Smoky Burgess

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1949-1967)

Smoky Burgess was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1967 for 5 teams, including the Chicago Cubs, a span of 19 seasons. In 1,691 career games, he hit .295 with 1,318 hits, 126 home runs, and 673 RBI. Smoky Burgess was a 6-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 11,198.

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 .295
HR 126
RBI 673
H 1,318
OPS .807
PIV 11,198
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 185 lb
Born
2/6/1927 in Caroleen, NC, USA
Died
9/15/1991 in Asheville, NC, USA
MLB Debut
1949-04-19
Last Game
1967-10-01
Awards
6× All-Star

Full name: Forrest Harrill Burgess

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Career Batting Statistics

Smoky Burgess — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,691 4,471 485 1,318 230 33 126 673 13 477 270 .295 .362 .446 .807 11,198

Career AVG .295 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — +15.8% above league average.

Career OBP .362 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — +11.8% above league average.

Career SLG .446 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +16.0% above league average.

Career OPS .807 vs. league average .708 across their career seasons — +14.1% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Smoky Burgess Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1949 CHN NL 46 56 4 15 0 0 1 12 0 4 4 .268 .262 (+2%) .343 (-8%) .384 (-16%) .727 (-12%) -109.1
1951 CHN NL 94 219 21 55 4 2 2 20 2 21 12 .251 .260 (-4%) .336 (-6%) .385 (-18%) .721 (-13%) -425.3
1952 PHI NL 110 371 49 110 27 2 6 56 3 49 21 .296 .252 (+17%) .326 (+16%) .369 (+16%) .696 (+16%) 1194.4
1953 PHI NL 102 312 31 91 17 5 4 36 3 37 17 .292 .264 (+10%) .335 (+10%) .397 (+5%) .733 (+7%) 483.6
1954 PHI NL 108 345 41 127 27 5 4 46 1 42 11 .368 .261 (+41%) .333 (+30%) .390 (+31%) .723 (+30%) 2083.1
1955 PHI NL 7 21 4 4 2 0 1 1 0 3 1 .190 — — — — 0.0
1955 CIN NL 116 421 67 129 15 3 20 77 1 47 35 .306 .258 (+19%) .332 (+12%) .393 (+27%) .726 (+20%) 0.0
1956 CIN NL 90 229 28 63 10 0 12 39 0 26 18 .275 .258 (+7%) .331 (+5%) .397 (+20%) .728 (+13%) 539.7
1957 CIN NL 90 205 29 58 14 1 14 39 0 24 16 .283 .257 (+10%) .323 (+9%) .391 (+45%) .715 (+29%) 1020.0
1958 CIN NL 99 251 28 71 12 1 6 31 0 22 20 .283 .257 (+10%) .324 (+6%) .394 (+4%) .719 (+5%) 250.8
1959 PIT NL 114 377 41 112 28 5 11 59 0 31 16 .297 .256 (+16%) .323 (+8%) .392 (+24%) .715 (+16%) 1063.2
1960 PIT NL 110 337 33 99 15 2 7 39 0 35 13 .294 .255 (+15%) .323 (+10%) .387 (+6%) .711 (+8%) 543.3
1961 PIT NL 100 323 37 98 17 3 12 52 1 30 16 .303 .258 (+17%) .328 (+11%) .399 (+22%) .727 (+17%) 1032.9
1962 PIT NL 103 360 38 118 19 2 13 61 0 31 19 .328 .257 (+27%) .326 (+15%) .393 (+27%) .719 (+22%) 1410.6
1963 PIT NL 91 264 20 74 10 1 6 37 0 24 14 .280 .246 (+14%) .308 (+9%) .371 (+6%) .680 (+7%) 360.5
1964 PIT NL 68 171 9 42 3 1 2 17 2 13 14 .246 .250 (-2%) .312 (-3%) .377 (-18%) .690 (-11%) -264.9
1964 CHA AL 7 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 .200 — — — — -264.9
1965 CHA AL 80 77 2 22 4 0 2 24 0 11 7 .286 .245 (+16%) .310 (+19%) .371 (+12%) .682 (+15%) 232.5
1966 CHA AL 79 67 0 21 5 0 0 15 0 11 8 .313 .248 (+26%) .309 (+33%) .376 (+3%) .685 (+17%) 257.8
1967 CHA AL 77 60 2 8 1 0 2 11 0 14 8 .133 .242 (-45%) .306 (-1%) .357 (-30%) .663 (-17%) -104.4
Career · 20 seasons 1,691 4,471 485 1,318 230 33 126 673 13 477 270 .295 — — — — 9,304

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Smoky Burgess — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 18 2 6 1 0 0 0 2 1 .333

Playoff Batting by Year

Smoky Burgess — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1960 WS PIT 5 18 2 6 1 0 0 0 2 1 .333

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1692 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Smoky Burgess — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home864220824964867344.293
Away828226223667059329.296

Last 10 Games — Batting

Smoky Burgess — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1967-10-01 CHWTEXL 100000000
1967-09-29 CHWTEXL 100000000
1967-09-27 CHWKC1L 000000110
1967-09-22 CHWCLEL 101000100
1967-09-18 CHWLAAL 100000100
1967-09-16 CHWMINW 000000010
1967-09-15 CHWMINW 100000000
1967-09-14 CHWCLEW 000000010
1967-09-13 CHWCLEW 100000000
1967-09-12 CHWCLEL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Smoky Burgess — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 1139 808 5214 441 71 63

Season-by-Season Fielding

Smoky Burgess — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1949 CHN C 8 0 21 6 0 2
1951 CHN C 64 0 210 35 5 6
1952 PHI C 104 0 439 47 11 6
1953 PHI C 95 0 395 23 3 8
1954 PHI C 91 85 356 30 10 4
1955 PHI C 6 6 35 1 0 0
1955 CIN C 107 103 457 35 7 6
1956 CIN C 55 53 257 18 0 2
1957 CIN C 45 42 223 15 3 0
1958 CIN C 58 53 297 21 4 2
1959 PIT C 101 95 441 39 8 4
1960 PIT C 89 86 485 38 3 7
1961 PIT C 92 83 426 27 4 4
1962 PIT C 101 94 550 45 7 5
1963 PIT C 72 65 364 40 4 4
1964 PIT C 44 40 237 18 2 3
1965 CHA C 5 3 17 3 0 0
1966 CHA C 2 0 4 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Smoky Burgess Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 1141

Awards & Honors

Smoky Burgess — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1961 TSN All-Star C

Award Voting History

Smoky Burgess — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1960 Most Valuable Player NL 20th 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%.

Career Spans

Smoky Burgess (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Virgil Davis
    .308 avg, 77 HR
  2. 86
    Walker Cooper
    .285 avg, 173 HR
  3. 86
    Thurman Munson
    .292 avg, 113 HR
  4. 84
    Buster Posey
    .302 avg, 158 HR
  5. 77
    Mike Lieberthal
    .274 avg, 150 HR
  6. 77
    Jack Clements
    .287 avg, 77 HR

Compare Smoky Burgess

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Burgess's closest peers by position and era.

vs Harmon Killebrew
vs Willie McCovey
vs Bob Friend
vs Johnny Mize
vs Dick Allen
vs Roberto Clemente

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

Smoky Burgess: the record in brief

Smoky Burgess played a first major league game on April 19, 1949 and a last one on October 1, 1967. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago Cubs (1949 through 1951), the Philadelphia Phillies (1952 to 1955), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1955 to 1958), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1959 to 1964), and the Chicago White Sox (1964 through 1967). Born on February 6, 1927, in Caroleen, NC, USA, Burgess is listed as a catcher and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Size on record: 5'8" and 185 pounds. Burgess's death is recorded on September 15, 1991, in Asheville, NC, USA. On the record, Smoky Burgess was born Forrest Harrill Burgess.

Burgess's career batting table shows 1,691 games, 4,471 at bats and 1,318 hits, a .295 average, plus 126 home runs and 673 RBI. Burgess got on base at a .362 rate and slugged .446 (.807 OPS). Burgess's .295 average ran 15.8% above the .255 that the league posted over the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .807 to a league .708, 14.1% above average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Smoky Burgess

What years did Smoky Burgess play?
Smoky Burgess played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1967.
Was Smoky Burgess a pitcher?
No. Smoky Burgess was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Smoky Burgess hit?
Smoky Burgess hit 126 career home runs with 1,318 hits.
What teams did Smoky Burgess play for?
Smoky Burgess played for 5 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1949, 1951), the Philadelphia Phillies (1952–1955), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1955–1958), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1959–1964), and the Chicago White Sox (1964–1967).
Did Smoky Burgess win an MVP award?
No. Smoky Burgess did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Smoky Burgess win?
Smoky Burgess was selected to 6 All-Star Games.
What were Smoky Burgess's career stats?
In 1,691 games, Smoky Burgess had 1,318 hits, 126 home runs, 673 RBI, 485 runs, and 13 stolen bases, with a .295 batting average.
What position did Smoky Burgess play?
Smoky Burgess played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Smoky Burgess and how much did he weigh?
Smoky Burgess was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did Smoky Burgess hit each season?
Smoky Burgess's home runs by season: 1 in 1949, 2 in 1951, 6 in 1952, 4 in 1953, 4 in 1954, 21 in 1955, 12 in 1956, 14 in 1957, 6 in 1958, 11 in 1959, 7 in 1960, 12 in 1961, 13 in 1962, 6 in 1963, 3 in 1964, 2 in 1965, 0 in 1966, and 2 in 1967. His most in one season was 21, in 1955.
What was Smoky Burgess's career batting average?
Smoky Burgess batted .295 over his career, with 1,318 hits in 4,471 at bats.
How many RBI did Smoky Burgess have?
Smoky Burgess drove in 673 runs in his career.
Is Smoky Burgess in the Hall of Fame?
No. Smoky Burgess has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Smoky Burgess make?
Smoky Burgess was selected to 6 All-Star Games.