Smoky Burgess

Born: 2/6/1927 in Caroleen, NC, USA

Died: 9/15/1991 in Asheville, NC, USA

MLB Debut: 1949-04-19 | Final Game: 1967-10-01

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'8" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Forrest Harrill Burgess

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Biography

Smoky Burgess, born in 1927, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball who enjoyed a career spanning from 1949 to 1967. Over the course of 1,691 games, Burgess established himself as a reliable hitter, compiling 1,318 hits and maintaining a robust batting average of .295. Known for his ability to drive in runs, he finished his career with 673 RBIs and hit 126 home runs. His keen eye at the plate and consistent performance earned him nine All-Star selections, highlighting his status as one of the premier catchers and pinch hitters of his time. Burgess played during an era that saw the evolution of baseball strategies and player roles, particularly as the game transitioned from the deadball era into a more offensive-minded approach. His versatility allowed him to adapt to various roles on the team, contributing significantly both as a starter and off the bench. With a unique blend of power and contact hitting, Burgess left a lasting impact on the game, remembered not only for his statistics but also for his contributions to the teams he played for throughout his career.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1691	4471	485	1318	230	33	126	673	13	477	270	0.295	0.362	0.446	0.807	11061.8

Career AVG .295 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — +15.8% above league average.

Career OBP .362 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — +11.8% above league average.

Career SLG .446 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +16.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.807 vs. league average 0.708 across their career seasons — +14.1% 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
1949	CHC	NL	46	56	4	15	0	0	1	12	0	4	4	0.268	.262 (+2%)	.343 (-8%)	.384 (-16%)	.727 (-12%)	-118.9
1951	CHC	NL	94	219	21	55	4	2	2	20	2	21	12	0.251	.260 (-4%)	.336 (-6%)	.385 (-18%)	.721 (-13%)	-503.1
1952	PHI	NL	110	371	49	110	27	2	6	56	3	49	21	0.296	.252 (+17%)	.326 (+16%)	.369 (+16%)	.696 (+16%)	1194.4
1953	PHI	NL	102	312	31	91	17	5	4	36	3	37	17	0.292	.264 (+10%)	.335 (+10%)	.397 (+5%)	.733 (+7%)	483.6
1954	PHI	NL	108	345	41	127	27	5	4	46	1	42	11	0.368	.261 (+41%)	.333 (+30%)	.390 (+31%)	.723 (+30%)	2083.1
1955	PHI	NL	7	21	4	4	2	0	1	1	0	3	1	0.190	—	—	—	—	0.0
1955	CIN	NL	116	421	67	129	15	3	20	77	1	47	35	0.306	.258 (+19%)	.332 (+12%)	.393 (+27%)	.726 (+20%)	0.0
1956	CIN	NL	90	229	28	63	10	0	12	39	0	26	18	0.275	.258 (+7%)	.331 (+5%)	.397 (+20%)	.728 (+13%)	539.7
1957	CIN	NL	90	205	29	58	14	1	14	39	0	24	16	0.283	.257 (+10%)	.323 (+9%)	.391 (+45%)	.715 (+29%)	1020.0
1958	CIN	NL	99	251	28	71	12	1	6	31	0	22	20	0.283	.257 (+10%)	.324 (+6%)	.394 (+4%)	.719 (+5%)	250.8
1959	PIT	NL	114	377	41	112	28	5	11	59	0	31	16	0.297	.256 (+16%)	.323 (+8%)	.392 (+24%)	.715 (+16%)	1063.2
1960	PIT	NL	110	337	33	99	15	2	7	39	0	35	13	0.294	.255 (+15%)	.323 (+10%)	.387 (+6%)	.711 (+8%)	543.3
1961	PIT	NL	100	323	37	98	17	3	12	52	1	30	16	0.303	.258 (+17%)	.328 (+11%)	.399 (+22%)	.727 (+17%)	1032.9
1962	PIT	NL	103	360	38	118	19	2	13	61	0	31	19	0.328	.257 (+27%)	.326 (+15%)	.393 (+27%)	.719 (+22%)	1410.6
1963	PIT	NL	91	264	20	74	10	1	6	37	0	24	14	0.280	.246 (+14%)	.308 (+9%)	.371 (+6%)	.680 (+7%)	360.5
1964	PIT	NL	68	171	9	42	3	1	2	17	2	13	14	0.246	.250 (-2%)	.312 (-3%)	.377 (-18%)	.690 (-11%)	-298.3
1964	CHW	AL	7	5	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	2	0	0.200	—	—	—	—	-298.3
1965	CHW	AL	80	77	2	22	4	0	2	24	0	11	7	0.286	.245 (+16%)	.310 (+19%)	.371 (+12%)	.682 (+15%)	232.5
1966	CHW	AL	79	67	0	21	5	0	0	15	0	11	8	0.313	.248 (+26%)	.309 (+33%)	.376 (+3%)	.685 (+17%)	257.8
1967	CHW	AL	77	60	2	8	1	0	2	11	0	14	8	0.133	.242 (-45%)	.306 (-1%)	.357 (-30%)	.663 (-17%)	-119.3

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
5	18	2	6	1	0	0	0	2	1	0.333

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1960	WS	PIT	5	18	2	6	1	0	0	0	2	1	0.333

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
C	1139	808	5214	441	71	63

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1949	CHN	C	8	0	21	6	0	2
1951	CHN	C	64	0	210	35	5	6
1952	PHI	C	104	0	439	47	11	6
1953	PHI	C	95	0	395	23	3	8
1954	PHI	C	91	85	356	30	10	4
1955	PHI	C	6	6	35	1	0	0
1955	CIN	C	107	103	457	35	7	6
1956	CIN	C	55	53	257	18	0	2
1957	CIN	C	45	42	223	15	3	0
1958	CIN	C	58	53	297	21	4	2
1959	PIT	C	101	95	441	39	8	4
1960	PIT	C	89	86	485	38	3	7
1961	PIT	C	92	83	426	27	4	4
1962	PIT	C	101	94	550	45	7	5
1963	PIT	C	72	65	364	40	4	4
1964	PIT	C	44	40	237	18	2	3
1965	CHA	C	5	3	17	3	0	0
1966	CHA	C	2	0	4	0	0	0