Earl Averill

Outfielder · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1929-1941)

Earl Averill was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1941 for the Cleveland Guardians, the Detroit Tigers, and the Boston Braves, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,668 career games, he hit .318 with 2,019 hits, 238 home runs, and 1,164 RBI. Earl Averill was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975 and was a 6-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 33,953.

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

⭐ Hall of Fame 1975
AVG .318
HR 238
RBI 1,164
H 2,019
OPS .928
PIV 33,953
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 172 lb
Born
5/21/1902 in Snohomish, WA, USA
Died
8/16/1983 in Everett, WA, USA
MLB Debut
1929-04-16
Last Game
1941-04-25
Hall of Fame
Inducted 1975 (BBWAA)
Awards
6× All-Star

Full name: Howard Earl Averill

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Career Batting Statistics

Earl Averill — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,668 6,353 1,224 2,019 401 128 238 1,164 70 774 518 .318 .395 .534 .928 33,953

Career AVG .318 vs. league average .277 across their career seasons — +14.7% above league average.

Career OBP .395 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — +15.5% above league average.

Career SLG .534 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — +34.7% above league average.

Career OPS .928 vs. league average .738 across their career seasons — +25.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Earl Averill (b. 1902) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1929 CLE AL 151 597 110 198 43 13 18 96 13 63 53 .332 .289 (+15%) .353 (+13%) .415 (+29%) .769 (+22%) 2755.9
1930 CLE AL 139 534 102 181 33 8 19 119 10 56 48 .339 .293 (+15%) .354 (+14%) .429 (+25%) .784 (+20%) 2360.7
1931 CLE AL 155 627 140 209 36 10 32 143 9 68 38 .333 .276 (+21%) .338 (+19%) .388 (+48%) .726 (+35%) 4519.2
1932 CLE AL 153 631 116 198 37 14 32 124 5 75 40 .314 .275 (+14%) .335 (+17%) .391 (+45%) .726 (+32%) 4186.1
1933 CLE AL 151 599 83 180 39 16 11 92 3 54 29 .301 .270 (+11%) .329 (+10%) .377 (+26%) .707 (+18%) 2109.4
1934 CLE AL 154 598 128 187 48 6 31 113 5 99 44 .313 .278 (+12%) .340 (+22%) .392 (+45%) .733 (+34%) 4446.4
1935 CLE AL 140 563 109 162 34 13 19 79 8 70 58 .288 .279 (+3%) .342 (+7%) .399 (+24%) .742 (+16%) 1842.0
1936 CLE AL 152 614 136 232 39 15 28 126 3 65 35 .378 .283 (+33%) .349 (+25%) .404 (+55%) .753 (+41%) 5345.4
1937 CLE AL 156 609 121 182 33 11 21 92 5 88 65 .299 .276 (+8%) .342 (+13%) .398 (+24%) .740 (+19%) 2517.5
1938 CLE AL 134 482 101 159 27 15 14 93 5 81 48 .330 .272 (+21%) .341 (+26%) .392 (+36%) .734 (+31%) 3261.1
1939 CLE AL 24 55 8 15 8 0 1 7 0 6 12 .273 .274 (-1%) .342 (+1%) .393 (+20%) .735 (+11%) 88.2
1939 DET AL 87 309 58 81 20 6 10 58 4 43 30 .262 .274 (-4%) .342 (+3%) .393 (+18%) .735 (+11%) 88.2
1940 DET AL 64 118 10 33 4 1 2 20 0 5 14 .280 .267 (+5%) .335 (-8%) .387 (-2%) .722 (-5%) -107.3
1941 BSN NL 8 17 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 4 .118 — — — — 0.0
Career · 14 seasons 1,668 6,353 1,224 2,019 401 128 238 1,164 70 774 518 .318 — — — — 33,413

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Earl Averill — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Earl Averill — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1940 WS DET 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1669 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Earl Averill — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home85332226781106144673.343
Away816313154491394492.292

Last 10 Games — Batting

Earl Averill — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1941-04-25 BSNBROL 100000000
1941-04-23 BSNNY1L 100000001
1941-04-22 BSNPHIL 400000003
1941-04-19 BSNBROL 300000000
1941-04-19 BSNBROL 100000000
1941-04-18 BSNBROL 010000010
1941-04-17 BSNPHIW 412000100
1941-04-16 BSNPHIW 300000000
1940-09-28 DETCLEL 402000000
1940-09-25 DETCHWW 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Earl Averill — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1589 0 3969 115 126 29

Season-by-Season Fielding

Earl Averill — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1929 CLE OF 151 0 384 14 14 3
1930 CLE OF 134 0 345 11 19 5
1931 CLE OF 155 0 398 9 10 3
1932 CLE OF 153 0 412 12 16 3
1933 CLE OF 149 0 390 8 12 3
1934 CLE OF 154 0 410 12 13 3
1935 CLE OF 139 0 371 6 7 2
1936 CLE OF 150 0 369 11 12 2
1937 CLE OF 156 0 362 11 9 3
1938 CLE OF 131 0 331 14 9 2
1939 CLE OF 11 0 12 0 0 0
1939 DET OF 80 0 157 3 4 0
1940 DET OF 22 0 23 2 1 0
1941 BSN OF 4 0 5 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Earl Averill (b. 1902) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Left Field 84
Center Field 1476
Right Field 31

Awards & Honors

Earl Averill — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1938 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1936 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1936 TSN All-Star OF
1934 TSN All-Star OF
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1932 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1932 TSN All-Star OF
1931 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1931 TSN All-Star OF
1930 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF

Award Voting History

Earl Averill — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1938 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 34.0 336 0
1937 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 4.0 80 0
1936 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 48.0 80 0
1934 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 3.0 80 0
1933 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 5.0 80 0
1932 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 37.0 80 0
1931 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 43.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Earl Averill (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Babe Herman
    .324 avg, 181 HR
  2. 93
    Chuck Klein HOF
    .320 avg, 300 HR
  3. 82
    Bob Johnson
    .296 avg, 288 HR
  4. 82
    Ken Williams
    .319 avg, 196 HR
  5. 81
    Hack Wilson HOF
    .307 avg, 244 HR
  6. 73
    Joe DiMaggio HOF
    .325 avg, 361 HR

Compare Earl Averill

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Averill's closest peers by position and era.

vs Babe Ruth
vs Ted Williams
vs Stan Musial
vs Lou Gehrig
vs Rogers Hornsby
vs Mel Ott

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

Earl Averill: the record in brief

According to the bio, Earl Averill debuted on April 16, 1929 and played a final game on April 25, 1941. Averill played for the Cleveland Indians (1929 to 1939), the Detroit Tigers (1939 through 1940), and the Boston Braves (1941). The bio lists Averill as an outfielder who hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. The recorded size is 5 feet, 9 inches and 172 pounds. Averill was born on May 21, 1902, in Snohomish, WA, USA. Averill's death is recorded on August 16, 1983, in Everett, WA, USA. Averill's full given name, per the bio, is Howard Earl Averill.

The batting record for Averill: 1,668 games, 2,019 hits in 6,353 at bats, and a .318 average, adding 238 home runs, 1,164 runs batted in, and 70 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .395 and the slugging percentage .534, for an OPS of .928. Set against a .277 league average for the same years, Averill's .318 average sits 14.7% above it. In OPS terms, Averill's .928 stands 25.8% above the league's .738.

Frequently Asked Questions about Earl Averill

What years did Earl Averill play?
Earl Averill played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1941.
Was Earl Averill a pitcher?
No. Earl Averill was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Earl Averill hit?
Earl Averill hit 238 career home runs with 2,019 hits.
Is Earl Averill in the Hall of Fame?
Yes. Earl Averill was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975.
What teams did Earl Averill play for?
Earl Averill played for 3 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1929–1939), the Detroit Tigers (1939–1940), and the Boston Braves (1941).
Did Earl Averill win an MVP award?
No. Earl Averill did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Earl Averill win?
Earl Averill was selected to 6 All-Star Games.
What were Earl Averill's career stats?
In 1,668 games, Earl Averill had 2,019 hits, 238 home runs, 1,164 RBI, 1,224 runs, and 70 stolen bases, with a .318 batting average.
What position did Earl Averill play?
Earl Averill played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Earl Averill and how much did he weigh?
Earl Averill was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 172 pounds.
How many home runs did Earl Averill hit each season?
Earl Averill's home runs by season: 18 in 1929, 19 in 1930, 32 in 1931, 32 in 1932, 11 in 1933, 31 in 1934, 19 in 1935, 28 in 1936, 21 in 1937, 14 in 1938, 11 in 1939, 2 in 1940, and 0 in 1941. His most in one season was 32, in 1931 and 1932.
What was Earl Averill's career batting average?
Earl Averill batted .318 over his career, with 2,019 hits in 6,353 at bats.
How many RBI did Earl Averill have?
Earl Averill drove in 1,164 runs in his career.
How many All-Star Games did Earl Averill make?
Earl Averill was selected to 6 All-Star Games.