1871 Season Leaders
Top performers from the 1871 baseball season. Click column headers to sort.
These are the 1871 Major League Baseball season leaders in batting and pitching. George Zettlein had the lowest ERA at 2.73. Batting average, OBP, SLG and OPS list qualified hitters only — 3.1 plate appearances per team game, which is 89 plate appearances at 29 team games; ERA and WHIP require one inning per team game (29 innings). Lines below those thresholds are shown and marked unqualified.
- 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.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
Data updated
Batting Leaders
Qualified: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 89 plate appearances at 29 team games. 0 of the 0 hitters listed qualify; the rest cleared 200+ plate appearances and are marked UNQ. Rate columns (AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS) rank qualified hitters first.
Complete Statistics
| Player | Team | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|
Pitching Leaders
Qualified: 1 inning pitched per team game — 29 innings at 29 team games. 9 of the 9 pitchers listed qualify; the rest cleared 50+ innings and are marked UNQ. ERA and WHIP rank qualified pitchers first.
Complete Statistics
| Player | Team | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Zettlein | CH1 | 18 | 9 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 240.2 | 298 | 73 | 25 | 22 | 2.73 | 1.34 |
| Al Spalding | BS1 | 19 | 10 | 31 | 31 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 257.1 | 333 | 96 | 38 | 23 | 3.36 | 1.44 |
| Rynie Wolters | NY2 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 283.0 | 345 | 108 | 39 | 22 | 3.43 | 1.36 |
| Al Pratt | CL1 | 10 | 17 | 28 | 28 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 224.2 | 296 | 94 | 47 | 34 | 3.77 | 1.53 |
| Cherokee Fisher | RC1 | 4 | 16 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 213.0 | 295 | 103 | 31 | 15 | 4.35 | 1.53 |
| Asa Brainard | WS3 | 12 | 15 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 264.0 | 361 | 132 | 37 | 13 | 4.50 | 1.51 |
| Dick McBride | PH1 | 18 | 5 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 222.0 | 285 | 113 | 40 | 15 | 4.58 | 1.46 |
| Bobby Mathews | FW1 | 6 | 11 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 169.0 | 261 | 97 | 21 | 17 | 5.17 | 1.67 |
| John McMullin | TRO | 12 | 15 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 249.0 | 430 | 153 | 75 | 12 | 5.53 | 2.03 |
Reading the 1871 leader tables
The 1871 pitching table lists 9 pitchers, 9 of them qualified. The qualified ERA race is led by George Zettlein at 2.73. The counting columns are topped by Al Spalding in wins (19) and Al Pratt in strikeouts (34).
1871 Season Leaders: Frequently Asked Questions
- Who led MLB in wins in 1871?
- Al Spalding led with 19 wins in 1871.
- Who led MLB in strikeouts in 1871?
- Al Pratt led with 34 strikeouts in 1871.
- Who had the lowest ERA in 1871?
- George Zettlein at 2.73, among qualified pitchers (3.1 plate appearances per team game).