George Burns, baseball player, 1914-1929

George Burns

Born: 1/31/1893 in Niles, OH, USA

Died: 1/7/1978 in Kirkland, WA, USA

MLB Debut: 1914-04-14 | Final Game: 1929-09-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: George Henry Burns

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Biography

George Burns was a prominent American baseball player born in 1893, whose career spanned from 1914 to 1929. Known for his exceptional hitting prowess and consistent offensive production, Burns played a total of 1,866 games and accumulated 2,018 hits, boasting an impressive batting average of .307. Over the course of his career, he recorded 72 home runs and drove in 951 runs, making him a significant contributor to his teams' success during the early 20th century. Additionally, Burns showcased his speed on the bases, finishing his career with 154 stolen bases. Burns played during a transformative era in baseball, as the sport was evolving from the deadball era into a more offense-oriented game. His ability to consistently reach base and drive in runs placed him among the notable players of his time, and his contributions were vital to the teams he played for. His legacy is remembered not only for his statistical achievements but also for his role in shaping the offensive landscape of baseball during a pivotal time in the sport's history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1866 6573 901 2018 444 72 72 951 154 363 433 0.307 0.354 0.429 0.783 13833.8

Career AVG .307 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — +12.5% above league average.

Career OBP .354 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — +5.3% above league average.

Career SLG .429 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — +15.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.783 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — +10.4% 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
1914 DET AL 137 478 55 139 22 5 5 57 23 32 56 0.291 .255 (+14%) .322 (+9%) .339 (+15%) .661 (+12%) 1080.4
1915 DET AL 105 392 49 99 18 3 5 50 9 22 51 0.253 .250 (+1%) .318 (-6%) .332 (+6%) .651 (avg) -72.2
1916 DET AL 135 479 60 137 22 6 4 73 12 22 30 0.286 .248 (+15%) .314 (+4%) .326 (+17%) .640 (+11%) 802.5
1917 DET AL 119 407 42 92 14 10 1 40 3 15 33 0.226 .248 (-9%) .312 (-16%) .323 (-2%) .635 (-9%) -796.8
1918 PHA AL 130 505 61 178 22 9 6 70 8 23 25 0.352 .255 (+38%) .318 (+22%) .326 (+43%) .645 (+33%) 2889.9
1919 PHA AL 126 470 63 139 29 9 8 57 15 19 18 0.296 .262 (+13%) .322 (+5%) .347 (+28%) .670 (+17%) 1357.1
1920 PHA AL 22 60 1 14 3 0 1 7 4 6 7 0.233 .271 (-14%) .331 (-6%) .363 (-8%) .694 (-7%) -57.5
1920 CLE AL 44 56 7 15 4 1 0 13 1 4 3 0.268 .271 (-2%) .331 (+2%) .363 (+3%) .694 (+3%) -57.5
1921 CLE AL 84 244 52 88 21 4 0 49 3 13 19 0.361 .286 (+26%) .344 (+15%) .395 (+21%) .739 (+19%) 820.2
1922 BOS AL 147 558 71 171 32 5 12 73 8 20 28 0.306 .285 (+7%) .345 (-2%) .397 (+12%) .743 (+6%) 552.1
1923 BOS AL 146 551 91 181 47 5 7 82 9 45 33 0.328 .282 (+16%) .344 (+12%) .390 (+20%) .734 (+17%) 1877.8
1924 CLE AL 129 462 64 143 37 5 4 68 14 29 27 0.310 .283 (+9%) .345 (+7%) .389 (+12%) .734 (+10%) 914.2
1925 CLE AL 127 488 69 164 41 4 6 79 16 24 24 0.336 .288 (+17%) .349 (+6%) .407 (+16%) .756 (+12%) 1057.7
1926 CLE AL 151 603 97 216 64 3 4 114 13 28 33 0.358 .279 (+28%) .345 (+14%) .390 (+27%) .735 (+21%) 2464.6
1927 CLE AL 140 549 84 175 51 2 3 78 13 42 27 0.319 .282 (+13%) .344 (+9%) .392 (+11%) .736 (+10%) 1123.6
1928 CLE AL 82 209 29 52 12 1 5 30 2 17 11 0.249 .280 (-11%) .342 (-6%) .395 (-2%) .737 (-4%) -135.3
1928 NYY AL 4 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — -135.3
1929 NYY AL 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1929 PHA AL 29 49 5 13 5 0 1 11 1 2 3 0.265 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 12 1 3 1 0 0 3 3 4 0.250

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1929 WS PHA 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1920 WS CLE 5 10 1 3 1 0 0 3 3 3 0.300

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1671 0 16892 1094 245 1117
OF 50 0 78 7 6 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1914 DET 1B 137 0 1579 79 30 72
1915 DET 1B 104 0 1155 57 17 65
1916 DET 1B 124 0 1355 54 22 71
1917 DET 1B 104 0 1127 57 12 44
1918 PHA 1B 128 0 1384 104 26 109
1918 PHA OF 2 0 5 0 1 0
1919 PHA 1B 86 0 918 71 20 44
1919 PHA OF 34 0 53 4 4 2
1920 PHA OF 13 0 20 3 1 0
1920 CLE 1B 12 0 84 9 2 1
1920 CLE OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1921 CLE 1B 73 0 534 41 6 40
1922 BOS 1B 140 0 1412 94 20 103
1923 BOS 1B 146 0 1485 92 16 103
1924 CLE 1B 127 0 1227 110 18 85
1925 CLE 1B 126 0 1195 82 14 94
1926 CLE 1B 151 0 1499 99 19 122
1927 CLE 1B 139 0 1362 102 15 111
1928 CLE 1B 53 0 470 38 8 44
1928 NYA 1B 2 0 7 0 0 0
1929 PHA 1B 19 0 99 5 0 9

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1673
Left Field 1
Right Field 48

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1926 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1926 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1926 Most Valuable Player
1926 TSN All-Star 1B

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1926 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 63.0 64 0
1925 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 4.0 64 0
1923 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 8.0 64 0
1922 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 2.0 64 0