Ken Singleton, baseball player, 246 home runs, 1970-1984

Ken Singleton

Born: 6/10/1947 in New York, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1970-06-24 | Final Game: 1984-09-25

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 210 lbs

Full name: Kenneth Wayne Singleton

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Biography

Ken Singleton was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball during his career from 1970 to 1984. Born in 1947, he established himself as a versatile and powerful position player, known for his ability to hit for both average and power. Over the course of his career, Singleton played in 2,082 games, accumulating 2,029 hits, 246 home runs, and driving in 1,065 runs with a commendable batting average of .282. His offensive prowess was complemented by his solid base running, as he recorded 21 stolen bases throughout his time in the league. Singleton's contributions were recognized with three All-Star selections, highlighting his status as one of the top players of his era. He played during a transformative period in baseball, where the game was evolving with a greater emphasis on power hitting, and he adapted well to these changing dynamics. His ability to produce consistently at the plate made him a key asset for his teams, and he remains a respected figure in baseball history for his achievements and impact on the game.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2082 7189 985 2029 317 25 246 1065 21 1263 1246 0.282 0.388 0.436 0.824 29322.3

Career AVG .282 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — +9.5% above league average.

Career OBP .388 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — +19.9% above league average.

Career SLG .436 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — +14.8% above league average.

Career OPS 0.824 vs. league average 0.703 across their career seasons — +17.2% 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
1970 NYN NL 69 198 22 52 8 0 5 26 1 30 48 0.263 .253 (+3%) .325 (+11%) .385 (-2%) .711 (+4%) 229.6
1971 NYN NL 115 298 34 73 5 0 13 46 0 61 64 0.245 .249 (-2%) .316 (+18%) .365 (+7%) .682 (+12%) 941.7
1972 WSN NL 142 507 77 139 23 2 14 50 5 70 99 0.274 .243 (+12%) .310 (+17%) .353 (+16%) .664 (+16%) 1745.8
1973 WSN NL 162 560 100 169 26 2 23 103 2 123 91 0.302 .256 (+17%) .325 (+31%) .378 (+26%) .703 (+28%) 3840.7
1974 WSN NL 148 511 68 141 20 2 9 74 5 93 84 0.276 .256 (+7%) .324 (+19%) .369 (+2%) .693 (+10%) 1370.5
1975 BAL AL 155 586 88 176 37 4 15 55 3 118 82 0.300 .257 (+17%) .327 (+27%) .374 (+21%) .701 (+24%) 3287.2
1976 BAL AL 154 544 62 151 25 2 13 70 2 79 76 0.278 .255 (+9%) .320 (+14%) .360 (+12%) .681 (+13%) 1575.9
1977 BAL AL 152 536 90 176 24 0 24 99 0 107 101 0.328 .264 (+24%) .329 (+33%) .401 (+27%) .730 (+29%) 3823.7
1978 BAL AL 149 502 67 147 21 2 20 81 0 98 94 0.293 .257 (+14%) .323 (+26%) .378 (+22%) .702 (+24%) 2866.0
1979 BAL AL 159 570 93 168 29 1 35 111 3 109 118 0.295 .265 (+11%) .329 (+23%) .397 (+34%) .727 (+29%) 3766.6
1980 BAL AL 156 583 85 177 28 3 24 104 0 92 94 0.304 .264 (+15%) .326 (+22%) .387 (+25%) .714 (+24%) 3096.1
1981 BAL AL 103 363 48 101 16 1 13 49 0 61 59 0.278 .255 (+9%) .320 (+19%) .368 (+18%) .688 (+18%) 1416.5
1982 BAL AL 156 561 71 141 27 2 14 77 0 86 93 0.251 .261 (-4%) .324 (+8%) .388 (-2%) .712 (+3%) 502.5
1983 BAL AL 151 507 52 140 21 3 18 84 0 99 83 0.276 .260 (+6%) .324 (+21%) .389 (+12%) .714 (+16%) 2077.5
1984 BAL AL 111 363 28 78 7 1 6 36 0 37 60 0.215 .259 (-17%) .322 (-11%) .384 (-25%) .707 (-19%) -1217.9

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
17 57 5 19 5 0 0 6 6 10 0.333

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1983 ALCS BAL 4 12 0 3 2 0 0 1 2 2 0.250
1983 WS BAL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0.000
1979 ALCS BAL 4 16 4 6 2 0 0 2 1 2 0.375
1979 WS BAL 7 28 1 10 1 0 0 2 2 5 0.357

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1538 1514 2684 82 57 17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1970 NYN OF 51 49 90 1 3 0
1971 NYN OF 96 80 143 5 4 0
1972 MON OF 137 137 236 9 7 3
1973 MON OF 161 159 278 20 5 3
1974 MON OF 143 142 224 7 11 0
1975 BAL OF 155 153 283 9 3 2
1976 BAL OF 134 134 278 9 5 2
1977 BAL OF 150 150 278 8 4 2
1978 BAL OF 140 139 244 1 6 0
1979 BAL OF 143 143 247 8 5 2
1980 BAL OF 151 151 248 3 4 1
1981 BAL OF 72 72 125 2 0 2
1982 BAL OF 5 5 10 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Left Field 246
Center Field 3
Right Field 1311
Designated Hitter 477

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1982 Roberto Clemente Award
1981 Player of the Month April
1981 Player of the Week Week of 1981-04-24
1979 TSN All-Star OF
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-08-15

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Hofstra University Hempstead NY 1966

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1981 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 3.0 392 0
1980 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 4.0 392 0
1979 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 241.0 392 3
1978 Most Valuable Player AL 34th 2.0 392 0
1977 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 200.0 392 3
1975 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 44.0 336 0
1973 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 52.0 336 0