Harvey Kuenn, baseball player, 1952-1966

Harvey Kuenn

Born: 12/4/1930 in West Allis, WI, USA

Died: 2/28/1988 in Peoria, AZ, USA

MLB Debut: 1952-09-06 | Final Game: 1966-10-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 187 lbs

Full name: Harvey Edward Kuenn

📋 View Manager Career

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Harvey Kuenn was a prominent American baseball player whose career spanned from 1952 to 1966. Born in 1930, he made a significant impact in Major League Baseball as a position player, known for his exceptional hitting ability and versatility on the field. Over the course of 1,833 games, Kuenn amassed 2,092 hits, resulting in an impressive career batting average of .303. He demonstrated consistent offensive production with 87 home runs and 671 RBIs, as well as contributing 68 stolen bases, showcasing his agility and speed. Kuenn's talents did not go unnoticed, as he was named the Rookie of the Year and also received the TSN Rookie of the Year award, highlighting his immediate impact in the league. His skill earned him 10 All-Star selections throughout his career, illustrating his status as one of the top players of his era. Kuenn played during a time when the game was evolving, transitioning from the deadball era to a more offense-driven style, and he remained a key figure in shaping the offensive landscape of the sport. His legacy endures as one of the premier hitters of his generation, reflecting the excellence and competitive spirit of baseball in the 1950s and 1960s.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1833 6913 951 2092 356 56 87 671 68 594 404 0.303 0.357 0.408 0.765 9594.8

Career AVG .303 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — +18.8% above league average.

Career OBP .357 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — +10.5% above league average.

Career SLG .408 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — +5.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.765 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — +7.9% 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
1952 DET AL 19 80 2 26 2 2 0 8 2 2 1 0.325 .252 (+29%) .326 (+7%) .369 (+8%) .696 (+8%) 74.8
1953 DET AL 155 679 94 209 33 7 2 48 6 50 31 0.308 .264 (+16%) .335 (+6%) .397 (-3%) .733 (+1%) 165.0
1954 DET AL 155 656 81 201 28 6 5 48 9 29 13 0.306 .261 (+17%) .333 (avg) .390 (avg) .723 (avg) -96.1
1955 DET AL 145 620 101 190 38 5 8 62 8 40 27 0.306 .258 (+19%) .332 (+4%) .393 (+7%) .726 (+6%) 623.9
1956 DET AL 146 591 96 196 32 7 12 88 9 55 34 0.332 .258 (+28%) .331 (+17%) .397 (+18%) .728 (+18%) 2128.5
1957 DET AL 151 624 74 173 30 6 9 44 5 47 28 0.277 .257 (+8%) .323 (+1%) .391 (-1%) .715 (avg) -46.8
1958 DET AL 139 561 73 179 39 3 8 54 5 51 34 0.319 .257 (+24%) .324 (+15%) .394 (+12%) .719 (+13%) 1537.8
1959 DET AL 139 561 99 198 42 7 9 71 7 48 37 0.353 .256 (+38%) .323 (+24%) .392 (+28%) .715 (+26%) 2916.1
1960 CLE AL 126 474 65 146 24 0 9 54 3 55 25 0.308 .255 (+21%) .323 (+17%) .387 (+7%) .711 (+12%) 1248.8
1961 SFG NL 131 471 60 125 22 4 5 46 5 47 34 0.265 .258 (+3%) .328 (avg) .399 (-10%) .727 (-5%) -492.3
1962 SFG NL 130 487 73 148 23 5 10 68 3 49 37 0.304 .257 (+18%) .326 (+12%) .393 (+10%) .719 (+11%) 1075.5
1963 SFG NL 120 417 61 121 13 2 6 31 2 44 38 0.290 .246 (+18%) .308 (+16%) .371 (+1%) .680 (+7%) 716.5
1964 SFG NL 111 351 42 92 16 2 4 22 0 35 32 0.262 .250 (+5%) .312 (+5%) .377 (-7%) .690 (-1%) -13.9
1965 SFG NL 23 59 4 14 0 0 0 6 3 10 3 0.237 .245 (-3%) .310 (+13%) .371 (-36%) .682 (-14%) -72.6
1965 CHC NL 54 120 11 26 5 0 0 6 1 22 13 0.217 .245 (-12%) .310 (+8%) .371 (-30%) .682 (-13%) -72.6
1966 CHC NL 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1966 PHI NL 86 159 15 47 9 0 0 15 0 10 16 0.296 .248 (+19%) .309 (+8%) .376 (-6%) .685 (avg) 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.083

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1962 WS SFN 3 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.083

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 33 16 170 15 4 16
3B 140 130 119 171 26 13
OF 826 759 1396 43 32 8
SS 748 569 1343 2116 129 431

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1952 DET SS 19 0 44 57 4 12
1953 DET SS 155 0 308 441 21 78
1954 DET SS 155 155 294 496 28 85
1955 DET SS 141 140 253 378 29 83
1956 DET OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1956 DET SS 141 140 219 388 20 86
1957 DET 1B 1 0 2 0 0 1
1957 DET 3B 17 16 24 33 3 4
1957 DET SS 136 134 225 354 27 86
1958 DET OF 138 138 358 9 6 1
1959 DET OF 137 137 247 6 3 0
1960 CLE 3B 5 4 0 6 1 0
1960 CLE OF 119 116 222 7 8 3
1961 SFN 3B 32 29 33 32 8 4
1961 SFN OF 93 91 157 9 2 0
1961 SFN SS 1 0 0 2 0 1
1962 SFN 3B 30 29 20 44 3 4
1962 SFN OF 105 88 160 3 5 1
1963 SFN 3B 53 52 41 56 11 1
1963 SFN OF 64 47 74 4 2 2
1964 SFN 1B 11 2 38 7 1 4
1964 SFN 3B 2 0 1 0 0 0
1964 SFN OF 88 78 97 2 5 0
1965 SFN 1B 7 2 27 5 0 0
1965 SFN OF 14 13 14 0 0 0
1965 CHN 1B 1 0 4 0 2 0
1965 CHN OF 35 27 36 3 1 1
1966 CHN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1966 PHI 1B 13 12 99 3 1 11
1966 PHI 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1966 PHI OF 31 24 31 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 34
Third Base 141
Shortstop 747
Left Field 353
Center Field 164
Right Field 343

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1956 TSN All-Star SS
1953 Rookie of the Year
1953 TSN Rookie of the Year

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Wisconsin at Madison Madison WI 1951, 1952

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1962 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 5.0 280 0
1960 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 3.0 336 0
1959 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 64.0 336 0
1958 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 24.0 336 0
1957 Most Valuable Player AL 22th 2.0 336 0
1956 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 80.0 336 0
1955 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 8.0 336 0
1954 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 37.0 336 0
1953 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 23.0 336 0
1953 Rookie of the Year AL 1st 23.0 24 23