George Brett
⭐ Hall of Fame 1999
Born: 5/15/1953 in Glen Dale, WV, USA
MLB Debut: 1973-08-02 | Final Game: 1993-10-03
Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 185 lbs
Full name: George Howard Brett
Biography
George Brett was a legendary position player who made an indelible mark on Major League Baseball during his career from 1973 to 1993. Born in 1953, Brett spent his entire 21-year career with the Kansas City Royals, where he became one of the franchise's most iconic athletes. Over the course of 2,707 games, he amassed 3,154 hits, demonstrating remarkable consistency and skill at the plate, culminating in a career batting average of .305. Known for his powerful hitting, Brett recorded 317 home runs and drove in 1,596 runs, solidifying his reputation as one of the premier offensive players of his era. Additionally, he showcased his speed on the bases with 201 stolen bases, a testament to his all-around athleticism.
Brett's accomplishments were recognized with 13 All-Star selections, and he was a pivotal figure during the Royals' ascent in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He played a crucial role in leading the team to its first World Series championship in 1985, where his performance was instrumental in securing the title. A key player during a transformative period in baseball, Brett's offensive prowess and competitive spirit made him a revered figure in the sport, and he remains a symbol of excellence in the game, celebrated for his contributions both on and off the field.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2707 | 10349 | 1583 | 3154 | 665 | 137 | 317 | 1596 | 201 | 1096 | 908 | 0.305 | 0.369 | 0.487 | 0.857 | 41431.9 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | KCR | AL | 13 | 40 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.125 | 0.0 |
| 1974 | KCR | AL | 133 | 457 | 49 | 129 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 47 | 8 | 21 | 38 | 0.282 | -345.7 |
| 1975 | KCR | AL | 159 | 634 | 84 | 195 | 35 | 13 | 11 | 90 | 13 | 46 | 49 | 0.308 | 1718.9 |
| 1976 | KCR | AL | 159 | 645 | 94 | 215 | 34 | 14 | 7 | 67 | 21 | 49 | 36 | 0.333 | 2751.5 |
| 1977 | KCR | AL | 139 | 564 | 105 | 176 | 32 | 13 | 22 | 88 | 14 | 55 | 24 | 0.312 | 2624.2 |
| 1978 | KCR | AL | 128 | 510 | 79 | 150 | 45 | 8 | 9 | 62 | 23 | 39 | 35 | 0.294 | 1285.1 |
| 1979 | KCR | AL | 154 | 645 | 119 | 212 | 42 | 20 | 23 | 107 | 17 | 51 | 36 | 0.329 | 3549.6 |
| 1980 | KCR | AL | 117 | 449 | 87 | 175 | 33 | 9 | 24 | 118 | 15 | 58 | 22 | 0.390 | 4887.8 |
| 1981 | KCR | AL | 89 | 347 | 42 | 109 | 27 | 7 | 6 | 43 | 14 | 27 | 23 | 0.314 | 1280.7 |
| 1982 | KCR | AL | 144 | 552 | 101 | 166 | 32 | 9 | 21 | 82 | 6 | 71 | 51 | 0.301 | 2667.7 |
| 1983 | KCR | AL | 123 | 464 | 90 | 144 | 38 | 2 | 25 | 93 | 0 | 57 | 39 | 0.310 | 2913.5 |
| 1984 | KCR | AL | 104 | 377 | 42 | 107 | 21 | 3 | 13 | 69 | 0 | 38 | 37 | 0.284 | 870.5 |
| 1985 | KCR | AL | 155 | 550 | 108 | 184 | 38 | 5 | 30 | 112 | 9 | 103 | 49 | 0.335 | 5149.2 |
| 1986 | KCR | AL | 124 | 441 | 70 | 128 | 28 | 4 | 16 | 73 | 1 | 80 | 45 | 0.290 | 2183.7 |
| 1987 | KCR | AL | 115 | 427 | 71 | 124 | 18 | 2 | 22 | 78 | 6 | 72 | 47 | 0.290 | 1710.3 |
| 1988 | KCR | AL | 157 | 589 | 90 | 180 | 42 | 3 | 24 | 103 | 14 | 82 | 51 | 0.306 | 3549.5 |
| 1989 | KCR | AL | 124 | 457 | 67 | 129 | 26 | 3 | 12 | 80 | 14 | 59 | 47 | 0.282 | 1279.8 |
| 1990 | KCR | AL | 142 | 544 | 82 | 179 | 45 | 7 | 14 | 87 | 9 | 56 | 63 | 0.329 | 2820.3 |
| 1991 | KCR | AL | 131 | 505 | 77 | 129 | 40 | 2 | 10 | 61 | 2 | 58 | 75 | 0.255 | 231.8 |
| 1992 | KCR | AL | 152 | 592 | 55 | 169 | 35 | 5 | 7 | 61 | 8 | 35 | 69 | 0.285 | 355.5 |
| 1993 | KCR | AL | 145 | 560 | 69 | 149 | 31 | 3 | 19 | 75 | 7 | 39 | 67 | 0.266 | -51.7 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 166 | 30 | 56 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 23 | 17 | 20 | 0.337 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | WS | KCA | 7 | 27 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 0.370 |
| 1985 | ALCS | KCA | 7 | 23 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 0.348 |
| 1984 | ALCS | KCA | 3 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.231 |
| 1981 | AWDIV | KCA | 3 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.167 |
| 1980 | ALCS | KCA | 3 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.273 |
| 1980 | WS | KCA | 6 | 24 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0.375 |
| 1978 | ALCS | KCA | 4 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.389 |
| 1977 | ALCS | KCA | 5 | 20 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.300 |
| 1976 | ALCS | KCA | 5 | 18 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0.444 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 461 | 455 | 4064 | 291 | 30 | 365 |
| 3B | 1692 | 1673 | 1372 | 3674 | 261 | 307 |
| OF | 36 | 32 | 60 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| SS | 11 | 2 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | KCA | 3B | 13 | 9 | 9 | 28 | 1 | 2 |
| 1974 | KCA | 3B | 132 | 128 | 102 | 279 | 21 | 16 |
| 1974 | KCA | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | KCA | 3B | 159 | 159 | 131 | 355 | 26 | 27 |
| 1975 | KCA | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | KCA | 3B | 157 | 157 | 140 | 335 | 26 | 22 |
| 1976 | KCA | SS | 4 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977 | KCA | 3B | 135 | 134 | 115 | 325 | 20 | 33 |
| 1977 | KCA | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978 | KCA | 3B | 128 | 128 | 104 | 289 | 16 | 25 |
| 1978 | KCA | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | KCA | 1B | 8 | 5 | 47 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 1979 | KCA | 3B | 149 | 148 | 129 | 373 | 30 | 28 |
| 1980 | KCA | 1B | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980 | KCA | 3B | 112 | 112 | 103 | 256 | 17 | 28 |
| 1981 | KCA | 3B | 88 | 87 | 74 | 170 | 14 | 7 |
| 1982 | KCA | 3B | 134 | 132 | 107 | 294 | 17 | 22 |
| 1982 | KCA | OF | 12 | 11 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1983 | KCA | 1B | 14 | 12 | 104 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 1983 | KCA | 3B | 102 | 97 | 85 | 188 | 24 | 25 |
| 1983 | KCA | OF | 13 | 12 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | KCA | 3B | 101 | 101 | 59 | 201 | 14 | 18 |
| 1985 | KCA | 3B | 152 | 152 | 107 | 339 | 15 | 33 |
| 1986 | KCA | 3B | 115 | 115 | 97 | 218 | 16 | 17 |
| 1986 | KCA | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | KCA | 1B | 83 | 83 | 798 | 50 | 6 | 69 |
| 1987 | KCA | 3B | 11 | 11 | 7 | 19 | 3 | 3 |
| 1988 | KCA | 1B | 124 | 124 | 1126 | 70 | 10 | 105 |
| 1988 | KCA | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | KCA | 1B | 104 | 105 | 896 | 80 | 2 | 71 |
| 1989 | KCA | OF | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | KCA | 1B | 102 | 100 | 865 | 66 | 7 | 89 |
| 1990 | KCA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | KCA | OF | 9 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | KCA | 1B | 10 | 10 | 87 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 1992 | KCA | 1B | 15 | 15 | 137 | 12 | 2 | 9 |
| 1992 | KCA | 3B | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 462 |
| Third Base | 1692 |
| Shortstop | 11 |
| Left Field | 22 |
| Right Field | 14 |
| Designated Hitter | 505 |
Awards & Honors
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | KCA | AL | $2,750,000 |
| 1992 | KCA | AL | $3,100,000 |
| 1991 | KCA | AL | $3,105,000 |
| 1990 | KCA | AL | $2,255,000 |
| 1989 | KCA | AL | $2,005,000 |
| 1988 | KCA | AL | $2,305,000 |
| 1987 | KCA | AL | $2,055,000 |
| 1986 | KCA | AL | $1,471,429 |
| 1985 | KCA | AL | $1,000,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $20,046,429 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 7th | 60.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1988 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 12th | 29.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1985 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 2nd | 274.0 | 392 | 5 |
| 1982 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 20th | 9.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1981 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 27th | 1.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1980 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 1st | 335.0 | 392 | 17 |
| 1979 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 3rd | 226.0 | 392 | 2 |
| 1978 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 14.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 13th | 51.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1976 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 2nd | 217.0 | 336 | 2 |
| 1975 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 37.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1974 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 3rd | 2.0 | 24 | 2 |