Curt Flood, baseball player, 1956-1971

Curt Flood

Born: 1/18/1938 in Houston, TX, USA

Died: 1/20/1997 in Los Angeles, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1956-09-09 | Final Game: 1971-04-25

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Curtis Charles Flood

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Biography

Curt Flood was a professional baseball player born in 1938, who played in Major League Baseball from 1956 until his retirement in 1971. Renowned for his exceptional hitting ability and defensive skills, Flood appeared in 1,759 games throughout his career, amassing 1,861 hits and achieving a commendable batting average of .293. He demonstrated consistent power with 85 home runs and contributed significantly to his teams with 636 runs batted in (RBIs) and 88 stolen bases. Flood was selected as an All-Star three times, underscoring his status as one of the top players of his era. Flood’s career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, marked by the integration of players and significant changes in player rights. He is perhaps best remembered for his pivotal role in challenging the reserve clause, which restricted player movement and labor rights within the sport. His courageous stance not only altered the landscape of baseball but also had far-reaching implications for athletes across all professional sports. Flood's legacy extends beyond his on-field accomplishments, as he became a symbol for player empowerment and labor rights, making him an essential figure in the history of baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1759 6357 851 1861 271 44 85 636 88 444 609 0.293 0.342 0.389 0.732 7792.8

Career AVG .293 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +16.8% above league average.

Career OBP .342 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — +7.9% above league average.

Career SLG .389 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.732 vs. league average 0.695 across their career seasons — +5.3% 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
1956 CIN NL 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1957 CIN NL 3 3 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1958 STL NL 121 422 50 110 17 2 10 41 2 31 56 0.261 .257 (+1%) .324 (-2%) .394 (-3%) .719 (-3%) -217.2
1959 STL NL 121 208 24 53 7 3 7 26 2 16 35 0.255 .256 (-1%) .323 (-6%) .392 (+7%) .715 (+1%) -21.6
1960 STL NL 140 396 37 94 20 1 8 38 0 35 54 0.237 .255 (-7%) .323 (-6%) .387 (-9%) .711 (-8%) -632.2
1961 STL NL 132 335 53 108 15 5 2 21 6 35 33 0.322 .258 (+25%) .328 (+19%) .399 (+4%) .727 (+11%) 847.5
1962 STL NL 151 635 99 188 30 5 12 70 8 42 57 0.296 .257 (+15%) .326 (+6%) .393 (+6%) .719 (+6%) 731.5
1963 STL NL 158 662 112 200 34 9 5 63 17 42 57 0.302 .246 (+23%) .308 (+12%) .371 (+8%) .680 (+10%) 1217.7
1964 STL NL 162 679 97 211 25 3 5 46 8 43 53 0.311 .250 (+24%) .312 (+14%) .377 (avg) .690 (+6%) 987.6
1965 STL NL 156 617 90 191 30 3 11 83 9 51 50 0.310 .245 (+26%) .310 (+18%) .371 (+13%) .682 (+15%) 1947.7
1966 STL NL 160 626 64 167 21 5 10 78 14 26 50 0.267 .248 (+7%) .309 (-4%) .376 (-3%) .685 (-3%) -519.4
1967 STL NL 134 514 68 172 24 1 5 50 2 37 46 0.335 .242 (+38%) .306 (+23%) .357 (+16%) .663 (+19%) 1882.1
1968 STL NL 150 618 71 186 17 4 5 60 11 33 58 0.301 .236 (+27%) .298 (+14%) .340 (+7%) .638 (+10%) 1157.4
1969 STL NL 153 606 80 173 31 3 4 57 9 48 57 0.285 .248 (+15%) .320 (+7%) .369 (-1%) .689 (+3%) 411.8
1971 WS2 AL 13 35 4 7 0 0 0 2 0 5 2 0.200 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
21 86 11 19 2 1 0 8 8 6 0.221

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1968 WS SLN 7 28 4 8 1 0 0 2 2 2 0.286
1967 WS SLN 7 28 2 5 1 0 0 3 3 3 0.179
1964 WS SLN 7 30 5 6 0 1 0 3 3 1 0.200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 2 0 1 0 0 0
3B 4 0 1 0 0 0
OF 1697 1561 4021 114 54 28

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1957 CIN 2B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1957 CIN 3B 2 0 0 0 0 0
1958 SLN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1958 SLN OF 120 110 346 18 8 3
1959 SLN 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1959 SLN OF 106 49 147 1 5 1
1960 SLN 3B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1960 SLN OF 134 116 290 7 2 0
1961 SLN OF 119 84 241 13 4 4
1962 SLN OF 151 151 387 12 4 5
1963 SLN OF 158 157 401 12 5 2
1964 SLN OF 162 160 391 10 5 2
1965 SLN OF 151 151 349 7 5 3
1966 SLN OF 159 155 391 5 0 1
1967 SLN OF 126 124 314 4 4 1
1968 SLN OF 149 147 386 11 7 4
1969 SLN OF 152 149 362 14 4 2
1971 WS2 OF 10 8 16 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 2
Third Base 4
Left Field 4
Center Field 1692
Right Field 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1969 Gold Glove OF
1968 Gold Glove OF
1968 TSN All-Star OF
1967 Gold Glove OF
1966 Gold Glove OF
1965 Gold Glove OF
1964 Gold Glove OF
1963 Gold Glove OF

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1968 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 116.0 280 0
1967 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 24.0 280 0
1966 Most Valuable Player NL 20th 7.0 280 0
1965 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 13.0 280 0
1964 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 38.0 280 0
1963 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 1.0 280 0