Tom Alston

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1954-1957)

Tom Alston was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1957 for the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 4 seasons. In 91 career games, he hit .244 with 66 hits, 4 home runs, and 36 RBI.

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

AVG .244
HR 4
RBI 36
H 66
OPS .669
PIV -206
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'5" / 210 lb
Born
1/31/1926 in Greensboro, NC, USA
Died
12/30/1993 in Winston-Salem, NC, USA
MLB Debut
1954-04-13
Last Game
1957-09-29

Full name: Thomas Edison Alston

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Career Batting Statistics

Tom Alston — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
91 271 30 66 15 2 4 36 3 25 46 .244 .311 .358 .669 -206

Career AVG .244 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 5.9% below league average.

Career OBP .311 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 5.8% below league average.

Career SLG .358 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 9.0% below league average.

Career OPS .669 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — 7.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tom Alston — 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
1954 SLN NL 66 244 28 60 14 2 4 34 3 24 41 .246 .261 (-6%) .333 (-5%) .390 (-5%) .723 (-5%) -205.5
1955 SLN NL 13 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .125 — — — — 0.0
1956 SLN NL 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1957 SLN NL 9 17 2 5 1 0 0 2 0 1 5 .294 — — — — 0.0
Career · 4 seasons 91 271 30 66 15 2 4 36 3 25 46 .244 — — — — -206

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 (91 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Tom Alston — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home51143830118.210
Away401282236318.281

Last 10 Games — Batting

Tom Alston — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1957-09-29 STLCHCL 400000001
1957-09-28 STLCHCL 412100110
1957-09-27 STLCHCL 401000102
1957-09-08 STLCINW 000000000
1957-09-02 STLCINL 101000000
1957-05-19 STLBROL 100000001
1957-05-15 STLNY1W 200000001
1957-05-12 STLATLL 111000000
1957-05-01 STLPITW 000000000
1956-04-30 STLATLW 000000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tom Alston — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 81 65 605 75 9 63

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tom Alston — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1954 SLN 1B 65 62 552 72 7 57
1955 SLN 1B 7 0 14 1 0 1
1956 SLN 1B 3 0 4 1 0 1
1957 SLN 1B 6 3 35 1 2 4

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tom Alston — Career Games by Position
Position Games
First Base 81

College History

Tom Alston — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro NC 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950

Tom Alston: the record in brief

April 13, 1954 and September 29, 1957 bracket Tom Alston's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Alston spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the St. Louis Cardinals. Listed as a first baseman, Alston batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6'5" and 210 pounds. Alston was born on January 31, 1926, in Greensboro, NC, USA. Alston died on December 30, 1993, in Winston-Salem, NC, USA. The bio lists the given name Thomas Edison.

Alston's career batting table shows 91 games, 271 at bats and 66 hits, a .244 average, along with 4 home runs and 36 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .311 clip and slugging .358, Alston finished with a .669 OPS. The league as a whole hit .259 across Alston's seasons, which puts the .244 career mark 5.9% below average. In OPS terms, Alston's .669 stands 7.5% below the league's .723. 1954 produced Alston's most hits, 60 of them for the St. Louis Cardinals. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .246 in 1954, did not top the league's .261.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Alston

What years did Tom Alston play?
Tom Alston played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1957.
Was Tom Alston a pitcher?
No. Tom Alston was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Tom Alston hit?
Tom Alston hit 4 career home runs with 66 hits.
What teams did Tom Alston play for?
Tom Alston played for one team, the St. Louis Cardinals (1954–1957).
What were Tom Alston's career stats?
In 91 games, Tom Alston had 66 hits, 4 home runs, 36 RBI, 30 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .244 batting average.
What position did Tom Alston play?
Tom Alston played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Tom Alston and how much did he weigh?
Tom Alston was listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 210 pounds.
How many home runs did Tom Alston hit each season?
Tom Alston's home runs by season: 4 in 1954, 0 in 1955, 0 in 1956, and 0 in 1957. His most in one season was 4, in 1954.
What was Tom Alston's career batting average?
Tom Alston batted .244 over his career, with 66 hits in 271 at bats.
How many RBI did Tom Alston have?
Tom Alston drove in 36 runs in his career.
Is Tom Alston in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tom Alston has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.