Earl Averill, baseball player, 238 home runs, 1929-1941

Earl Averill

⭐ Hall of Fame 1975

Born: 5/21/1902 in Snohomish, WA, USA

Died: 8/16/1983 in Everett, WA, USA

MLB Debut: 1929-04-16 | Final Game: 1941-04-25

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 172 lbs

Full name: Howard Earl Averill

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Biography

Earl Averill was a prominent American baseball player, born in 1902, who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from 1929 until his retirement in 1941. Known for his powerful hitting and consistent offensive production, Averill played a total of 1,668 games throughout his career, where he accumulated 2,019 hits and 238 home runs. With a remarkable batting average of .318, he established himself as one of the premier hitters of his era. His ability to drive in runs was evident as he recorded 1,164 RBIs, while also showcasing his speed on the bases with 70 stolen bases. Averill was selected as an All-Star six times, underscoring his status as one of the top players in the league during the 1930s and early 1940s. Averill's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, characterized by the emergence of the "live-ball" era, which saw an increase in offensive production. His playing style was defined by a combination of power and contact hitting, allowing him to excel in various offensive situations. Averill's contributions were particularly vital for the Cleveland Indians, where he spent the majority of his career. His achievements and legacy remain significant in the history of the game, as he was one of the early stars who helped pave the way for future generations of athletes.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1668 6353 1224 2019 401 128 238 1164 70 774 518 0.318 0.395 0.534 0.928 33939.6

Career AVG .318 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — +14.7% above league average.

Career OBP .395 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — +15.5% above league average.

Career SLG .534 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — +34.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.928 vs. league average 0.738 across their career seasons — +25.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1929 CLE AL 151 597 110 198 43 13 18 96 13 63 53 0.332 .289 (+15%) .353 (+13%) .415 (+29%) .769 (+22%) 2755.9
1930 CLE AL 139 534 102 181 33 8 19 119 10 56 48 0.339 .293 (+15%) .354 (+14%) .429 (+25%) .784 (+20%) 2360.7
1931 CLE AL 155 627 140 209 36 10 32 143 9 68 38 0.333 .276 (+21%) .338 (+19%) .388 (+48%) .726 (+35%) 4519.2
1932 CLE AL 153 631 116 198 37 14 32 124 5 75 40 0.314 .275 (+14%) .335 (+17%) .391 (+45%) .726 (+32%) 4186.1
1933 CLE AL 151 599 83 180 39 16 11 92 3 54 29 0.301 .270 (+11%) .329 (+10%) .377 (+26%) .707 (+18%) 2109.4
1934 CLE AL 154 598 128 187 48 6 31 113 5 99 44 0.313 .278 (+12%) .340 (+22%) .392 (+45%) .733 (+34%) 4446.4
1935 CLE AL 140 563 109 162 34 13 19 79 8 70 58 0.288 .279 (+3%) .342 (+7%) .399 (+24%) .742 (+16%) 1842.0
1936 CLE AL 152 614 136 232 39 15 28 126 3 65 35 0.378 .283 (+33%) .349 (+25%) .404 (+55%) .753 (+41%) 5345.4
1937 CLE AL 156 609 121 182 33 11 21 92 5 88 65 0.299 .276 (+8%) .342 (+13%) .398 (+24%) .740 (+19%) 2517.5
1938 CLE AL 134 482 101 159 27 15 14 93 5 81 48 0.330 .272 (+21%) .341 (+26%) .392 (+36%) .734 (+31%) 3261.1
1939 CLE AL 24 55 8 15 8 0 1 7 0 6 12 0.273 .274 (-1%) .342 (+1%) .393 (+20%) .735 (+11%) 88.2
1939 DET AL 87 309 58 81 20 6 10 58 4 43 30 0.262 .274 (-4%) .342 (+3%) .393 (+18%) .735 (+11%) 88.2
1940 DET AL 64 118 10 33 4 1 2 20 0 5 14 0.280 .267 (+5%) .335 (-8%) .387 (-2%) .722 (-5%) -120.7
1941 BSN NL 8 17 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 4 0.118 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1940 WS DET 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1589 0 3969 115 126 29

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1929 CLE OF 151 0 384 14 14 3
1930 CLE OF 134 0 345 11 19 5
1931 CLE OF 155 0 398 9 10 3
1932 CLE OF 153 0 412 12 16 3
1933 CLE OF 149 0 390 8 12 3
1934 CLE OF 154 0 410 12 13 3
1935 CLE OF 139 0 371 6 7 2
1936 CLE OF 150 0 369 11 12 2
1937 CLE OF 156 0 362 11 9 3
1938 CLE OF 131 0 331 14 9 2
1939 CLE OF 11 0 12 0 0 0
1939 DET OF 80 0 157 3 4 0
1940 DET OF 22 0 23 2 1 0
1941 BSN OF 4 0 5 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Left Field 84
Center Field 1476
Right Field 31

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1936 TSN All-Star OF
1934 TSN All-Star OF
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1932 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1932 TSN All-Star OF
1931 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1931 TSN All-Star OF
1930 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1938 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 34.0 336 0
1937 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 4.0 80 0
1936 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 48.0 80 0
1934 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 3.0 80 0
1933 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 5.0 80 0
1932 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 37.0 80 0
1931 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 43.0 80 0