Ed Sweeney

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1908-1919)

Ed Sweeney was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1919 for the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 12 seasons. In 644 career games, he hit .232 with 427 hits, 3 home runs, and 151 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 .232
HR 3
RBI 151
H 427
OPS .587
PIV -2,391
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 200 lb
Born
7/19/1888 in Chicago, IL, USA
Died
7/4/1947 in Chicago, IL, USA
MLB Debut
1908-05-16
Last Game
1919-06-01

Full name: Edward Francis Sweeney

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Career Batting Statistics

Ed Sweeney — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
644 1,841 173 427 48 13 3 151 63 181 182 .232 .310 .277 .587 -2,391

Career AVG .232 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 9.1% below league average.

Career OBP .310 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .277 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 17.6% below league average.

Career OPS .587 vs. league average .657 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ed Sweeney 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
1908 NYA AL 32 82 4 12 2 0 0 2 0 5 14 .146 .240 (-39%) .298 (-35%) .306 (-44%) .605 (-39%) -439.1
1909 NYA AL 67 176 18 47 3 0 0 21 3 16 19 .267 .244 (+9%) .306 (+7%) .312 (-9%) .618 (-1%) 19.7
1910 NYA AL 78 215 25 43 4 4 0 13 12 17 18 .200 .249 (-20%) .317 (-15%) .326 (-22%) .644 (-18%) -566.0
1911 NYA AL 83 229 17 53 6 5 0 18 8 14 26 .231 .266 (-13%) .336 (-11%) .356 (-16%) .693 (-13%) -479.4
1912 NYA AL 110 351 37 94 12 1 0 30 6 27 16 .268 .268 (avg) .335 (-3%) .358 (-14%) .694 (-9%) -435.8
1913 NYA AL 117 351 35 93 10 2 2 40 11 37 41 .265 .259 (+2%) .325 (+7%) .345 (-7%) .670 (avg) 157.7
1914 NYA AL 87 258 25 55 8 1 1 22 19 35 30 .213 .255 (-16%) .322 (-2%) .339 (-22%) .661 (-12%) -361.7
1915 NYA AL 53 137 12 26 2 0 0 5 3 25 12 .190 .250 (-24%) .318 (avg) .332 (-39%) .651 (-20%) -286.7
1919 PIT NL 17 42 0 4 1 0 0 0 1 5 6 .095 — — — — 0.0
Career · 9 seasons 644 1,841 173 427 48 13 3 151 63 181 182 .232 — — — — -2,391

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 (644 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ed Sweeney — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home32690394228383.252
Away31893777198076.211

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ed Sweeney — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1919-06-01 PITCINL 300000000
1919-05-31 PITCINW 400000000
1919-05-30 PITCINW 200000011
1919-05-29 PITCINL 200000001
1919-05-28 PITNY1W 301000000
1919-05-27 PITNY1L 300000000
1919-05-26 PITNY1L 200000010
1919-05-25 PITBROL 300000001
1919-05-24 PITBROL 301000010
1919-05-23 PITBROL 201100020

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ed Sweeney — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 5 1 32 1 2 1
C 613 144 2853 852 138 50
OF 2 1 0 0 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ed Sweeney — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1908 NYA 1B 1 1 12 0 1 0
1908 NYA C 25 19 122 26 7 2
1908 NYA OF 1 1 0 0 1 0
1909 NYA 1B 3 0 19 1 1 1
1909 NYA C 62 51 274 83 20 7
1910 NYA C 77 74 388 106 13 2
1911 NYA C 83 0 394 94 18 8
1912 NYA C 108 0 548 167 34 9
1913 NYA 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1913 NYA C 112 0 511 180 26 9
1913 NYA OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1914 NYA C 78 0 369 120 10 7
1915 NYA C 53 0 213 59 7 4
1919 PIT C 15 0 34 17 3 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ed Sweeney Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 613
First Base 5
Right Field 1

Awards & Honors

Ed Sweeney — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1910 Baseball Magazine All-Star C2

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Ed Sweeney (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Tim Donahue
    .236 avg, 2 HR
  2. 93
    Admiral Schlei
    .237 avg, 6 HR
  3. 80
    Bruce Petway
    .246 avg, 7 HR
  4. 80
    Ron Brand
    .239 avg, 3 HR
  5. 79
    Gene Desautels
    .233 avg, 3 HR
  6. 79
    Morgan Murphy
    .225 avg, 10 HR

Ed Sweeney: the record in brief

Between the debut on May 16, 1908 and the final game on June 1, 1919, Ed Sweeney built the record summarized on this page. By club, Sweeney's seasons break down as the New York Highlanders (1908 to 1912), the New York Yankees (1913 to 1915), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1919). Sweeney played primarily as a catcher and batted and threw right-handed. Born on July 19, 1888, in Chicago, IL, USA, Sweeney was listed at 6 feet, 1 inch and 200 pounds. Sweeney's death is recorded on July 4, 1947, in Chicago, IL, USA. Sweeney's full given name, per the bio, is Edward Francis Sweeney.

The batting record for Sweeney: 644 games, 427 hits in 1,841 at bats, and a .232 average, plus 3 home runs, 151 RBI, and 63 stolen bases. Sweeney got on base at a .310 rate and slugged .277 (.587 OPS). Set against a .255 league average for the same years, Sweeney's .232 average sits 9.1% below it. In OPS terms, Sweeney's .587 stands 10.6% below the league's .657. Sweeney collected a career-high 94 hits in 1912.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ed Sweeney

What years did Ed Sweeney play?
Ed Sweeney played in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1919.
Was Ed Sweeney a pitcher?
No. Ed Sweeney was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Ed Sweeney hit?
Ed Sweeney hit 3 career home runs with 427 hits.
What teams did Ed Sweeney play for?
Ed Sweeney played for 2 teams: the New York Yankees (1908–1915) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1919).
What were Ed Sweeney's career stats?
In 644 games, Ed Sweeney had 427 hits, 3 home runs, 151 RBI, 173 runs, and 63 stolen bases, with a .232 batting average.
What position did Ed Sweeney play?
Ed Sweeney played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Ed Sweeney and how much did he weigh?
Ed Sweeney was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds.
How many home runs did Ed Sweeney hit each season?
Ed Sweeney's home runs by season: 0 in 1908, 0 in 1909, 0 in 1910, 0 in 1911, 0 in 1912, 2 in 1913, 1 in 1914, 0 in 1915, and 0 in 1919. His most in one season was 2, in 1913.
What was Ed Sweeney's career batting average?
Ed Sweeney batted .232 over his career, with 427 hits in 1,841 at bats.
How many RBI did Ed Sweeney have?
Ed Sweeney drove in 151 runs in his career.
Is Ed Sweeney in the Hall of Fame?
No. Ed Sweeney has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.