Frank Welch
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1919-1927)
Frank Welch was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1919 to 1927 for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 9 seasons. In 738 career games, he hit .274 with 634 hits, 41 home runs, and 295 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,460.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 175 lb
- Died
- 7/25/1957 in Birmingham, AL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1919-09-09
- Last Game
- 1927-08-13
Full name: Frank Tiguer Welch
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 738 | 2,310 | 310 | 634 | 100 | 31 | 41 | 295 | 18 | 250 | 225 | .274 | .350 | .398 | .748 | 1,460 |
Career AVG .274 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .350 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .398 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .748 vs. league average .730 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | PHA | AL | 15 | 54 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 10 | .167 | .262 (-36%) | .322 (-19%) | .347 (-4%) | .670 (-11%) | -96.7 |
| 1920 | PHA | AL | 100 | 360 | 43 | 93 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 40 | 2 | 26 | 41 | .258 | .271 (-5%) | .331 (-6%) | .363 (+1%) | .694 (-2%) | -177.1 |
| 1921 | PHA | AL | 115 | 403 | 48 | 115 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 45 | 6 | 34 | 43 | .285 | .286 (avg) | .344 (+1%) | .395 (+4%) | .739 (+3%) | 209.1 |
| 1922 | PHA | AL | 114 | 375 | 43 | 97 | 17 | 3 | 11 | 49 | 3 | 40 | 40 | .259 | .285 (-9%) | .345 (-3%) | .397 (+3%) | .743 (avg) | 7.1 |
| 1923 | PHA | AL | 125 | 421 | 56 | 125 | 19 | 9 | 4 | 55 | 1 | 48 | 40 | .297 | .282 (+5%) | .344 (+9%) | .390 (+6%) | .734 (+7%) | 678.8 |
| 1924 | PHA | AL | 94 | 293 | 47 | 85 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 31 | 2 | 35 | 27 | .290 | .283 (+2%) | .345 (+8%) | .389 (+3%) | .734 (+5%) | 364.3 |
| 1925 | PHA | AL | 85 | 202 | 40 | 56 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 41 | 2 | 29 | 14 | .277 | .288 (-4%) | .349 (+7%) | .407 (-2%) | .756 (+2%) | 162.8 |
| 1926 | PHA | AL | 75 | 174 | 26 | 49 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 2 | 26 | 9 | .282 | .279 (+1%) | .345 (+10%) | .390 (+5%) | .735 (+7%) | 311.7 |
| 1927 | BOS | AL | 15 | 28 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | .179 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 738 | 2,310 | 310 | 634 | 100 | 31 | 41 | 295 | 18 | 250 | 225 | .274 | — | — | — | — | 1,460 | ||
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 (738 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 388 | 1216 | 187 | 343 | 28 | 177 | .282 |
| Away | 350 | 1095 | 125 | 291 | 13 | 128 | .266 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927-08-13 | BOS | PHA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1927-08-11 | BOS | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1927-08-02 | BOS | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1927-07-30 | BOS | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-07-30 | BOS | SLA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-07-28 | BOS | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-07-28 | BOS | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-07-26 | BOS | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-07-23 | BOS | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927-07-19 | BOS | CLE | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | PHA | OF | 15 | 0 | 38 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1920 | PHA | OF | 97 | 0 | 194 | 14 | 14 | 4 |
| 1921 | PHA | OF | 104 | 0 | 251 | 16 | 16 | 1 |
| 1922 | PHA | OF | 104 | 0 | 191 | 12 | 11 | 2 |
| 1923 | PHA | OF | 117 | 0 | 253 | 13 | 9 | 4 |
| 1924 | PHA | OF | 74 | 0 | 120 | 15 | 2 | 2 |
| 1925 | PHA | OF | 57 | 0 | 85 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 1926 | PHA | OF | 49 | 0 | 75 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 1927 | BOS | OF | 6 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 41 |
| Center Field | 192 |
| Right Field | 391 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Frank Welch (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frank Welch: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 9, 1919 and the final game on August 13, 1927, Frank Welch built the record summarized on this page. By club, Welch's seasons break down as the Philadelphia Athletics (1919 through 1926) and the Boston Red Sox (1927). Welch played primarily as an outfielder and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on August 10, 1897, in Birmingham, AL, USA and a listed size of 5'9" and 175 pounds. The bio records the death on July 25, 1957, in Birmingham, AL, USA. Welch's full given name, per the bio, is Frank Tiguer Welch.
The batting record for Welch: 738 games, 634 hits in 2,310 at bats, and a .274 average, along with 41 homers and 295 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .350 and .398 give Welch a career OPS of .748. The .274 career average is close to the .281 the league hit across the same seasons. 1922 was Welch's biggest home run year, with 11. No season topped the 125 hits of 1923.
Frequently Asked Questions about Frank Welch
- What years did Frank Welch play?
- Frank Welch played in Major League Baseball from 1919 to 1927.
- Was Frank Welch a pitcher?
- No. Frank Welch was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Frank Welch hit?
- Frank Welch hit 41 career home runs with 634 hits.
- What teams did Frank Welch play for?
- Frank Welch played for 2 teams: the Philadelphia Athletics (1919–1926) and the Boston Red Sox (1927).
- What were Frank Welch's career stats?
- In 738 games, Frank Welch had 634 hits, 41 home runs, 295 RBI, 310 runs, and 18 stolen bases, with a .274 batting average.
- What position did Frank Welch play?
- Frank Welch played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Frank Welch and how much did he weigh?
- Frank Welch was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 175 pounds.
- How many home runs did Frank Welch hit each season?
- Frank Welch's home runs by season: 2 in 1919, 4 in 1920, 7 in 1921, 11 in 1922, 4 in 1923, 5 in 1924, 4 in 1925, 4 in 1926, and 0 in 1927. His most in one season was 11, in 1922.
- What was Frank Welch's career batting average?
- Frank Welch batted .274 over his career, with 634 hits in 2,310 at bats.
- How many RBI did Frank Welch have?
- Frank Welch drove in 295 runs in his career.
- Is Frank Welch in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Frank Welch has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.