Jack Rowe

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1879-1890)

Jack Rowe was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1879 to 1890 for 4 teams, including the Buffalo Bisons, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,044 career games, he hit .286 with 1,256 hits, 28 home runs, and 644 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 8,037.

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 .286
HR 28
RBI 644
H 1,256
OPS .715
PIV 8,037
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 170 lb
Born
12/8/1856 in Cold Spring, PA, USA
Died
4/25/1911 in St. Louis, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1879-09-06
Last Game
1890-10-04

Full name: John Charles Rowe

📋 View Manager Career

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Jack Rowe — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,044 4,386 764 1,256 202 88 28 644 59 224 177 .286 .323 .392 .715 8,037

Career AVG .286 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +13.3% above league average.

Career OBP .323 vs. league average .303 across their career seasons — +6.6% above league average.

Career SLG .392 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — +15.3% above league average.

Career OPS .715 vs. league average .643 across their career seasons — +11.2% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jack Rowe 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 8 34 8 12 1 0 0 8 0 0 1 .353 — — — — 0.0
1880 BFN NL 79 326 43 82 10 6 1 36 0 6 17 .252 .244 (+3%) .267 (-1%) .319 (+3%) .586 (+1%) 24.3
1881 BFN NL 64 246 30 82 11 11 1 43 0 1 12 .333 .260 (+28%) .290 (+16%) .338 (+42%) .628 (+30%) 1006.6
1882 BFN NL 75 308 43 82 14 5 1 42 0 12 0 .266 .248 (+7%) .275 (+6%) .329 (+7%) .605 (+7%) 324.1
1883 BFN NL 87 374 65 104 18 7 1 38 0 15 14 .278 .257 (+8%) .285 (+7%) .345 (+8%) .631 (+7%) 443.2
1884 BFN NL 93 400 85 126 14 14 4 61 0 23 14 .315 .243 (+29%) .278 (+26%) .327 (+38%) .606 (+32%) 2024.5
1885 BFN NL 98 421 62 122 28 8 2 51 0 13 19 .290 .244 (+19%) .287 (+8%) .325 (+26%) .613 (+17%) 1033.4
1886 DTN NL 111 468 97 142 21 9 6 87 12 26 27 .303 .246 (+23%) .302 (+12%) .331 (+28%) .634 (+21%) 1554.0
1887 DTN NL 124 537 135 171 30 10 6 96 22 39 11 .318 .270 (+18%) .331 (+11%) .373 (+19%) .705 (+15%) 1558.2
1888 DTN NL 105 451 62 125 19 8 2 74 10 19 28 .277 .238 (+16%) .290 (+7%) .319 (+15%) .610 (+11%) 731.1
1889 PIT NL 75 317 57 82 14 3 2 32 5 22 16 .259 .263 (-2%) .334 (-6%) .357 (-5%) .691 (-6%) -302.4
1890 BFP PL 125 504 77 126 22 7 2 76 10 48 18 .250 .260 (-4%) .336 (-4%) .351 (-5%) .687 (-4%) -360.4
Career · 12 seasons 1,044 4,386 764 1,256 202 88 28 644 59 224 177 .286 — — — — 8,037

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

Jack Rowe — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
15 63 12 21 1 1 0 7 2 1 .333

Playoff Batting by Year

Jack Rowe — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1887 WS DTN 15 63 12 21 1 1 0 7 2 1 .333

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jack Rowe — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 20 0 26 25 17 0
C 298 0 1435 285 148 19
OF 103 0 149 12 39 0
SS 657 0 770 1944 364 203

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jack Rowe — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1879 BFN C 6 0 30 8 4 0
1879 BFN OF 2 0 6 1 2 0
1880 BFN 3B 3 0 4 7 3 0
1880 BFN C 60 0 231 56 33 3
1880 BFN OF 25 0 32 5 10 0
1881 BFN 3B 7 0 13 9 7 0
1881 BFN C 46 0 187 39 25 5
1881 BFN OF 5 0 14 4 3 0
1881 BFN SS 7 0 5 21 1 2
1882 BFN 3B 7 0 7 6 5 0
1882 BFN C 46 0 246 41 15 5
1882 BFN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1882 BFN SS 22 0 7 70 11 3
1883 BFN 3B 3 0 2 3 2 0
1883 BFN C 49 0 234 50 32 3
1883 BFN OF 28 0 34 1 14 0
1883 BFN SS 18 0 10 44 15 3
1884 BFN C 65 0 373 60 26 3
1884 BFN OF 30 0 38 1 7 0
1884 BFN SS 6 0 3 14 3 1
1885 BFN C 23 0 123 30 13 0
1885 BFN OF 12 0 25 0 3 0
1885 BFN SS 65 0 71 186 51 26
1886 DTN C 3 0 11 1 0 0
1886 DTN SS 110 0 86 310 54 26
1887 DTN SS 124 0 119 378 51 36
1888 DTN SS 105 0 133 312 72 24
1889 PIT SS 75 0 108 228 39 26
1890 BFP SS 125 0 228 381 67 56

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jack Rowe Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 298
Third Base 20
Shortstop 657
Left Field 47
Center Field 32
Right Field 26

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Jack Rowe (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Frank LaPorte
    .281 avg, 15 HR
  2. 95
    Ezra Sutton
    .294 avg, 25 HR
  3. 83
    Joe Start
    .299 avg, 15 HR
  4. 81
    Walter Holke
    .287 avg, 24 HR
  5. 80
    Chick Gandil
    .277 avg, 11 HR
  6. 78
    Dick Siebert
    .282 avg, 32 HR

Compare Jack Rowe

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

vs Dave Rowe

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

Jack Rowe: the record in brief

The profile opens with Jack Rowe's first major league game on September 6, 1879; the last one listed came on October 4, 1890. Club by club, the record runs the Buffalo Bisons (1879 to 1890), the Detroit Wolverines (1886 to 1888), and the Pittsburg Alleghenys (1889). Rowe, born on December 8, 1856, in Cold Spring, PA, USA, is listed as a shortstop and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Rowe's listed size is 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds. The bio records the death on April 25, 1911, in St. Louis, MO, USA. On the record, Jack Rowe was born John Charles Rowe.

Rowe finished with 1,256 hits from 4,386 at bats in 1,044 games, which works out to .286, plus 28 home runs, 644 RBI, and 59 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .323 clip and slugging .392, Rowe finished with a .715 OPS. The league as a whole hit .253 across Rowe's seasons, which puts the .286 career mark 13.3% above average. In OPS terms, Rowe's .715 stands 11.2% above the league's .643.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jack Rowe

What years did Jack Rowe play?
Jack Rowe played in Major League Baseball from 1879 to 1890.
Was Jack Rowe a pitcher?
No. Jack Rowe was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Jack Rowe hit?
Jack Rowe hit 28 career home runs with 1,256 hits.
What teams did Jack Rowe play for?
Jack Rowe played for 4 teams: the Buffalo Bisons (1879–1885), the Detroit Wolverines (1886–1888), the Pittsburg Alleghenys (1889), and the Buffalo Bisons (1890).
What were Jack Rowe's career stats?
In 1,044 games, Jack Rowe had 1,256 hits, 28 home runs, 644 RBI, 764 runs, and 59 stolen bases, with a .286 batting average.
What position did Jack Rowe play?
Jack Rowe played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jack Rowe and how much did he weigh?
Jack Rowe was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 170 pounds.
How many home runs did Jack Rowe hit each season?
Jack Rowe's home runs by season: 0 in 1879, 1 in 1880, 1 in 1881, 1 in 1882, 1 in 1883, 4 in 1884, 2 in 1885, 6 in 1886, 6 in 1887, 2 in 1888, 2 in 1889, and 2 in 1890. His most in one season was 6, in 1886 and 1887.
What was Jack Rowe's career batting average?
Jack Rowe batted .286 over his career, with 1,256 hits in 4,386 at bats.
How many RBI did Jack Rowe have?
Jack Rowe drove in 644 runs in his career.
Is Jack Rowe in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jack Rowe has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.