    Gene Richards
    .290 avg, 26 HR
  5. 67
    Dave Roberts
    .266 avg, 23 HR
  6. 64
    Roger Cedeno
    .273 avg, 40 HR

Darby O'Brien: the record in brief

Darby O'Brien's major league career runs from a debut on April 16, 1887 to a final game on October 15, 1892. By club, O'Brien's seasons break down as the New York Metropolitans (1887), the Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1888 through 1890), and the Brooklyn Grooms (1891 to 1892). O'Brien, born on September 1, 1863, in Peoria, IL, USA, is listed as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 186 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. O'Brien died on June 15, 1893, in Peoria, IL, USA. Darby O'Brien was the playing name; the full given name is William Darby.

O'Brien collected 805 hits in 2,856 at bats across 709 games, good for a .282 batting average, along with 20 homers, 394 runs batted in, and 321 stolen bases. O'Brien got on base at a .344 rate and slugged .387 (.732 OPS). Measured against the leagues O'Brien played in, the .282 career average compares with a .256 league average over the same seasons, 10.1% above the league.

Frequently Asked Questions about Darby O'Brien

What years did Darby O'Brien play?
Darby O'Brien played in Major League Baseball from 1887 to 1892.
Was Darby O'Brien a pitcher?
No. Darby O'Brien was a position player (Outfielder), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
How many home runs did Darby O'Brien hit?
Darby O'Brien hit 20 career home runs with 805 hits.
What teams did Darby O'Brien play for?
Darby O'Brien played for 2 teams: the New York Metropolitans (1887) and the Brooklyn Grooms (1888–1892).
What were Darby O'Brien's career stats?
In 709 games, Darby O'Brien had 805 hits, 20 home runs, 394 RBI, 577 runs, and 321 stolen bases, with a .282 batting average.
What position did Darby O'Brien play?
Darby O'Brien played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Darby O'Brien and how much did he weigh?
Darby O'Brien was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 186 pounds.
How many home runs did Darby O'Brien hit each season?
Darby O'Brien's home runs by season: 5 in 1887, 2 in 1888, 5 in 1889, 2 in 1890, 5 in 1891, and 1 in 1892. His most in one season was 5, in 1887, 1889, and 1891.
What was Darby O'Brien's career batting average?
Darby O'Brien batted .282 over his career, with 805 hits in 2,856 at bats.
How many RBI did Darby O'Brien have?
Darby O'Brien drove in 394 runs in his career.
What was Darby O'Brien's career ERA?
Darby O'Brien finished with a 0.00 career ERA, going 0-0 with 0 strikeouts.
Is Darby O'Brien in the Hall of Fame?
No. Darby O'Brien has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.