Ben Sanders

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1888-1892)

Ben Sanders was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1892 for 4 teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 5 seasons. Across 168 career appearances, he went 80-70 with a 3.24 ERA and 468 strikeouts. He also batted .271 with 5 home runs. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 160.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 80–70
ERA 3.24
WHIP 1.29
SO 468
Pitcher PIV 17499.4
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 210 lb
Born
2/16/1865 in Catharpin, VA, USA
Died
8/29/1930 in Memphis, TN, USA
MLB Debut
1888-06-06
Last Game
1892-10-14

Full name: Alexander Bennett Sanders

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Career Pitching Statistics

Ben Sanders — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
80 70 168 157 144 14 2 1385.0 1,496 498 34 297 468 3.24 17499.4

Career ERA 3.24 vs. league average 3.55 across their career seasons — 8.9% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ben Sanders — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1888 PHI NL 19 10 31 29 28 8 0 275.1 240 58 33 121 1.90 2.95 (+36%) 5185.9
1889 PHI NL 19 18 44 39 34 1 1 349.2 406 138 96 123 3.55 3.93 (+10%) 4146.8
1890 PHP PL 19 18 43 40 37 2 1 346.2 412 145 69 107 3.76 3.88 (+3%) 3879.1
1891 PH4 AA 11 5 19 18 15 0 0 145.0 157 61 37 40 3.79 3.52 (-8%) 1310.3
1892 LS3 NL 12 19 31 31 30 3 0 268.1 281 96 62 77 3.22 3.28 (+2%) 2977.3
Career · 5 seasons 80 70 168 157 144 14 2 1,385.0 1,496 498 297 468 3.24 — 17,499

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 Batting Statistics

Ben Sanders — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
247 948 132 257 43 16 5 113 27 47 62 .271 .310 .366 .676 160

Career AVG .271 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +7.0% above league average.

Career OBP .310 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .366 vs. league average .341 across their career seasons — +7.2% above league average.

Career OPS .676 vs. league average .665 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ben Sanders — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1888 PHI NL 57 236 26 58 11 2 1 25 13 8 12 .246 .238 (+3%) .290 (-5%) .319 (+1%) .610 (-2%) -102.9
1889 PHI NL 44 169 21 47 8 2 0 21 4 6 11 .278 .263 (+5%) .334 (-8%) .357 (-2%) .691 (-5%) -179.5
1890 PHP PL 52 189 31 59 6 6 0 30 2 10 10 .312 .260 (+20%) .336 (+3%) .351 (+16%) .687 (+10%) 226.1
1891 PH4 AA 40 156 24 39 6 4 1 19 2 7 12 .250 .254 (-2%) .331 (-12%) .343 (+5%) .675 (-4%) -153.4
1892 LS3 NL 54 198 30 54 12 2 3 18 6 16 17 .273 .244 (+11%) .316 (+4%) .327 (+22%) .644 (+13%) 369.5
Career · 5 seasons 247 948 132 257 43 16 5 113 27 47 62 .271 — — — — 160

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

Ben Sanders — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 15 0 147 6 6 4
3B 1 0 0 0 1 0
OF 69 0 92 8 10 1
P 168 0 74 310 35 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ben Sanders — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1888 PHI 3B 1 0 0 0 1 0
1888 PHI OF 25 0 38 5 2 0
1888 PHI P 31 0 17 74 7 1
1889 PHI OF 3 0 2 0 0 0
1889 PHI P 44 0 22 58 11 1
1890 PHP OF 10 0 13 2 2 1
1890 PHP P 43 0 17 93 9 5
1891 PH4 OF 22 0 26 0 5 0
1891 PH4 P 19 0 6 31 3 1
1892 LS3 1B 15 0 147 6 6 4
1892 LS3 OF 9 0 13 1 1 0
1892 LS3 P 31 0 12 54 5 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ben Sanders — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 168
First Base 15
Third Base 1
Left Field 24
Center Field 11
Right Field 36

College History

Ben Sanders — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Roanoke College Salem VA 1883, 1884, 1885

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Ben Sanders (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Frank Mountain
    58-83, 3.47 ERA
  2. 95
    Lee Richmond
    75-100, 3.06 ERA
  3. 88
    Pete Conway
    61-61, 3.59 ERA
  4. 82
    Ed Seward
    89-72, 3.40 ERA
  5. 81
    Bill Bernhard
    116-81, 3.04 ERA
  6. 81
    Jesse Duryea
    59-67, 3.45 ERA

Ben Sanders: the record in brief

Ben Sanders played a first major league game on June 6, 1888 and a last one on October 14, 1892. Sanders played for the Philadelphia Quakers (1888 through 1889), the Philadelphia Athletics (1890 through 1891), and the Louisville Colonels (1892). Sanders played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on February 16, 1865, in Catharpin, VA, USA, Sanders was listed at 6-foot-0 and 210 pounds. The bio records the death on August 29, 1930, in Memphis, TN, USA. Sanders's full given name, per the bio, is Alexander Bennett Sanders.

Sanders went 80-70 with a 3.24 ERA in 168 games, 157 of them starts. The totals include 468 strikeouts, 144 complete games, and 14 shutouts. Against a 3.55 league ERA for the same years, Sanders was 8.9% better. Sanders won 19 games in 1888, the most of any season listed. The strikeout high was 123 in 1889. 1888 was Sanders's sharpest full season, a 1.90 ERA against the league's 2.95.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ben Sanders

What years did Ben Sanders play?
Ben Sanders played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1892.
Was Ben Sanders a pitcher?
Yes. Ben Sanders pitched in the major leagues, recording 80 wins and 468 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Ben Sanders hit?
Ben Sanders hit 5 career home runs with 257 hits.
What was Ben Sanders's career batting average?
Ben Sanders batted .271 over his career, with 257 hits in 948 at bats.
How many RBI did Ben Sanders have?
Ben Sanders drove in 113 runs in his career.
What was Ben Sanders's career ERA?
Ben Sanders finished with a 3.24 career ERA, going 80-70 with 468 strikeouts.