Lou Brock, baseball player, 149 home runs, 1961-1979

Lou Brock

⭐ Hall of Fame 1985

Born: 6/18/1939 in El Dorado, AR, USA

Died: 9/6/2020 in St. Louis, MO, USA

MLB Debut: 1961-09-10 | Final Game: 1979-09-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Louis Clark Brock

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Biography

Lou Brock, born in 1939, was a legendary position player whose career spanned from 1961 to 1979. Known for his exceptional speed and base-running prowess, Brock became a defining figure in Major League Baseball during the 1960s and 1970s. He played in 2,616 games and amassed an impressive 3,023 hits, maintaining a batting average of .293 throughout his career. With 149 home runs and 900 RBIs, Brock's offensive contributions were significant, but it was his groundbreaking ability on the base paths that set him apart; he recorded a remarkable 938 stolen bases, which at the time placed him among the all-time leaders in that category. A six-time All-Star, Brock was a key player for the St. Louis Cardinals, helping to lead the team to three National League pennants and two World Series championships. His playing style embodied the spirit of the era, emphasizing speed and aggressive base running, which became a hallmark of the Cardinals' approach during his tenure. Brock's influence extended beyond the diamond, as he played a vital role in the integration of baseball, showcasing the talents of African American players in a time when the sport was still grappling with issues of race. His legacy continues to resonate in the baseball community, as he is remembered not only for his impressive statistics but also for his contributions to the game's history and culture.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2616 10332 1610 3023 486 141 149 900 938 761 1730 0.293 0.343 0.410 0.753 17688.9

Career AVG .293 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +15.7% above league average.

Career OBP .343 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.

Career SLG .410 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — +9.3% above league average.

Career OPS 0.753 vs. league average 0.694 across their career seasons — +8.4% 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
1961 CHC NL 4 11 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1962 CHC NL 123 434 73 114 24 7 9 35 16 35 96 0.263 .257 (+2%) .326 (-2%) .393 (+5%) .719 (+2%) 14.5
1963 CHC NL 148 547 79 141 19 11 9 37 24 31 122 0.258 .246 (+5%) .308 (-3%) .371 (+3%) .680 (avg) -124.1
1964 CHC NL 52 215 30 54 9 2 2 14 10 13 40 0.251 .250 (avg) .312 (-4%) .377 (-10%) .690 (-7%) -264.6
1964 STL NL 103 419 81 146 21 9 12 44 33 27 87 0.348 .250 (+39%) .312 (+24%) .377 (+40%) .690 (+32%) -264.6
1965 STL NL 155 631 107 182 35 8 16 69 63 45 116 0.288 .245 (+17%) .310 (+11%) .371 (+20%) .682 (+16%) 1900.8
1966 STL NL 156 643 94 183 24 12 15 46 74 31 134 0.285 .248 (+15%) .309 (+3%) .376 (+14%) .685 (+9%) 980.5
1967 STL NL 159 689 113 206 32 12 21 76 52 24 109 0.299 .242 (+23%) .306 (+7%) .357 (+32%) .663 (+20%) 2297.4
1968 STL NL 159 660 92 184 46 14 6 51 62 46 124 0.279 .236 (+18%) .298 (+10%) .340 (+23%) .638 (+17%) 1805.3
1969 STL NL 157 655 97 195 33 10 12 47 53 50 115 0.298 .248 (+20%) .320 (+9%) .369 (+17%) .689 (+14%) 1608.8
1970 STL NL 155 664 114 202 29 5 13 57 51 60 99 0.304 .253 (+20%) .325 (+11%) .385 (+9%) .711 (+10%) 1381.0
1971 STL NL 157 640 126 200 37 7 7 61 64 76 107 0.312 .249 (+25%) .316 (+22%) .365 (+16%) .682 (+19%) 2521.2
1972 STL NL 153 621 81 193 26 8 3 42 63 47 93 0.311 .243 (+27%) .310 (+15%) .353 (+11%) .664 (+13%) 1525.6
1973 STL NL 160 650 110 193 29 8 7 63 70 71 112 0.297 .256 (+16%) .325 (+12%) .378 (+5%) .703 (+8%) 1166.3
1974 STL NL 153 635 105 194 25 7 3 48 118 61 88 0.306 .256 (+19%) .324 (+13%) .369 (+3%) .693 (+8%) 1133.2
1975 STL NL 136 528 78 163 27 6 3 47 56 38 64 0.309 .257 (+20%) .327 (+10%) .374 (+7%) .701 (+8%) 824.7
1976 STL NL 133 498 73 150 24 5 4 67 56 35 75 0.301 .255 (+18%) .320 (+8%) .360 (+9%) .681 (+8%) 706.9
1977 STL NL 141 489 69 133 22 6 2 46 35 30 74 0.272 .264 (+3%) .329 (-4%) .401 (-12%) .730 (-8%) -808.0
1978 STL NL 92 298 31 66 9 0 0 12 17 17 29 0.221 .257 (-14%) .323 (-19%) .378 (-34%) .702 (-27%) -1432.5
1979 STL NL 120 405 56 123 15 4 5 38 21 23 43 0.304 .265 (+14%) .329 (+4%) .397 (avg) .727 (+2%) 97.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
21 87 16 34 7 2 4 13 5 10 0.391

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1968 WS SLN 7 28 6 13 3 1 2 5 3 4 0.464
1967 WS SLN 7 29 8 12 2 1 1 3 2 3 0.414
1964 WS SLN 7 30 2 9 2 0 1 5 0 3 0.300

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 2507 2449 4394 142 196 29

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1961 CHN OF 3 3 6 0 2 0
1962 CHN OF 106 101 243 7 9 2
1963 CHN OF 140 132 269 17 8 7
1964 CHN OF 52 51 86 8 4 1
1964 SLN OF 102 102 180 7 10 0
1965 SLN OF 153 153 272 11 12 1
1966 SLN OF 154 152 269 9 19 1
1967 SLN OF 157 155 272 12 13 2
1968 SLN OF 156 155 269 9 14 1
1969 SLN OF 157 154 255 7 14 2
1970 SLN OF 152 152 247 9 10 2
1971 SLN OF 157 155 262 7 14 3
1972 SLN OF 149 147 253 6 13 1
1973 SLN OF 159 156 310 3 12 1
1974 SLN OF 152 150 283 8 10 2
1975 SLN OF 128 126 247 5 9 0
1976 SLN OF 123 119 221 6 4 0
1977 SLN OF 130 121 184 2 9 1
1978 SLN OF 79 70 114 2 3 0
1979 SLN OF 98 95 152 7 7 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Left Field 2161
Center Field 115
Right Field 242

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1979 Hutch Award
1979 Player of the Month May
1979 Player of the Week Week of 1979-05-04
1979 Player of the Week Week of 1979-08-17
1979 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1977 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-09-03
1975 Roberto Clemente Award
1974 Player of the Month August
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-08-02
1974 TSN All-Star OF
1974 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1974 TSN Player of the Year
1967 Babe Ruth Award OF

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Southern University and A&M College Baton Rouge LA 1958, 1959, 1960

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1976 Most Valuable Player NL 25th 3.0 336 0
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 6.0 336 0
1974 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 233.0 336 8
1973 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 65.0 336 0
1972 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 13.0 336 0
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 20.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 73.0 280 0
1967 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 49.0 280 0
1966 Most Valuable Player NL 27th 2.0 280 0
1964 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 40.0 280 1