George Burns

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1911-1925)

George Burns was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1925 for the New York Giants, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,853 career games, he hit .287 with 2,077 hits, 41 home runs, and 611 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 14,844.

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 .287
HR 41
RBI 611
H 2,077
OPS .749
PIV 14,844
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'7" / 160 lb
Born
11/24/1889 in Utica, NY, USA
Died
8/15/1966 in Gloversville, NY, USA
MLB Debut
1911-10-03
Last Game
1925-09-04

Full name: George Joseph Burns

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Career Batting Statistics

George Burns — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,853 7,241 1,188 2,077 362 108 41 611 383 872 565 .287 .366 .384 .749 14,844

Career AVG .287 vs. league average .268 across their career seasons — +6.8% above league average.

Career OBP .366 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +10.1% above league average.

Career SLG .384 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — +6.0% above league average.

Career OPS .749 vs. league average .694 across their career seasons — +7.9% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

George Burns (b. 1889) 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
1911 NY1 NL 6 17 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .059 — — — — 0.0
1912 NY1 NL 29 51 11 15 4 0 0 3 7 8 8 .294 .268 (+9%) .335 (+19%) .358 (+4%) .694 (+11%) 128.5
1913 NY1 NL 150 605 81 173 37 4 2 54 40 58 74 .286 .259 (+10%) .325 (+8%) .345 (+7%) .670 (+8%) 967.3
1914 NY1 NL 154 561 100 170 35 10 3 60 62 89 53 .303 .255 (+19%) .322 (+25%) .339 (+23%) .661 (+24%) 2912.3
1915 NY1 NL 155 622 83 169 27 14 3 51 27 56 57 .272 .250 (+8%) .318 (+4%) .332 (+13%) .651 (+9%) 901.4
1916 NY1 NL 155 623 105 174 24 8 5 41 37 63 47 .279 .248 (+12%) .314 (+10%) .326 (+13%) .640 (+11%) 1372.8
1917 NY1 NL 152 597 103 180 25 13 5 45 40 75 55 .302 .248 (+21%) .312 (+22%) .323 (+27%) .635 (+25%) 2851.3
1918 NY1 NL 119 465 80 135 22 6 4 51 40 43 37 .290 .255 (+14%) .318 (+11%) .326 (+19%) .645 (+15%) 1275.2
1919 NY1 NL 139 534 86 162 30 9 2 46 40 82 37 .303 .262 (+16%) .322 (+23%) .347 (+16%) .670 (+19%) 2299.3
1920 NY1 NL 154 631 115 181 35 9 6 46 22 76 48 .287 .271 (+5%) .331 (+10%) .363 (+10%) .694 (+10%) 1396.2
1921 NY1 NL 149 605 111 181 28 9 4 61 19 80 24 .299 .286 (+5%) .344 (+12%) .395 (avg) .739 (+6%) 1006.7
1922 CIN NL 156 631 104 180 20 10 1 53 30 78 38 .285 .285 (avg) .345 (+6%) .397 (-11%) .743 (-3%) -154.4
1923 CIN NL 154 614 99 168 27 13 3 45 12 101 46 .274 .282 (-3%) .344 (+9%) .390 (-4%) .734 (+2%) 562.1
1924 CIN NL 93 336 43 86 19 2 2 33 3 29 21 .256 .283 (-10%) .345 (-9%) .389 (-12%) .734 (-11%) -584.6
1925 PHI NL 88 349 65 102 29 1 1 22 4 33 20 .292 .288 (+1%) .349 (+1%) .407 (-4%) .756 (-2%) -90.6
Career · 15 seasons 1,853 7,241 1,188 2,077 362 108 41 611 383 872 565 .287 — — — — 14,844

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

George Burns — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
19 74 7 19 6 1 0 6 7 16 .257

Playoff Batting by Year

George Burns — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1921 WS NY1 8 33 2 11 4 1 0 2 3 5 .333
1917 WS NY1 6 22 3 5 0 0 0 2 3 6 .227
1913 WS NY1 5 19 2 3 2 0 0 2 1 5 .158

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1853 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

George Burns — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home9433539599102022287.288
Away9103705588105719326.285

Last 10 Games — Batting

George Burns — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1925-09-04 PHINY1L 000000010
1925-09-02 PHINY1L 200000001
1925-08-29 PHIPITL 502000000
1925-08-28 PHIPITL 100000000
1925-08-24 PHISTLL 301000020
1925-08-22 PHISTLL 400000010
1925-08-20 PHICINL 421100000
1925-08-18 PHICINL 530000011
1925-08-12 PHISTLL 111000000
1925-08-12 PHISTLL 311000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

George Burns — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
OF 1844 0 3918 197 128 42

Season-by-Season Fielding

George Burns — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1911 NY1 OF 6 0 7 0 0 0
1912 NY1 OF 23 0 24 3 0 1
1913 NY1 OF 150 0 321 22 13 1
1914 NY1 OF 154 0 326 19 18 5
1915 NY1 OF 155 0 278 13 12 4
1916 NY1 OF 155 0 289 19 12 3
1917 NY1 OF 152 0 325 16 9 4
1918 NY1 OF 119 0 292 10 11 1
1919 NY1 OF 139 0 290 15 3 4
1920 NY1 OF 154 0 336 11 6 5
1921 NY1 3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1921 NY1 OF 149 0 360 16 11 2
1922 CIN OF 156 0 386 20 10 3
1923 CIN OF 154 0 327 11 14 3
1924 CIN OF 90 0 168 13 7 4
1925 PHI OF 88 0 189 9 2 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

George Burns (b. 1889) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Third Base 1
Left Field 1215
Center Field 239
Right Field 405

Awards & Honors

George Burns — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1919 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1918 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1917 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF
1914 Baseball Magazine All-Star OF

Award Voting History

George Burns — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1914 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 31.0 64 0
1913 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 2.0 64 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

George Burns (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jimmy Sheckard
    .274 avg, 56 HR
  2. 95
    Fielder Jones
    .285 avg, 21 HR
  3. 94
    Clyde Milan
    .285 avg, 17 HR
  4. 94
    Kip Selbach
    .293 avg, 44 HR
  5. 92
    Harry Hooper HOF
    .281 avg, 75 HR
  6. 92
    Wally Moses
    .291 avg, 89 HR

George Burns: the record in brief

The profile opens with George Burns's first major league game on October 3, 1911; the last one listed came on September 4, 1925. Burns played for the New York Giants (1911 through 1921), the Cincinnati Reds (1922 to 1924), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1925). Burns, born on November 24, 1889, in Utica, NY, USA, is listed as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. Burns's listed size is 5'7" and 160 pounds. The bio records the death on August 15, 1966, in Gloversville, NY, USA. George Burns was the playing name; the full given name is George Joseph.

In 1,853 games and 7,241 at bats, Burns batted .287 with 2,077 hits; the totals also include 41 home runs, 611 RBI, and 383 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .366 and the slugging percentage .384, for an OPS of .749. Burns's .287 average ran 6.8% above the .268 that the league posted over the same seasons. Burns collected a career-high 181 hits in 1920. 1921 brought the most runs batted in, 61.

Frequently Asked Questions about George Burns

What years did George Burns play?
George Burns played in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1925.
Was George Burns a pitcher?
No. George Burns was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did George Burns hit?
George Burns hit 41 career home runs with 2,077 hits.
What teams did George Burns play for?
George Burns played for 3 teams: the New York Giants (1911–1921), the Cincinnati Reds (1922–1924), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1925).
What were George Burns's career stats?
In 1,853 games, George Burns had 2,077 hits, 41 home runs, 611 RBI, 1,188 runs, and 383 stolen bases, with a .287 batting average.
What position did George Burns play?
George Burns played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was George Burns and how much did he weigh?
George Burns was listed at 5 feet 7 inches and 160 pounds.
How many home runs did George Burns hit each season?
George Burns's home runs by season: 0 in 1911, 0 in 1912, 2 in 1913, 3 in 1914, 3 in 1915, 5 in 1916, 5 in 1917, 4 in 1918, 2 in 1919, 6 in 1920, 4 in 1921, 1 in 1922, 3 in 1923, 2 in 1924, and 1 in 1925. His most in one season was 6, in 1920.
What was George Burns's career batting average?
George Burns batted .287 over his career, with 2,077 hits in 7,241 at bats.
How many RBI did George Burns have?
George Burns drove in 611 runs in his career.
Is George Burns in the Hall of Fame?
No. George Burns has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.