GGOATRANK
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Baseball · Catcher · United States

Buck Ewing

1880–1897 · Widely regarded as the finest catcher of the 19th century.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
87.0
Cultural & brand footprint 50/100 · total legacy 75.5
Career hits
1,625
Career batting average
0.3
Home run titles
1
Career triples
178
Seasons played
18

Category profile

Dominance
86
Peak
92
Longevity
84
Honours
84
Statistics
90

Career timeline · Home runs per season

SeasonHome runs per seasonShare of career
18800.178
18810.246
18820.271
18830.303
18840.277
18850.304
18860.309
18870.362
18880.306
18890.327
18900.338
18910.344
18920.31
18930.344
18940.251
18950.318
18960.277
18970.286

Data sources

  • MLB.com
  • Baseball Reference
  • National Baseball Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Buck Ewing ranks #130 in Baseball

Buck Ewing ranks 130th among Baseball athletes on GOAT Rank and 1369th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 87.0 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 86, Peak 92, Longevity 84, Honours 84, Statistics 90. Those categories are normalised against the full Baseball reference universe of 262 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1880–1897 with 18 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1887, which sets the Peak component at 92. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 92 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes career hits 1625, career batting average 0.303, home run titles 1, career triples 178.

Immediately ahead sits Roy Campanella on 87.1, a gap of 0.1 points. Directly behind is Max Scherzer on 86.9. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Buck Ewing GOAT Score explained

Dominance86/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Ewing stood above the field while competing. Scored 86/100 against the full Baseball cohort.
Peak92/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1887. Scored 92/100.
Longevity84/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 17 years of competition and 18 recorded seasons. Scored 84/100.
Honours84/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 84/100.
Statistics90/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 90/100.

Buck Ewing — frequently asked

Is Buck Ewing the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Buck Ewing ranks 130th in Baseball with a GOAT Score of 87.0, behind Babe Ruth on 94.6.
What is Buck Ewing's GOAT Score?
87.0 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 86 (25%), Peak 92 (20%), Longevity 84 (20%), Honours 84 (20%), Statistics 90 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Buck Ewing rank all time?
1369th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 130th within Baseball.
Buck Ewing vs Roy Campanella: who ranks higher?
Roy Campanella, on 87.1 against Buck Ewing's 87.0 — a margin of 0.1 points.
Compare with Ruth