Bruce Petway
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Bruce Petway was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball for 5 teams, including the Cuban X Giants. In 583 career games, he hit .246 with 450 hits, 7 home runs, and 179 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 159 lb
- Died
- 6/28/1941 in Chicago, IL, USA
Full name: Bruce Franklin Petway
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Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 583 | 1,831 | 264 | 450 | 59 | 14 | 7 | 179 | 59 | 158 | 1 | .246 | .310 | .305 | .615 | -1,975 |
Career AVG .246 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 6.7% below league average.
Career OBP .310 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 5.1% below league average.
Career SLG .305 vs. league average .352 across their career seasons — 13.4% below league average.
Career OPS .615 vs. league average .678 across their career seasons — 9.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | CXG | EAS | 3 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1907 | PG | NAC | 15 | 47 | 12 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .362 | — | — | — | — | 291.3 |
| 1908 | PG | NAC | 28 | 112 | 24 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .259 | .240 (+8%) | .298 (+3%) | .306 (+11%) | .605 (+7%) | 97.0 |
| 1909 | PG | INT | 15 | 53 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .189 | .244 (-23%) | .306 (-20%) | .312 (+3%) | .618 (-8%) | -80.7 |
| 1910 | LEL | WES | 18 | 60 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .267 | .249 (+7%) | .317 (-2%) | .326 (-8%) | .644 (-5%) | -43.1 |
| 1911 | CAG | WES | 26 | 93 | 15 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .280 | .266 (+5%) | .336 (-10%) | .356 (-10%) | .693 (-10%) | -159.0 |
| 1912 | CAG | WES | 43 | 141 | 21 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 12 | 0 | .241 | .268 (-10%) | .335 (-10%) | .358 (-21%) | .694 (-16%) | -335.7 |
| 1913 | CAG | WES | 48 | 183 | 25 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 7 | 16 | 0 | .262 | .259 (+1%) | .325 (-1%) | .345 (-13%) | .670 (-7%) | -174.1 |
| 1914 | CAG | WES | 13 | 39 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1915 | CAG | WES | 3 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1916 | CAG | WES | 57 | 165 | 26 | 36 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 6 | 22 | 0 | .218 | .248 (-12%) | .314 (avg) | .326 (-7%) | .640 (-4%) | -46.5 |
| 1917 | CAG | WES | 42 | 122 | 9 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 0 | .156 | .248 (-37%) | .312 (-26%) | .323 (-44%) | .635 (-35%) | -594.4 |
| 1918 | CAG | WES | 16 | 52 | 11 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .269 | .255 (+5%) | .318 (+8%) | .326 (-12%) | .645 (-2%) | 7.9 |
| 1919 | DS | WES | 36 | 110 | 11 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 0 | .182 | .262 (-31%) | .322 (-21%) | .347 (-29%) | .670 (-25%) | -411.1 |
| 1920 | DS | NNL | 37 | 116 | 12 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 0 | .181 | .271 (-33%) | .331 (-21%) | .363 (-45%) | .694 (-34%) | -571.1 |
| 1921 | DS | NNL | 51 | 180 | 22 | 55 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 8 | 9 | 1 | .306 | .286 (+7%) | .344 (avg) | .395 (+8%) | .739 (+5%) | 114.3 |
| 1922 | DS | NNL | 32 | 93 | 11 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .226 | .285 (-21%) | .345 (-23%) | .397 (-27%) | .743 (-25%) | -388.0 |
| 1923 | DS | NNL | 46 | 109 | 16 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 13 | 0 | .312 | .282 (+10%) | .344 (+12%) | .390 (-13%) | .734 (-1%) | 27.6 |
| 1924 | DS | NNL | 35 | 95 | 15 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 11 | 0 | .326 | .283 (+15%) | .345 (+20%) | .389 (+11%) | .734 (+15%) | 290.4 |
| 1925 | DS | NNL | 19 | 39 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | .154 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 20 seasons | 583 | 1,831 | 264 | 450 | 59 | 14 | 7 | 179 | 59 | 158 | 1 | .246 | — | — | — | — | -1,975 | ||
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
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .143 |
Last 4 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924-08-18 | DT1 | CAG | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921-07-25 | DT1 | KCM | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921-07-09 | DT1 | CB1 | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1921-06-06 | DT1 | CNN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 44 | 13 | 273 | 25 | 13 | 16 |
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| C | 454 | 189 | 2311 | 587 | 74 | 45 |
| OF | 73 | 31 | 100 | 10 | 5 | 3 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | CXG | 1B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906 | CXG | C | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 1906 | CXG | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907 | PG | C | 12 | 12 | 51 | 18 | 3 | 2 |
| 1907 | PG | OF | 3 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1908 | PG | C | 25 | 25 | 117 | 34 | 7 | 4 |
| 1908 | PG | OF | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1909 | PG | C | 15 | 0 | 59 | 16 | 5 | 1 |
| 1910 | LEL | C | 17 | 0 | 124 | 26 | 3 | 2 |
| 1910 | LEL | OF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1911 | CAG | C | 26 | 0 | 182 | 43 | 6 | 3 |
| 1912 | CAG | 1B | 4 | 0 | 34 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 1912 | CAG | C | 38 | 0 | 204 | 54 | 9 | 4 |
| 1912 | CAG | OF | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913 | CAG | 1B | 5 | 0 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 1913 | CAG | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913 | CAG | C | 36 | 0 | 224 | 63 | 6 | 7 |
| 1913 | CAG | OF | 8 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1914 | CAG | 1B | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914 | CAG | C | 7 | 0 | 40 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 1914 | CAG | OF | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915 | CAG | C | 3 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1916 | CAG | C | 55 | 0 | 308 | 87 | 3 | 6 |
| 1916 | CAG | OF | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1917 | CAG | 1B | 4 | 0 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 1917 | CAG | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1917 | CAG | C | 25 | 0 | 123 | 32 | 4 | 2 |
| 1917 | CAG | OF | 14 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918 | CAG | 1B | 3 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 1918 | CAG | C | 12 | 0 | 50 | 11 | 4 | 1 |
| 1918 | CAG | OF | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1919 | DS | 1B | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1919 | DS | C | 19 | 17 | 91 | 22 | 2 | 2 |
| 1919 | DS | OF | 21 | 15 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1920 | DS | C | 36 | 33 | 185 | 48 | 1 | 2 |
| 1920 | DS | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921 | DS | 1B | 10 | 9 | 84 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 1921 | DS | C | 37 | 34 | 195 | 39 | 8 | 3 |
| 1921 | DS | OF | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1922 | DS | C | 28 | 23 | 134 | 34 | 2 | 1 |
| 1923 | DS | C | 40 | 30 | 135 | 34 | 2 | 3 |
| 1924 | DS | 1B | 6 | 3 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1924 | DS | C | 16 | 14 | 60 | 11 | 3 | 2 |
| 1924 | DS | OF | 8 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | DS | 1B | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | DS | C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | DS | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 454 |
| First Base | 44 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 7 |
| Center Field | 16 |
| Right Field | 50 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bruce Petway: the record in brief
Bruce Petway's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1906 to 1925. Club by club, the record runs the Cuban X Giants (1906), the Philadelphia Giants (1907 through 1909), the Chicago Leland Giants (1910), the Chicago American Giants (1911 through 1918), and the Detroit Stars (1919 to 1925). Petway is listed as a catcher at 159 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. Petway batted from both sides and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is December 23, 1885, in Nashville, TN, USA. Petway died on June 28, 1941, in Chicago, IL, USA. Bruce Petway was the playing name; the full given name is Bruce Franklin.
Petway's career batting table shows 583 games, 1,831 at bats and 450 hits, a .246 average; the totals also include 7 home runs, 179 runs batted in, and 59 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .310 clip and slugging .305, Petway finished with a .615 OPS. Measured against the leagues Petway played in, the .246 career average compares with a .264 league average over the same seasons, 6.7% below the league.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bruce Petway
- Was Bruce Petway a pitcher?
- No. Bruce Petway was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Bruce Petway hit?
- Bruce Petway hit 7 career home runs with 450 hits.
- What teams did Bruce Petway play for?
- Bruce Petway played for 5 teams: the Cuban X Giants (1906), the Philadelphia Giants (1907–1909), the Chicago Leland Giants (1910), the Chicago American Giants (1911–1918), and the Detroit Stars (1919–1925).
- What were Bruce Petway's career stats?
- In 583 games, Bruce Petway had 450 hits, 7 home runs, 179 RBI, 264 runs, and 59 stolen bases, with a .246 batting average.
- What position did Bruce Petway play?
- Bruce Petway played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bruce Petway and how much did he weigh?
- Bruce Petway was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 159 pounds.
- How many home runs did Bruce Petway hit each season?
- Bruce Petway's home runs by season: 0 in 1906, 0 in 1907, 0 in 1908, 1 in 1909, 0 in 1910, 0 in 1911, 0 in 1912, 0 in 1913, 0 in 1914, 0 in 1915, 2 in 1916, 0 in 1917, 0 in 1918, 0 in 1919, 0 in 1920, 2 in 1921, 1 in 1922, 0 in 1923, 1 in 1924, and 0 in 1925. His most in one season was 2, in 1916 and 1921.
- What was Bruce Petway's career batting average?
- Bruce Petway batted .246 over his career, with 450 hits in 1,831 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bruce Petway have?
- Bruce Petway drove in 179 runs in his career.
- Is Bruce Petway in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bruce Petway has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.