Harley Boss

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1928-1933)

Harley Boss was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1928 to 1933 for the Washington Senators and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 6 seasons. In 155 career games, he hit .268 with 139 hits, 1 home runs, and 61 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

AVG .268
HR 1
RBI 61
H 139
OPS .650
PIV -739
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
5'11" / 185 lb
Born
11/19/1908 in Hodge, LA, USA
Died
5/15/1964 in Nashville, TN, USA
MLB Debut
1928-07-19
Last Game
1933-09-24

Full name: Elmer Harley Boss

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Career Batting Statistics

Harley Boss — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
155 519 64 139 19 8 1 61 2 30 34 .268 .309 .341 .650 -739

Career AVG .268 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.

Career OBP .309 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.

Career SLG .341 vs. league average .405 across their career seasons — 15.9% below league average.

Career OPS .650 vs. league average .751 across their career seasons — 13.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Harley Boss — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1928 WS1 AL 12 12 1 3 0 0 0 2 0 3 1 .250 — — — — 0.0
1929 WS1 AL 28 66 9 18 2 1 0 6 0 2 6 .273 .289 (-6%) .353 (-17%) .415 (-20%) .769 (-18%) -213.6
1930 WS1 AL 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1933 CLE AL 112 438 54 118 17 7 1 53 2 25 27 .269 .270 (avg) .329 (-6%) .377 (-8%) .707 (-7%) -525.7
Career · 4 seasons 155 519 64 139 19 8 1 61 2 30 34 .268 — — — — -739

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 (155 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Harley Boss — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home762553563023.247
Away792642976138.288

Last 10 Games — Batting

Harley Boss — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1933-09-24 CLECHWL 100000000
1933-09-11 CLEMINL 100000000
1933-09-10 CLEMINL 400000000
1933-09-09 CLEPHAL 411100001
1933-09-08 CLEPHAL 301000010
1933-09-07 CLEPHAL 300000010
1933-09-06 CLEPHAL 412000000
1933-09-04 CLESLAW 200000000
1933-09-04 CLESLAW 502000100
1933-09-03 CLECHWW 511000100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Harley Boss — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 134 0 1215 80 11 104

Season-by-Season Fielding

Harley Boss — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1928 WS1 1B 5 0 32 0 1 2
1929 WS1 1B 18 0 119 9 3 13
1930 WS1 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1933 CLE 1B 110 0 1062 71 7 89

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Harley Boss — Career Games by Position
Position Games
First Base 134

College History

Harley Boss — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Louisiana Tech University Ruston LA 1926, 1927

Harley Boss: the record in brief

Harley Boss played a first major league game on July 19, 1928 and a last one on September 24, 1933. The team column moves through the Washington Senators (1928 to 1930) and the Cleveland Indians (1933). Boss is listed as a first baseman at 5 feet, 11 inches and 185 pounds. Boss both batted and threw left-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is November 19, 1908, in Hodge, LA, USA. Boss died on May 15, 1964, in Nashville, TN, USA. Boss's full given name, per the bio, is Elmer Harley Boss.

In 155 games and 519 at bats, Boss batted .268 with 139 hits, adding 1 home run and 61 runs batted in. Boss got on base at a .309 rate and slugged .341 (.650 OPS). Set against a .284 league average for the same years, Boss's .268 average sits 5.7% below it. The highest hit total in a season was 118, in 1933. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .269 in 1933, did not top the league's .270.

Frequently Asked Questions about Harley Boss

What years did Harley Boss play?
Harley Boss played in Major League Baseball from 1928 to 1933.
Was Harley Boss a pitcher?
No. Harley Boss was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Harley Boss hit?
Harley Boss hit 1 career home run with 139 hits.
What teams did Harley Boss play for?
Harley Boss played for 2 teams: the Washington Senators (1928–1930) and the Cleveland Indians (1933).
What were Harley Boss's career stats?
In 155 games, Harley Boss had 139 hits, 1 home runs, 61 RBI, 64 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .268 batting average.
What position did Harley Boss play?
Harley Boss played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Harley Boss and how much did he weigh?
Harley Boss was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did Harley Boss hit each season?
Harley Boss's home runs by season: 0 in 1928, 0 in 1929, 0 in 1930, and 1 in 1933. His most in one season was 1, in 1933.
What was Harley Boss's career batting average?
Harley Boss batted .268 over his career, with 139 hits in 519 at bats.
How many RBI did Harley Boss have?
Harley Boss drove in 61 runs in his career.
Is Harley Boss in the Hall of Fame?
No. Harley Boss has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.