Dick Burns

Richard Simon Burns

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 7", Weight 140 lb.

• Debut May 3, 1883
• Final Game July 23, 1885
• Born December 26, 1863 in Holyoke, MA USA
• Died November 16, 1937 in Holyoke, MA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Dick Burns was a young two-way player who was a big star in the Union Association, but not so impressive in the National League before and after 1884.

He broke into the NL at age 19, appearing in 37 games for the Detroit Wolverines. In 17 on the mound, he went 2-12. When not pitching, he mostly played right field and had a batting average under .200 for a team whose overall average was .250. The next year, he jumped to the UA, going 23-15 as a pitcher for the Cincinnati Outlaw Reds. He and George Bradley, who went 25-15, were the star hurlers on the team. As a hitter, Burns hit .306 and led the league in triples. He was in the top ten in numerous categories, both as a hitter and as a pitcher. When the UA folded, he went back to the NL, with the St. Louis Maroons, where he pitched one game, appearing in 14 total, with a batting average of .222. He apparently pitched for the minor league Milwaukee Brewers for a while in 1885. Source: "The Minor League Milwaukee Brewers".

Showing the limits of the similarity scores method, one of the most similar pitchers is Mark Fidrych and one of the most similar hitters is Barbaro Garbey. Both were similar in that they had some brief success, and all three men played for Detroit teas, but other than that it is hard to see the similarity. Bill James uses Burns in the book "The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract" as a prime example of how the caliber of play in the Union Association was not as good as in the National League.

Notable Achievements

• UA Triples Leader (1884)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1884)