Joe Sommer

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1880-1890)

Joe Sommer was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1880 to 1890 for 5 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 11 seasons. In 920 career games, he hit .248 with 911 hits, 11 home runs, and 342 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 .248
HR 11
RBI 342
H 911
OPS .607
PIV -1,910
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 165 lb
Born
11/20/1858 in Covington, KY, USA
Died
1/16/1938 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1880-07-08
Last Game
1890-10-15

Full name: Joseph John Sommer

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Joe Sommer — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
920 3,675 617 911 109 42 11 342 101 238 118 .248 .297 .309 .607 -1,910

Career AVG .248 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .297 vs. league average .305 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .309 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — 9.0% below league average.

Career OPS .607 vs. league average .645 across their career seasons — 5.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Sommer 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
1880 CN1 NL 24 88 10 16 1 0 0 6 0 0 2 .182 .244 (-26%) .267 (-32%) .319 (-40%) .586 (-36%) -401.4
1882 CN2 AA 80 354 82 102 12 6 1 29 0 24 0 .288 .248 (+16%) .275 (+21%) .329 (+10%) .605 (+15%) 943.6
1883 CN2 AA 97 413 79 115 5 7 3 52 0 20 0 .278 .257 (+8%) .285 (+9%) .345 (avg) .631 (+4%) 376.7
1884 BL2 AA 107 479 96 129 11 10 4 0 0 8 0 .269 .243 (+11%) .278 (+5%) .327 (+10%) .606 (+8%) 546.3
1885 BL2 AA 110 471 84 118 23 6 1 44 0 24 0 .251 .244 (+3%) .287 (+1%) .325 (+2%) .613 (+2%) 103.3
1886 BL2 AA 139 560 79 117 18 4 1 52 31 24 0 .209 .246 (-15%) .302 (-19%) .331 (-21%) .634 (-20%) -1634.9
1887 BL2 AA 131 463 88 123 11 5 0 65 29 63 36 .266 .270 (-2%) .331 (+8%) .373 (-17%) .705 (-5%) -128.4
1888 BL2 AA 79 297 31 65 10 0 0 35 13 18 29 .219 .238 (-8%) .290 (-9%) .319 (-21%) .610 (-15%) -579.1
1889 BL2 AA 106 386 51 85 13 2 1 36 18 42 49 .220 .263 (-17%) .334 (-11%) .357 (-24%) .691 (-18%) -1000.3
1890 CL4 NL 9 35 4 8 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 .229 — — — — 0.0
1890 BL3 AA 38 129 13 33 4 2 0 23 10 13 0 .256 .260 (-2%) .336 (-4%) .351 (-9%) .687 (-7%) 0.0
Career · 11 seasons 920 3,675 617 911 109 42 11 342 101 238 118 .248 — — — — -1,774

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 Pitching Statistics

Joe Sommer — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 6 0 0 0 1 14.0 33 15 1 7 3 9.64 0.0

Career ERA 9.64 vs. league average 3.60 across their career seasons — 167.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Sommer — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1883 CN2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 9 3 1 2 5.40 — 0.0
1885 BL2 AA 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 3.0 6 3 0 0 9.00 — 0.0
1886 BL2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 14 8 3 1 18.00 — 0.0
1887 BL2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 1 1 0 9.00 — 0.0
1890 CL4 NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 2 0 2 0 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 0 0 6 0 0 0 1 14.0 33 15 7 3 9.64 — 0

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

Joe Sommer — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 0 17 1 0 0
2B 48 0 125 138 26 13
3B 124 0 158 210 73 12
C 1 0 2 0 0 0
OF 713 0 1325 109 157 26
P 6 0 1 1 1 0
SS 43 0 59 116 26 13

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Sommer — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1880 CN1 3B 1 0 2 0 1 0
1880 CN1 C 1 0 2 0 0 0
1880 CN1 OF 22 0 38 4 4 1
1880 CN1 SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1882 CN2 OF 80 0 188 9 16 2
1883 CN2 3B 3 0 4 6 2 0
1883 CN2 OF 94 0 171 11 31 1
1883 CN2 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1884 BL2 2B 1 0 4 0 0 0
1884 BL2 3B 97 0 118 168 54 10
1884 BL2 OF 9 0 16 8 4 1
1885 BL2 1B 1 0 11 1 0 0
1885 BL2 3B 2 0 2 2 3 0
1885 BL2 OF 107 0 229 14 21 2
1885 BL2 P 2 0 1 0 0 0
1885 BL2 SS 2 0 2 4 0 0
1886 BL2 2B 32 0 84 86 14 9
1886 BL2 3B 11 0 18 16 3 0
1886 BL2 OF 95 0 186 12 22 4
1886 BL2 P 1 0 0 1 1 0
1886 BL2 SS 3 0 2 9 5 1
1887 BL2 2B 13 0 35 48 11 4
1887 BL2 3B 10 0 14 18 10 2
1887 BL2 OF 110 0 187 15 22 4
1887 BL2 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1887 BL2 SS 2 0 1 3 1 0
1888 BL2 1B 1 0 6 0 0 0
1888 BL2 2B 2 0 2 4 1 0
1888 BL2 OF 44 0 54 7 9 1
1888 BL2 SS 34 0 53 98 20 12
1889 BL2 OF 105 0 172 24 15 7
1889 BL2 SS 1 0 1 2 0 0
1890 CL4 OF 9 0 15 0 4 0
1890 CL4 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1890 BL3 OF 38 0 69 5 9 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joe Sommer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 6
Catcher 1
First Base 2
Second Base 48
Third Base 124
Shortstop 43
Left Field 567
Center Field 15
Right Field 132

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Joe Sommer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Joe Birmingham
    .253 avg, 7 HR
  2. 94
    Tony Scott
    .249 avg, 17 HR
  3. 93
    Ed Andrews
    .257 avg, 12 HR
  4. 88
    Mike Felder
    .249 avg, 14 HR
  5. 85
    Harry Niles
    .247 avg, 12 HR
  6. 80
    Billy Maloney
    .236 avg, 6 HR

Joe Sommer: the record in brief

Joe Sommer played a first major league game on July 8, 1880 and a last one on October 15, 1890. Club by club, the record runs the Cincinnati Reds (1880), the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1882 to 1883), the Baltimore Orioles (1884 to 1890), and the Cleveland Spiders (1890). Sommer played primarily as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on November 20, 1858, in Covington, KY, USA and a listed size of 5 feet, 11 inches and 165 pounds. Sommer died on January 16, 1938, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Sommer's full given name, per the bio, is Joseph John Sommer.

Across 920 games at the plate, Sommer's career line reads 911 hits in 3,675 at bats for a .248 average, plus 11 homers, 342 runs batted in, and 101 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .297 and the slugging percentage .309, for an OPS of .607. Against a .252 league average for those years, Sommer's .248 average was near the norm.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Sommer

What years did Joe Sommer play?
Joe Sommer played in Major League Baseball from 1880 to 1890.
Was Joe Sommer a pitcher?
No. Joe Sommer was a position player (Outfielder), though he did pitch in 6 career games.
How many home runs did Joe Sommer hit?
Joe Sommer hit 11 career home runs with 911 hits.
What teams did Joe Sommer play for?
Joe Sommer played for 4 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1880), the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1882–1883), the Baltimore Orioles (1884–1890), and the Cleveland Spiders (1890).
What were Joe Sommer's career stats?
In 920 games, Joe Sommer had 911 hits, 11 home runs, 342 RBI, 617 runs, and 101 stolen bases, with a .248 batting average.
What position did Joe Sommer play?
Joe Sommer played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joe Sommer and how much did he weigh?
Joe Sommer was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 165 pounds.
How many home runs did Joe Sommer hit each season?
Joe Sommer's home runs by season: 0 in 1880, 1 in 1882, 3 in 1883, 4 in 1884, 1 in 1885, 1 in 1886, 0 in 1887, 0 in 1888, 1 in 1889, and 0 in 1890. His most in one season was 4, in 1884.
What was Joe Sommer's career batting average?
Joe Sommer batted .248 over his career, with 911 hits in 3,675 at bats.
How many RBI did Joe Sommer have?
Joe Sommer drove in 342 runs in his career.
What was Joe Sommer's career ERA?
Joe Sommer finished with a 9.64 career ERA, going 0-0 with 3 strikeouts.
Is Joe Sommer in the Hall of Fame?
No. Joe Sommer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.