Walter Thornton
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1895-1898)
Walter Thornton was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1895 to 1898 for the Chicago Cubs, a span of 4 seasons. In 154 career games, he hit .312 with 162 hits, 1 home runs, and 77 RBI. He also pitched in 56 games, going 23-18 with a 4.18 ERA. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 661.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 180 lb
- Died
- 7/14/1960 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1895-07-01
- Last Game
- 1898-10-08
Full name: Walter Miller Thornton
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 154 | 519 | 83 | 162 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 77 | 23 | 60 | 33 | .312 | .390 | .382 | .771 | 661 |
Career AVG .312 vs. league average .287 across their career seasons — +8.8% above league average.
Career OBP .390 vs. league average .350 across their career seasons — +11.2% above league average.
Career SLG .382 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .771 vs. league average .730 across their career seasons — +5.7% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1895 | CHN | NL | 8 | 22 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .318 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1896 | CHN | NL | 9 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | .364 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1897 | CHN | NL | 75 | 265 | 39 | 85 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 55 | 13 | 30 | 16 | .321 | .291 (+10%) | .354 (+13%) | .387 (+3%) | .741 (+8%) | 510.6 |
| 1898 | CHN | NL | 62 | 210 | 34 | 62 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 22 | 14 | .295 | .270 (+9%) | .333 (+8%) | .347 (-3%) | .680 (+3%) | 150.3 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 154 | 519 | 83 | 162 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 77 | 23 | 60 | 33 | .312 | — | — | — | — | 661 | ||
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.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1895 | CHN | NL | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 40.0 | 58 | 27 | 31 | 13 | 6.08 | 4.77 (-27%) | -1833.8 |
| 1896 | CHN | NL | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23.2 | 30 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 5.70 | 4.36 (-31%) | -169.4 |
| 1897 | CHN | NL | 6 | 7 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 130.1 | 164 | 68 | 51 | 55 | 4.70 | 4.30 (-9%) | 404.0 |
| 1898 | CHN | NL | 13 | 10 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 215.1 | 226 | 80 | 56 | 56 | 3.34 | 3.59 (+7%) | 461.9 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 23 | 18 | 56 | 48 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 409.1 | 478 | 190 | 151 | 134 | 4.18 | — | -1,137 | ||
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 (90 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 33 | 105 | 18 | 35 | 0 | 8 | .333 |
| Away | 29 | 105 | 16 | 27 | 0 | 6 | .257 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 17 | 141.0 | 145 | 49 | 32 | 40 | 3.13 |
| Away | 11 | 74.1 | 81 | 34 | 24 | 16 | 4.12 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898-10-08 | CHC | STL | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-10-04 | CHC | LS3 | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1898-09-26 | CHC | PIT | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-09-22 | CHC | BLN | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-09-19 | CHC | WSN | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898-09-16 | CHC | PHI | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-09-09 | CHC | CIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-09-05 | CHC | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898-09-03 | CHC | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-08-29 | CHC | NY1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898-10-08 | CHC | STL | W | 9.0 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1898-10-04 | CHC | LS3 | L | 9.0 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898-09-26 | CHC | PIT | W | 9.0 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1898-09-19 | CHC | WSN | — | 4.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1898-09-16 | CHC | PHI | W | 9.0 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1898-09-09 | CHC | CIN | L | 5.0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898-09-05 | CHC | PIT | L | 9.0 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1898-09-03 | CHC | BRO | L | 2.0 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1898-08-29 | CHC | NY1 | L | 9.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1898-08-26 | CHC | BSN | W | 9.0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 56 |
| First Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 50 |
| Center Field | 36 |
| Right Field | 10 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell College | Mount Vernon | IA | 1895 |
Walter Thornton: the record in brief
Walter Thornton's major league career runs from a debut on July 1, 1895 to a final game on October 8, 1898. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago Colts (1895 to 1897) and the Chicago Orphans (1898). At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Thornton is listed as an outfielder. Thornton both batted and threw left-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is February 18, 1875, in Peoria, IL, USA. The bio records the death on July 14, 1960, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Walter Thornton was the playing name; the full given name is Walter Miller.
Thornton's career batting table shows 154 games, 519 at bats and 162 hits, a .312 average; the totals also include 1 home run, 77 runs batted in, and 23 stolen bases. Thornton's career OPS of .771 combines a .390 on-base mark with .382 slugging. Over the seasons Thornton played, league hitters batted .287; the .312 career figure is 8.8% above that. In OPS terms, Thornton's .771 stands 5.7% above the league's .730.
Frequently Asked Questions about Walter Thornton
- What years did Walter Thornton play?
- Walter Thornton played in Major League Baseball from 1895 to 1898.
- Was Walter Thornton a pitcher?
- Both. Walter Thornton pitched in 56 games, going 23-18 with a 4.18 ERA, but spent most of his career as an Outfielder.
- How many home runs did Walter Thornton hit?
- Walter Thornton hit 1 career home run with 162 hits.
- What teams did Walter Thornton play for?
- Walter Thornton played for one team, the Chicago Orphans (1895–1898).
- What were Walter Thornton's career stats?
- In 154 games, Walter Thornton had 162 hits, 1 home runs, 77 RBI, 83 runs, and 23 stolen bases, with a .312 batting average. As a pitcher, in 56 games, he went 23-18 with a 4.18 ERA, 134 strikeouts, 409.1 innings pitched, and 1 saves.
- What position did Walter Thornton play?
- Walter Thornton played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Walter Thornton and how much did he weigh?
- Walter Thornton was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Walter Thornton hit each season?
- Walter Thornton's home runs by season: 1 in 1895, 0 in 1896, 0 in 1897, and 0 in 1898. His most in one season was 1, in 1895.
- What was Walter Thornton's career batting average?
- Walter Thornton batted .312 over his career, with 162 hits in 519 at bats.
- How many RBI did Walter Thornton have?
- Walter Thornton drove in 77 runs in his career.
- What was Walter Thornton's career ERA?
- Walter Thornton finished with a 4.18 career ERA, going 23-18 with 134 strikeouts.
- Is Walter Thornton in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Walter Thornton has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.