Harry Schafer

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1871-1878)

Harry Schafer was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1878 for the Boston Red Stockings and the Boston Braves, a span of 8 seasons. In 367 career games, he hit .271 with 449 hits, 4 home runs, and 215 RBI.

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 .271
HR 4
RBI 215
H 449
OPS .612
PIV -530
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 143 lb
Born
8/14/1846 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Died
2/28/1935 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1871-05-05
Last Game
1878-08-31

Full name: Harry C. Schafer

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Career Batting Statistics

Harry Schafer — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
367 1,655 339 449 64 15 4 215 35 12 45 .271 .277 .335 .612 -530

Career AVG .271 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .277 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .335 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .612 vs. league average .619 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Harry Schafer — 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
1871 BS1 31 149 38 42 7 5 0 28 13 3 1 .282 .286 (-2%) .311 (-5%) .383 (+3%) .695 (avg) -39.8
1872 BS1 48 226 51 65 10 4 1 35 3 0 8 .288 .285 (+1%) .296 (-3%) .347 (+9%) .644 (+4%) 75.7
1873 BS1 60 296 65 79 12 2 2 42 14 3 4 .267 .290 (-8%) .304 (-10%) .357 (-4%) .661 (-7%) -313.8
1874 BS1 71 327 69 87 10 2 1 45 2 1 5 .266 .273 (-3%) .282 (-5%) .333 (-5%) .615 (-5%) -212.7
1875 BS1 52 222 49 64 9 0 0 17 3 1 8 .288 .253 (+14%) .260 (+12%) .309 (+6%) .570 (+9%) 281.4
1876 BSN NL 70 286 47 72 11 0 0 35 0 4 11 .252 .265 (-5%) .277 (-6%) .320 (-10%) .598 (-8%) -272.7
1877 BSN NL 33 141 20 39 5 2 0 13 0 0 7 .277 .271 (+2%) .289 (-4%) .337 (+1%) .626 (-2%) -48.6
1878 BSN NL 2 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .125 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 367 1,655 339 449 64 15 4 215 35 12 45 .271 — — — — -530

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

Harry Schafer — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 322 145 559 709 380 54
C 2 0 2 0 2 0
OF 44 5 55 4 23 1
SS 2 0 1 2 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Harry Schafer — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1871 BS1 3B 31 31 49 79 59 7
1872 BS1 3B 43 43 73 117 50 6
1872 BS1 C 2 0 2 0 2 0
1872 BS1 OF 5 5 7 1 1 0
1873 BS1 3B 47 0 90 78 71 11
1873 BS1 OF 13 0 28 2 11 1
1874 BS1 3B 71 71 136 175 85 17
1874 BS1 SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1875 BS1 3B 51 0 73 109 47 4
1875 BS1 OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1876 BSN 3B 70 0 122 146 63 8
1877 BSN 3B 9 0 16 5 5 1
1877 BSN OF 23 0 17 1 11 0
1877 BSN SS 1 0 1 2 1 0
1878 BSN OF 2 0 2 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Harry Schafer — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 2
Third Base 322
Shortstop 2
Left Field 19
Center Field 1
Right Field 24

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Harry Schafer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Tom Carey
    .270 avg, 5 HR
  2. 85
    John Peters
    .278 avg, 3 HR
  3. 83
    Charles Fulmer
    .260 avg, 8 HR
  4. 83
    Mike McGeary
    .276 avg, 0 HR
  5. 83
    Billy Lauder
    .260 avg, 5 HR
  6. 79
    Harry Swacina
    .256 avg, 1 HR

Harry Schafer: the record in brief

Harry Schafer's major league career runs from a debut on May 5, 1871 to a final game on August 31, 1878. Club by club, the record runs the Boston Red Stockings (1871 through 1875) and the Boston Red Caps (1876 through 1878). Schafer played primarily as a third baseman and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on August 14, 1846, in Philadelphia, PA, USA and a listed size of 143 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. The bio records the death on February 28, 1935, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The given name on file is Harry C. Schafer.

Across 367 games at the plate, Schafer's career line reads 449 hits in 1,655 at bats for a .271 average, along with 4 home runs, 215 runs batted in, and 35 stolen bases. Schafer got on base at a .277 rate and slugged .335 (.612 OPS). Schafer hit .271 while the league hit .271 over the same span, a figure close to average. Schafer collected a career-high 87 hits in 1874. The RBI column peaks at 45 in 1874.

Frequently Asked Questions about Harry Schafer

What years did Harry Schafer play?
Harry Schafer played in Major League Baseball from 1871 to 1878.
Was Harry Schafer a pitcher?
No. Harry Schafer was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Harry Schafer hit?
Harry Schafer hit 4 career home runs with 449 hits.
What was Harry Schafer's career batting average?
Harry Schafer batted .271 over his career, with 449 hits in 1,655 at bats.
How many RBI did Harry Schafer have?
Harry Schafer drove in 215 runs in his career.
Is Harry Schafer in the Hall of Fame?
No. Harry Schafer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.