Chief Sockalexis
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1897-1899)
Chief Sockalexis was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1899 for the Cleveland Spiders, a span of 3 seasons. In 94 career games, he hit .313 with 115 hits, 3 home runs, and 55 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 401.
- 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
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 185 lb
- Died
- 12/24/1913 in Burlington, ME, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1897-04-22
- Last Game
- 1899-05-13
Full name: Louis Francis Sockalexis
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94 | 367 | 54 | 115 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 55 | 16 | 20 | 48 | .313 | .355 | .414 | .770 | 401 |
Career AVG .313 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — +11.4% above league average.
Career OBP .355 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .414 vs. league average .366 across their career seasons — +13.1% above league average.
Career OPS .770 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — +8.4% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | CL4 | NL | 66 | 278 | 43 | 94 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 42 | 16 | 18 | 38 | .338 | .291 (+16%) | .354 (+9%) | .387 (+19%) | .741 (+14%) | 678.7 |
| 1898 | CL4 | NL | 21 | 67 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .224 | .270 (-17%) | .333 (-26%) | .347 (-27%) | .680 (-27%) | -278.1 |
| 1899 | CL4 | NL | 7 | 22 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 94 | 367 | 54 | 115 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 55 | 16 | 20 | 48 | .313 | — | — | — | — | 401 | ||
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 (28 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 13 | 38 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 5 | .316 |
| Away | 15 | 51 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 8 | .176 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899-05-13 | CL4 | PIT | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1899-05-12 | CL4 | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-05-11 | CL4 | STL | L | 5 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-05-10 | CL4 | STL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1899-05-09 | CL4 | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-05-04 | CL4 | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-05-02 | CL4 | LS3 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1898-07-14 | CL4 | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1898-07-06 | CL4 | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-07-05 | CL4 | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 4 |
| Center Field | 5 |
| Right Field | 79 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| College of the Holy Cross | Worcester | MA | 1895, 1896 |
Chief Sockalexis: the record in brief
Chief Sockalexis played a first major league game on April 22, 1897 and a last one on May 13, 1899. The team column never changes: it is the Cleveland Spiders from 1897 to 1899. Born on October 24, 1871, in Indian Island, ME, USA, Sockalexis is listed as an outfielder and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. The bio gives 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. Sockalexis died on December 24, 1913, in Burlington, ME, USA. The given name on file is Louis Francis Sockalexis.
Sockalexis's career batting table shows 94 games, 367 at bats and 115 hits, a .313 average, adding 3 home runs and 55 RBI. Sockalexis's career OPS of .770 combines a .355 on-base mark with .414 slugging. The league as a whole hit .281 across Sockalexis's seasons, which puts the .313 career mark 11.4% above average. In OPS terms, Sockalexis's .770 stands 8.4% above the league's .710. 1897 produced Sockalexis's most hits, 94 of them for the Cleveland Spiders. Among the seasons with the heaviest workload, the best average was .338 in 1897, 16% above that year's league mark of .291.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chief Sockalexis
- What years did Chief Sockalexis play?
- Chief Sockalexis played in Major League Baseball from 1897 to 1899.
- Was Chief Sockalexis a pitcher?
- No. Chief Sockalexis was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Chief Sockalexis hit?
- Chief Sockalexis hit 3 career home runs with 115 hits.
- What teams did Chief Sockalexis play for?
- Chief Sockalexis played for one team, the Cleveland Spiders (1897–1899).
- What were Chief Sockalexis's career stats?
- In 94 games, Chief Sockalexis had 115 hits, 3 home runs, 55 RBI, 54 runs, and 16 stolen bases, with a .313 batting average.
- What position did Chief Sockalexis play?
- Chief Sockalexis played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Chief Sockalexis and how much did he weigh?
- Chief Sockalexis was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 185 pounds.
- How many home runs did Chief Sockalexis hit each season?
- Chief Sockalexis's home runs by season: 3 in 1897, 0 in 1898, and 0 in 1899. His most in one season was 3, in 1897.
- What was Chief Sockalexis's career batting average?
- Chief Sockalexis batted .313 over his career, with 115 hits in 367 at bats.
- How many RBI did Chief Sockalexis have?
- Chief Sockalexis drove in 55 runs in his career.
- Is Chief Sockalexis in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Chief Sockalexis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.