Spike Shannon

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1904-1908)

Spike Shannon was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1904 to 1908 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Giants, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 5 seasons. In 694 career games, he hit .259 with 677 hits, 3 home runs, and 183 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,309.

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 .259
HR 3
RBI 183
H 677
OPS .630
PIV 2,309
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 180 lb
Born
2/7/1875 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Died
5/17/1940 in Minneapolis, MN, USA
MLB Debut
1904-04-15
Last Game
1908-09-30

Full name: William Porter Shannon

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Career Batting Statistics

Spike Shannon — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
694 2,613 383 677 49 15 3 183 145 286 288 .259 .337 .293 .630 2,309

Career AVG .259 vs. league average .246 across their career seasons — +5.5% above league average.

Career OBP .337 vs. league average .304 across their career seasons — +11.1% above league average.

Career SLG .293 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 7.1% below league average.

Career OPS .630 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.

Spike Shannon — 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
1904 SLN NL 134 500 84 140 10 3 1 26 34 50 63 .280 .246 (+13%) .300 (+16%) .321 (-1%) .622 (+7%) 897.6
1905 SLN NL 140 544 73 146 16 3 0 41 27 47 51 .268 .248 (+8%) .307 (+6%) .322 (-4%) .629 (+1%) 195.6
1906 SLN NL 80 302 36 78 4 0 0 25 15 36 45 .258 .247 (+4%) .307 (+10%) .315 (-14%) .622 (-2%) 57.1
1906 NY1 NL 76 287 42 73 5 1 0 25 18 34 36 .254 .247 (+3%) .307 (+11%) .315 (-12%) .622 (avg) 57.1
1907 NY1 NL 155 585 104 155 12 5 1 33 33 82 58 .265 .245 (+8%) .304 (+19%) .308 (avg) .613 (+9%) 1465.2
1908 NY1 NL 77 268 34 60 2 1 1 21 13 28 24 .224 .240 (-7%) .298 (+5%) .306 (-18%) .605 (-7%) -106.2
1908 PIT NL 32 127 10 25 0 2 0 12 5 9 11 .197 .240 (-18%) .298 (-16%) .306 (-26%) .605 (-21%) -106.2
Career · 7 seasons 694 2,613 383 677 49 15 3 183 145 286 288 .259 — — — — 2,460

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.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (694 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Spike Shannon — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home3561299199336381.259
Away3381317185341067.259

Last 10 Games — Batting

Spike Shannon — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1908-09-30 PITSTLW 401000000
1908-09-29 PITSTLW 301000111
1908-09-29 PITSTLW 400000000
1908-09-26 PITBSNW 401000001
1908-09-25 PITBSNW 412000010
1908-09-25 PITBSNL 300000010
1908-09-24 PITBROW 512010201
1908-09-15 PITPHIW 400000000
1908-09-13 PITCINL 401010200
1908-09-12 PITCINW 400000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Spike Shannon — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 690 685 1303 66 36 24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Spike Shannon — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1904 SLN OF 133 133 246 18 6 10
1905 SLN OF 140 139 299 7 5 3
1906 SLN OF 80 80 165 9 5 3
1906 NY1 OF 76 76 109 4 5 2
1907 NY1 OF 155 155 282 18 7 3
1908 NY1 OF 74 72 114 8 3 3
1908 PIT OF 32 30 88 2 5 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Spike Shannon — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Left Field 532
Center Field 23
Right Field 139

College History

Spike Shannon — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Grove City College Grove City PA 1897, 1898

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Spike Shannon (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Dick Harley
    .262 avg, 10 HR
  2. 82
    Gerald Young
    .246 avg, 3 HR
  3. 78
    Herbie Moran
    .242 avg, 2 HR
  4. 78
    Armando Marsans
    .268 avg, 2 HR
  5. 75
    Namon Washington
    .249 avg, 6 HR
  6. 73
    Thurman Tucker
    .255 avg, 9 HR

Spike Shannon: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 15, 1904 and the final game on September 30, 1908, Spike Shannon built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the St. Louis Cardinals (1904 through 1906), the New York Giants (1906 to 1908), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1908). Shannon, an outfielder by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The recorded size is 5'11" and 180 pounds. Shannon was born on February 7, 1875, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Shannon died on May 17, 1940, in Minneapolis, MN, USA. Shannon's full given name, per the bio, is William Porter Shannon.

Shannon's career batting table shows 694 games, 2,613 at bats and 677 hits, a .259 average, adding 3 homers, 183 runs batted in, and 145 stolen bases. Shannon's career OPS of .630 combines a .337 on-base mark with .293 slugging. Shannon's .259 average ran 5.5% above the .246 that the league posted over the same seasons. 1907 produced Shannon's most hits, 155 of them for the New York Giants.

Frequently Asked Questions about Spike Shannon

What years did Spike Shannon play?
Spike Shannon played in Major League Baseball from 1904 to 1908.
Was Spike Shannon a pitcher?
No. Spike Shannon was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Spike Shannon hit?
Spike Shannon hit 3 career home runs with 677 hits.
What teams did Spike Shannon play for?
Spike Shannon played for 3 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1904–1906), the New York Giants (1906–1908), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1908).
What were Spike Shannon's career stats?
In 694 games, Spike Shannon had 677 hits, 3 home runs, 183 RBI, 383 runs, and 145 stolen bases, with a .259 batting average.
What position did Spike Shannon play?
Spike Shannon played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Spike Shannon and how much did he weigh?
Spike Shannon was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 180 pounds.
How many home runs did Spike Shannon hit each season?
Spike Shannon's home runs by season: 1 in 1904, 0 in 1905, 0 in 1906, 1 in 1907, and 1 in 1908. His most in one season was 1, in 1904, 1907, and 1908.
What was Spike Shannon's career batting average?
Spike Shannon batted .259 over his career, with 677 hits in 2,613 at bats.
How many RBI did Spike Shannon have?
Spike Shannon drove in 183 runs in his career.
Is Spike Shannon in the Hall of Fame?
No. Spike Shannon has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.