Buster Adams
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1939-1947)
Buster Adams was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1947 for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 9 seasons. In 576 career games, he hit .266 with 532 hits, 50 home runs, and 249 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,894.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- Died
- 9/1/1990 in Rancho Mirage, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1939-04-27
- Last Game
- 1947-09-21
Full name: Elvin Clark Adams
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 576 | 2,003 | 282 | 532 | 96 | 12 | 50 | 249 | 12 | 234 | 281 | .266 | .346 | .400 | .747 | 3,894 |
Career AVG .266 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .346 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .400 vs. league average .364 across their career seasons — +9.9% above league average.
Career OPS .747 vs. league average .696 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | SLN | NL | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1943 | SLN | NL | 8 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | .091 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1943 | PHI | NL | 111 | 418 | 48 | 107 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 38 | 2 | 39 | 67 | .256 | .255 (avg) | .324 (-2%) | .346 (+2%) | .671 (avg) | 0.0 |
| 1944 | PHI | NL | 151 | 584 | 86 | 165 | 35 | 3 | 17 | 64 | 2 | 74 | 74 | .283 | .261 (+8%) | .325 (+14%) | .357 (+23%) | .683 (+19%) | 2264.1 |
| 1945 | PHI | NL | 14 | 56 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 5 | .232 | .260 (-11%) | .328 (-10%) | .354 (+21%) | .683 (+6%) | 27.3 |
| 1945 | SLN | NL | 140 | 578 | 98 | 169 | 26 | 0 | 20 | 101 | 3 | 57 | 75 | .292 | .260 (+12%) | .328 (+9%) | .354 (+24%) | .683 (+17%) | 27.3 |
| 1946 | SLN | NL | 81 | 173 | 21 | 32 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 22 | 3 | 29 | 27 | .185 | .256 (-28%) | .328 (-5%) | .358 (-15%) | .687 (-10%) | -205.0 |
| 1947 | PHI | NL | 69 | 182 | 21 | 45 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 26 | 29 | .247 | .262 (-6%) | .336 (+1%) | .376 (-7%) | .712 (-3%) | -53.1 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 576 | 2,003 | 282 | 532 | 96 | 12 | 50 | 249 | 12 | 234 | 281 | .266 | — | — | — | — | 2,061 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (576 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 288 | 946 | 130 | 261 | 28 | 132 | .276 |
| Away | 288 | 1057 | 152 | 271 | 22 | 119 | .256 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-09-21 | PHI | NY1 | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947-09-17 | PHI | CIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-09-15 | PHI | PIT | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947-09-14 | PHI | PIT | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-13 | PHI | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1947-09-12 | PHI | CHC | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-09-10 | PHI | STL | L | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-09 | PHI | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-05 | PHI | BSN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-01 | PHI | BRO | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 59 |
| Center Field | 422 |
| Right Field | 45 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 12.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Buster Adams (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Buster Adams
- What years did Buster Adams play?
- Buster Adams played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1947.
- Was Buster Adams a pitcher?
- No. Buster Adams was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Buster Adams hit?
- Buster Adams hit 50 career home runs with 532 hits.
- What was Buster Adams's career batting average?
- Buster Adams batted .266 over his career, with 532 hits in 2,003 at bats.
- How many RBI did Buster Adams have?
- Buster Adams drove in 249 runs in his career.
- Is Buster Adams in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Buster Adams has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.