Roger Connor

When 19th century baseball star Roger Connor passed away in 1931 at the age of 74, the first line of his obituary called him “The Babe Ruth of the ‘80s.” But Connor was much more than just a slugger. Connor spent 18 seasons in the big leagues, breaking in with the Troy Trojans in 1880 before finding a longtime home with the New York Giants. The broad shouldered first baseman with the distinctive handlebar moustache would eventually become the national pastime’s first power hitter as well as one of the most popular players of his time. When he retired in 1897, his 138 career home runs were more than anybody had ever hit until Ruth surpassed it in 1921.

Roger Connor was the only baseball player before 1900 to collect more than 1,000 walks. Read bio and statistics for this Hall of Fame first baseman.

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Roger Connor career batting statistics for Major League, Minor League, and postseason baseball

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Roger Connor baseball stats with batting stats, pitching stats and fielding stats, along with uniform numbers, salaries, quotes, career stats and biographical data presented by Baseball Almanac.

Underappreciated in his late-19th-century heyday and largely forgotten for decades thereafter, Roger Connor was baseball’s first great slugger, the game’s career home-run leader prior to the arrival of Babe Ruth. A fastball-loving left-handed batter, Connor spent virtually every season between 1880 and 1894 among league leaders in a wide array of offensive categories.

Career: 138 HR, .316 BA (64th), 1323 RBI, 1B/3B, HOF in 1976, Giants/Browns/... 1880-1897, b:B/t:L, 2x SLG Leader, born in CT 1857, died 1931

Roger Connor (July 1, 1857 – January 4, 1931) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball (MLB) player. He played for several teams, but his longest tenure was in New York, where he was responsible for the New York Gothams becoming known as the Giants. He was the player whom Babe Ruth succeeded as the all-time home run champion. Connor hit 138 home runs during his 18-year career, and his career home run record stood for 23 years after his retirement in 1897.