Born in Des Moines, Iowa, McFarland was a member of the White Sox team that won the 1901 American Leaguepennant. In 5 seasons he played in 352 games and had 1,278 at bats, 204 runs, 340 hits, 61 doubles, 28 triples, 13 home runs, 167 RBI, 64 stolen bases, 175 walks, .266 batting average, .362 on-base percentage, .388 slugging percentage, 496 total bases and 26 sacrifice hits.