Bobby Avila
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1949-1959)
Bobby Avila was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1959 for 4 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 11 seasons. In 1,300 career games, he hit .281 with 1,296 hits, 80 home runs, and 467 RBI. Bobby Avila was a 3-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,989.
- 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 175 lb
- Died
- 10/26/2004 in Veracruz, Veracruz, México
- MLB Debut
- 1949-04-30
- Last Game
- 1959-09-29
- Awards
- 3× All-Star
Full name: Roberto Francisco Avila
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,300 | 4,620 | 725 | 1,296 | 185 | 35 | 80 | 467 | 78 | 561 | 399 | .281 | .359 | .388 | .747 | 4,989 |
Career AVG .281 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +8.0% above league average.
Career OBP .359 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +8.0% above league average.
Career SLG .388 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .747 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | CLE | AL | 31 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .214 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | CLE | AL | 80 | 201 | 39 | 60 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 5 | 29 | 17 | .299 | .265 (+12%) | .346 (+13%) | .401 (-5%) | .747 (+3%) | 203.0 |
| 1951 | CLE | AL | 141 | 542 | 76 | 165 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 58 | 14 | 60 | 31 | .304 | .260 (+17%) | .336 (+11%) | .385 (+6%) | .721 (+8%) | 1024.4 |
| 1952 | CLE | AL | 150 | 597 | 102 | 179 | 26 | 11 | 7 | 45 | 12 | 67 | 36 | .300 | .252 (+19%) | .326 (+14%) | .369 (+12%) | .696 (+13%) | 1580.6 |
| 1953 | CLE | AL | 141 | 559 | 85 | 160 | 22 | 3 | 8 | 55 | 10 | 58 | 27 | .286 | .264 (+8%) | .335 (+6%) | .397 (-5%) | .733 (avg) | 128.1 |
| 1954 | CLE | AL | 143 | 555 | 112 | 189 | 27 | 2 | 15 | 67 | 9 | 59 | 31 | .341 | .261 (+30%) | .333 (+21%) | .390 (+22%) | .723 (+22%) | 2566.2 |
| 1955 | CLE | AL | 141 | 537 | 83 | 146 | 22 | 4 | 13 | 61 | 1 | 82 | 47 | .272 | .258 (+5%) | .332 (+11%) | .393 (+2%) | .726 (+6%) | 850.8 |
| 1956 | CLE | AL | 138 | 513 | 74 | 115 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 54 | 17 | 70 | 68 | .224 | .258 (-13%) | .331 (-3%) | .397 (-20%) | .728 (-12%) | -843.9 |
| 1957 | CLE | AL | 129 | 463 | 60 | 124 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 48 | 2 | 46 | 47 | .268 | .257 (+4%) | .323 (+3%) | .391 (-9%) | .715 (-4%) | -205.9 |
| 1958 | CLE | AL | 113 | 375 | 54 | 95 | 21 | 3 | 5 | 30 | 5 | 55 | 45 | .253 | .257 (-2%) | .324 (+7%) | .394 (-7%) | .719 (-1%) | 83.6 |
| 1959 | BAL | AL | 20 | 47 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | .170 | — | — | — | — | -311.0 |
| 1959 | BOS | AL | 22 | 45 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 11 | .244 | — | — | — | — | -311.0 |
| 1959 | ML1 | NL | 51 | 172 | 29 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 3 | 24 | 31 | .238 | .256 (-7%) | .323 (+2%) | .392 (-15%) | .715 (-8%) | -311.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 1,300 | 4,620 | 725 | 1,296 | 185 | 35 | 80 | 467 | 78 | 561 | 399 | .281 | — | — | — | — | 4,454 | ||
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 (1298 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 665 | 2303 | 369 | 632 | 49 | 241 | .274 |
| Away | 633 | 2312 | 356 | 664 | 31 | 224 | .287 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-09-27 | ATL | PHI | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1959-09-26 | ATL | PHI | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-25 | ATL | PHI | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1959-09-23 | ATL | PIT | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1959-09-22 | ATL | PIT | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-21 | ATL | PIT | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1959-09-20 | ATL | PHI | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-19 | ATL | PHI | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1959-09-17 | ATL | SFG | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-16 | ATL | SFG | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 1168 | 640 | 2820 | 3126 | 130 | 785 |
| 3B | 50 | 38 | 31 | 65 | 6 | 8 |
| OF | 10 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 9 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | CLE | 2B | 5 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 1950 | CLE | 2B | 62 | 0 | 153 | 135 | 5 | 46 |
| 1950 | CLE | SS | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1951 | CLE | 2B | 136 | 0 | 349 | 417 | 14 | 87 |
| 1952 | CLE | 2B | 149 | 0 | 355 | 431 | 28 | 81 |
| 1953 | CLE | 2B | 140 | 0 | 346 | 445 | 11 | 114 |
| 1954 | CLE | 2B | 141 | 139 | 356 | 406 | 19 | 100 |
| 1954 | CLE | SS | 7 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 1955 | CLE | 2B | 141 | 139 | 348 | 342 | 13 | 108 |
| 1956 | CLE | 2B | 135 | 130 | 322 | 351 | 16 | 83 |
| 1957 | CLE | 2B | 107 | 105 | 280 | 254 | 9 | 72 |
| 1957 | CLE | 3B | 16 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 2 | 2 |
| 1958 | CLE | 2B | 82 | 71 | 175 | 177 | 5 | 62 |
| 1958 | CLE | 3B | 33 | 25 | 18 | 48 | 4 | 6 |
| 1959 | BAL | 2B | 8 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 2 |
| 1959 | BAL | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | BAL | OF | 10 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | BOS | 2B | 11 | 9 | 19 | 20 | 1 | 8 |
| 1959 | ML1 | 2B | 51 | 45 | 103 | 131 | 8 | 21 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 1168 |
| Third Base | 50 |
| Shortstop | 9 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 9 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | TSN All-Star | 2B |
| 1954 | TSN Player of the Year |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 3rd | 203.0 | 336 | 5 |
| 1952 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 29th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1951 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 49.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bobby Avila (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Bobby Avila
Bobby Avila: the record in brief
April 30, 1949 and September 29, 1959 bracket Bobby Avila's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Cleveland Indians (1949 to 1958), the Baltimore Orioles (1959), the Boston Red Sox (1959), and the Milwaukee Braves (1959). Avila, born on April 2, 1924, in Veracruz, Veracruz, México, is listed as a second baseman and batted and threw right-handed. Avila's listed size is 5'10" and 175 pounds. The bio records the death on October 26, 2004, in Veracruz, Veracruz, México. Avila's full given name, per the bio, is Roberto Francisco Avila.
Avila finished with 1,296 hits from 4,620 at bats in 1,300 games, which works out to .281; the totals also include 80 homers, 467 RBI, and 78 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .359 clip and slugging .388, Avila finished with a .747 OPS. Measured against the leagues Avila played in, the .281 career average compares with a .260 league average over the same seasons, 8.0% above the league.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bobby Avila
- What years did Bobby Avila play?
- Bobby Avila played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1959.
- Was Bobby Avila a pitcher?
- No. Bobby Avila was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Bobby Avila hit?
- Bobby Avila hit 80 career home runs with 1,296 hits.
- What teams did Bobby Avila play for?
- Bobby Avila played for 4 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1949–1958), the Baltimore Orioles (1959), the Boston Red Sox (1959), and the Milwaukee Braves (1959).
- Did Bobby Avila win an MVP award?
- No. Bobby Avila did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Bobby Avila win?
- Bobby Avila was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
- What were Bobby Avila's career stats?
- In 1,300 games, Bobby Avila had 1,296 hits, 80 home runs, 467 RBI, 725 runs, and 78 stolen bases, with a .281 batting average.
- What position did Bobby Avila play?
- Bobby Avila played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bobby Avila and how much did he weigh?
- Bobby Avila was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds.
- How many home runs did Bobby Avila hit each season?
- Bobby Avila's home runs by season: 0 in 1949, 1 in 1950, 10 in 1951, 7 in 1952, 8 in 1953, 15 in 1954, 13 in 1955, 10 in 1956, 5 in 1957, 5 in 1958, and 6 in 1959. His most in one season was 15, in 1954.
- What was Bobby Avila's career batting average?
- Bobby Avila batted .281 over his career, with 1,296 hits in 4,620 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bobby Avila have?
- Bobby Avila drove in 467 runs in his career.
- Is Bobby Avila in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bobby Avila has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Bobby Avila make?
- Bobby Avila was selected to 3 All-Star Games.