Joe Kuhel, baseball player, 131 home runs, 1930-1947

Joe Kuhel

Born: 6/25/1906 in Cleveland, OH, USA

Died: 2/26/1984 in Kansas City, KS, USA

MLB Debut: 1930-07-31 | Final Game: 1947-05-11

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Joseph Anthony Kuhel

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Biography

Joe Kuhel was a prominent American baseball player, active from 1930 until 1947, who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball as a reliable position player. Born in 1906, Kuhel played the majority of his career as a first baseman and outfielder, showcasing his versatility on the field. Over the course of 2,104 games, he accumulated 2,212 hits, demonstrating consistent hitting ability that earned him a career batting average of .277. His offensive contributions included 131 home runs and 1,049 runs batted in, marking him as a key player in the lineup for teams he played for, including the Washington Senators and the Chicago White Sox. Kuhel's playing style was characterized by a blend of power and speed, as evidenced by his 178 stolen bases, a notable achievement for a player of his era. His career unfolded during a time when baseball was transitioning through the Great Depression and into World War II, impacting the game and its players significantly. Kuhel's durability and performance made him a mainstay in the league, and he is remembered for his contributions not only as a player but also as a competitor who exemplified the spirit of the game during an evolving period in baseball history.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
8.0 6.0 1.0 1.0 0 1.0 0 0 1.0 2.0 0 0.167 0.286 0.500 0.786

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1931 4.0 2.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 1.0 0 .000 0.333 .000 0.333
1933 4.0 4.0 0 1.0 0 1.0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0.250 0.250 0.750 1.000

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2104 7984 1236 2212 412 111 131 1049 178 980 612 0.277 0.359 0.406 0.765 12316.3

Career AVG .277 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .359 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — +6.7% above league average.

Career SLG .406 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — +6.2% above league average.

Career OPS 0.765 vs. league average 0.718 across their career seasons — +6.4% 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
1930 WSN AL 18 63 9 18 3 3 0 17 1 5 6 0.286 .293 (-3%) .354 (-2%) .429 (avg) .784 (-1%) -23.4
1931 WSN AL 139 524 70 141 34 8 8 85 7 47 45 0.269 .276 (-3%) .338 (-1%) .388 (+6%) .726 (+3%) 222.5
1932 WSN AL 101 347 52 101 21 5 4 52 5 32 19 0.291 .275 (+6%) .335 (+5%) .391 (+6%) .726 (+6%) 374.6
1933 WSN AL 153 602 89 194 34 10 11 107 17 59 48 0.322 .270 (+19%) .329 (+17%) .377 (+24%) .707 (+20%) 2516.5
1934 WSN AL 63 263 49 76 12 3 3 25 2 30 14 0.289 .278 (+4%) .340 (+7%) .392 (avg) .733 (+3%) 197.4
1935 WSN AL 151 633 99 165 25 9 2 74 5 78 44 0.261 .279 (-7%) .342 (+1%) .399 (-15%) .742 (-8%) -872.2
1936 WSN AL 149 588 107 189 42 8 16 118 15 64 30 0.321 .283 (+13%) .349 (+12%) .404 (+24%) .753 (+19%) 2321.0
1937 WSN AL 136 547 73 155 24 11 6 61 6 63 39 0.283 .276 (+2%) .342 (+4%) .398 (+1%) .740 (+2%) 302.3
1938 CHW AL 117 412 67 110 27 4 8 51 9 72 35 0.267 .272 (-2%) .341 (+10%) .392 (+4%) .734 (+7%) 740.4
1939 CHW AL 139 546 107 164 24 9 15 56 18 64 51 0.300 .274 (+10%) .342 (+10%) .393 (+17%) .735 (+14%) 1568.3
1940 CHW AL 155 603 111 169 28 8 27 94 12 87 59 0.280 .267 (+5%) .335 (+11%) .387 (+26%) .722 (+19%) 2484.1
1941 CHW AL 153 600 99 150 39 5 12 63 20 70 55 0.250 .262 (-5%) .332 (avg) .373 (+5%) .705 (+2%) 281.1
1942 CHW AL 115 413 60 103 14 4 4 52 22 60 22 0.249 .253 (-2%) .323 (+7%) .349 (-5%) .672 (+1%) 239.8
1943 CHW AL 153 531 55 113 21 1 5 46 14 76 45 0.213 .255 (-17%) .324 (-2%) .346 (-18%) .671 (-10%) -794.3
1944 WSN AL 139 518 90 144 26 7 4 51 11 68 40 0.278 .261 (+6%) .325 (+12%) .357 (+6%) .683 (+9%) 1014.4
1945 WSN AL 142 533 73 152 29 13 2 75 10 79 31 0.285 .260 (+9%) .328 (+15%) .354 (+13%) .683 (+14%) 1569.1
1946 WSN AL 14 20 2 3 0 0 0 2 0 5 2 0.150 — — — — 0.0
1946 CHW AL 64 238 24 65 9 3 4 20 4 21 24 0.273 .256 (+6%) .328 (+2%) .358 (+8%) .687 (+5%) 0.0
1947 CHW AL 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 20 1 3 0 0 0 1 1 4 0.150

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1933 WS WS1 5 20 1 3 0 0 0 1 1 4 0.150

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2057 0 19386 1163 173 1769

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1930 WS1 1B 16 0 149 8 3 10
1931 WS1 1B 139 0 1255 57 12 119
1932 WS1 1B 85 0 761 45 5 64
1933 WS1 1B 153 0 1498 61 7 126
1934 WS1 1B 63 0 618 23 4 62
1935 WS1 1B 151 0 1425 87 14 150
1936 WS1 1B 149 0 1452 73 10 138
1937 WS1 1B 136 0 1242 85 9 141
1938 CHA 1B 111 0 1136 59 14 97
1939 CHA 1B 136 0 1256 72 11 113
1940 CHA 1B 155 0 1395 91 18 112
1941 CHA 1B 151 0 1444 108 10 113
1942 CHA 1B 112 0 1085 70 11 94
1943 CHA 1B 153 0 1471 106 8 143
1944 WS1 1B 138 0 1251 83 17 119
1945 WS1 1B 141 0 1323 94 16 101
1946 WS1 1B 5 0 29 3 0 2
1946 CHA 1B 63 0 596 38 4 65

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 2057

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1945 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 29.0 336 1
1940 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 18.0 336 0
1939 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 8.0 336 0
1936 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 27.0 80 0
1933 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 5.0 80 0