Earl Battey
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1967)
Earl Battey was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1967 for the Chicago White Sox, the Washington Senators, and the Minnesota Twins, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,141 career games, he hit .270 with 969 hits, 104 home runs, and 449 RBI. Earl Battey was a 4-time All-Star and a 3-time Gold Glove. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 6,611.
- 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
- 6'1" / 205 lb
- Died
- 11/15/2003 in Ocala, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1955-09-10
- Last Game
- 1967-09-27
- Awards
- 4× All-Star · 3× Gold Glove
Full name: Earl Jesse Battey
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,141 | 3,586 | 393 | 969 | 150 | 17 | 104 | 449 | 13 | 421 | 470 | .270 | .349 | .409 | .757 | 6,611 |
Career AVG .270 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +6.9% above league average.
Career OBP .349 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — +9.2% above league average.
Career SLG .409 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +6.4% above league average.
Career OPS .757 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — +7.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | CHA | AL | 5 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | CHA | AL | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1957 | CHA | AL | 48 | 115 | 12 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 38 | .174 | .257 (-32%) | .323 (-24%) | .391 (-18%) | .715 (-21%) | -398.4 |
| 1958 | CHA | AL | 68 | 168 | 24 | 38 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 26 | 1 | 24 | 34 | .226 | .257 (-12%) | .324 (avg) | .394 (+6%) | .719 (+3%) | 102.9 |
| 1959 | CHA | AL | 26 | 64 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 13 | .219 | .256 (-15%) | .323 (-6%) | .392 (avg) | .715 (-3%) | -32.8 |
| 1960 | WS1 | AL | 137 | 466 | 49 | 126 | 24 | 2 | 15 | 60 | 4 | 48 | 68 | .270 | .255 (+6%) | .323 (+7%) | .387 (+10%) | .711 (+9%) | 849.5 |
| 1961 | MIN | AL | 133 | 460 | 70 | 139 | 24 | 1 | 17 | 55 | 3 | 53 | 66 | .302 | .258 (+17%) | .328 (+15%) | .399 (+18%) | .727 (+16%) | 1615.6 |
| 1962 | MIN | AL | 148 | 522 | 58 | 146 | 20 | 3 | 11 | 57 | 0 | 57 | 48 | .280 | .257 (+9%) | .326 (+7%) | .393 (avg) | .719 (+3%) | 394.4 |
| 1963 | MIN | AL | 147 | 508 | 64 | 145 | 17 | 1 | 26 | 84 | 0 | 61 | 75 | .285 | .246 (+16%) | .308 (+19%) | .371 (+28%) | .680 (+24%) | 2533.5 |
| 1964 | MIN | AL | 131 | 405 | 33 | 110 | 17 | 1 | 12 | 52 | 1 | 51 | 49 | .272 | .250 (+8%) | .312 (+11%) | .377 (+8%) | .690 (+9%) | 800.2 |
| 1965 | MIN | AL | 131 | 394 | 36 | 117 | 22 | 2 | 6 | 60 | 0 | 50 | 23 | .297 | .245 (+21%) | .310 (+21%) | .371 (+10%) | .682 (+15%) | 1234.8 |
| 1966 | MIN | AL | 115 | 364 | 30 | 93 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 34 | 4 | 43 | 30 | .255 | .248 (+3%) | .309 (+9%) | .376 (-13%) | .685 (-3%) | -30.0 |
| 1967 | MIN | AL | 48 | 109 | 6 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 24 | .165 | .242 (-32%) | .306 (-17%) | .357 (-41%) | .663 (-30%) | -458.8 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 1,141 | 3,586 | 393 | 969 | 150 | 17 | 104 | 449 | 13 | 421 | 470 | .270 | — | — | — | — | 6,611 | ||
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 (1141 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 582 | 1803 | 195 | 489 | 52 | 222 | .271 |
| Away | 559 | 1783 | 198 | 480 | 52 | 227 | .269 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-09-27 | MIN | LAA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-09-25 | MIN | LAA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-09-12 | MIN | TEX | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1967-09-08 | MIN | BAL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1967-09-04 | MIN | CLE | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1967-08-08 | MIN | TEX | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-08-02 | MIN | TEX | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-07-31 | MIN | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1967-07-30 | MIN | BOS | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1967-07-29 | MIN | BOS | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | CHA | C | 5 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956 | CHA | C | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957 | CHA | C | 43 | 31 | 165 | 19 | 2 | 2 |
| 1958 | CHA | C | 49 | 41 | 220 | 27 | 3 | 6 |
| 1959 | CHA | C | 20 | 16 | 92 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 1960 | WS1 | C | 136 | 131 | 749 | 65 | 15 | 10 |
| 1961 | MIN | C | 131 | 127 | 812 | 60 | 6 | 9 |
| 1962 | MIN | C | 147 | 143 | 872 | 82 | 9 | 9 |
| 1963 | MIN | C | 146 | 142 | 861 | 66 | 6 | 11 |
| 1964 | MIN | C | 125 | 121 | 813 | 52 | 9 | 4 |
| 1965 | MIN | C | 128 | 115 | 652 | 56 | 10 | 10 |
| 1966 | MIN | C | 113 | 113 | 705 | 45 | 4 | 9 |
| 1967 | MIN | C | 41 | 33 | 212 | 17 | 3 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1088 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1962 | Gold Glove | C |
| 1962 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1961 | Gold Glove | C |
| 1960 | Gold Glove | C |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 22.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1963 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 7th | 57.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1960 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 8th | 57.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Earl Battey (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Earl Battey
Earl Battey: the record in brief
Earl Battey's major league career runs from a debut on September 10, 1955 to a final game on September 27, 1967. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago White Sox (1955 to 1959), the Washington Senators (1960), and the Minnesota Twins (1961 through 1967). Battey is listed as a catcher at 205 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The bio says Battey threw and hit right-handed. Battey was born on January 5, 1935, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Battey died on November 15, 2003, in Ocala, FL, USA. The given name on file is Earl Jesse Battey.
Across 1,141 games at the plate, Battey's career line reads 969 hits in 3,586 at bats for a .270 average, plus 104 home runs and 449 RBI. Battey's career OPS of .757 combines a .349 on-base mark with .409 slugging. Battey's .270 average ran 6.9% above the .253 that the league posted over the same seasons. 1963 was Battey's biggest home run year, with 26.
Frequently Asked Questions about Earl Battey
- What years did Earl Battey play?
- Earl Battey played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1967.
- Was Earl Battey a pitcher?
- No. Earl Battey was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Earl Battey hit?
- Earl Battey hit 104 career home runs with 969 hits.
- What was Earl Battey's career batting average?
- Earl Battey batted .270 over his career, with 969 hits in 3,586 at bats.
- How many RBI did Earl Battey have?
- Earl Battey drove in 449 runs in his career.
- Is Earl Battey in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Earl Battey has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.