Ed Phelps
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1902-1913)
Ed Phelps was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1902 to 1913 for 4 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 12 seasons. In 633 career games, he hit .251 with 460 hits, 3 home runs, and 205 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 197.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 185 lb
- Died
- 1/31/1942 in East Greenbush, NY, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1902-09-02
- Last Game
- 1913-08-15
Full name: Edward Jaykill Phelps
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 633 | 1,832 | 186 | 460 | 45 | 20 | 3 | 205 | 31 | 163 | 203 | .251 | .325 | .302 | .627 | 197 |
Career AVG .251 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .325 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .302 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 7.8% below league average.
Career OPS .627 vs. league average .641 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | PIT | NL | 18 | 61 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | .213 | .266 (-20%) | .321 (-12%) | .343 (-33%) | .665 (-23%) | -187.4 |
| 1903 | PIT | NL | 81 | 273 | 32 | 77 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 31 | 2 | 17 | 35 | .282 | .261 (+8%) | .316 (+7%) | .345 (+2%) | .662 (+4%) | 240.8 |
| 1904 | PIT | NL | 94 | 302 | 29 | 73 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 15 | 31 | .242 | .246 (-2%) | .300 (-4%) | .321 (-13%) | .622 (-9%) | -345.7 |
| 1905 | CIN | NL | 44 | 156 | 18 | 36 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 4 | 12 | 18 | .231 | .248 (-7%) | .307 (avg) | .322 (-7%) | .629 (-4%) | -55.2 |
| 1906 | CIN | NL | 12 | 40 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 | .275 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1906 | PIT | NL | 43 | 118 | 9 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 11 | .237 | .247 (-4%) | .307 (-2%) | .315 (-11%) | .622 (-7%) | 0.0 |
| 1907 | PIT | NL | 43 | 113 | 11 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 10 | .212 | .245 (-13%) | .304 (-7%) | .308 (-28%) | .613 (-18%) | -243.8 |
| 1908 | PIT | NL | 34 | 64 | 3 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .234 | .240 (-3%) | .298 (-10%) | .306 (+7%) | .605 (-1%) | -36.3 |
| 1909 | SLN | NL | 104 | 306 | 43 | 76 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 7 | 39 | 34 | .248 | .244 (+2%) | .306 (+14%) | .312 (-5%) | .618 (+5%) | 468.4 |
| 1910 | SLN | NL | 93 | 270 | 25 | 71 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 9 | 36 | 29 | .263 | .249 (+5%) | .317 (+12%) | .326 (-10%) | .644 (+1%) | 200.2 |
| 1912 | BRO | NL | 52 | 111 | 8 | 32 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 16 | 15 | .288 | .268 (+7%) | .335 (+15%) | .358 (+6%) | .694 (+10%) | 246.2 |
| 1913 | BRO | NL | 15 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 633 | 1,832 | 186 | 460 | 45 | 20 | 3 | 205 | 31 | 163 | 203 | .251 | — | — | — | — | 287 | ||
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 (635 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 306 | 818 | 91 | 216 | 2 | 88 | .264 |
| Away | 329 | 1012 | 94 | 244 | 1 | 105 | .241 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913-08-15 | BRO | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-08-09 | BRO | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-07-28 | BRO | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1913-07-22 | BRO | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-07-19 | BRO | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-07-11 | BRO | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-07-05 | BRO | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-06-25 | BRO | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-06-19 | BRO | STL | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-06-04 | BRO | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 10 | 2 | 90 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| C | 530 | 373 | 2147 | 547 | 88 | 51 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902 | PIT | 1B | 5 | 0 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 1902 | PIT | C | 13 | 0 | 52 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 1903 | PIT | 1B | 3 | 0 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903 | PIT | C | 76 | 0 | 315 | 81 | 8 | 7 |
| 1904 | PIT | 1B | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1904 | PIT | C | 91 | 86 | 360 | 97 | 17 | 8 |
| 1905 | CIN | C | 44 | 43 | 189 | 55 | 13 | 5 |
| 1906 | CIN | C | 12 | 12 | 61 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 1906 | PIT | C | 40 | 34 | 170 | 31 | 6 | 4 |
| 1907 | PIT | 1B | 1 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1907 | PIT | C | 35 | 34 | 145 | 38 | 4 | 1 |
| 1908 | PIT | C | 20 | 14 | 69 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 1909 | SLN | C | 83 | 78 | 330 | 87 | 20 | 11 |
| 1910 | SLN | C | 80 | 72 | 320 | 84 | 10 | 10 |
| 1912 | BRO | C | 32 | 0 | 130 | 35 | 4 | 4 |
| 1913 | BRO | C | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 528 |
| First Base | 11 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ed Phelps (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ed Phelps: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 2, 1902 and the final game on August 15, 1913, Ed Phelps built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the Pittsburgh Pirates (1902 through 1908), the Cincinnati Reds (1905 to 1906), the St. Louis Cardinals (1909 through 1910), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1912), and the Brooklyn Superbas (1913). At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Phelps is listed as a catcher. Phelps batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Phelps was born on March 3, 1879, in Albany, NY, USA. Phelps's death is recorded on January 31, 1942, in East Greenbush, NY, USA. Phelps's full given name, per the bio, is Edward Jaykill Phelps.
In 633 games and 1,832 at bats, Phelps batted .251 with 460 hits; the totals also include 3 homers, 205 runs batted in, and 31 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .325 and .302 give Phelps a career OPS of .627. The .251 career average is close to the .253 the league hit across the same seasons. Phelps collected a career-high 77 hits in 1903.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ed Phelps
- What years did Ed Phelps play?
- Ed Phelps played in Major League Baseball from 1902 to 1913.
- Was Ed Phelps a pitcher?
- No. Ed Phelps was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Ed Phelps hit?
- Ed Phelps hit 3 career home runs with 460 hits.
- What was Ed Phelps's career batting average?
- Ed Phelps batted .251 over his career, with 460 hits in 1,832 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ed Phelps have?
- Ed Phelps drove in 205 runs in his career.
- Is Ed Phelps in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ed Phelps has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.