What years did Jack Taylor play?

Jack Taylor played in Major League Baseball from 1891 to 1899.

Was Jack Taylor a pitcher?

Yes. Jack Taylor pitched in the major leagues, recording 120 wins and 529 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Jack Taylor hit?

Jack Taylor hit 5 career home runs with 234 hits.

What was Jack Taylor's career batting average?

Jack Taylor batted .251 over his career, with 234 hits in 931 at bats.

How many RBI did Jack Taylor have?

Jack Taylor drove in 137 runs in his career.

What was Jack Taylor's career ERA?

Jack Taylor finished with a 4.22 career ERA, going 120-117 with 529 strikeouts.

Jack Taylor

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1891-1899)

Jack Taylor was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1891 to 1899 for 4 teams, including the New York Giants, a span of 9 seasons. Across 271 career appearances, he went 120-117 with a 4.22 ERA and 529 strikeouts. He also batted .251 with 5 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 8008.5.

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 October 12, 2026

W–L 120–117

ERA 4.22

WHIP 1.46

SO 529

Pitcher PIV 8008.5

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'1" / 190 lb
Born: 5/23/1873 in Sandy Hill, MD, USA
Died: 2/7/1900 in Staten Island, NY, USA
MLB Debut: 1891-09-16
Last Game: 1899-09-12

Full name: John Besson Taylor

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Career Pitching Statistics

Jack Taylor — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
120	117	271	235	209	7	9	2091.0	2,476	981	74	583	529	4.22	8008.5

Career ERA 4.22 vs. league average 4.13 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jack Taylor (b. 1873, debut 1891) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1891	NY1	NL	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	8.0	4	1	3	3	1.12	—	0.0
1892	PHI	NL	1	0	3	3	2	0	0	26.0	28	4	10	7	1.38	3.28 (+58%)	-497.9
1893	PHI	NL	10	9	25	16	14	0	1	170.0	187	80	77	41	4.24	4.66 (+9%)	-1053.9
1894	PHI	NL	23	13	41	34	31	1	1	298.0	347	135	96	76	4.08	5.33 (+23%)	2527.8
1895	PHI	NL	26	14	41	37	33	1	1	335.0	403	167	83	93	4.49	4.77 (+6%)	5400.3
1896	PHI	NL	20	21	45	41	35	1	1	359.0	459	191	112	97	4.79	4.36 (-10%)	-1009.8
1897	PHI	NL	16	20	40	37	35	2	2	317.1	376	149	76	88	4.23	4.30 (+2%)	3019.4
1898	SLN	NL	15	29	50	47	42	0	1	397.1	465	172	83	89	3.90	3.59 (-8%)	91.8
1899	CIN	NL	9	10	25	19	16	2	2	180.1	207	82	43	35	4.09	3.85 (-6%)	-469.1
Career · 9 seasons			120	117	271	235	209	7	9	2,091.0	2,476	981	583	529	4.22	—	8,009

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

Jack Taylor — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
288	931	100	234	46	8	5	137	9	44	101	.251	.288	.334	.622	-2,570

Career AVG .251 vs. league average .278 across their career seasons — 9.7% below league average.

Career OBP .288 vs. league average .347 across their career seasons — 16.9% below league average.

Career SLG .334 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 10.4% below league average.

Career OPS .622 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — 13.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jack Taylor (b. 1873, debut 1891) 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
1891	NY1	NL	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1892	PHI	NL	3	12	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
1893	PHI	NL	31	93	11	20	5	1	0	18	1	1	8	.215	.279 (-23%)	.356 (-35%)	.379 (-23%)	.735 (-29%)	-473.8
1894	PHI	NL	42	145	20	48	11	2	0	24	4	6	13	.331	.309 (+7%)	.379 (-5%)	.435 (avg)	.814 (-2%)	-83.3
1895	PHI	NL	42	155	26	45	11	2	3	35	3	7	18	.290	.296 (-2%)	.361 (-9%)	.399 (+11%)	.761 (+2%)	-6.3
1896	PHI	NL	47	157	10	29	6	0	0	18	0	9	18	.185	.290 (-36%)	.354 (-35%)	.387 (-42%)	.741 (-39%)	-1018.4
1897	PHI	NL	43	139	12	35	6	1	1	17	0	7	17	.252	.291 (-14%)	.354 (-19%)	.387 (-15%)	.741 (-17%)	-401.5
1898	SLN	NL	54	157	17	38	5	2	1	18	1	12	19	.242	.270 (-11%)	.333 (-11%)	.347 (-8%)	.680 (-10%)	-254.6
1899	CIN	NL	25	71	3	17	2	0	0	7	0	0	7	.239	.282 (-15%)	.343 (-30%)	.366 (-27%)	.710 (-29%)	-331.7
Career · 9 seasons			288	931	100	234	46	8	5	137	9	44	101	.251	—	—	—	—	-2,570

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 (154 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jack Taylor — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	41	106	10	30	1	17	.283
Away	38	120	10	25	0	8	.208

Pitching — Home / Away

Jack Taylor — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	38	280.2	333	131	60	56	4.20
Away	37	293.0	339	130	66	68	3.99

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jack Taylor — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	RBI	SO
1899-09-12	CIN	WSN	L	1	0	0	0	0
1899-09-08	CIN	STL	L	4	0	1	0	0
1899-09-04	CIN	CL4	W	4	0	1	1	0
1899-08-31	CIN	PHI	L	3	0	1	0	0
1899-08-27	CIN	NY1	W	1	0	0	0	0
1899-08-22	CIN	PIT	L	4	1	0	0	0
1899-08-17	CIN	NY1	L	4	1	1	0	1
1899-08-15	CIN	BSN	W	3	0	1	0	0
1899-08-12	CIN	BSN	W	3	0	0	1	0
1899-08-08	CIN	BRO	W	4	0	1	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Jack Taylor — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1899-09-12	CIN	WSN	L	4.0	5	4	4	1	2	0
1899-09-08	CIN	STL	L	8.0	15	12	9	3	1	5
1899-09-04	CIN	CL4	W	9.0	4	1	1	0	0	0
1899-08-31	CIN	PHI	L	9.0	15	9	8	2	0	0
1899-08-27	CIN	NY1	SV	3.0	2	0	0	0	1	0
1899-08-22	CIN	PIT	—	9.0	9	4	3	3	0	0
1899-08-17	CIN	NY1	L	8.0	12	5	5	0	2	0
1899-08-15	CIN	BSN	W	9.0	5	0	0	3	2	0
1899-08-12	CIN	BSN	W	9.0	10	2	1	0	3	0
1899-08-08	CIN	BRO	W	9.0	8	6	3	2	2	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jack Taylor — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	9	0	7	0	3	0
P	271	0	101	579	77	19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jack Taylor — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1891	NY1	P	1	1	0	0	0
1892	PHI	P	3	0	3	5	0
1893	PHI	OF	3	3	0	1	0
1893	PHI	P	25	13	42	2	4
1894	PHI	P	41	13	68	12	3
1895	PHI	OF	1	0	0	1	0
1895	PHI	P	41	19	89	5	3
1896	PHI	OF	2	0	0	0	0
1896	PHI	P	45	19	107	11	3
1897	PHI	OF	1	3	0	1	0
1897	PHI	P	40	12	89	16	2
1898	SLN	OF	2	1	0	0	0
1898	SLN	P	50	18	144	22	2
1899	CIN	P	25	6	37	4	2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jack Taylor (b. 1873, debut 1891) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	271
Left Field	2
Center Field	3
Right Field	3

College History

Jack Taylor — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
Manhattan College	New York	NY	1891

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Jack Taylor (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Jack Taylor: the record in brief

September 16, 1891 and September 12, 1899 bracket Jack Taylor's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Taylor's seasons break down as the New York Giants (1891), the Philadelphia Phillies (1892 through 1897), the St. Louis Browns (1898), and the Cincinnati Reds (1899). Born on May 23, 1873, in Sandy Hill, MD, USA, Taylor is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 6'1" and 190 pounds. Taylor died on February 7, 1900, in Staten Island, NY, USA. Jack Taylor was the playing name; the full given name is John Besson.

Taylor's career pitching line is 120 wins, 117 losses and a 4.22 ERA over 271 appearances. The totals include 529 strikeouts, 209 complete games, and 7 shutouts. Taylor's 4.22 ERA was close to the 4.13 league figure for those seasons. No season topped the 26 wins of 1895. The strikeout high was 97 in 1896.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jack Taylor

What years did Jack Taylor play?: Jack Taylor played in Major League Baseball from 1891 to 1899.
Was Jack Taylor a pitcher?: Yes. Jack Taylor pitched in the major leagues, recording 120 wins and 529 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Jack Taylor hit?: Jack Taylor hit 5 career home runs with 234 hits.
What was Jack Taylor's career batting average?: Jack Taylor batted .251 over his career, with 234 hits in 931 at bats.
How many RBI did Jack Taylor have?: Jack Taylor drove in 137 runs in his career.
What was Jack Taylor's career ERA?: Jack Taylor finished with a 4.22 career ERA, going 120-117 with 529 strikeouts.