Norm Cash, baseball player, 377 home runs, 1958-1974

Norm Cash

Born: 11/10/1933 in Justiceburg, TX, USA

Died: 10/11/1986 in Beaver Island, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1958-06-18 | Final Game: 1974-08-06

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Norman Dalton Cash

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Biography

Norm Cash was a prominent American professional baseball player, celebrated for his powerful hitting and consistent performance during his career from 1958 to 1974. Born in 1933, Cash made a significant impact in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and outfielder, particularly known for his time with the Detroit Tigers. Over the course of 2,089 games, he amassed 1,820 hits, including 377 home runs, and drove in 1,103 runs, culminating in a respectable career batting average of .271. His ability to hit for power and average made him a key figure in the Tigers’ lineup, and he was selected to the All-Star team five times, underscoring his status as one of the era's top players. Playing primarily during the 1960s and early 1970s—a period characterized by both the rise of pitching dominance and the increasing importance of power hitters—Cash was known for his unique batting style and keen eye at the plate. He combined a solid on-base percentage with the ability to hit for extra bases, which contributed to his reputation as a formidable hitter. His career spanned a transformative time in baseball, where the game was increasingly shaped by the integration of players and the evolution of offensive strategies. Cash's contributions to the game left a lasting legacy, particularly within the Tigers organization, where his achievements continue to be celebrated by fans and historians alike.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2089 6705 1046 1820 241 41 377 1103 43 1043 1091 0.271 0.374 0.488 0.862 35058.6

Career AVG .271 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +8.3% above league average.

Career OBP .374 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — +17.9% above league average.

Career SLG .488 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — +30.4% above league average.

Career OPS 0.862 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — +24.6% 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
1958 CHW AL 13 8 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1959 CHW AL 58 104 16 25 0 1 4 16 1 18 9 0.240 .256 (-6%) .323 (+15%) .392 (-4%) .715 (+4%) 165.8
1960 DET AL 121 353 64 101 16 3 18 63 4 65 58 0.286 .255 (+12%) .323 (+24%) .387 (+29%) .711 (+27%) 2083.5
1961 DET AL 159 535 119 193 22 8 41 132 11 124 85 0.361 .258 (+40%) .328 (+48%) .399 (+66%) .727 (+58%) 7172.1
1962 DET AL 148 507 94 123 16 2 39 89 6 104 82 0.243 .257 (-6%) .326 (+17%) .393 (+30%) .719 (+24%) 2847.5
1963 DET AL 147 493 67 133 19 1 26 79 2 89 76 0.270 .246 (+10%) .308 (+25%) .371 (+27%) .680 (+26%) 2835.5
1964 DET AL 144 479 63 123 15 5 23 83 2 70 66 0.257 .250 (+3%) .312 (+12%) .377 (+20%) .690 (+16%) 1618.8
1965 DET AL 142 467 79 124 23 1 30 82 6 77 62 0.266 .245 (+8%) .310 (+19%) .371 (+38%) .682 (+29%) 2793.6
1966 DET AL 160 603 98 168 18 3 32 93 2 66 91 0.279 .248 (+12%) .309 (+13%) .376 (+27%) .685 (+21%) 2528.1
1967 DET AL 152 488 64 118 16 5 22 72 3 81 100 0.242 .242 (avg) .306 (+15%) .357 (+20%) .663 (+18%) 1884.0
1968 DET AL 127 411 50 108 15 1 25 63 1 39 70 0.263 .236 (+11%) .298 (+10%) .340 (+43%) .638 (+28%) 1923.5
1969 DET AL 142 483 81 135 15 4 22 74 2 63 80 0.280 .248 (+13%) .320 (+15%) .369 (+26%) .689 (+21%) 2022.6
1970 DET AL 130 370 58 96 18 2 15 53 0 72 58 0.259 .253 (+2%) .325 (+17%) .385 (+14%) .711 (+16%) 1372.6
1971 DET AL 135 452 72 128 10 3 32 91 1 59 86 0.283 .249 (+14%) .316 (+17%) .365 (+45%) .682 (+32%) 2824.7
1972 DET AL 137 440 51 114 16 0 22 61 0 50 64 0.259 .243 (+6%) .310 (+9%) .353 (+26%) .664 (+18%) 1486.1
1973 DET AL 121 363 51 95 19 0 19 40 1 47 73 0.262 .256 (+2%) .325 (+10%) .378 (+24%) .703 (+18%) 1297.4
1974 DET AL 53 149 17 34 3 2 7 12 1 19 30 0.228 .256 (-11%) .324 (+1%) .369 (+13%) .693 (+7%) 202.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
16 45 6 14 0 0 2 7 5 10 0.311

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1972 ALCS DET 5 15 1 4 0 0 1 2 2 3 0.267
1968 WS DET 7 26 5 10 0 0 1 5 3 5 0.385
1959 WS CHA 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1943 1812 15157 1317 131 1347
OF 11 7 16 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1958 CHA OF 4 1 2 0 0 0
1959 CHA 1B 31 25 231 14 4 19
1960 DET 1B 99 86 739 59 7 68
1960 DET OF 4 3 4 0 0 0
1961 DET 1B 157 157 1231 127 11 121
1962 DET 1B 146 143 1081 116 10 94
1962 DET OF 3 3 10 0 0 0
1963 DET 1B 142 138 1161 99 7 93
1964 DET 1B 137 129 1105 92 4 97
1965 DET 1B 139 129 1091 97 9 96
1966 DET 1B 158 156 1271 114 17 118
1967 DET 1B 146 131 1135 112 6 89
1968 DET 1B 117 105 924 88 8 66
1969 DET 1B 134 127 1016 96 7 99
1970 DET 1B 114 100 868 70 10 76
1971 DET 1B 131 122 1020 75 9 105
1972 DET 1B 134 119 1060 70 8 102
1973 DET 1B 114 104 856 64 8 72
1974 DET 1B 44 41 368 24 6 32

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1944
Left Field 4
Right Field 7
Designated Hitter 3

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1971 TSN All-Star 1B
1971 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1965 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1961 TSN All-Star 1B

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Sul Ross State University Alpine TX 1954, 1955
Angelo State University San Angelo TX 1953

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1971 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 21.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 3.0 280 0
1966 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 23.0 280 0
1965 Most Valuable Player AL 33th 1.0 280 0
1962 Most Valuable Player AL 31th 3.0 280 0
1961 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 151.0 280 1