Ira Thomas
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1906-1915)
Ira Thomas was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1915 for the New York Yankees, the Detroit Tigers, and the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 10 seasons. In 484 career games, he hit .242 with 327 hits, 3 home runs, and 155 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
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 200 lb
- Died
- 10/11/1958 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1906-05-18
- Last Game
- 1915-06-18
Full name: Ira Felix Thomas
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 484 | 1,352 | 124 | 327 | 46 | 17 | 3 | 155 | 20 | 82 | 141 | .242 | .296 | .308 | .604 | -1,340 |
Career AVG .242 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .296 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 6.8% below league average.
Career SLG .308 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 7.1% below league average.
Career OPS .604 vs. league average .649 across their career seasons — 7.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | NYA | AL | 44 | 115 | 12 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 8 | 11 | .200 | .247 (-19%) | .307 (-16%) | .315 (-23%) | .622 (-19%) | -313.3 |
| 1907 | NYA | AL | 80 | 208 | 20 | 40 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 5 | 10 | 24 | .192 | .245 (-22%) | .304 (-21%) | .308 (-13%) | .613 (-17%) | -531.5 |
| 1908 | DET | AL | 40 | 101 | 6 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 10 | .307 | .240 (+28%) | .298 (+16%) | .306 (+3%) | .605 (+10%) | 157.1 |
| 1909 | PHA | AL | 84 | 256 | 22 | 57 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 4 | 18 | 34 | .223 | .244 (-9%) | .306 (-5%) | .312 (-10%) | .618 (-7%) | -243.3 |
| 1910 | PHA | AL | 60 | 180 | 14 | 50 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 17 | .278 | .249 (+11%) | .317 (-5%) | .326 (+10%) | .644 (+3%) | 2.4 |
| 1911 | PHA | AL | 103 | 297 | 33 | 81 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 4 | 23 | 30 | .273 | .266 (+2%) | .336 (+2%) | .356 (-5%) | .693 (-2%) | -45.2 |
| 1912 | PHA | AL | 48 | 139 | 14 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 7 | .216 | .268 (-20%) | .335 (-20%) | .358 (-18%) | .694 (-19%) | -424.2 |
| 1913 | PHA | AL | 22 | 53 | 3 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 8 | .283 | .259 (+9%) | .325 (+2%) | .345 (+15%) | .670 (+9%) | 57.6 |
| 1914 | PHA | AL | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1915 | PHA | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 484 | 1,352 | 124 | 327 | 46 | 17 | 3 | 155 | 20 | 82 | 141 | .242 | — | — | — | — | -1,340 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (487 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 236 | 611 | 54 | 145 | 1 | 65 | .237 |
| Away | 251 | 738 | 71 | 185 | 2 | 92 | .251 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915-06-18 | PHA | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-09-05 | PHA | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-05-21 | PHA | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-09-12 | PHA | CHW | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1913-07-26 | PHA | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-07-23 | PHA | SLA | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1913-07-22 | PHA | SLA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-07-07 | PHA | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-07-04 | PHA | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1913-06-18 | PHA | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| C | 450 | 239 | 2129 | 576 | 83 | 42 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | NYA | C | 42 | 25 | 145 | 38 | 12 | 1 |
| 1907 | NYA | 1B | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1907 | NYA | C | 61 | 53 | 257 | 90 | 17 | 7 |
| 1908 | DET | C | 29 | 26 | 124 | 15 | 4 | 3 |
| 1909 | PHA | C | 84 | 81 | 479 | 112 | 9 | 5 |
| 1910 | PHA | C | 60 | 54 | 324 | 86 | 14 | 8 |
| 1911 | PHA | C | 103 | 0 | 499 | 150 | 17 | 12 |
| 1912 | PHA | C | 48 | 0 | 207 | 58 | 8 | 5 |
| 1913 | PHA | C | 21 | 0 | 88 | 25 | 2 | 1 |
| 1914 | PHA | C | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915 | PHA | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 449 |
| First Base | 2 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C1 |
| 1911 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C4 |
| 1910 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C1 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 8th | 12.0 | 64 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ira Thomas (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ira Thomas: the record in brief
Ira Thomas played a first major league game on May 18, 1906 and a last one on June 18, 1915. By club, Thomas's seasons break down as the New York Highlanders (1906 through 1907), the Detroit Tigers (1908), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1909 to 1915). Born on January 22, 1881, in Ballston Spa, NY, USA, Thomas is listed as a catcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 200 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. The bio records the death on October 11, 1958, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Thomas's full given name, per the bio, is Ira Felix Thomas.
In 484 games and 1,352 at bats, Thomas batted .242 with 327 hits; the totals also include 3 homers, 155 runs batted in, and 20 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .296 and .308 give Thomas a career OPS of .604. Thomas hit .242 while the league hit .253 over the same span, a figure close to average. The hits column peaks at 81, in 1911. 1911 brought the most runs batted in, 39.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ira Thomas
- What years did Ira Thomas play?
- Ira Thomas played in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1915.
- Was Ira Thomas a pitcher?
- No. Ira Thomas was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Ira Thomas hit?
- Ira Thomas hit 3 career home runs with 327 hits.
- What was Ira Thomas's career batting average?
- Ira Thomas batted .242 over his career, with 327 hits in 1,352 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ira Thomas have?
- Ira Thomas drove in 155 runs in his career.
- Is Ira Thomas in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ira Thomas has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.