Rudy York, baseball player, 277 home runs, 1934-1948

Rudy York

Born: 8/17/1913 in Ragland, AL, USA

Died: 2/5/1970 in Rome, GA, USA

MLB Debut: 1934-08-22 | Final Game: 1948-09-20

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 209 lbs

Full name: Preston Rudolph York

📋 View Manager Career

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Rudy York was a prominent American baseball player born in 1913, whose career spanned from 1934 to 1948. Known primarily as a first baseman and catcher, York played in a total of 1,603 games during his time in Major League Baseball. He recorded 1,621 hits, showcasing a solid batting average of .275, while also hitting 277 home runs and driving in 1,152 runs batted in (RBIs). His offensive prowess earned him seven All-Star selections, marking him as one of the standout players of his era. York's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, which included the Great Depression and the early years of World War II. He was recognized for his powerful hitting and ability to drive in runs, making significant contributions to the teams he played for, including the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox. Additionally, York's career included 38 stolen bases, reflecting a blend of power and speed that was less common for players of his size during that time. His legacy remains significant in the history of the game, as he helped to define the role of the slugger in an evolving sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1603 5891 876 1621 291 52 277 1152 38 792 867 0.275 0.362 0.483 0.845 24091.0

Career AVG .275 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .362 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — +8.4% above league average.

Career SLG .483 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — +29.3% above league average.

Career OPS 0.845 vs. league average 0.708 across their career seasons — +19.4% 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
1934 DET AL 3 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1937 DET AL 104 375 72 115 18 3 35 103 3 41 52 0.307 .276 (+11%) .342 (+9%) .398 (+63%) .740 (+38%) 2687.8
1938 DET AL 135 463 85 138 27 2 33 127 1 92 74 0.298 .272 (+9%) .341 (+22%) .392 (+47%) .734 (+36%) 3598.3
1939 DET AL 102 329 66 101 16 1 20 68 5 41 50 0.307 .274 (+12%) .342 (+13%) .393 (+38%) .735 (+27%) 1720.1
1940 DET AL 155 588 105 186 46 6 33 134 3 89 88 0.316 .267 (+18%) .335 (+22%) .387 (+50%) .722 (+37%) 4642.1
1941 DET AL 155 590 91 153 29 3 27 111 3 92 88 0.259 .262 (-1%) .332 (+8%) .373 (+22%) .705 (+16%) 1991.0
1942 DET AL 153 577 81 150 26 4 21 90 3 73 71 0.260 .253 (+3%) .323 (+6%) .349 (+22%) .672 (+15%) 1633.5
1943 DET AL 155 571 90 155 22 11 34 118 5 84 88 0.271 .255 (+6%) .324 (+13%) .346 (+52%) .671 (+33%) 3596.9
1944 DET AL 151 583 77 161 27 7 18 98 5 68 73 0.276 .261 (+6%) .325 (+8%) .357 (+23%) .683 (+16%) 1810.9
1945 DET AL 155 595 71 157 25 5 18 87 6 60 85 0.264 .260 (+1%) .328 (+1%) .354 (+16%) .683 (+9%) 956.9
1946 BOS AL 154 579 78 160 30 6 17 119 3 86 93 0.276 .256 (+8%) .328 (+13%) .358 (+22%) .687 (+18%) 2131.8
1947 BOS AL 48 184 16 39 7 0 6 27 0 22 32 0.212 .262 (-19%) .336 (-12%) .376 (-8%) .712 (-10%) -316.7
1947 CHW AL 102 400 40 97 18 4 15 64 1 36 55 0.242 .262 (-8%) .336 (-9%) .376 (+12%) .712 (+2%) -316.7
1948 PHA AL 31 51 4 8 0 0 0 6 0 7 15 0.157 .263 (-40%) .340 (-24%) .379 (-59%) .719 (-42%) -349.9

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
21 77 10 17 2 2 3 10 13 15 0.221

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1946 WS BOS 7 23 6 6 1 1 2 5 6 4 0.261
1945 WS DET 7 28 1 5 1 0 0 3 3 4 0.179
1940 WS DET 7 26 3 6 0 1 1 2 4 7 0.231

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1263 0 11359 963 122 1072
3B 41 0 45 66 9 5
C 239 0 883 137 19 21
OF 14 0 21 1 5 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1934 DET C 2 0 4 2 0 0
1937 DET 1B 2 0 11 2 0 0
1937 DET 3B 41 0 45 66 9 5
1937 DET C 54 0 190 27 9 6
1938 DET 1B 1 0 4 0 0 1
1938 DET C 116 0 406 70 5 10
1938 DET OF 14 0 21 1 5 0
1939 DET 1B 19 0 151 1 0 17
1939 DET C 67 0 283 38 5 5
1940 DET 1B 155 0 1390 107 15 101
1941 DET 1B 155 0 1393 110 21 111
1942 DET 1B 152 0 1413 146 19 117
1943 DET 1B 155 0 1349 149 15 105
1944 DET 1B 151 0 1453 107 17 163
1945 DET 1B 155 0 1464 113 19 142
1946 BOS 1B 154 0 1327 116 8 154
1947 BOS 1B 48 0 395 36 2 45
1947 CHA 1B 102 0 932 71 5 106
1948 PHA 1B 14 0 77 5 1 10

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 238
First Base 1264
Third Base 41
Left Field 14

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1944 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1944 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1943 TSN All-Star 1B

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1946 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 28.0 336 0
1945 Most Valuable Player AL 32th 1.0 336 0
1944 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 5.0 336 0
1943 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 152.0 336 1
1942 Most Valuable Player AL 27th 3.0 336 0
1941 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 3.0 336 0
1940 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 61.0 336 0
1939 Most Valuable Player AL 33th 1.0 336 0
1937 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 1.0 80 0