Earl Averill
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1956-1963)
Earl Averill was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1963 for 5 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 8 seasons. In 449 career games, he hit .242 with 249 hits, 44 home runs, and 159 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,404.
- 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 185 lb
- Died
- 5/13/2015 in Tacoma, WA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1956-04-19
- Last Game
- 1963-09-26
Full name: Earl Douglas Averill
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 449 | 1,031 | 137 | 249 | 41 | 0 | 44 | 159 | 3 | 162 | 220 | .242 | .346 | .409 | .755 | 1,404 |
Career AVG .242 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 5.5% below league average.
Career OBP .346 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — +6.9% above league average.
Career SLG .409 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .755 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — +5.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | CLE | AL | 42 | 93 | 12 | 22 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 25 | .237 | .258 (-8%) | .331 (+3%) | .397 (avg) | .728 (+2%) | 51.9 |
| 1958 | CLE | AL | 17 | 55 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 7 | .182 | .257 (-30%) | .324 (-23%) | .394 (-22%) | .719 (-22%) | -193.7 |
| 1959 | CHN | NL | 74 | 186 | 22 | 44 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 34 | 0 | 15 | 39 | .237 | .256 (-8%) | .323 (-8%) | .392 (+15%) | .715 (+5%) | 98.2 |
| 1960 | CHN | NL | 52 | 102 | 14 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 11 | 16 | .235 | .255 (-8%) | .323 (-4%) | .387 (-22%) | .711 (-14%) | -208.7 |
| 1960 | CHA | AL | 10 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | .214 | — | — | — | — | -208.7 |
| 1961 | LAA | AL | 115 | 323 | 56 | 86 | 9 | 0 | 21 | 59 | 1 | 62 | 70 | .266 | .258 (+3%) | .328 (+17%) | .399 (+23%) | .727 (+20%) | 1435.6 |
| 1962 | LAA | AL | 92 | 187 | 21 | 41 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 43 | 47 | .219 | .257 (-15%) | .326 (+12%) | .393 (-16%) | .719 (-3%) | 74.1 |
| 1963 | PHI | NL | 47 | 71 | 8 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 14 | .268 | .246 (+9%) | .308 (+11%) | .371 (+14%) | .680 (+12%) | 146.9 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 449 | 1,031 | 137 | 249 | 41 | 0 | 44 | 159 | 3 | 162 | 220 | .242 | — | — | — | — | 1,196 | ||
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 (449 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 232 | 535 | 80 | 132 | 26 | 94 | .247 |
| Away | 217 | 496 | 56 | 118 | 18 | 66 | .238 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-09-26 | PHI | SFG | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-20 | PHI | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-14 | PHI | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-13 | PHI | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-01 | PHI | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-31 | PHI | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-30 | PHI | STL | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1963-08-29 | PHI | CHC | L | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963-08-25 | PHI | PIT | W | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-24 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 3B | 32 | 31 | 28 | 69 | 14 | 5 |
| C | 219 | 163 | 1118 | 88 | 19 | 10 |
| OF | 72 | 58 | 91 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | CLE | C | 34 | 25 | 157 | 15 | 1 | 2 |
| 1958 | CLE | 3B | 17 | 17 | 10 | 34 | 7 | 3 |
| 1959 | CHN | 2B | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1959 | CHN | 3B | 13 | 13 | 16 | 32 | 5 | 2 |
| 1959 | CHN | C | 32 | 25 | 173 | 11 | 7 | 1 |
| 1959 | CHN | OF | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960 | CHN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | CHN | C | 34 | 21 | 130 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| 1960 | CHN | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | CHA | C | 5 | 3 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | LAA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | LAA | C | 88 | 78 | 542 | 38 | 5 | 6 |
| 1961 | LAA | OF | 9 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | LAA | C | 6 | 3 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | LAA | OF | 49 | 42 | 70 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963 | PHI | 1B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963 | PHI | 3B | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1963 | PHI | C | 20 | 8 | 77 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 1963 | PHI | OF | 8 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 218 |
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 3 |
| Third Base | 32 |
| Left Field | 73 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Oregon | Eugene | OR | 1951, 1952, 1953 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Earl Averill (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Earl Averill: the record in brief
The profile opens with Earl Averill's first major league game on April 19, 1956; the last one listed came on September 26, 1963. The team column moves through the Cleveland Indians (1956 to 1958), the Chicago Cubs (1959 through 1960), the Chicago White Sox (1960), the Los Angeles Angels (1961 to 1962), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1963). Averill played primarily as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on September 9, 1931, in Cleveland, OH, USA and a listed size of 5'10" and 185 pounds. Averill's death is recorded on May 13, 2015, in Tacoma, WA, USA. The bio lists the given name Earl Douglas.
Averill's career batting table shows 449 games, 1,031 at bats and 249 hits, a .242 average, plus 44 homers and 159 runs batted in. Averill's career OPS of .755 combines a .346 on-base mark with .409 slugging. Over the seasons Averill played, league hitters batted .255; the .242 career figure is 5.5% below that. In OPS terms, Averill's .755 stands 5.8% above the league's .714.
Frequently Asked Questions about Earl Averill
- What years did Earl Averill play?
- Earl Averill played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1963.
- Was Earl Averill a pitcher?
- No. Earl Averill was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Earl Averill hit?
- Earl Averill hit 44 career home runs with 249 hits.
- What was Earl Averill's career batting average?
- Earl Averill batted .242 over his career, with 249 hits in 1,031 at bats.
- How many RBI did Earl Averill have?
- Earl Averill drove in 159 runs in his career.
- Is Earl Averill in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Earl Averill has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.