Larry Gardner

Born: 5/13/1886 in Enosburg Falls, VT, USA

Died: 3/11/1976 in St. George, VT, USA

MLB Debut: 1908-06-25 | Final Game: 1924-09-06

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'8" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: William Lawrence Gardner

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Larry Gardner was a professional baseball player who made a significant mark in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1924. Born in 1886, Gardner played primarily as a position player, appearing in 1,923 games throughout his career. He amassed a total of 1,931 hits, showcasing his consistent ability to connect with the ball and create offensive opportunities for his teams. With a career batting average of .289, Gardner was known for his solid hitting, complemented by his ability to drive in runs, as evidenced by his 934 RBIs. His power at the plate was highlighted by 27 home runs, reflecting a balanced offensive approach that contributed to his teams' successes. Gardner's playing style was characterized by a blend of speed and contact hitting, demonstrated by his 165 stolen bases, which underscored his agility on the base paths during an era that valued both power and speed. He played during a transitional period in baseball, witnessing the evolution of the game following the deadball era and before the onset of the live-ball era. Gardner's contributions to his teams, notably the Cleveland Indians and the Boston Red Sox, established him as a reliable player of his time, leaving a lasting legacy in the annals of baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1923	6688	867	1931	301	129	27	934	165	654	434	0.289	0.355	0.384	0.739	11737.3

Career AVG .289 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.

Career OBP .355 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — +8.5% above league average.

Career SLG .384 vs. league average .352 across their career seasons — +9.3% above league average.

Career OPS 0.739 vs. league average 0.679 across their career seasons — +8.9% 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
1908	BOS	AL	3	10	0	3	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0.300	—	—	—	—	0.0
1909	BOS	AL	19	37	7	11	1	2	0	5	1	4	6	0.297	—	—	—	—	0.0
1910	BOS	AL	113	413	56	117	12	10	2	36	8	41	52	0.283	.249 (+13%)	.317 (+11%)	.326 (+15%)	.644 (+13%)	982.6
1911	BOS	AL	138	492	80	140	17	8	4	44	27	64	57	0.285	.266 (+7%)	.336 (+11%)	.356 (+5%)	.693 (+8%)	955.9
1912	BOS	AL	143	517	88	163	24	18	3	86	25	56	36	0.315	.268 (+17%)	.335 (+14%)	.358 (+25%)	.694 (+20%)	1993.8
1913	BOS	AL	131	473	64	133	17	10	0	63	18	47	34	0.281	.259 (+8%)	.325 (+7%)	.345 (+4%)	.670 (+5%)	506.2
1914	BOS	AL	155	553	50	143	23	19	3	68	16	35	39	0.259	.255 (+1%)	.322 (-6%)	.339 (+14%)	.661 (+4%)	110.9
1915	BOS	AL	127	430	51	111	14	6	1	55	11	39	24	0.258	.250 (+3%)	.318 (+3%)	.332 (-2%)	.651 (avg)	60.5
1916	BOS	AL	148	493	47	152	19	7	2	62	12	48	27	0.308	.248 (+24%)	.314 (+18%)	.326 (+19%)	.640 (+19%)	1767.3
1917	BOS	AL	146	501	53	133	23	7	1	61	16	54	37	0.265	.248 (+7%)	.312 (+9%)	.323 (+7%)	.635 (+8%)	810.4
1918	PHA	AL	127	463	50	132	22	6	1	52	9	43	22	0.285	.255 (+12%)	.318 (+8%)	.326 (+12%)	.645 (+10%)	849.9
1919	CLE	AL	139	524	67	157	29	7	2	79	7	39	29	0.300	.262 (+14%)	.322 (+9%)	.347 (+13%)	.670 (+11%)	1081.0
1920	CLE	AL	154	597	72	185	31	11	3	118	3	53	25	0.310	.271 (+14%)	.331 (+11%)	.363 (+14%)	.694 (+12%)	1464.5
1921	CLE	AL	153	586	101	187	32	14	3	120	3	65	16	0.319	.286 (+11%)	.344 (+13%)	.395 (+11%)	.739 (+12%)	1584.6
1922	CLE	AL	137	470	74	134	31	3	2	68	9	49	21	0.285	.285 (avg)	.345 (+3%)	.397 (-5%)	.743 (-2%)	-75.7
1923	CLE	AL	52	79	4	20	5	1	0	12	0	12	7	0.253	.282 (-11%)	.344 (+2%)	.390 (-12%)	.734 (-6%)	-57.6
1924	CLE	AL	38	50	3	10	0	0	0	4	0	5	1	0.200	.283 (-30%)	.345 (-21%)	.389 (-49%)	.734 (-36%)	-296.9

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
25	86	9	17	3	2	3	13	4	8	0.198

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1920	WS	CLE	7	24	1	5	1	0	0	2	1	1	0.208
1916	WS	BOS	5	17	2	3	0	0	2	6	0	2	0.176
1915	WS	BOS	5	17	2	4	0	1	0	0	1	0	0.235
1912	WS	BOS	8	28	4	5	2	1	1	5	2	5	0.179

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	181	113	382	527	47	60
3B	1656	7	1789	3408	287	246
SS	5	1	6	4	1	1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1908	BOS	3B	3	2	2	2	3	0
1909	BOS	3B	8	5	4	12	4	0
1909	BOS	SS	5	1	6	4	1	1
1910	BOS	2B	113	113	222	320	32	28
1911	BOS	2B	62	0	152	195	13	31
1911	BOS	3B	72	0	92	161	10	3
1912	BOS	3B	143	0	167	296	35	16
1913	BOS	3B	130	0	126	220	21	13
1914	BOS	3B	153	0	187	312	31	18
1915	BOS	3B	127	0	134	227	26	16
1916	BOS	3B	147	0	149	278	21	24
1917	BOS	3B	146	0	148	315	31	18
1918	PHA	3B	127	0	158	291	17	33
1919	CLE	3B	139	0	143	291	25	23
1920	CLE	3B	154	0	156	362	13	32
1921	CLE	3B	152	0	179	335	27	23
1922	CLE	3B	128	0	133	259	20	24
1923	CLE	3B	19	0	10	41	2	2
1924	CLE	2B	6	0	8	12	2	1
1924	CLE	3B	8	0	1	6	1	1

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Second Base	182
Third Base	1660
Shortstop	6
Right Field	1

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1921	Baseball Magazine All-Star	3B
1920	Baseball Magazine All-Star	3B
1916	Baseball Magazine All-Star	3B
1916	Baseball Magazine All-Star	3B
1912	Baseball Magazine All-Star	3B