John Sowders
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1887-1890)
John Sowders was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1887 to 1890 for the Indianapolis Hoosiers, the Kansas City Cowboys, and the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders, a span of 4 seasons. Across 65 career appearances, he went 25-32 with a 4.29 ERA and 195 strikeouts. He also batted .199 with 1 home runs.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 150 lb
- Died
- 7/29/1939 in Indianapolis, IN, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1887-06-28
- Last Game
- 1890-10-04
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887 | IN3 | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 21.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1889 | KC2 | AA | 6 | 16 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 185.0 | 204 | 99 | 105 | 104 | 4.82 | 3.93 (-22%) | -1837.8 |
| 1890 | BRP | PL | 19 | 16 | 39 | 37 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 309.0 | 358 | 131 | 161 | 91 | 3.82 | 3.88 (+2%) | -1852.6 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 25 | 32 | 65 | 60 | 48 | 1 | 1 | 497.0 | 573 | 237 | 271 | 195 | 4.29 | — | -3,690 | ||
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 Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | 221 | 25 | 44 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 14 | 33 | .199 | .253 | .240 | .493 | -945 |
Career AVG .199 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 24.6% below league average.
Career OBP .253 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 24.3% below league average.
Career SLG .240 vs. league average .359 across their career seasons — 33.3% below league average.
Career OPS .493 vs. league average .694 across their career seasons — 29.0% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1887 | IN3 | NL | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1889 | KC2 | AA | 28 | 87 | 11 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 20 | .218 | .263 (-17%) | .334 (-20%) | .357 (-29%) | .691 (-25%) | -328.0 |
| 1890 | BRP | PL | 40 | 132 | 14 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 10 | 12 | .189 | .260 (-27%) | .336 (-27%) | .351 (-33%) | .687 (-30%) | -617.1 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 69 | 221 | 25 | 44 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 14 | 33 | .199 | — | — | — | — | -945 | ||
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 Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 65 |
| Left Field | 3 |
| Right Field | 4 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Sowders (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
John Sowders: the record in brief
Between the debut on June 28, 1887 and the final game on October 4, 1890, John Sowders built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Indianapolis Hoosiers (1887), the Kansas City Cowboys (1889), and the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders (1890). The bio lists Sowders as a pitcher who threw left-handed and batted right-handed. Sowders is listed at 6-foot-0 and 150 pounds. Sowders was born on December 10, 1866, in Louisville, KY, USA. Sowders died on July 29, 1939, in Indianapolis, IN, USA.
The pitching table credits Sowders with a 25-32 record and a 4.29 ERA in 65 games. The same table counts 195 strikeouts and 48 complete games. The league ERA over Sowders's seasons was 3.98, so the 4.29 figure ran 7.9% worse than average. Sowders won 19 games in 1890, the most of any season listed. 1889 produced Sowders's most strikeouts, 104. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.82 in 1890, when the league's was 3.88.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Sowders
- What years did John Sowders play?
- John Sowders played in Major League Baseball from 1887 to 1890.
- Was John Sowders a pitcher?
- Yes. John Sowders pitched in the major leagues, recording 25 wins and 195 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did John Sowders hit?
- John Sowders hit 1 career home run with 44 hits.
- What teams did John Sowders play for?
- John Sowders played for 3 teams: the Indianapolis Hoosiers (1887), the Kansas City Cowboys (1889), and the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders (1890).
- What were John Sowders's career stats?
- In 65 games, John Sowders went 25-32 with a 4.29 ERA, 195 strikeouts, 497.0 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 44 hits and 1 home runs.
- What position did John Sowders play?
- John Sowders played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was John Sowders and how much did he weigh?
- John Sowders was listed at 6 feet and 150 pounds.
- What was John Sowders's career ERA?
- John Sowders finished with a 4.29 career ERA, going 25-32 with 195 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did John Sowders have?
- John Sowders recorded 195 career strikeouts.
- Is John Sowders in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Sowders has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.