Socks Seybold

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1899-1908)

Socks Seybold was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1908 for the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 10 seasons. In 997 career games, he hit .294 with 1,085 hits, 51 home runs, and 556 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 13,855.

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 .294
HR 51
RBI 556
H 1,085
OPS .777
PIV 13,855
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 175 lb
Born
11/23/1870 in Washingtonville, OH, USA
Died
11/21/1921 in Greensburg, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1899-08-20
Last Game
1908-10-07

Full name: Ralph Orlando Seybold

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Career Batting Statistics

Socks Seybold — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
997 3,685 478 1,085 218 54 51 556 66 293 298 .294 .353 .424 .777 13,855

Career AVG .294 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — +15.1% above league average.

Career OBP .353 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — +12.7% above league average.

Career SLG .424 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — +28.3% above league average.

Career OPS .777 vs. league average .644 across their career seasons — +20.7% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Socks Seybold 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
1899 CIN NL 22 85 13 19 5 1 0 8 2 6 8 .224 .282 (-21%) .343 (-18%) .366 (-17%) .710 (-17%) -242.7
1901 PHA AL 114 449 74 150 24 14 8 90 15 40 44 .334 .271 (+23%) .326 (+22%) .359 (+40%) .686 (+31%) 2625.7
1902 PHA AL 137 522 91 165 27 12 16 97 6 43 32 .316 .266 (+18%) .321 (+17%) .343 (+47%) .665 (+32%) 3103.1
1903 PHA AL 137 522 76 156 45 8 8 84 5 38 43 .299 .261 (+14%) .316 (+12%) .345 (+34%) .662 (+23%) 2156.3
1904 PHA AL 143 510 56 149 26 9 3 64 12 42 45 .292 .246 (+18%) .300 (+17%) .321 (+23%) .622 (+20%) 1851.2
1905 PHA AL 133 492 64 135 37 4 6 59 5 42 41 .274 .248 (+11%) .307 (+11%) .322 (+25%) .629 (+18%) 1594.5
1906 PHA AL 116 411 41 130 23 2 5 59 9 30 23 .316 .247 (+28%) .307 (+19%) .315 (+33%) .622 (+26%) 1841.2
1907 PHA AL 147 564 58 153 29 4 5 92 10 40 46 .271 .245 (+11%) .304 (+6%) .308 (+18%) .613 (+12%) 1139.8
1908 PHA AL 48 130 5 28 2 0 0 3 2 12 16 .215 .240 (-10%) .298 (-4%) .306 (-25%) .605 (-14%) -214.2
Career · 9 seasons 997 3,685 478 1,085 218 54 51 556 66 293 298 .294 — — — — 13,855

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

Socks Seybold — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 16 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 3 .125

Playoff Batting by Year

Socks Seybold — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1905 WS PHA 5 16 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 3 .125

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (997 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Socks Seybold — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home485174625555325282.317
Away512194222353326253.274

Last 10 Games — Batting

Socks Seybold — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1908-10-07 PHABOSL 200000020
1908-10-06 PHAMINL 201000030
1908-10-05 PHAMINL 402000001
1908-10-03 PHABOSL 200000011
1908-10-03 PHABOSW 312100010
1908-10-02 PHABOSL 301000000
1908-09-30 PHACLEL 401000001
1908-09-29 PHACLEL 401000000
1908-09-29 PHACLEL 401000000
1908-09-27 PHADETL 401000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Socks Seybold — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 45 12 399 19 12 17
OF 935 554 1398 91 60 29

Season-by-Season Fielding

Socks Seybold — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1899 CIN OF 22 0 40 4 4 0
1901 PHA 1B 14 0 144 7 2 7
1901 PHA OF 100 0 157 10 8 2
1902 PHA OF 136 0 246 11 10 3
1903 PHA 1B 18 0 163 8 6 6
1903 PHA OF 120 0 177 9 7 4
1904 PHA 1B 13 12 92 4 4 4
1904 PHA OF 129 128 180 12 5 5
1905 PHA OF 133 133 215 13 4 5
1906 PHA OF 114 112 150 10 13 3
1907 PHA OF 147 147 201 19 6 7
1908 PHA OF 34 34 32 3 3 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Socks Seybold Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 46
Left Field 5
Center Field 42
Right Field 889

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Socks Seybold (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Frank Demaree
    .299 avg, 72 HR
  2. 95
    Harry Rice
    .299 avg, 48 HR
  3. 93
    Fred Schulte
    .291 avg, 47 HR
  4. 91
    George Watkins
    .288 avg, 73 HR
  5. 88
    Happy Felsch
    .293 avg, 38 HR
  6. 88
    Mule Haas
    .292 avg, 43 HR

Socks Seybold: the record in brief

August 20, 1899 and October 7, 1908 bracket Socks Seybold's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Seybold's seasons break down as the Cincinnati Reds (1899) and the Philadelphia Athletics (1901 through 1908). At 5'11" and 175 pounds, Seybold is listed as an outfielder. The bio says Seybold threw and hit right-handed. Seybold was born on November 23, 1870, in Washingtonville, OH, USA. The bio records the death on November 21, 1921, in Greensburg, PA, USA. The bio lists the given name Ralph Orlando.

Across 997 games at the plate, Seybold's career line reads 1,085 hits in 3,685 at bats for a .294 average, plus 51 home runs, 556 RBI, and 66 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .353 clip and slugging .424, Seybold finished with a .777 OPS. Seybold's .294 average ran 15.1% above the .256 that the league posted over the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .777 to a league .644, 20.7% above average. The single-season home run high is 16, set in 1902.

Frequently Asked Questions about Socks Seybold

What years did Socks Seybold play?
Socks Seybold played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1908.
Was Socks Seybold a pitcher?
No. Socks Seybold was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Socks Seybold hit?
Socks Seybold hit 51 career home runs with 1,085 hits.
What teams did Socks Seybold play for?
Socks Seybold played for 2 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1899) and the Philadelphia Athletics (1901–1908).
What were Socks Seybold's career stats?
In 997 games, Socks Seybold had 1,085 hits, 51 home runs, 556 RBI, 478 runs, and 66 stolen bases, with a .294 batting average.
What position did Socks Seybold play?
Socks Seybold played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Socks Seybold and how much did he weigh?
Socks Seybold was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Socks Seybold hit each season?
Socks Seybold's home runs by season: 0 in 1899, 8 in 1901, 16 in 1902, 8 in 1903, 3 in 1904, 6 in 1905, 5 in 1906, 5 in 1907, and 0 in 1908. His most in one season was 16, in 1902.
What was Socks Seybold's career batting average?
Socks Seybold batted .294 over his career, with 1,085 hits in 3,685 at bats.
How many RBI did Socks Seybold have?
Socks Seybold drove in 556 runs in his career.
Is Socks Seybold in the Hall of Fame?
No. Socks Seybold has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.