Birdie Tebbetts, baseball player, 1936-1952

Birdie Tebbetts

Born: 11/10/1912 in Burlington, VT, USA

Died: 3/24/1999 in Manatee, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1936-09-16 | Final Game: 1952-09-14

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: George Robert Tebbetts

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Biography

Birdie Tebbetts was a notable American professional baseball player, born in 1912, who made his mark in the Major Leagues from 1936 until his retirement in 1952. A versatile position player, Tebbetts was known for his strong defensive skills and leadership on the field. Over the course of his career, he played in 1,162 games, where he recorded 1,000 hits, 38 home runs, and 469 RBIs, culminating in a batting average of .270. His speed on the bases contributed to a total of 29 stolen bases, showcasing his ability to impact the game not just with his bat, but also with his agility. Tebbetts was selected as an All-Star four times during his career, a testament to his performance and popularity among fans and peers alike. Playing primarily during the late 1930s through the 1940s, he navigated an era that was defined by the transition from the deadball era to a time of increased offensive production. Tebbetts' contributions to his teams, particularly with the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, left a lasting legacy, both as an athlete and later as a manager. His career reflects the spirit of dedication and competitiveness that characterized baseball during a transformative period in the sport's history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1162 3704 357 1000 169 22 38 469 29 389 261 0.270 0.341 0.358 0.700 -1301.7

Career AVG .270 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .341 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .358 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 6.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.700 vs. league average 0.720 across their career seasons — near 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
1936 DET AL 10 33 7 10 1 2 1 4 0 5 3 0.303 — — — — 0.0
1937 DET AL 50 162 15 31 4 3 2 16 0 10 13 0.191 .276 (-31%) .342 (-30%) .398 (-27%) .740 (-29%) -871.6
1938 DET AL 53 143 16 42 6 2 1 25 1 12 13 0.294 .272 (+8%) .341 (+2%) .392 (-2%) .734 (avg) -8.1
1939 DET AL 106 341 37 89 22 2 4 53 2 25 20 0.261 .274 (-5%) .342 (-8%) .393 (-5%) .735 (-6%) -480.6
1940 DET AL 111 379 46 112 24 4 4 46 4 35 14 0.296 .267 (+11%) .335 (+6%) .387 (+6%) .722 (+6%) 454.7
1941 DET AL 110 359 28 102 19 4 2 47 1 38 29 0.284 .262 (+8%) .332 (+7%) .373 (+1%) .705 (+3%) 272.5
1942 DET AL 99 308 24 76 11 0 1 27 4 39 17 0.247 .253 (-3%) .323 (+4%) .349 (-16%) .672 (-7%) -240.5
1946 DET AL 87 280 20 68 11 2 1 34 1 28 23 0.243 .256 (-5%) .328 (-5%) .358 (-14%) .687 (-10%) -488.8
1947 DET AL 20 53 1 5 1 0 0 2 0 3 3 0.094 .262 (-64%) .336 (-58%) .376 (-70%) .712 (-64%) -563.3
1947 BOS AL 90 291 22 87 10 0 1 28 2 21 30 0.299 .262 (+14%) .336 (+3%) .376 (-9%) .712 (-3%) -563.3
1948 BOS AL 128 446 54 125 26 2 5 68 5 62 32 0.280 .263 (+6%) .340 (+9%) .379 (+1%) .719 (+5%) 533.8
1949 BOS AL 122 403 42 109 14 0 5 48 8 62 22 0.270 .262 (+3%) .343 (+7%) .384 (-11%) .727 (-2%) 14.4
1950 BOS AL 79 268 33 83 10 1 8 45 1 29 26 0.310 .265 (+16%) .346 (+9%) .401 (+11%) .747 (+10%) 518.6
1951 CLE AL 55 137 8 36 6 0 2 18 0 8 7 0.263 .260 (+1%) .336 (-8%) .385 (-9%) .721 (-9%) -227.8
1952 CLE AL 42 101 4 25 4 0 1 8 0 12 9 0.248 .252 (-2%) .326 (+4%) .369 (-14%) .696 (-6%) -61.3

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1940 WS DET 4 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
C 1108 0 4667 666 119 87

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1936 DET C 10 0 51 5 1 0
1937 DET C 48 0 155 25 7 1
1938 DET C 53 0 108 20 2 4
1939 DET C 100 0 449 64 16 10
1940 DET C 107 0 572 89 17 10
1941 DET C 98 0 461 83 13 11
1942 DET C 97 0 446 69 12 10
1946 DET C 87 0 486 53 10 4
1947 DET C 20 0 95 15 0 3
1947 BOS C 89 0 332 50 10 7
1948 BOS C 126 0 470 56 10 8
1949 BOS C 118 0 481 51 11 13
1950 BOS C 74 0 285 44 4 5
1951 CLE C 44 0 145 27 4 1
1952 CLE C 37 0 131 15 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1099

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1948 TSN All-Star C

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Providence College Providence RI 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1949 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 6.0 336 0
1948 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 23.0 336 0