Ken Boyer

Born: 5/20/1931 in Liberty, MO, USA

Died: 9/7/1982 in St. Louis, MO, USA

MLB Debut: 1955-04-12 | Final Game: 1969-08-09

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Kenton Lloyd Boyer

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Biography

Ken Boyer was a prominent American baseball player, born in 1931, who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1969. Renowned for his exceptional skills as a position player, Boyer played a total of 2,034 games during his career, compiling an impressive .287 batting average. He recorded 2,143 hits, 282 home runs, and 1,141 RBIs, showcasing his ability to perform consistently at the plate. His offensive prowess was complemented by his speed on the bases, as he also successfully stole 105 bases throughout his career. Boyer's contributions to the game were recognized with 11 All-Star selections, a testament to his status as one of the elite players of his era. He played during a transformative period in baseball, navigating the competitive landscape of the 1950s and 1960s, which included the integration of the sport and the emergence of new playing styles. His legacy is not only defined by his statistics but also by his leadership and impact on the teams he played for, most notably the St. Louis Cardinals, where he became a franchise icon. Ken Boyer remains a significant figure in baseball history, celebrated for his remarkable achievements and lasting influence on the game.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
2034	7455	1104	2143	318	68	282	1141	105	713	1017	0.287	0.349	0.462	0.810	22260.5

Career AVG .287 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +14.4% above league average.

Career OBP .349 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.

Career SLG .462 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — +21.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.810 vs. league average 0.697 across their career seasons — +16.2% 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
1955	STL	NL	147	530	78	140	27	2	18	62	22	37	67	0.264	.258 (+2%)	.332 (-6%)	.393 (+8%)	.726 (+1%)	-43.2
1956	STL	NL	150	595	91	182	30	2	26	98	8	38	65	0.306	.258 (+18%)	.331 (+5%)	.397 (+24%)	.728 (+15%)	1727.0
1957	STL	NL	142	544	79	144	18	3	19	62	12	44	77	0.265	.257 (+3%)	.323 (-2%)	.391 (+6%)	.715 (+2%)	180.2
1958	STL	NL	150	570	101	175	21	9	23	90	11	49	53	0.307	.257 (+19%)	.324 (+11%)	.394 (+26%)	.719 (+19%)	2109.4
1959	STL	NL	149	563	86	174	18	5	28	94	12	67	77	0.309	.256 (+20%)	.323 (+19%)	.392 (+30%)	.715 (+25%)	2931.3
1960	STL	NL	151	552	95	168	26	10	32	97	8	56	77	0.304	.255 (+19%)	.323 (+14%)	.387 (+45%)	.711 (+31%)	3329.3
1961	STL	NL	153	589	109	194	26	11	24	95	6	68	91	0.329	.258 (+28%)	.328 (+21%)	.399 (+34%)	.727 (+28%)	3375.5
1962	STL	NL	160	611	92	178	27	5	24	98	12	75	104	0.291	.257 (+13%)	.326 (+13%)	.393 (+19%)	.719 (+17%)	2171.7
1963	STL	NL	159	617	86	176	28	2	24	111	1	70	90	0.285	.246 (+16%)	.308 (+16%)	.371 (+22%)	.680 (+19%)	2421.3
1964	STL	NL	162	628	100	185	30	10	24	119	3	70	85	0.295	.250 (+18%)	.312 (+17%)	.377 (+29%)	.690 (+24%)	2952.5
1965	STL	NL	144	535	71	139	18	2	13	75	2	57	73	0.260	.245 (+6%)	.310 (+6%)	.371 (+1%)	.682 (+3%)	350.7
1966	NYN	NL	136	496	62	132	28	2	14	61	4	30	64	0.266	.248 (+7%)	.309 (-2%)	.376 (+10%)	.685 (+5%)	287.4
1967	NYN	NL	56	166	17	39	7	2	3	13	2	26	22	0.235	.242 (-3%)	.306 (+9%)	.357 (-1%)	.663 (+4%)	160.0
1967	CHW	AL	57	180	17	47	5	1	4	21	0	7	25	0.261	.242 (+8%)	.306 (-6%)	.357 (+3%)	.663 (-1%)	160.0
1968	CHW	AL	10	24	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	0.125	—	—	—	—	0.0
1968	LAD	NL	83	221	20	60	7	2	6	41	2	16	34	0.271	.236 (+15%)	.298 (+6%)	.340 (+18%)	.638 (+13%)	0.0
1969	LAD	NL	25	34	0	7	2	0	0	4	0	2	7	0.206	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
7	27	5	6	1	0	2	6	1	5	0.222

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1964	WS	SLN	7	27	5	6	1	0	2	6	1	5	0.222

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	65	57	482	31	5	50
3B	1785	1724	1567	3652	264	355
OF	111	107	286	2	1	1
SS	31	22	41	52	4	11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1955	SLN	3B	139	114	124	253	19	24
1955	SLN	SS	18	16	31	42	2	10
1956	SLN	3B	149	148	130	309	18	37
1957	SLN	3B	41	36	41	93	13	7
1957	SLN	OF	105	102	275	2	1	1
1958	SLN	3B	144	144	156	350	20	41
1958	SLN	OF	6	5	11	0	0	0
1958	SLN	SS	1	0	1	0	0	0
1959	SLN	3B	143	141	134	300	20	32
1959	SLN	SS	12	6	9	10	2	1
1960	SLN	3B	146	144	140	300	19	37
1961	SLN	3B	153	153	117	346	24	23
1962	SLN	3B	160	160	158	318	22	34
1963	SLN	3B	159	159	129	293	34	23
1964	SLN	3B	162	162	131	337	24	30
1965	SLN	3B	143	139	113	250	12	18
1966	NYN	1B	2	1	12	2	0	1
1966	NYN	3B	130	125	113	292	21	33
1967	NYN	1B	8	5	52	3	0	5
1967	NYN	3B	44	43	27	84	6	7
1967	CHA	1B	18	14	132	12	1	12
1967	CHA	3B	33	32	22	67	4	4
1968	CHA	1B	1	1	10	1	0	1
1968	CHA	3B	5	4	2	7	1	1
1968	LAN	1B	32	32	245	11	3	25
1968	LAN	3B	34	20	30	53	7	4
1969	LAN	1B	4	4	31	2	1	6

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
First Base	66
Third Base	1784
Shortstop	31
Center Field	111

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1964	Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1964	Most Valuable Player
1964	TSN All-Star	3B
1964	TSN Major League Player of the Year
1964	TSN Player of the Year
1963	Gold Glove	3B
1963	TSN All-Star	3B
1962	TSN All-Star	3B
1961	Gold Glove	3B
1961	TSN All-Star	3B
1960	Gold Glove	3B
1959	Gold Glove	3B
1958	Gold Glove	3B
1956	TSN All-Star	3B

Featured In Rankings

#16

Top 20 Third Basemen in History of MLB Baseball

Ranked 16 of 20

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Award Voting History

Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1964	Most Valuable Player	NL	1st	243.0	280	14
1963	Most Valuable Player	NL	13th	19.0	280	0
1962	Most Valuable Player	NL	18th	5.0	280	0
1961	Most Valuable Player	NL	7th	43.0	224	0
1960	Most Valuable Player	NL	6th	80.0	336	0
1959	Most Valuable Player	NL	10th	37.0	336	0
1958	Most Valuable Player	NL	13th	31.0	336	0
1956	Most Valuable Player	NL	28th	2.0	336	0