Fred Pfeffer

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1882-1897)

Fred Pfeffer was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1897 for 5 teams, including the Troy Trojans, a span of 16 seasons. In 1,671 career games, he hit .256 with 1,680 hits, 94 home runs, and 1,021 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,387.

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 .256
HR 94
RBI 1,021
H 1,680
OPS .684
PIV 2,387
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 184 lb
Born
3/17/1860 in Louisville, KY, USA
Died
4/10/1932 in Chicago, IL, USA
MLB Debut
1882-05-01
Last Game
1897-06-14

Full name: Nathaniel Frederick Pfeffer

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Career Batting Statistics

Fred Pfeffer — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,671 6,560 1,096 1,680 231 120 94 1,021 383 527 503 .256 .313 .371 .684 2,387

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .313 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .371 vs. league average .355 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .684 vs. league average .678 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Fred Pfeffer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1882 TRN NL 85 330 26 72 7 4 1 43 0 1 24 .218 .248 (-12%) .275 (-20%) .329 (-17%) .605 (-19%) -845.5
1883 CHN NL 96 371 41 87 22 7 1 45 0 8 50 .235 .257 (-9%) .285 (-12%) .345 (-2%) .631 (-7%) -406.6
1884 CHN NL 112 467 105 135 10 10 25 101 0 25 47 .289 .243 (+19%) .278 (+17%) .327 (+57%) .606 (+38%) 2838.1
1885 CHN NL 112 469 90 113 12 7 5 73 0 26 47 .241 .244 (-1%) .287 (-2%) .325 (+1%) .613 (-1%) -58.9
1886 CHN NL 118 474 88 125 17 8 7 95 30 36 46 .264 .246 (+7%) .302 (+4%) .331 (+14%) .634 (+9%) 729.0
1887 CHN NL 123 479 95 133 21 6 16 89 57 34 20 .278 .270 (+3%) .331 (-1%) .373 (+20%) .705 (+10%) 790.2
1888 CHN NL 135 517 90 129 22 10 8 57 64 32 38 .250 .238 (+5%) .290 (+2%) .319 (+18%) .610 (+10%) 817.8
1889 CHN NL 134 531 85 128 15 7 7 77 45 53 51 .241 .263 (-9%) .334 (-6%) .357 (-6%) .691 (-6%) -516.9
1890 CHP PL 124 499 86 128 21 8 5 80 27 44 23 .257 .260 (-1%) .336 (-5%) .351 (+3%) .687 (-1%) -179.9
1891 CHN NL 137 498 93 123 12 9 7 77 40 79 60 .247 .254 (-3%) .331 (+7%) .343 (+2%) .675 (+4%) 576.4
1892 LS3 NL 124 470 78 121 14 9 2 76 27 67 36 .257 .244 (+5%) .316 (+11%) .327 (+3%) .644 (+7%) 787.2
1893 LS3 NL 125 508 85 129 29 12 3 75 32 51 18 .254 .279 (-9%) .356 (-10%) .379 (-1%) .735 (-5%) -565.0
1894 LS3 NL 105 414 70 128 12 15 5 61 32 30 14 .309 .309 (avg) .379 (-6%) .435 (+3%) .814 (-1%) -188.2
1895 LS3 NL 11 45 8 13 1 0 0 5 2 5 3 .289 — — — — -74.7
1896 NY1 NL 4 14 1 2 0 0 0 4 0 1 1 .143 — — — — 0.0
1896 CHN NL 94 360 45 88 16 7 2 52 22 23 20 .244 .290 (-16%) .354 (-17%) .387 (-11%) .741 (-14%) 0.0
1897 CHN NL 32 114 10 26 0 1 0 11 5 12 5 .228 .291 (-22%) .354 (-10%) .387 (-37%) .741 (-24%) -407.3
Career · 17 seasons 1,671 6,560 1,096 1,680 231 120 94 1,021 383 527 503 .256 — — — — 3,296

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

Fred Pfeffer — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
2 1 8 2 2 0 2 44.2 41 13 1 20 13 2.62 -155.3

Career ERA 2.62 vs. league average 3.55 across their career seasons — 26.3% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Fred Pfeffer — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1884 CHN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 3 1 1 0 9.00 — 0.0
1885 CHN NL 2 1 5 2 2 0 2 31.2 26 9 8 13 2.56 3.03 (+16%) -155.3
1892 LS3 NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 4 1 5 0 1.80 — 0.0
1894 LS3 NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 7.0 8 2 6 0 2.57 — 0.0
Career · 4 seasons 2 1 8 2 2 0 2 44.2 41 13 20 13 2.62 — -155

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

Fred Pfeffer — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
13 48 12 17 2 0 2 4 2 1 .354

Playoff Batting by Year

Fred Pfeffer — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1886 WS CHN 6 21 7 6 0 0 1 4 2 1 .286
1885 WS CHN 7 27 5 11 2 0 1 0 0 0 .407

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Fred Pfeffer — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 15 0 124 7 11 5
2B 1538 0 4719 5108 857 894
3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
OF 3 0 3 0 0 0
P 8 0 3 7 0 0
SS 121 0 213 407 112 53

Season-by-Season Fielding

Fred Pfeffer — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1882 TRN 2B 2 0 8 6 3 0
1882 TRN SS 83 0 161 276 73 35
1883 CHN 1B 1 0 2 0 0 1
1883 CHN 2B 79 0 264 264 67 49
1883 CHN 3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1883 CHN SS 18 0 15 63 19 6
1884 CHN 2B 112 0 395 422 88 85
1884 CHN P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1885 CHN 2B 109 0 325 391 86 66
1885 CHN OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
1885 CHN P 5 0 1 6 0 0
1886 CHN 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1886 CHN 2B 118 0 343 340 73 66
1887 CHN 2B 123 0 393 402 72 68
1887 CHN OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1888 CHN 2B 135 0 421 457 65 78
1889 CHN 2B 134 0 452 483 56 69
1890 CHP 2B 124 0 441 387 76 73
1891 CHN 2B 137 0 429 474 77 78
1892 LS3 1B 10 0 87 6 8 3
1892 LS3 2B 116 0 313 377 50 72
1892 LS3 P 1 0 1 1 0 0
1893 LS3 2B 125 0 355 398 49 74
1894 LS3 2B 91 0 263 288 36 59
1894 LS3 P 1 0 1 0 0 0
1894 LS3 SS 15 0 26 56 12 9
1895 LS3 1B 3 0 34 1 3 1
1895 LS3 2B 3 0 8 9 1 2
1895 LS3 SS 5 0 11 12 8 3
1896 NY1 2B 4 0 9 10 6 0
1896 CHN 2B 94 0 227 307 30 43
1897 CHN 2B 32 0 73 93 22 12

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Fred Pfeffer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 8
First Base 15
Second Base 1538
Third Base 1
Shortstop 121
Center Field 2
Right Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Fred Pfeffer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Joe Tinker HOF
    .262 avg, 31 HR
  2. 93
    Bobby Lowe
    .273 avg, 71 HR
  3. 89
    Billy Shindle
    .269 avg, 31 HR
  4. 80
    Phil Garner
    .260 avg, 109 HR
  5. 80
    Fred Merkle
    .273 avg, 61 HR
  6. 77
    Dots Miller
    .263 avg, 32 HR

Fred Pfeffer: the record in brief

The profile opens with Fred Pfeffer's first major league game on May 1, 1882; the last one listed came on June 14, 1897. The team column moves through the Troy Trojans (1882), the Chicago White Stockings (1883 through 1889), the Chicago Pirates (1890), the Chicago Colts (1891 through 1897), the Louisville Colonels (1892 to 1895), and the New York Giants (1896). Pfeffer is listed as a second baseman at 5'10" and 184 pounds. The bio says Pfeffer threw and hit right-handed. The recorded birth is March 17, 1860, in Louisville, KY, USA. Pfeffer's death is recorded on April 10, 1932, in Chicago, IL, USA. Fred Pfeffer was the playing name; the full given name is Nathaniel Frederick.

Pfeffer collected 1,680 hits in 6,560 at bats across 1,671 games, good for a .256 batting average, along with 94 home runs, 1,021 RBI, and 383 stolen bases. Pfeffer's career OPS of .684 combines a .313 on-base mark with .371 slugging.

Frequently Asked Questions about Fred Pfeffer

What years did Fred Pfeffer play?
Fred Pfeffer played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1897.
Was Fred Pfeffer a pitcher?
No. Fred Pfeffer was a position player (Second Baseman), though he did pitch in 8 career games.
How many home runs did Fred Pfeffer hit?
Fred Pfeffer hit 94 career home runs with 1680 hits.
What was Fred Pfeffer's career batting average?
Fred Pfeffer batted .256 over his career, with 1,680 hits in 6,560 at bats.
How many RBI did Fred Pfeffer have?
Fred Pfeffer drove in 1,021 runs in his career.
What was Fred Pfeffer's career ERA?
Fred Pfeffer finished with a 2.62 career ERA, going 2-1 with 13 strikeouts.