Hall of Stats

Deacon White

Position

Third Baseman

Years

1871-1890

Hall Rating

113

Hall of Fame (2013 via Veterans)

Inductee

Hall of Stats

Inductee

Hall of Merit

Inductee

Peak

49%

Longevity

51%

Deacon White’s career began three years before the National Association was formed. He then played twenty Major League seasons. In the 1870s (from age 23 to 31), White hit .345/.358/.437, good for an OPS+ of 151. Despite his dominance, he wasn’t able to pad his career totals. Seasons were short back then and White played in only 525 games (he missed only eight of his team’s games despite being a barehanded catcher).

White accumulated 23.7 WAR in those 533 team-games. If you prorate those 533 games across nine 162-game seasons, suddenly White could have earned 64.8 WAR. Of course, it’s impossible to say he would have accumulated that WAR total across full seasons, but it gives you an idea of White’s relative value.

But White wasn’t done there. In the 1880s he converted to third base and added another 20 WAR and 1221 hits (in 1035 games with a 114 OPS+) to his resume. His career totals include a .312/.346/.393 line, good for an OPS+ of 127. He collected 2067 hits. But remember—his prime is not represented well in those totals (neither the counting stats nor the rate stats). He didn’t play 100 games in a season until he was 36 years old. In fact, he played more games from ages 35 to 42 than he did from age 23 to 34.

White was the first player inducted to the Hall of Fame after the launch of the Hall of Stats.

Articles Mentioning Deacon White

• Reaching the BBWAA Standard, not just the Hall of Fame Standard • Jan 10, 2014
• New Visual: Graham Womack’s Top 50 Players Not in the Hall of Fame • Jan 7, 2014
• Vote: 50 Best Players Not in the Hall of Fame (2014 Edition) • Dec 6, 2013
• New Role: SABR Nineteenth Century Overlooked Legend Committee Chair • Sep 26, 2013
• Anticipating the 2014 Expansion Era Hall of Fame Ballot • Sep 13, 2013
• Ross Barnes is SABR’s 2013 Nineteenth Century Overlooked Legend • Aug 1, 2013
• At Long Last, the Deacon Is In • Jul 29, 2013
• Who’s in the Hall of Stats (but not the Hall of Fame)? • Jun 18, 2013
• Voting Open for the 2013 SABR Nineteenth Century Overlooked Legend • Jun 7, 2013
• High Hall Ratings with Multiple Franchises • Mar 13, 2013
• Personal Hall of Fame, Part 6: Filling in the Gaps • Mar 12, 2013
• New: Franchise Pages • Mar 11, 2013
• Personal Hall of Fame, Part 4: The Infield • Feb 22, 2013
• Personal Hall of Fame, Part 1: Time to Commit • Feb 14, 2013
• 19th Century Overlooked Legend: My Preliminary Ballot • Feb 5, 2013
• The Hall of Fame Case for Jack Glasscock • Jan 18, 2013
• Nobody’s In: This is Why I Made the Hall of Stats • Jan 9, 2013
• Deacon White: 4,000 Hit Man • Dec 11, 2012
• John Olerud Inducted to the Hall of Stats • Dec 4, 2012
• Deacon White is a Hall of Famer • Dec 3, 2012
• Vote: 50 Best Players Not in the Hall of Fame • Dec 2, 2012
• The All Non-Hall of Fame National Association Team • Nov 28, 2012

Rankings by Hall Rating

• 177th All Time (Top 1.0%)
• 119th among Hall of Fame
• 156th among Hall of Stats

Franchise Contributions by Hall Rating

• BNA 27 (5th)
• BUF 19 (6th)
• CNR 19 (1st)
• DTN 14 (11th)
• CHC 12 (161st)
• ATL 10 (194th)
• CFC 9 (1st)
• BFB 3 (3rd)
• PIT 0 (745th)

Career Statistics