Alex Ferson

Alexander Ferson
(Colonel)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 165 lb.

• Debut May 4, 1889
• Final Game July 25, 1892
• Born July 14, 1866 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died December 5, 1957 in Boston, MA USA

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Biographical Information

Alex Ferson began his big league career on May 4, 1889, pitching for the Washington Nationals of the National League. That year, he went 17-17 with a 3.90 ERA in 36 games (34 starts, 28 complete games). Despite finishing 10th in the league in hits allowed (319), ninth in the league in losses and eighth in the league in hit batsmen, he was still the best pitcher on the team overall. Although the team finished last in the league with a 41-83 record (.331 winning percentage), Ferson managed a winning percentage of exactly .500. Furthermore, he was the only pitcher on the team with at least one decision to finish with a winning percentage of .500 or better (in contrast, George Haddock went 11-19 for a .367 winning percentage, George Keefe went 8-18 for a .308 winning percentage, Hank O'Day went 2-10 for a .167 winning percentage and John Healy went 1-11 for a .083 winning percentage). Ferson also had the best ERA of any pitcher with at least two appearances, and he made the most appearances, games started, and he pitched the most innings.

The rest of Ferson's career didn't really pan out for him. In fact, for the Buffalo Bisons of the Players League in 1890, he went 1-7 with a 5.45 ERA in 10 starts. For the Baltimore Orioles in 1892, he went 0-1 in 2 games (1 start), posting an ERA of 11.00. He played his final game on July 25, 1892.

Overall, Ferson went 18-25 in his three-year career, posting an ERA of 4.37. He made 48 appearances, starting 45 of them, completing 36 of his starts and pitching a shutout in one of his complete games. According to the similarity scores at Baseball-Reference.com, Ferson is most similar statistically to Rick Matula and Park Swartzel (as of 2020).

A poor hitter, Ferson hit .133 in 150 career at-bats.

After his death, he was buried in Old Saint Joseph Cemetery in Manchester, NH.

Notable Achievements

• 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (1889)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1889)

Related Sites

• Ferson at the SABR Bio Project
• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Alex Ferson