Spottswood Poles

Center Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1912-1923)

Spottswood Poles was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1923 for 6 teams, including the Philadelphia Giants, a span of 12 seasons. In 262 career games, he hit .311 with 321 hits, 3 home runs, and 98 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,629.

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 .311
HR 3
RBI 98
H 321
OPS .774
PIV 2,629
Position
Center Fielder
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
5'7" / 165 lb
Born
12/27/1887 in Winchester, VA, USA
Died
9/12/1962 in Harrisburg, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1912-08-24
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Career Batting Statistics

Spottswood Poles — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
262 1,032 205 321 52 8 3 98 66 111 0 .311 .388 .386 .774 2,629

Career AVG .311 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — +18.0% above league average.

Career OBP .388 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — +18.5% above league average.

Career SLG .386 vs. league average .353 across their career seasons — +9.4% above league average.

Career OPS .774 vs. league average .680 across their career seasons — +13.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Spottswood Poles 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
1909 PG INT 17 63 11 15 2 1 0 6 3 7 0 .238 .244 (-3%) .306 (+3%) .312 (-3%) .618 (avg) 3.0
1910 PG EAS 19 77 13 15 4 0 1 5 1 7 0 .195 .249 (-22%) .317 (-15%) .326 (-13%) .644 (-14%) -153.8
1911 NLG EAS 15 62 12 19 1 1 0 6 10 7 0 .306 .266 (+15%) .336 (+17%) .356 (-1%) .693 (+8%) 113.0
1912 NLG EAS 16 67 8 25 0 0 0 9 3 0 0 .373 .268 (+39%) .335 (+17%) .358 (+4%) .694 (+10%) 114.3
1912 BRG EAS 1 5 2 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 .400 — — — — 114.3
1913 NLG EAS 17 65 17 19 4 0 0 6 6 11 0 .292 .259 (+13%) .325 (+24%) .345 (+2%) .670 (+13%) 183.0
1914 NLS EAS 1 3 1 2 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 .667 — — — — 0.0
1914 NLG EAS 28 121 30 50 8 1 0 14 10 12 0 .413 .255 (+62%) .322 (+47%) .339 (+46%) .661 (+47%) 0.0
1915 NLS EAS 38 157 29 41 8 2 0 14 9 16 0 .261 .250 (+4%) .318 (+6%) .332 (+2%) .651 (+4%) 108.9
1916 NLG EAS 18 73 16 22 1 0 1 5 2 10 0 .301 .248 (+21%) .314 (+23%) .326 (+9%) .640 (+16%) 213.3
1917 NLG EAS 15 53 15 21 5 0 0 8 3 10 0 .396 .248 (+59%) .312 (+67%) .323 (+52%) .635 (+59%) 570.8
1919 HIL EAS 5 21 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .190 — — — — 0.0
1919 AC EAS 12 51 11 18 4 2 0 4 3 3 0 .353 .262 (+35%) .322 (+24%) .347 (+47%) .670 (+36%) 0.0
1920 NLG EAS 7 26 2 6 3 0 0 2 4 3 0 .231 — — — — 0.0
1921 NLG EAS 7 32 8 12 5 0 1 3 1 1 0 .375 — — — — 0.0
1922 NLG IND 13 50 10 19 4 0 0 3 4 4 0 .380 .285 (+33%) .345 (+26%) .397 (+16%) .743 (+21%) 189.6
1923 NLG ECL 33 106 18 31 3 1 0 10 3 17 0 .292 .282 (+3%) .344 (+16%) .390 (-13%) .734 (+1%) 96.8
Career · 17 seasons 262 1,032 205 321 52 8 3 98 66 111 0 .311 — — — — 1,553

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.

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Spottswood Poles — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 2 0 4 4 2 0
OF 259 93 460 33 27 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Spottswood Poles — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1909 PG OF 17 0 38 1 2 0
1910 PG OF 19 0 29 1 4 0
1911 NLG OF 15 0 25 2 2 0
1912 NLG OF 16 0 25 2 0 1
1912 BRG OF 1 0 5 0 0 0
1913 NLG OF 17 0 34 2 3 0
1914 NLS OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1914 NLG OF 28 0 59 4 3 1
1915 NLS OF 38 0 92 3 3 1
1916 NLG OF 18 18 35 3 2 1
1917 NLG 3B 2 0 4 4 2 0
1917 NLG OF 13 0 18 2 0 1
1919 HIL OF 5 5 9 1 1 0
1919 AC OF 12 12 27 2 1 0
1920 NLG OF 7 7 11 0 2 0
1921 NLG OF 7 7 9 2 1 0
1922 NLG OF 13 13 16 2 1 1
1923 NLG OF 32 31 28 6 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Spottswood Poles Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Third Base 2
Left Field 72
Center Field 166
Right Field 21

Most Similar Players

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

  1. 98
    Evar Swanson
    .303 avg, 7 HR
  2. 95
    Spud Johnson
    .302 avg, 4 HR
  3. 83
    Tuck Turner
    .320 avg, 7 HR
  4. 81
    Al Wingo
    .308 avg, 9 HR
  5. 79
    Sam Dungan
    .301 avg, 3 HR
  6. 79
    Lefty Marr
    .289 avg, 2 HR

Spottswood Poles: the record in brief

Spottswood Poles's season table begins in 1909, ahead of the August 24, 1912 debut listed in the bio. Poles played for the Philadelphia Giants (1909 through 1910), the New York Lincoln Giants (1911 through 1923), the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1912), the New York Lincoln Stars (1914 to 1915), the Hilldale Club (1919), and the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1919). Poles played primarily as a center fielder and batted from both sides and threw right-handed. Born on December 27, 1887, in Winchester, VA, USA, Poles was listed at 5-foot-7 and 165 pounds. Poles's death is recorded on September 12, 1962, in Harrisburg, PA, USA.

In 262 games and 1,032 at bats, Poles batted .311 with 321 hits, along with 3 homers, 98 RBI, and 66 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .388 clip and slugging .386, Poles finished with a .774 OPS. The league as a whole hit .264 across Poles's seasons, which puts the .311 career mark 18.0% above average. By OPS the gap is 13.8% above league average (.774 against .680).

Frequently Asked Questions about Spottswood Poles

What years did Spottswood Poles play?
Spottswood Poles played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1923.
Was Spottswood Poles a pitcher?
No. Spottswood Poles was a position player (Center Fielder).
How many home runs did Spottswood Poles hit?
Spottswood Poles hit 3 career home runs with 321 hits.
What teams did Spottswood Poles play for?
Spottswood Poles played for 6 teams: the Philadelphia Giants (1909–1910), the New York Lincoln Giants (1911–1914, 1916–1917, 1920–1923), the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1912), the New York Lincoln Stars (1914–1915), the Hilldale Club (1919), and the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1919).
What were Spottswood Poles's career stats?
In 262 games, Spottswood Poles had 321 hits, 3 home runs, 98 RBI, 205 runs, and 66 stolen bases, with a .311 batting average.
What position did Spottswood Poles play?
Spottswood Poles played primarily as a center fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Spottswood Poles and how much did he weigh?
Spottswood Poles was listed at 5 feet 7 inches and 165 pounds.
How many home runs did Spottswood Poles hit each season?
Spottswood Poles's home runs by season: 0 in 1909, 1 in 1910, 0 in 1911, 0 in 1912, 0 in 1913, 0 in 1914, 0 in 1915, 1 in 1916, 0 in 1917, 0 in 1919, 0 in 1920, 1 in 1921, 0 in 1922, and 0 in 1923. His most in one season was 1, in 1910, 1916, and 1921.
What was Spottswood Poles's career batting average?
Spottswood Poles batted .311 over his career, with 321 hits in 1,032 at bats.
How many RBI did Spottswood Poles have?
Spottswood Poles drove in 98 runs in his career.
Is Spottswood Poles in the Hall of Fame?
No. Spottswood Poles has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.