Ken Boyer
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1969)
Ken Boyer was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1969 for 4 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 15 seasons. In 2,034 career games, he hit .287 with 2,143 hits, 282 home runs, and 1,141 RBI. Ken Boyer was a 7-time All-Star, an MVP, and a 5-time Gold Glove. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 22,279.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 190 lb
- Died
- 9/7/1982 in St. Louis, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1955-04-12
- Last Game
- 1969-08-09
- Awards
- 7× All-Star · MVP · 5× Gold Glove
Full name: Kenton Lloyd Boyer
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,034 | 7,455 | 1,104 | 2,143 | 318 | 68 | 282 | 1,141 | 105 | 713 | 1,017 | .287 | .349 | .462 | .810 | 22,279 |
Career AVG .287 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +14.4% above league average.
Career OBP .349 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.
Career SLG .462 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — +21.7% above league average.
Career OPS .810 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — +16.2% 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 | SLN | NL | 147 | 530 | 78 | 140 | 27 | 2 | 18 | 62 | 22 | 37 | 67 | .264 | .258 (+2%) | .332 (-6%) | .393 (+8%) | .726 (+1%) | -33.6 |
| 1956 | SLN | NL | 150 | 595 | 91 | 182 | 30 | 2 | 26 | 98 | 8 | 38 | 65 | .306 | .258 (+18%) | .331 (+5%) | .397 (+24%) | .728 (+15%) | 1727.0 |
| 1957 | SLN | NL | 142 | 544 | 79 | 144 | 18 | 3 | 19 | 62 | 12 | 44 | 77 | .265 | .257 (+3%) | .323 (-2%) | .391 (+6%) | .715 (+2%) | 180.2 |
| 1958 | SLN | NL | 150 | 570 | 101 | 175 | 21 | 9 | 23 | 90 | 11 | 49 | 53 | .307 | .257 (+19%) | .324 (+11%) | .394 (+26%) | .719 (+19%) | 2109.4 |
| 1959 | SLN | NL | 149 | 563 | 86 | 174 | 18 | 5 | 28 | 94 | 12 | 67 | 77 | .309 | .256 (+20%) | .323 (+19%) | .392 (+30%) | .715 (+25%) | 2931.3 |
| 1960 | SLN | NL | 151 | 552 | 95 | 168 | 26 | 10 | 32 | 97 | 8 | 56 | 77 | .304 | .255 (+19%) | .323 (+14%) | .387 (+45%) | .711 (+31%) | 3329.3 |
| 1961 | SLN | NL | 153 | 589 | 109 | 194 | 26 | 11 | 24 | 95 | 6 | 68 | 91 | .329 | .258 (+28%) | .328 (+21%) | .399 (+34%) | .727 (+28%) | 3375.5 |
| 1962 | SLN | NL | 160 | 611 | 92 | 178 | 27 | 5 | 24 | 98 | 12 | 75 | 104 | .291 | .257 (+13%) | .326 (+13%) | .393 (+19%) | .719 (+17%) | 2171.7 |
| 1963 | SLN | NL | 159 | 617 | 86 | 176 | 28 | 2 | 24 | 111 | 1 | 70 | 90 | .285 | .246 (+16%) | .308 (+16%) | .371 (+22%) | .680 (+19%) | 2421.3 |
| 1964 | SLN | NL | 162 | 628 | 100 | 185 | 30 | 10 | 24 | 119 | 3 | 70 | 85 | .295 | .250 (+18%) | .312 (+17%) | .377 (+29%) | .690 (+24%) | 2952.5 |
| 1965 | SLN | NL | 144 | 535 | 71 | 139 | 18 | 2 | 13 | 75 | 2 | 57 | 73 | .260 | .245 (+6%) | .310 (+6%) | .371 (+1%) | .682 (+3%) | 350.7 |
| 1966 | NYN | NL | 136 | 496 | 62 | 132 | 28 | 2 | 14 | 61 | 4 | 30 | 64 | .266 | .248 (+7%) | .309 (-2%) | .376 (+10%) | .685 (+5%) | 287.4 |
| 1967 | NYN | NL | 56 | 166 | 17 | 39 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 26 | 22 | .235 | .242 (-3%) | .306 (+9%) | .357 (-1%) | .663 (+4%) | 160.0 |
| 1967 | CHA | AL | 57 | 180 | 17 | 47 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 25 | .261 | .242 (+8%) | .306 (-6%) | .357 (+3%) | .663 (-1%) | 160.0 |
| 1968 | CHA | AL | 10 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1968 | LAN | NL | 83 | 221 | 20 | 60 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 41 | 2 | 16 | 34 | .271 | .236 (+15%) | .298 (+6%) | .340 (+18%) | .638 (+13%) | 0.0 |
| 1969 | LAN | NL | 25 | 34 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .206 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 17 seasons | 2,034 | 7,455 | 1,104 | 2,143 | 318 | 68 | 282 | 1,141 | 105 | 713 | 1,017 | .287 | — | — | — | — | 22,123 | ||
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 (2034 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1027 | 3730 | 576 | 1110 | 148 | 643 | .298 |
| Away | 1007 | 3725 | 528 | 1033 | 134 | 498 | .277 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-08-09 | LAD | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-08-06 | LAD | PIT | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-08-02 | LAD | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-08-01 | LAD | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1969-07-31 | LAD | PIT | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-07-29 | LAD | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1969-07-26 | LAD | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-07-24 | LAD | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1969-07-17 | LAD | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969-07-13 | LAD | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 65 | 57 | 482 | 31 | 5 | 50 |
| 3B | 1785 | 1724 | 1567 | 3652 | 264 | 355 |
| OF | 111 | 107 | 286 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| SS | 31 | 22 | 41 | 52 | 4 | 11 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | SLN | 3B | 139 | 114 | 124 | 253 | 19 | 24 |
| 1955 | SLN | SS | 18 | 16 | 31 | 42 | 2 | 10 |
| 1956 | SLN | 3B | 149 | 148 | 130 | 309 | 18 | 37 |
| 1957 | SLN | 3B | 41 | 36 | 41 | 93 | 13 | 7 |
| 1957 | SLN | OF | 105 | 102 | 275 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1958 | SLN | 3B | 144 | 144 | 156 | 350 | 20 | 41 |
| 1958 | SLN | OF | 6 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958 | SLN | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | SLN | 3B | 143 | 141 | 134 | 300 | 20 | 32 |
| 1959 | SLN | SS | 12 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 1 |
| 1960 | SLN | 3B | 146 | 144 | 140 | 300 | 19 | 37 |
| 1961 | SLN | 3B | 153 | 153 | 117 | 346 | 24 | 23 |
| 1962 | SLN | 3B | 160 | 160 | 158 | 318 | 22 | 34 |
| 1963 | SLN | 3B | 159 | 159 | 129 | 293 | 34 | 23 |
| 1964 | SLN | 3B | 162 | 162 | 131 | 337 | 24 | 30 |
| 1965 | SLN | 3B | 143 | 139 | 113 | 250 | 12 | 18 |
| 1966 | NYN | 1B | 2 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966 | NYN | 3B | 130 | 125 | 113 | 292 | 21 | 33 |
| 1967 | NYN | 1B | 8 | 5 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 1967 | NYN | 3B | 44 | 43 | 27 | 84 | 6 | 7 |
| 1967 | CHA | 1B | 18 | 14 | 132 | 12 | 1 | 12 |
| 1967 | CHA | 3B | 33 | 32 | 22 | 67 | 4 | 4 |
| 1968 | CHA | 1B | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1968 | CHA | 3B | 5 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 1968 | LAN | 1B | 32 | 32 | 245 | 11 | 3 | 25 |
| 1968 | LAN | 3B | 34 | 20 | 30 | 53 | 7 | 4 |
| 1969 | LAN | 1B | 4 | 4 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 66 |
| Third Base | 1784 |
| Shortstop | 31 |
| Center Field | 111 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Lou Gehrig Memorial Award | |
| 1964 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1964 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1964 | TSN Major League Player of the Year | |
| 1964 | TSN Player of the Year | |
| 1963 | Gold Glove | 3B |
| 1963 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1962 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1961 | Gold Glove | 3B |
| 1961 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1960 | Gold Glove | 3B |
| 1959 | Gold Glove | 3B |
| 1958 | Gold Glove | 3B |
| 1956 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 1st | 243.0 | 280 | 14 |
| 1963 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 13th | 19.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1962 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 5.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1961 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 7th | 43.0 | 224 | 0 |
| 1960 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 6th | 80.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1959 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 10th | 37.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1958 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 13th | 31.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1956 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 28th | 2.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ken Boyer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Ken Boyer
Ken Boyer: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 12, 1955 and the final game on August 9, 1969, Ken Boyer built the record summarized on this page. By club, Boyer's seasons break down as the St. Louis Cardinals (1955 through 1965), the New York Mets (1966 through 1967), the Chicago White Sox (1967 through 1968), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1968 through 1969). At 6'1" and 190 pounds, Boyer is listed as a third baseman. The bio says Boyer threw and hit right-handed. Boyer was born on May 20, 1931, in Liberty, MO, USA. Boyer's death is recorded on September 7, 1982, in St. Louis, MO, USA. The given name on file is Kenton Lloyd Boyer.
In 2,034 games and 7,455 at bats, Boyer batted .287 with 2,143 hits, adding 282 home runs, 1,141 RBI, and 105 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .349 and .462 give Boyer a career OPS of .810. The league as a whole hit .251 across Boyer's seasons, which puts the .287 career mark 14.4% above average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Boyer
- What years did Ken Boyer play?
- Ken Boyer played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1969.
- Was Ken Boyer a pitcher?
- No. Ken Boyer was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Ken Boyer hit?
- Ken Boyer hit 282 career home runs with 2143 hits.
- What was Ken Boyer's career batting average?
- Ken Boyer batted .287 over his career, with 2,143 hits in 7,455 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ken Boyer have?
- Ken Boyer drove in 1,141 runs in his career.
- Did Ken Boyer win an MVP?
- Yes. Ken Boyer won the Most Valuable Player award 1 time.