Milt Bolling
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1952-1958)
Milt Bolling was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1958 for the Boston Red Sox, the Washington Senators, and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 7 seasons. In 400 career games, he hit .241 with 280 hits, 19 home runs, and 94 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
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 177 lb
- Died
- 1/19/2013 in Mobile, AL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1952-09-10
- Last Game
- 1958-07-28
Full name: Milton Joseph Bolling
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400 | 1,161 | 127 | 280 | 50 | 7 | 19 | 94 | 5 | 114 | 188 | .241 | .313 | .345 | .658 | -1,439 |
Career AVG .241 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 6.7% below league average.
Career OBP .313 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 5.2% below league average.
Career SLG .345 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 11.6% below league average.
Career OPS .658 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — 8.6% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | BOS | AL | 11 | 36 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1953 | BOS | AL | 109 | 323 | 30 | 85 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 28 | 1 | 23 | 41 | .263 | .264 (avg) | .335 (-5%) | .397 (-11%) | .733 (-8%) | -441.3 |
| 1954 | BOS | AL | 113 | 370 | 42 | 92 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 36 | 2 | 47 | 55 | .249 | .261 (-5%) | .333 (+1%) | .390 (-6%) | .723 (-3%) | -100.8 |
| 1955 | BOS | AL | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | BOS | AL | 45 | 118 | 19 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 20 | .212 | .258 (-18%) | .331 (-4%) | .397 (-13%) | .728 (-9%) | -147.8 |
| 1957 | BOS | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1957 | WS1 | AL | 91 | 277 | 29 | 63 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 2 | 18 | 59 | .227 | .257 (-12%) | .323 (-15%) | .391 (-18%) | .715 (-16%) | 0.0 |
| 1958 | DET | AL | 24 | 31 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | .194 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 400 | 1,161 | 127 | 280 | 50 | 7 | 19 | 94 | 5 | 114 | 188 | .241 | — | — | — | — | -690 | ||
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 (400 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 201 | 608 | 67 | 144 | 12 | 49 | .237 |
| Away | 199 | 553 | 60 | 136 | 7 | 47 | .246 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-07-28 | DET | BOS | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-07-26 | DET | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-07-18 | DET | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-07-15 | DET | NYY | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-07-13 | DET | BAL | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-07-12 | DET | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-07-05 | DET | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-07-04 | DET | CLE | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-06-26 | DET | BAL | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958-06-06 | DET | MIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 55 | 51 | 128 | 147 | 6 | 36 |
| 3B | 18 | 11 | 11 | 28 | 5 | 2 |
| SS | 305 | 151 | 470 | 904 | 70 | 185 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | BOS | SS | 11 | 0 | 22 | 41 | 1 | 6 |
| 1953 | BOS | SS | 109 | 0 | 174 | 321 | 23 | 71 |
| 1954 | BOS | 3B | 5 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 1954 | BOS | SS | 107 | 103 | 186 | 370 | 32 | 73 |
| 1955 | BOS | SS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1956 | BOS | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1956 | BOS | 3B | 11 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 3 | 2 |
| 1956 | BOS | SS | 26 | 17 | 31 | 59 | 5 | 11 |
| 1957 | WS1 | 2B | 53 | 51 | 126 | 143 | 5 | 36 |
| 1957 | WS1 | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957 | WS1 | SS | 37 | 24 | 42 | 89 | 6 | 17 |
| 1958 | DET | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958 | DET | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958 | DET | SS | 13 | 6 | 14 | 21 | 2 | 7 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 55 |
| Third Base | 19 |
| Shortstop | 305 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Milt Bolling (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Milt Bolling: the record in brief
September 10, 1952 and July 28, 1958 bracket Milt Bolling's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Bolling played for the Boston Red Sox (1952 through 1957), the Washington Senators (1957), and the Detroit Tigers (1958). At 177 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame, Bolling is listed as a shortstop. The bio says Bolling both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is August 9, 1930, in Mississippi City, MS, USA. The bio records the death on January 19, 2013, in Mobile, AL, USA. The bio lists the given name Milton Joseph.
Bolling finished with 280 hits from 1,161 at bats in 400 games, which works out to .241, adding 19 home runs and 94 RBI. Bolling's career OPS of .658 combines a .313 on-base mark with .345 slugging. Bolling's .241 average ran 6.7% below the .259 that the league posted over the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 8.6% below league average (.658 against .720). The hits column peaks at 92, in 1954. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .263 in 1953, did not top the league's .264.
Frequently Asked Questions about Milt Bolling
- What years did Milt Bolling play?
- Milt Bolling played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1958.
- Was Milt Bolling a pitcher?
- No. Milt Bolling was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Milt Bolling hit?
- Milt Bolling hit 19 career home runs with 280 hits.
- What was Milt Bolling's career batting average?
- Milt Bolling batted .241 over his career, with 280 hits in 1,161 at bats.
- How many RBI did Milt Bolling have?
- Milt Bolling drove in 94 runs in his career.
- Is Milt Bolling in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Milt Bolling has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.