Benny Kauff

Born: 1/5/1890 in Pomeroy, OH, USA

Died: 11/17/1961 in Columbus, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1912-04-20 | Final Game: 1920-07-02

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'8" | Weight: 157 lbs

Full name: Bennie Michael Kauff

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Benny Kauff was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball during the early 20th century, making a significant impact from his debut in 1912 until his final game in 1920. Born in 1890, Kauff played a total of 859 games, where he established himself as a formidable hitter with a career batting average of .311. Over his career, he accumulated 961 hits, including 49 home runs, and drove in 454 runs. Known for his speed on the bases, Kauff also showcased his agility with 234 stolen bases, making him one of the faster players of his time. Kauff's playing era was marked by the evolution of the game, transitioning from the deadball era to a more offensive-oriented style. His ability to combine hitting prowess with base-running skills highlighted his versatility and made him a valuable asset to his teams. Although his career was cut short, Kauff's contributions to the game and his impressive statistics continue to be remembered by baseball historians and fans alike.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
859	3094	521	961	169	57	49	454	234	367	313	0.311	0.389	0.450	0.838	16797.9

Career AVG .311 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — +20.7% above league average.

Career OBP .389 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — +20.7% above league average.

Career SLG .450 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — +32.3% above league average.

Career OPS 0.838 vs. league average 0.662 across their career seasons — +26.7% 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
1912	NYY	AL	5	11	4	3	0	0	0	2	1	3	0	0.273	—	—	—	—	0.0
1914	IND	FL	154	571	120	211	44	13	8	95	75	72	55	0.370	.255 (+45%)	.322 (+39%)	.339 (+57%)	.661 (+48%)	5445.2
1915	BRF	FL	136	483	92	165	23	11	12	83	55	85	50	0.342	.250 (+36%)	.318 (+40%)	.332 (+53%)	.651 (+47%)	4633.0
1916	NY1	NL	154	552	71	146	22	15	9	74	40	68	65	0.264	.248 (+6%)	.314 (+11%)	.326 (+25%)	.640 (+18%)	1852.1
1917	NY1	NL	153	559	89	172	22	4	5	68	30	59	54	0.308	.248 (+24%)	.312 (+21%)	.323 (+20%)	.635 (+21%)	2316.9
1918	NY1	NL	67	270	41	85	19	4	2	39	9	16	30	0.315	.255 (+23%)	.318 (+11%)	.326 (+34%)	.645 (+23%)	909.0
1919	NY1	NL	135	491	73	136	27	7	10	67	21	39	45	0.277	.262 (+6%)	.322 (+3%)	.347 (+21%)	.670 (+13%)	1087.1
1920	NY1	NL	55	157	31	43	12	3	3	26	3	25	14	0.274	.271 (+1%)	.331 (+15%)	.363 (+23%)	.694 (+19%)	554.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
6	25	2	4	1	0	2	5	0	2	0.160

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1917	WS	NY1	6	25	2	4	1	0	2	5	0	2	0.160

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	853	0	1881	136	85	29

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1912	NYA	OF	4	4	0	0	0
1914	IND	OF	154	310	31	17	5
1915	BRF	OF	136	317	32	15	7
1916	NY1	OF	154	329	22	14	6
1917	NY1	OF	153	357	12	9	4
1918	NY1	OF	67	147	11	8	4
1919	NY1	OF	134	306	18	17	3
1920	NY1	OF	51	111	10	5	0