Tom O'Brien
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1897-1900)
Tom O'Brien was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1900 for the Baltimore Orioles, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the New York Giants, a span of 4 seasons. In 428 career games, he hit .278 with 437 hits, 10 home runs, and 229 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 357.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 170 lb
- Died
- 2/3/1901 in Phoenix, AZ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1897-05-10
- Last Game
- 1900-10-13
Full name: Thomas J. O'Brien
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 428 | 1,573 | 249 | 437 | 60 | 24 | 10 | 229 | 55 | 120 | 87 | .278 | .341 | .366 | .707 | 357 |
Career AVG .278 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .341 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .366 vs. league average .366 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .707 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | BLN | NL | 50 | 147 | 25 | 37 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 7 | 20 | 15 | .252 | .291 (-14%) | .354 (-1%) | .387 (-24%) | .741 (-13%) | -262.8 |
| 1898 | BLN | NL | 18 | 60 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 3 | .217 | .270 (-20%) | .333 (+1%) | .347 (-38%) | .680 (-19%) | -121.9 |
| 1898 | PIT | NL | 107 | 413 | 53 | 107 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 45 | 13 | 25 | 25 | .259 | .270 (-4%) | .333 (-5%) | .347 (-5%) | .680 (-5%) | -121.9 |
| 1899 | NY1 | NL | 151 | 577 | 101 | 171 | 22 | 10 | 6 | 77 | 23 | 44 | 26 | .296 | .282 (+5%) | .343 (+2%) | .366 (+9%) | .710 (+6%) | 598.9 |
| 1900 | PIT | NL | 102 | 376 | 61 | 109 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 61 | 12 | 21 | 18 | .290 | .279 (+4%) | .338 (+3%) | .366 (+10%) | .705 (+7%) | 461.7 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 428 | 1,573 | 249 | 437 | 60 | 24 | 10 | 229 | 55 | 120 | 87 | .278 | — | — | — | — | 554 | ||
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 (378 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 174 | 651 | 112 | 187 | 5 | 85 | .287 |
| Away | 204 | 775 | 112 | 213 | 5 | 112 | .275 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900-10-13 | PIT | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1900-10-12 | PIT | CHC | W | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1900-10-11 | PIT | CHC | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1900-10-09 | PIT | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1900-10-08 | PIT | STL | W | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1900-10-08 | PIT | STL | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1900-10-07 | PIT | STL | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1900-10-06 | PIT | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1900-09-30 | PIT | CIN | L | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1900-09-29 | PIT | CIN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 112 | 0 | 1073 | 39 | 41 | 56 |
| 2B | 12 | 0 | 26 | 30 | 5 | 4 |
| 3B | 29 | 0 | 22 | 47 | 13 | 3 |
| OF | 262 | 0 | 495 | 46 | 42 | 17 |
| SS | 8 | 0 | 19 | 21 | 11 | 3 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | BLN | 1B | 25 | 0 | 205 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| 1897 | BLN | OF | 24 | 0 | 38 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 1898 | BLN | OF | 16 | 0 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| 1898 | PIT | 1B | 21 | 0 | 198 | 4 | 6 | 12 |
| 1898 | PIT | 2B | 7 | 0 | 18 | 23 | 5 | 1 |
| 1898 | PIT | 3B | 8 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| 1898 | PIT | OF | 69 | 0 | 144 | 15 | 13 | 4 |
| 1898 | PIT | SS | 4 | 0 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 1 |
| 1899 | NY1 | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899 | NY1 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 1899 | NY1 | 3B | 21 | 0 | 18 | 37 | 9 | 2 |
| 1899 | NY1 | OF | 128 | 0 | 243 | 21 | 19 | 7 |
| 1899 | NY1 | SS | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1900 | PIT | 1B | 65 | 0 | 670 | 26 | 28 | 37 |
| 1900 | PIT | 2B | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1900 | PIT | OF | 25 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1900 | PIT | SS | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 112 |
| Second Base | 12 |
| Third Base | 29 |
| Shortstop | 8 |
| Left Field | 169 |
| Center Field | 61 |
| Right Field | 32 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Tom O'Brien (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Tom O'Brien: the record in brief
Tom O'Brien's major league career runs from a debut on May 10, 1897 to a final game on October 13, 1900. The season rows list, in order, the Baltimore Orioles (1897 through 1898), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1898 to 1900), and the New York Giants (1899). O'Brien played primarily as an outfielder. The bio adds a birth date on February 20, 1873, in Verona, PA, USA and a listed size of 170 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. O'Brien's death is recorded on February 3, 1901, in Phoenix, AZ, USA. The bio lists the given name Thomas J.
O'Brien collected 437 hits in 1,573 at bats across 428 games, good for a .278 batting average, along with 10 home runs, 229 runs batted in, and 55 stolen bases. O'Brien got on base at a .341 rate and slugged .366 (.707 OPS). Against a .281 league average for those years, O'Brien's .278 average was near the norm. 1899 produced O'Brien's most hits, 171 of them for the New York Giants.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tom O'Brien
- What years did Tom O'Brien play?
- Tom O'Brien played in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1900.
- Was Tom O'Brien a pitcher?
- No. Tom O'Brien was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Tom O'Brien hit?
- Tom O'Brien hit 10 career home runs with 437 hits.
- What was Tom O'Brien's career batting average?
- Tom O'Brien batted .278 over his career, with 437 hits in 1,573 at bats.
- How many RBI did Tom O'Brien have?
- Tom O'Brien drove in 229 runs in his career.
- Is Tom O'Brien in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Tom O'Brien has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.