Jake Stenzel

Jacob Charles Stenzel
born Jacob Charles Stelzle

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 168 lb.

• Debut June 16, 1890
• Final Game July 23, 1899
• Born June 24, 1867 in Cincinnati, OH USA
• Died January 6, 1919 in Cincinnati, OH USA

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Biographical Information

Jake Stenzel played at a time when the ball was the liveliest ever, so his statistics have a lot of air in them. Even so, he was a very good ballplayer.

His lifetime batting average is .339, over 9 seasons. He ranks # 18 on the all-time list with that average, right under Lou Gehrig. However, Stenzel never was higher than 9th in the league in batting in any one season. His lifetime on-base percentage is .408, ranking # 41 on the all-time list. However, he was never higher than 7th in the league in any one season.

In spite of that, he was a good ballplayer, with an Adjusted OPS+ of 135. His best years were all clustered in the period 1893-1897. His best year was 1894, when he posted the line of .374/.447/.539, and while he dominated his own team with those stats, none of those stats were in the top five in the league.

The most similar player is his contemporary Bill Lange.

He began his professional baseball career as a catcher in 1887. Sporting Life once remarked on a game he played in 1891 when he got six hits and then also reached on an error.

After his playing days, he opened up a restaurant and bar across from the ballfield in Cincinnati. However, when the U.S. joined World War I, business slowed and Stenzel was forced to sell the business and become a night watchman. He died in 1919, from what is said to have been the influenza.

One source: SABR Biography of Jake Stenzel.

Notable Achieveemnts

• NL Doubles Leader (1897)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1894 & 1897)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 4 (1894-1897)
• 50 Stolen Bases Seasons: 4 (1894-1897)

Related Sites

• Jake Stenzel at the SABR Bio Project