Joe Sugden

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1893-1912)

Joe Sugden was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1893 to 1912 for 6 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 20 seasons. In 836 career games, he hit .255 with 696 hits, 3 home runs, and 283 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 .255
HR 3
RBI 283
H 696
OPS .621
PIV -4,008
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 180 lb
Born
7/31/1870 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Died
6/26/1959 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1893-07-20
Last Game
1912-05-18

Full name: Joseph Sugden

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Career Batting Statistics

Joe Sugden — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
836 2,729 303 696 72 25 3 283 48 220 165 .255 .318 .303 .621 -4,008

Career AVG .255 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 6.7% below league average.

Career OBP .318 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .303 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — 16.2% below league average.

Career OPS .621 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — 10.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Sugden 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
1893 PIT NL 27 92 20 24 4 3 0 12 1 10 11 .261 .279 (-7%) .356 (-5%) .379 (-3%) .735 (-4%) -67.7
1894 PIT NL 39 139 23 46 13 2 2 23 3 14 2 .331 .309 (+7%) .379 (+7%) .435 (+14%) .814 (+11%) 283.4
1895 PIT NL 50 158 28 48 4 1 1 17 4 16 12 .304 .296 (+3%) .361 (+5%) .399 (-10%) .761 (-3%) -25.5
1896 PIT NL 80 301 42 89 5 7 0 36 5 19 9 .296 .290 (+2%) .354 (-2%) .387 (-7%) .741 (-5%) -231.8
1897 PIT NL 84 288 31 64 6 4 0 38 9 18 13 .222 .291 (-24%) .354 (-22%) .387 (-30%) .741 (-26%) -1258.8
1898 SLN NL 89 289 29 73 7 1 0 34 5 23 20 .253 .270 (-7%) .333 (-6%) .347 (-18%) .680 (-12%) -495.4
1899 CL4 NL 76 250 19 69 5 1 0 14 2 11 7 .276 .282 (-2%) .343 (-11%) .366 (-17%) .710 (-14%) -561.9
1901 CHA AL 48 153 21 42 7 1 0 19 4 13 5 .275 .271 (+1%) .326 (+4%) .359 (-7%) .686 (-2%) -15.2
1902 SLA AL 68 200 25 50 7 2 0 15 2 20 14 .250 .266 (-6%) .321 (+3%) .343 (-11%) .665 (-5%) -73.0
1903 SLA AL 79 241 18 51 4 0 0 22 4 25 20 .212 .261 (-19%) .316 (-9%) .345 (-34%) .662 (-22%) -694.3
1904 SLA AL 105 348 25 93 6 3 0 30 6 28 35 .267 .246 (+8%) .300 (+10%) .321 (-6%) .622 (+2%) 227.8
1905 SLA AL 90 266 21 46 4 0 0 23 3 23 17 .173 .248 (-30%) .307 (-20%) .322 (-42%) .629 (-31%) -1096.0
1912 DET AL 1 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .250 — — — — 0.0
Career · 13 seasons 836 2,729 303 696 72 25 3 283 48 220 165 .255 — — — — -4,008

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 Sugden — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.0

Career ERA 0.00 vs. league average 3.17 across their career seasons — 100.0% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Sugden — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1902 SLA AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 0 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 1 season 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 0 0.00 — 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.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (558 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Joe Sugden — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home25779077205068.259
Away30096682220069.228

Pitching — Home / Away

Joe Sugden — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home11.010000.00

Last 10 Games — Batting

Joe Sugden — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1912-05-18 DETPHAL 411000001
1905-10-08 SLACHWW 300000000
1905-10-07 SLACHWL 301000000
1905-10-03 SLAPHAL 401000001
1905-09-30 SLAMINL 300000000
1905-09-28 SLAMINL 100000000
1905-09-26 SLANYYW 400000000
1905-09-23 SLABOSL 000000000
1905-09-22 SLABOSL 201000000
1905-09-18 SLACHWW 000000000

Last 1 Games — Pitching

Joe Sugden — Last 1 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1902-09-28 SLACHW — 1.0100000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Joe Sugden — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 76 31 645 29 13 29
3B 5 0 6 6 5 1
C 709 151 2812 861 166 84
OF 24 0 30 2 4 1
P 1 0 0 1 0 0
SS 3 0 6 8 4 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Sugden — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1893 PIT C 27 0 81 27 5 3
1894 PIT 3B 4 0 6 6 3 1
1894 PIT C 31 0 105 27 13 4
1894 PIT OF 1 0 3 2 1 0
1894 PIT SS 3 0 6 8 4 0
1895 PIT C 50 0 179 58 26 4
1896 PIT 1B 7 0 46 3 2 4
1896 PIT C 70 0 284 70 18 12
1896 PIT OF 4 0 7 0 1 0
1897 PIT 1B 3 0 25 1 2 2
1897 PIT C 81 0 317 82 25 6
1898 SLN 1B 8 0 74 3 1 4
1898 SLN C 60 0 181 88 18 8
1898 SLN OF 15 0 17 0 2 1
1899 CL4 1B 3 0 14 3 0 3
1899 CL4 3B 1 0 0 0 2 0
1899 CL4 C 66 0 196 108 21 11
1899 CL4 OF 4 0 3 0 0 0
1901 CHA 1B 5 0 21 2 0 0
1901 CHA C 42 0 179 47 7 4
1902 SLA 1B 4 0 18 1 1 0
1902 SLA C 61 0 192 67 12 9
1902 SLA P 1 0 0 1 0 0
1903 SLA 1B 8 0 70 3 1 4
1903 SLA C 66 0 321 81 7 6
1904 SLA 1B 28 22 275 8 4 11
1904 SLA C 79 78 370 94 5 11
1905 SLA 1B 9 9 89 2 1 1
1905 SLA C 76 73 407 112 9 6
1912 DET 1B 1 0 13 3 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joe Sugden Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 1
Catcher 710
First Base 76
Third Base 5
Shortstop 3
Center Field 6
Right Field 18

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Mike Gonzalez
    .253 avg, 13 HR
  2. 96
    Walter Schmidt
    .257 avg, 3 HR
  3. 91
    Ed Phelps
    .251 avg, 3 HR
  4. 88
    Bill Carrigan
    .257 avg, 6 HR
  5. 88
    Larry McLean
    .262 avg, 6 HR
  6. 88
    Bill Rariden
    .237 avg, 7 HR

Joe Sugden: the record in brief

According to the bio, Joe Sugden debuted on July 20, 1893 and played a final game on May 18, 1912. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1893 through 1897), the St. Louis Browns (1898 to 1905), the Cleveland Spiders (1899), the Chicago White Sox (1901), and the Detroit Tigers (1912). Born on July 31, 1870, in Philadelphia, PA, USA, Sugden is listed as a catcher and switch-hit and threw right-handed. Sugden's listed size is 5'10" and 180 pounds. The bio records the death on June 26, 1959, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. On the record, Joe Sugden was born Joseph Sugden.

Across 836 games at the plate, Sugden's career line reads 696 hits in 2,729 at bats for a .255 average; the totals also include 3 homers, 283 runs batted in, and 48 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .318 clip and slugging .303, Sugden finished with a .621 OPS. Set against a .273 league average for the same years, Sugden's .255 average sits 6.7% below it.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Sugden

What years did Joe Sugden play?
Joe Sugden played in Major League Baseball from 1893 to 1912.
Was Joe Sugden a pitcher?
No. Joe Sugden was a position player (Catcher), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
How many home runs did Joe Sugden hit?
Joe Sugden hit 3 career home runs with 696 hits.
What teams did Joe Sugden play for?
Joe Sugden played for 6 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1893–1897), the St. Louis Browns (1898), the Cleveland Spiders (1899), the Chicago White Sox (1901), the St. Louis Browns (1902–1905), and the Detroit Tigers (1912).
What were Joe Sugden's career stats?
In 836 games, Joe Sugden had 696 hits, 3 home runs, 283 RBI, 303 runs, and 48 stolen bases, with a .255 batting average.
What position did Joe Sugden play?
Joe Sugden played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joe Sugden and how much did he weigh?
Joe Sugden was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 180 pounds.
How many home runs did Joe Sugden hit each season?
Joe Sugden's home runs by season: 0 in 1893, 2 in 1894, 1 in 1895, 0 in 1896, 0 in 1897, 0 in 1898, 0 in 1899, 0 in 1901, 0 in 1902, 0 in 1903, 0 in 1904, 0 in 1905, and 0 in 1912. His most in one season was 2, in 1894.
What was Joe Sugden's career batting average?
Joe Sugden batted .255 over his career, with 696 hits in 2,729 at bats.
How many RBI did Joe Sugden have?
Joe Sugden drove in 283 runs in his career.
What was Joe Sugden's career ERA?
Joe Sugden finished with a 0.00 career ERA, going 0-0 with 0 strikeouts.
Is Joe Sugden in the Hall of Fame?
No. Joe Sugden has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.