Eddie Mathews, baseball player, 512 home runs, 1952-1968

Eddie Mathews

⭐ Hall of Fame 1978

Born: 10/13/1931 in Texarkana, TX, USA

Died: 2/18/2001 in La Jolla, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1952-04-15 | Final Game: 1968-09-27

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Edwin Lee Mathews

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Biography

Eddie Mathews, born in 1931, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball whose career spanned from April 15, 1952, to September 27, 1968. Renowned for his powerful hitting and exceptional defensive skills, Mathews became one of the game's premier sluggers during his time. Over the course of 2,391 games, he amassed 2,315 hits, including 512 home runs, and drove in 1,453 runs, boasting a career batting average of .271. In addition to his offensive prowess, Mathews demonstrated speed on the basepaths, finishing his career with 68 stolen bases. Mathews was selected to the All-Star Game 12 times, reflecting his consistent excellence and popularity with fans and peers alike. His impact on the game was further solidified when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978. Playing primarily for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves during the 1950s and 1960s, he was a key figure in the franchise's success and helped the team capture the World Series championship in 1957. Mathews' contributions to baseball extend beyond his statistics; he was known for his fierce competitiveness and leadership, leaving a lasting legacy in the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2391 8537 1509 2315 354 72 512 1453 68 1444 1487 0.271 0.376 0.509 0.885 45555.2

Career AVG .271 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.

Career OBP .376 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +17.5% above league average.

Career SLG .509 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — +33.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.885 vs. league average 0.701 across their career seasons — +26.3% 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
1952 BSN NL 145 528 80 128 23 5 25 58 6 59 115 0.242 .252 (-4%) .326 (-2%) .369 (+21%) .696 (+10%) 915.0
1953 ATL NL 157 579 110 175 31 8 47 135 1 99 83 0.302 .264 (+14%) .335 (+21%) .397 (+58%) .733 (+41%) 5021.2
1954 ATL NL 138 476 96 138 21 4 40 103 10 113 61 0.290 .261 (+11%) .333 (+27%) .390 (+55%) .723 (+42%) 4384.8
1955 ATL NL 141 499 108 144 23 5 41 101 3 109 98 0.289 .258 (+12%) .332 (+24%) .393 (+53%) .726 (+40%) 4291.2
1956 ATL NL 151 552 103 150 21 2 37 95 6 91 86 0.272 .258 (+5%) .331 (+13%) .397 (+30%) .728 (+22%) 2690.7
1957 ATL NL 148 572 109 167 28 9 32 94 3 90 79 0.292 .257 (+13%) .323 (+19%) .391 (+38%) .715 (+30%) 3569.2
1958 ATL NL 149 546 97 137 18 1 31 77 5 85 85 0.251 .257 (-3%) .324 (+8%) .394 (+16%) .719 (+12%) 1480.0
1959 ATL NL 148 594 118 182 16 8 46 114 2 80 71 0.306 .256 (+19%) .323 (+20%) .392 (+51%) .715 (+37%) 4550.2
1960 ATL NL 153 548 108 152 19 7 39 124 7 111 113 0.277 .255 (+9%) .323 (+23%) .387 (+42%) .711 (+33%) 4010.1
1961 ATL NL 152 572 103 175 23 6 32 91 12 93 95 0.306 .258 (+18%) .328 (+23%) .399 (+34%) .727 (+29%) 3615.3
1962 ATL NL 152 536 106 142 25 6 29 90 4 101 90 0.265 .257 (+3%) .326 (+17%) .393 (+26%) .719 (+22%) 2625.1
1963 ATL NL 158 547 82 144 27 4 23 84 3 124 119 0.263 .246 (+7%) .308 (+29%) .371 (+22%) .680 (+25%) 3294.8
1964 ATL NL 141 502 83 117 19 1 23 74 2 85 100 0.233 .250 (-7%) .312 (+10%) .377 (+9%) .690 (+10%) 1167.1
1965 ATL NL 156 546 77 137 23 0 32 95 1 73 110 0.251 .245 (+2%) .310 (+10%) .371 (+26%) .682 (+19%) 2061.3
1966 ATL NL 134 452 72 113 21 4 16 53 1 63 82 0.250 .248 (+1%) .309 (+10%) .376 (+12%) .685 (+11%) 1061.0
1967 HOU NL 101 328 39 78 13 2 10 38 2 48 65 0.238 .242 (-2%) .306 (+9%) .357 (+7%) .663 (+8%) 527.5
1967 DET AL 36 108 14 25 3 0 6 19 0 15 23 0.231 .242 (-4%) .306 (+8%) .357 (+19%) .663 (+14%) 527.5
1968 DET AL 31 52 4 11 0 0 3 8 0 5 12 0.212 .236 (-11%) .298 (-6%) .340 (+13%) .638 (+4%) 31.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
16 50 7 10 5 0 1 7 15 17 0.200

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1968 WS DET 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.333
1958 WS ML1 7 25 3 4 2 0 0 3 6 11 0.160
1957 WS ML1 7 22 4 5 3 0 1 4 8 5 0.227

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 112 100 833 62 12 75
3B 2181 1843 2049 4322 293 369
OF 52 52 84 1 8 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1952 BSN 3B 142 0 160 259 19 21
1953 ML1 3B 157 0 154 311 30 33
1954 ML1 3B 127 126 112 254 13 28
1954 ML1 OF 10 10 21 0 2 0
1955 ML1 3B 137 137 140 280 21 23
1956 ML1 3B 150 149 133 287 25 22
1957 ML1 3B 147 147 131 299 16 27
1958 ML1 3B 149 149 116 351 22 24
1959 ML1 3B 148 148 144 305 18 21
1960 ML1 3B 153 153 141 280 22 23
1961 ML1 3B 151 151 168 281 18 30
1962 ML1 1B 7 7 67 2 0 7
1962 ML1 3B 140 140 141 283 16 22
1963 ML1 3B 121 115 113 276 13 23
1963 ML1 OF 42 42 63 1 6 0
1964 ML1 1B 7 7 54 5 2 4
1964 ML1 3B 128 123 130 247 15 19
1965 ML1 3B 153 146 113 301 19 19
1966 ATL 3B 127 115 114 237 20 31
1967 HOU 1B 79 68 572 40 8 50
1967 HOU 3B 24 20 22 33 3 3
1967 DET 1B 13 12 106 12 1 9
1967 DET 3B 21 19 14 28 3 0
1968 DET 1B 6 6 34 3 1 5
1968 DET 3B 6 5 3 10 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 112
Third Base 2180
Left Field 52

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1960 TSN All-Star 3B
1959 TSN All-Star 3B
1957 TSN All-Star 3B
1955 TSN All-Star 3B

Featured In Rankings

#2
Top 20 Third Basemen in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 2 of 20
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Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1965 Most Valuable Player NL 20th 8.0 280 0
1962 Most Valuable Player NL 29th 1.0 280 0
1961 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 7.0 224 0
1960 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 52.0 336 0
1959 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 189.0 336 5
1957 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 45.0 336 0
1955 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 6.0 336 0
1954 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 5.0 336 0
1953 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 216.0 336 3
1952 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 13.0 336 0
1952 Rookie of the Year NL 3rd 1.0 24 1