Tubby Spencer

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1905-1918)

Tubby Spencer was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1918 for 4 teams, including the St. Louis Browns, a span of 14 seasons. In 449 career games, he hit .225 with 298 hits, 3 home runs, and 133 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 .225
HR 3
RBI 133
H 298
OPS .560
PIV -1,759
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 215 lb
Born
1/26/1884 in Oil City, PA, USA
Died
2/1/1945 in San Francisco, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1905-07-24
Last Game
1918-09-01

Full name: Edward Russell Spencer

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Career Batting Statistics

Tubby Spencer — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
449 1,326 106 298 43 10 3 133 13 87 127 .225 .281 .279 .560 -1,759

Career AVG .225 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 9.9% below league average.

Career OBP .281 vs. league average .312 across their career seasons — 9.9% below league average.

Career SLG .279 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 13.4% below league average.

Career OPS .560 vs. league average .634 across their career seasons — 11.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tubby Spencer 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
1905 SLA AL 35 115 6 27 1 2 0 11 2 7 15 .235 .248 (-5%) .307 (-7%) .322 (-14%) .629 (-11%) -172.8
1906 SLA AL 58 188 15 33 6 1 0 17 4 7 11 .176 .247 (-29%) .307 (-33%) .315 (-31%) .622 (-32%) -874.5
1907 SLA AL 71 230 27 61 11 1 1 25 1 7 25 .265 .245 (+8%) .304 (-2%) .308 (+8%) .613 (+3%) 65.4
1908 SLA AL 91 286 19 60 6 1 0 28 1 17 24 .210 .240 (-13%) .298 (-15%) .306 (-22%) .605 (-19%) -725.7
1909 BOS AL 28 74 6 12 1 0 0 9 2 6 6 .162 .244 (-34%) .306 (-27%) .312 (-44%) .618 (-35%) -354.0
1911 PHI NL 11 32 2 5 1 0 1 3 0 3 7 .156 — — — — 0.0
1916 DET AL 19 54 7 20 1 1 1 10 2 6 6 .370 .248 (+49%) .314 (+41%) .326 (+47%) .640 (+44%) 378.4
1917 DET AL 70 192 13 46 8 3 0 22 0 15 15 .240 .248 (-4%) .312 (+4%) .323 (-3%) .635 (avg) 56.3
1918 DET AL 66 155 11 34 8 1 0 8 1 19 18 .219 .255 (-14%) .318 (-2%) .326 (-13%) .645 (-8%) -131.9
Career · 9 seasons 449 1,326 106 298 43 10 3 133 13 87 127 .225 — — — — -1,759

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 (447 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Tubby Spencer — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home20958051126145.217
Away23873956173254.234

Last 10 Games — Batting

Tubby Spencer — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1918-09-01 DETSLAL 200000010
1918-08-31 DETSLAL 403000000
1918-08-30 DETCLEL 300000000
1918-08-28 DETBOSL 300000000
1918-08-27 DETBOSW 401000001
1918-08-26 DETBOSW 300000010
1918-08-24 DETNYYW 301100011
1918-08-22 DETNYYL 400000002
1918-08-21 DETNYYL 402000001
1918-08-19 DETPHAL 311000110

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tubby Spencer — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
C 405 240 1610 453 72 35

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tubby Spencer — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1905 SLA C 34 30 134 41 7 1
1906 SLA C 54 49 226 60 20 3
1907 SLA C 63 59 250 80 15 6
1908 SLA C 88 80 398 109 9 9
1909 BOS C 26 22 94 24 1 0
1911 PHI C 11 0 47 15 5 2
1916 DET C 19 0 58 21 1 1
1917 DET C 62 0 250 57 7 10
1918 DET 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1918 DET C 48 0 153 46 7 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tubby Spencer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 404
First Base 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Tubby Spencer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Roxy Walters
    .222 avg, 0 HR
  2. 97
    Jim Stephens
    .220 avg, 3 HR
  3. 97
    Walter Blair
    .217 avg, 3 HR
  4. 96
    Bob Barton
    .226 avg, 9 HR
  5. 92
    Mike Simon
    .225 avg, 1 HR
  6. 85
    Vicente Rodríguez
    .234 avg, 8 HR

Tubby Spencer: the record in brief

July 24, 1905 and September 1, 1918 bracket Tubby Spencer's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the St. Louis Browns (1905 to 1908), the Boston Red Sox (1909), the Philadelphia Phillies (1911), and the Detroit Tigers (1916 through 1918). Spencer played primarily as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on January 26, 1884, in Oil City, PA, USA, Spencer was listed at 5-foot-10 and 215 pounds. Spencer's death is recorded on February 1, 1945, in San Francisco, CA, USA. Tubby Spencer was the playing name; the full given name is Edward Russell.

Spencer collected 298 hits in 1,326 at bats across 449 games, good for a .225 batting average, adding 3 homers and 133 runs batted in. Spencer got on base at a .281 rate and slugged .279 (.560 OPS). The league as a whole hit .249 across Spencer's seasons, which puts the .225 career mark 9.9% below average. No season topped the 61 hits of 1907. The RBI column peaks at 28 in 1908.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tubby Spencer

What years did Tubby Spencer play?
Tubby Spencer played in Major League Baseball from 1905 to 1918.
Was Tubby Spencer a pitcher?
No. Tubby Spencer was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Tubby Spencer hit?
Tubby Spencer hit 3 career home runs with 298 hits.
What teams did Tubby Spencer play for?
Tubby Spencer played for 4 teams: the St. Louis Browns (1905–1908), the Boston Red Sox (1909), the Philadelphia Phillies (1911), and the Detroit Tigers (1916–1918).
What were Tubby Spencer's career stats?
In 449 games, Tubby Spencer had 298 hits, 3 home runs, 133 RBI, 106 runs, and 13 stolen bases, with a .225 batting average.
What position did Tubby Spencer play?
Tubby Spencer played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Tubby Spencer and how much did he weigh?
Tubby Spencer was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 215 pounds.
How many home runs did Tubby Spencer hit each season?
Tubby Spencer's home runs by season: 0 in 1905, 0 in 1906, 1 in 1907, 0 in 1908, 0 in 1909, 1 in 1911, 1 in 1916, 0 in 1917, and 0 in 1918. His most in one season was 1, in 1907, 1911, and 1916.
What was Tubby Spencer's career batting average?
Tubby Spencer batted .225 over his career, with 298 hits in 1,326 at bats.
How many RBI did Tubby Spencer have?
Tubby Spencer drove in 133 runs in his career.
Is Tubby Spencer in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tubby Spencer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.