Hardy Richardson

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1879-1892)

Hardy Richardson was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1879 to 1892 for 7 teams, including the Buffalo Bisons, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,334 career games, he hit .299 with 1,694 hits, 73 home runs, and 828 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 20,601.

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 .299
HR 73
RBI 828
H 1,694
OPS .781
PIV 20,601
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 170 lb
Born
4/21/1855 in Clarksboro, NJ, USA
Died
1/14/1931 in Utica, NY, USA
MLB Debut
1879-05-01
Last Game
1892-09-10

Full name: Abram Harding Richardson

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Career Batting Statistics

Hardy Richardson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,334 5,657 1,127 1,694 305 126 73 828 207 377 446 .299 .344 .437 .781 20,601

Career AVG .299 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +18.7% above league average.

Career OBP .344 vs. league average .307 across their career seasons — +12.2% above league average.

Career SLG .437 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +28.7% above league average.

Career OPS .781 vs. league average .646 across their career seasons — +20.9% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Hardy Richardson 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
1879 BFN NL 79 336 54 95 18 10 0 37 0 16 30 .283 .255 (+11%) .270 (+16%) .328 (+20%) .599 (+19%) 959.9
1880 BFN NL 83 343 48 89 18 8 0 17 0 14 37 .259 .244 (+6%) .267 (+8%) .319 (+12%) .586 (+10%) 515.5
1881 BFN NL 83 344 62 100 18 9 2 53 0 12 27 .291 .260 (+12%) .290 (+8%) .338 (+22%) .628 (+16%) 799.8
1882 BFN NL 83 354 61 96 20 8 2 57 0 11 33 .271 .248 (+9%) .275 (+6%) .329 (+18%) .605 (+13%) 632.1
1883 BFN NL 92 399 73 124 34 7 1 56 0 22 20 .311 .257 (+21%) .285 (+21%) .345 (+27%) .631 (+24%) 1608.5
1884 BFN NL 102 439 85 132 27 9 6 60 0 22 41 .301 .243 (+24%) .278 (+20%) .327 (+36%) .606 (+28%) 1946.0
1885 BFN NL 96 426 90 136 19 11 6 44 0 20 22 .319 .244 (+31%) .287 (+22%) .325 (+41%) .613 (+32%) 2085.3
1886 DTN NL 125 538 125 189 27 11 11 61 42 46 27 .351 .246 (+43%) .302 (+33%) .331 (+52%) .634 (+43%) 4090.4
1887 DTN NL 120 543 131 178 25 18 8 94 29 31 40 .328 .270 (+21%) .331 (+10%) .373 (+30%) .705 (+21%) 1980.8
1888 DTN NL 58 266 60 77 18 2 6 32 13 17 23 .289 .238 (+21%) .290 (+15%) .319 (+38%) .610 (+27%) 1033.7
1889 BSN NL 132 536 122 163 33 10 6 79 47 48 44 .304 .263 (+15%) .334 (+10%) .357 (+22%) .691 (+16%) 1613.7
1890 BSP PL 133 570 133 187 28 14 16 152 44 52 47 .328 .260 (+26%) .336 (+14%) .351 (+45%) .687 (+30%) 3122.7
1891 BS2 AA 74 278 45 71 9 4 7 52 16 40 26 .255 .254 (+1%) .331 (+6%) .343 (+14%) .675 (+10%) 521.3
1892 WAS NL 10 37 2 4 0 0 0 0 2 5 3 .108 — — — — 0.0
1892 NY1 NL 64 248 36 53 11 5 2 34 14 21 26 .214 .244 (-13%) .316 (-12%) .327 (-2%) .644 (-7%) 0.0
Career · 15 seasons 1,334 5,657 1,127 1,694 305 126 73 828 207 377 446 .299 — — — — 20,910

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

Hardy Richardson — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
3 0 5 0 0 0 0 16.0 16 7 1 13 6 3.94 -744.3

Career ERA 3.94 vs. league average 3.21 across their career seasons — 22.5% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Hardy Richardson — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1885 BFN NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 5 1 3 1 2.25 — 0.0
1886 DTN NL 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 12.0 11 6 10 5 4.50 3.37 (-34%) -744.3
Career · 2 seasons 3 0 5 0 0 0 0 16.0 16 7 13 6 3.94 — -744

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

Hardy Richardson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
15 66 12 13 5 2 1 4 1 9 .197

Playoff Batting by Year

Hardy Richardson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1887 WS DTN 15 66 12 13 5 2 1 4 1 9 .197

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Hardy Richardson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 16 0 171 4 5 6
2B 585 0 1756 1986 349 212
3B 178 0 215 339 96 22
C 6 0 26 9 5 0
OF 547 0 1036 110 89 15
P 5 0 0 4 0 0
SS 21 0 39 77 8 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Hardy Richardson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1879 BFN 3B 78 0 83 153 44 13
1879 BFN C 1 0 11 0 0 0
1880 BFN 3B 81 0 108 154 47 6
1880 BFN C 5 0 15 9 5 0
1881 BFN 2B 5 0 12 12 3 0
1881 BFN 3B 1 0 2 1 0 1
1881 BFN OF 79 0 179 45 21 3
1881 BFN SS 1 0 2 4 0 2
1882 BFN 2B 83 0 275 280 63 28
1883 BFN 2B 92 0 289 344 68 33
1884 BFN 1B 3 0 31 0 1 1
1884 BFN 2B 71 0 191 243 50 18
1884 BFN 3B 5 0 9 10 3 0
1884 BFN OF 24 0 44 5 3 2
1885 BFN 2B 50 0 163 169 35 17
1885 BFN OF 48 0 120 6 14 2
1885 BFN P 1 0 0 2 0 0
1885 BFN SS 1 0 1 2 0 0
1886 DTN 2B 42 0 103 118 14 13
1886 DTN 3B 2 0 1 5 0 1
1886 DTN OF 80 0 131 21 17 1
1886 DTN P 4 0 0 2 0 0
1886 DTN SS 3 0 7 7 1 2
1887 DTN 2B 64 0 219 215 27 27
1887 DTN OF 59 0 109 8 8 1
1888 DTN 2B 58 0 173 185 29 21
1889 BSN 2B 86 0 246 310 46 44
1889 BSN OF 46 0 74 6 5 1
1890 BSP 1B 1 0 13 1 0 1
1890 BSP OF 127 0 242 13 13 3
1890 BSP SS 6 0 12 23 0 4
1891 BS2 1B 3 0 21 0 1 0
1891 BS2 3B 9 0 12 14 2 1
1891 BS2 OF 60 0 101 5 5 2
1891 BS2 SS 4 0 7 17 2 2
1892 WAS 2B 1 0 3 2 0 0
1892 WAS 3B 2 0 0 2 0 0
1892 WAS OF 7 0 16 0 1 0
1892 NY1 1B 9 0 106 3 3 4
1892 NY1 2B 33 0 82 108 14 11
1892 NY1 OF 17 0 20 1 2 0
1892 NY1 SS 6 0 10 24 5 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Hardy Richardson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 5
Catcher 6
First Base 16
Second Base 585
Third Base 178
Shortstop 21
Left Field 378
Center Field 158
Right Field 11

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Hardy Richardson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Heinie Zimmerman
    .295 avg, 58 HR
  2. 92
    Home Run Baker HOF
    .307 avg, 96 HR
  3. 91
    Jimmy Collins HOF
    .294 avg, 65 HR
  4. 90
    Danny Murphy
    .289 avg, 44 HR
  5. 84
    Larry Doyle
    .290 avg, 74 HR
  6. 84
    John Reilly
    .289 avg, 69 HR

Compare Hardy Richardson

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Richardson's closest peers by position and era.

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Hardy Richardson: the record in brief

According to the bio, Hardy Richardson debuted on May 1, 1879 and played a final game on September 10, 1892. By club, Richardson's seasons break down as the Buffalo Bisons (1879 through 1885), the Detroit Wolverines (1886 to 1888), the Boston Beaneaters (1889), the Boston Reds (1890 through 1891), the Washington Senators (1892), and the New York Giants (1892). Richardson is listed as a second baseman at 5 feet, 9 inches and 170 pounds. Richardson both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is April 21, 1855, in Clarksboro, NJ, USA. Richardson's death is recorded on January 14, 1931, in Utica, NY, USA. The bio lists the given name Abram Harding.

In 1,334 games and 5,657 at bats, Richardson batted .299 with 1,694 hits, along with 73 homers, 828 RBI, and 207 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .344 clip and slugging .437, Richardson finished with a .781 OPS. Richardson's .299 average ran 18.7% above the .252 that the league posted over the same seasons.

Frequently Asked Questions about Hardy Richardson

What years did Hardy Richardson play?
Hardy Richardson played in Major League Baseball from 1879 to 1892.
Was Hardy Richardson a pitcher?
No. Hardy Richardson was a position player (Second Baseman), though he did pitch in 5 career games.
How many home runs did Hardy Richardson hit?
Hardy Richardson hit 73 career home runs with 1,694 hits.
What teams did Hardy Richardson play for?
Hardy Richardson played for 6 teams: the Buffalo Bisons (1879–1885), the Detroit Wolverines (1886–1888), the Boston Beaneaters (1889), the Boston Reds (1890–1891), the Washington Senators (1892), and the New York Giants (1892).
What were Hardy Richardson's career stats?
In 1,334 games, Hardy Richardson had 1,694 hits, 73 home runs, 828 RBI, 1,127 runs, and 207 stolen bases, with a .299 batting average.
What position did Hardy Richardson play?
Hardy Richardson played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Hardy Richardson and how much did he weigh?
Hardy Richardson was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 170 pounds.
How many home runs did Hardy Richardson hit each season?
Hardy Richardson's home runs by season: 0 in 1879, 0 in 1880, 2 in 1881, 2 in 1882, 1 in 1883, 6 in 1884, 6 in 1885, 11 in 1886, 8 in 1887, 6 in 1888, 6 in 1889, 16 in 1890, 7 in 1891, and 2 in 1892. His most in one season was 16, in 1890.
What was Hardy Richardson's career batting average?
Hardy Richardson batted .299 over his career, with 1,694 hits in 5,657 at bats.
How many RBI did Hardy Richardson have?
Hardy Richardson drove in 828 runs in his career.
What was Hardy Richardson's career ERA?
Hardy Richardson finished with a 3.94 career ERA, going 3-0 with 6 strikeouts.
Is Hardy Richardson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Hardy Richardson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.