Clete Boyer

Born: 2/9/1937 in Cossville, MO, USA

Died: 6/4/2007 in Lawrenceville, GA, USA

MLB Debut: 1955-06-05 | Final Game: 1971-05-23

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Cletis Leroy Boyer

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Biography

Clete Boyer was a professional baseball player born in 1937, whose career spanned from 1955 until his retirement on May 23, 1971. Primarily known for his role as a position player, Boyer made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during a time when the game was experiencing a shift towards offensive prowess. Over the course of 1,725 games, he recorded 1,396 hits and 162 home runs, contributing to a total of 654 RBIs. His batting average settled at .242, a reflection of the era's emphasis on both contact and power hitting. Boyer was particularly recognized for his defensive skills, often hailed as one of the premier third basemen of his time. He played a vital role on several teams, notably the New York Yankees, where he won three World Series championships. His versatility and ability to make spectacular plays helped redefine the expectations for infield defense during the 1960s, a decade marked by a blend of pitching dominance and evolving offensive strategies. With 41 stolen bases to his name, Boyer also showcased a level of athleticism that further distinguished him on the diamond. His contributions to the game have left a lasting legacy, particularly in the context of the era's competitive landscape.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1725	5780	645	1396	200	33	162	654	41	470	931	0.242	0.299	0.372	0.670	-4350.1

Career AVG .242 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .299 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 6.1% below league average.

Career SLG .372 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.670 vs. league average 0.696 across their career seasons — near 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
1955	KC1	AL	47	79	3	19	1	0	0	6	0	3	17	0.241	.258 (-7%)	.332 (-19%)	.393 (-36%)	.726 (-28%)	-382.6
1956	KC1	AL	67	129	15	28	3	1	1	4	1	11	24	0.217	.258 (-16%)	.331 (-14%)	.397 (-30%)	.728 (-23%)	-519.2
1957	KC1	AL	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1959	NYY	AL	47	114	4	20	2	0	0	3	1	6	23	0.175	.256 (-32%)	.323 (-34%)	.392 (-51%)	.715 (-43%)	-848.5
1960	NYY	AL	124	393	54	95	20	1	14	46	2	23	85	0.242	.255 (-5%)	.323 (-12%)	.387 (+4%)	.711 (-3%)	-382.9
1961	NYY	AL	148	504	61	113	19	5	11	55	1	63	83	0.224	.258 (-13%)	.328 (-6%)	.399 (-13%)	.727 (-10%)	-1031.0
1962	NYY	AL	158	566	85	154	24	1	18	68	3	51	106	0.272	.257 (+6%)	.326 (+2%)	.393 (+5%)	.719 (+3%)	357.1
1963	NYY	AL	152	557	59	140	20	3	12	54	4	33	91	0.251	.246 (+2%)	.308 (-5%)	.371 (-2%)	.680 (-3%)	-433.3
1964	NYY	AL	147	510	43	111	10	5	8	52	6	36	93	0.218	.250 (-13%)	.312 (-14%)	.377 (-20%)	.690 (-17%)	-1734.9
1965	NYY	AL	148	514	69	129	23	6	18	58	4	39	79	0.251	.245 (+2%)	.310 (-2%)	.371 (+14%)	.682 (+7%)	501.7
1966	NYY	AL	144	500	59	120	22	4	14	57	6	46	48	0.240	.248 (-3%)	.309 (-2%)	.376 (+2%)	.685 (avg)	-38.8
1967	ATL	NL	154	572	63	140	18	3	26	96	6	39	81	0.245	.242 (+1%)	.306 (-5%)	.357 (+18%)	.663 (+8%)	636.5
1968	ATL	NL	71	273	19	62	7	2	4	17	2	16	32	0.227	.236 (-4%)	.298 (-8%)	.340 (-8%)	.638 (-8%)	-375.1
1969	ATL	NL	144	496	57	124	16	1	14	57	3	55	87	0.250	.248 (+1%)	.320 (+2%)	.369 (avg)	.689 (+1%)	202.4
1970	ATL	NL	134	475	44	117	14	1	16	62	2	41	71	0.246	.253 (-3%)	.325 (-6%)	.385 (-1%)	.711 (-4%)	-405.2
1971	ATL	NL	30	98	10	24	1	0	6	19	0	8	11	0.245	.249 (-2%)	.316 (-6%)	.365 (+20%)	.682 (+8%)	104.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
30	95	5	21	6	1	2	14	9	18	0.221

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1969	NLCS	ATL	3	9	0	1	0	0	0	3	2	3	0.111
1964	WS	NYA	7	24	2	5	1	0	1	3	1	5	0.208
1963	WS	NYA	4	13	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	6	0.077
1962	WS	NYA	7	22	2	7	1	0	1	4	1	3	0.318
1961	WS	NYA	5	15	0	4	2	0	0	3	4	0	0.267
1960	WS	NYA	4	12	1	3	2	1	0	1	0	1	0.250

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	63	40	107	122	8	32
3B	1439	1387	1470	3218	168	315
OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
SS	186	150	325	470	22	96

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1955	KC1	2B	10	5	12	11	2	1
1955	KC1	3B	11	6	7	17	0	1
1955	KC1	SS	12	5	13	13	1	4
1956	KC1	2B	51	34	94	110	6	31
1956	KC1	3B	7	6	6	14	0	3
1957	KC1	2B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1957	KC1	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1959	NYA	3B	16	9	9	27	1	0
1959	NYA	SS	26	22	40	63	1	14
1960	NYA	3B	99	93	102	219	11	24
1960	NYA	SS	33	20	55	78	6	20
1961	NYA	3B	141	138	151	353	17	36
1961	NYA	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1961	NYA	SS	12	8	19	20	0	5
1962	NYA	3B	157	156	187	396	22	41
1963	NYA	2B	1	1	1	1	0	0
1963	NYA	3B	141	138	165	309	23	32
1963	NYA	SS	9	9	18	34	2	8
1964	NYA	3B	123	120	118	278	13	28
1964	NYA	SS	21	19	46	61	3	13
1965	NYA	3B	147	140	134	354	16	46
1965	NYA	SS	2	0	3	0	0	0
1966	NYA	3B	85	84	87	226	11	12
1966	NYA	SS	59	59	114	170	7	26
1967	ATL	3B	150	148	166	291	14	30
1967	ATL	SS	6	3	11	18	1	5
1968	ATL	3B	69	67	74	135	4	17
1969	ATL	3B	141	135	139	275	15	18
1970	ATL	3B	126	123	107	268	18	21
1970	ATL	SS	5	5	6	12	1	1
1971	ATL	3B	25	24	18	56	3	6
1971	ATL	SS	1	0	0	1	0	0