Rube Waddell
Waddell struck out 2,316 batters in an era when hitters rarely whiffed — a staggering achievement that made him baseball's first true strikeout artist. His peak ERA+ of 191 in 1905 represents one of the most dominant pitching seasons in baseball history, nearly twice as effective as league average.
The left-hander's 2.16 career ERA came during the dead-ball era, but his strikeout rate was unprecedented for any time period. While contemporaries relied on weak contact and fielding, Waddell simply overpowered hitters with a blazing fastball that few could touch.
His 193 wins against 143 losses might seem modest, but that record came playing for mostly mediocre teams. Waddell's 132 career ERA+ tells the real story — he was consistently excellent across 14 seasons, establishing the template for the power pitcher that would define baseball's future.
Career · Hitting
13 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | LS3 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — |
| 1899 | LS3 | 10 | 34 | 0 | 3 | .235 | — | — |
| 1900 | PIT | 30 | 81 | 0 | 9 | .173 | — | — |
| 1901 | CHC | 32 | 101 | 2 | 14 | .248 | — | — |
| 1902 | PHA | 34 | 112 | 1 | 18 | .286 | — | — |
| 1903 | PHA | 39 | 115 | 0 | 6 | .122 | — | — |
| 1904 | PHA | 46 | 139 | 0 | 6 | .122 | — | — |
| 1905 | PHA | 46 | 116 | 0 | 10 | .172 | — | — |
| 1906 | PHA | 43 | 86 | 0 | 3 | .163 | — | — |
| 1907 | PHA | 44 | 101 | 0 | 3 | .119 | — | — |
| 1908 | SLA | 43 | 91 | 1 | 8 | .110 | — | — |
| 1909 | SLA | 31 | 75 | 0 | 2 | .067 | — | — |
| 1910 | SLA | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | .111 | — | — |
| Career | 410 | 1066 | 4 | 83 | .161 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
13 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | LS3 | 2 | 14.0 | 0 | 1 | 3.21 | 134 | 5 | 1.643 |
| 1899 | LS3 | 10 | 79.0 | 7 | 2 | 3.08 | 125 | 44 | 1.051 |
| 1900 | PIT | 29 | 208.7 | 8 | 13 | 2.37 | 155 | 130 | 1.107 |
| 1901 | CHC | 31 | 251.3 | 14 | 16 | 3.01 | 116 | 172 | 1.289 |
| 1902 | PHA | 33 | 276.3 | 24 | 7 | 2.05 | 155 | 210 | 1.042 |
| 1903 | PHA | 39 | 324.0 | 21 | 16 | 2.44 | 127 | 302 | 1.108 |
| 1904 | PHA | 46 | 383.0 | 25 | 19 | 1.62 | 164 | 349 | 1.039 |
| 1905 | PHA | 46 | 328.7 | 27 | 10 | 1.48 | 191 | 287 | 0.977 |
| 1906 | PHA | 43 | 272.7 | 15 | 17 | 2.21 | 121 | 196 | 1.148 |
| 1907 | PHA | 44 | 284.7 | 19 | 13 | 2.15 | 116 | 232 | 1.078 |
| 1908 | SLA | 43 | 285.7 | 19 | 14 | 1.89 | 127 | 232 | 1.096 |
| 1909 | SLA | 31 | 220.3 | 11 | 14 | 2.37 | 108 | 141 | 1.185 |
| 1910 | SLA | 10 | 33.0 | 3 | 1 | 3.55 | 79 | 16 | 1.273 |
| Career | 407 | 2961.4 | 193 | 143 | — | — | 2316 | — | |
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