Hank Bauer, baseball player, 164 home runs, 1948-1961

Hank Bauer

Born: 7/31/1922 in East St. Louis, IL, USA

Died: 2/9/2007 in Lenexa, KS, USA

MLB Debut: 1948-09-06 | Final Game: 1961-07-21

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 192 lbs

Full name: Henry Albert Bauer

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Biography

Hank Bauer was a prominent American professional baseball player born in 1922, who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball from 1948 until his retirement in 1961. Known for his gritty playing style and powerful presence in the outfield, Bauer played a total of 1,544 games, during which he recorded 1,424 hits, 164 home runs, and 703 RBIs, finishing his career with a commendable batting average of .277. His contributions to the game were recognized with three All-Star selections, highlighting his status as one of the era's top players. Bauer's career unfolded during a transformative time in baseball, marked by the post-World War II period when the sport was regaining popularity and integrating new talent. His versatility and strong work ethic endeared him to fans and teammates alike, as he consistently demonstrated his ability to perform in clutch situations. Additionally, he showcased speed on the basepaths with 50 stolen bases, adding another dimension to his offensive capabilities. Hank Bauer remains a celebrated figure in baseball history, exemplifying the values of perseverance and dedication on and off the field.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1544 5145 833 1424 229 57 164 703 50 521 638 0.277 0.346 0.439 0.785 8532.2

Career AVG .277 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +6.6% above league average.

Career OBP .346 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .439 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — +12.5% above league average.

Career OPS 0.785 vs. league average 0.722 across their career seasons — +8.6% 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
1948 NYY AL 19 50 6 9 1 1 1 9 1 6 13 0.180 .263 (-32%) .340 (-21%) .379 (-21%) .719 (-21%) -183.1
1949 NYY AL 103 301 56 82 6 6 10 45 2 37 42 0.272 .262 (+4%) .343 (+3%) .384 (+12%) .727 (+8%) 442.1
1950 NYY AL 113 415 72 133 16 2 13 70 2 35 41 0.320 .265 (+21%) .346 (+10%) .401 (+15%) .747 (+13%) 1065.5
1951 NYY AL 118 348 53 103 19 3 10 54 5 42 39 0.296 .260 (+13%) .336 (+11%) .385 (+18%) .721 (+15%) 1010.6
1952 NYY AL 141 553 86 162 31 6 17 74 6 50 61 0.293 .252 (+16%) .326 (+9%) .369 (+25%) .696 (+17%) 1773.3
1953 NYY AL 133 437 77 133 20 6 10 57 2 59 45 0.304 .264 (+15%) .335 (+17%) .397 (+12%) .733 (+15%) 1467.2
1954 NYY AL 114 377 73 111 16 5 12 54 4 40 42 0.294 .261 (+13%) .333 (+8%) .390 (+18%) .723 (+13%) 940.1
1955 NYY AL 139 492 97 137 20 5 20 53 8 56 65 0.278 .258 (+8%) .332 (+8%) .393 (+17%) .726 (+13%) 1348.6
1956 NYY AL 147 539 96 130 18 7 26 84 4 59 72 0.241 .258 (-7%) .331 (-5%) .397 (+12%) .728 (+4%) 353.4
1957 NYY AL 137 479 70 124 22 9 18 65 7 42 64 0.259 .257 (+1%) .323 (-1%) .391 (+16%) .715 (+9%) 678.4
1958 NYY AL 128 452 62 121 22 6 12 50 3 32 56 0.268 .257 (+4%) .324 (-3%) .394 (+7%) .719 (+3%) 134.8
1959 NYY AL 114 341 44 81 20 0 9 39 4 33 54 0.238 .256 (-7%) .323 (-5%) .392 (-4%) .715 (-5%) -320.4
1960 KC1 AL 95 255 30 70 15 0 3 31 1 21 36 0.275 .255 (+8%) .323 (+1%) .387 (-5%) .711 (-2%) -136.3
1961 KC1 AL 43 106 11 28 3 1 3 18 1 9 8 0.264 .258 (+2%) .328 (-3%) .399 (-1%) .727 (-2%) -41.9

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
53 188 21 46 2 3 7 24 8 25 0.245

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1958 WS NYA 7 31 6 10 0 0 4 8 0 5 0.323
1957 WS NYA 7 31 3 8 2 1 2 6 1 6 0.258
1956 WS NYA 7 32 3 9 0 0 1 3 0 5 0.281
1955 WS NYA 6 14 1 6 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.429
1953 WS NYA 6 23 6 6 0 1 0 1 2 4 0.261
1952 WS NYA 7 18 2 1 0 0 0 1 4 3 0.056
1951 WS NYA 6 18 0 3 0 1 0 3 1 1 0.167
1950 WS NYA 4 15 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.133
1949 WS NYA 3 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.167

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
C 1 0 0 0 0 0
OF 1449 746 2384 107 46 20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1948 NYA OF 14 0 26 1 1 0
1949 NYA OF 95 0 156 11 4 3
1950 NYA OF 110 0 228 8 3 3
1951 NYA OF 107 0 188 7 2 1
1952 NYA OF 139 0 233 16 4 2
1953 NYA OF 126 0 230 13 2 3
1954 NYA OF 108 90 179 6 2 1
1955 NYA C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1955 NYA OF 133 122 248 13 5 3
1956 NYA OF 146 135 242 10 8 2
1957 NYA OF 135 123 200 7 3 1
1958 NYA OF 123 109 186 7 4 0
1959 NYA OF 111 83 139 2 4 0
1960 KC1 OF 67 60 85 4 2 1
1961 KC1 OF 35 24 44 2 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1
Left Field 181
Center Field 28
Right Field 1289

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1956 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 8.0 336 0
1955 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 64.0 336 1
1954 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 4.0 336 0
1953 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 37.0 336 0
1952 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 10.0 336 0