Joe Cronin
Shortstop · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1926-1945)
Joe Cronin was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1926 to 1945 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Washington Senators, and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 20 seasons. In 2,124 career games, he hit .301 with 2,285 hits, 170 home runs, and 1,424 RBI. Joe Cronin was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956 and was a 7-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 28,296.
- 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 180 lb
- Died
- 9/7/1984 in Barnstable, MA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1926-04-29
- Last Game
- 1945-04-19
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1956 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- 7× All-Star
Full name: Joseph Edward Cronin
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,124 | 7,579 | 1,233 | 2,285 | 515 | 118 | 170 | 1,424 | 87 | 1,059 | 700 | .301 | .390 | .468 | .857 | 28,296 |
Career AVG .301 vs. league average .274 across their career seasons — +10.0% above league average.
Career OBP .390 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +14.9% above league average.
Career SLG .468 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — +20.9% above league average.
Career OPS .857 vs. league average .726 across their career seasons — +18.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | PIT | NL | 38 | 83 | 9 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 15 | .265 | .279 (-5%) | .345 (-9%) | .390 (-14%) | .735 (-11%) | -162.2 |
| 1927 | PIT | NL | 12 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .227 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | WS1 | AL | 63 | 227 | 23 | 55 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 22 | 27 | .242 | .280 (-14%) | .342 (-10%) | .395 (-19%) | .737 (-15%) | -537.4 |
| 1929 | WS1 | AL | 145 | 494 | 72 | 139 | 29 | 8 | 8 | 61 | 5 | 85 | 37 | .281 | .289 (-3%) | .353 (+10%) | .415 (+1%) | .769 (+5%) | 763.8 |
| 1930 | WS1 | AL | 154 | 587 | 127 | 203 | 41 | 9 | 13 | 126 | 17 | 72 | 36 | .346 | .293 (+18%) | .354 (+19%) | .429 (+19%) | .784 (+19%) | 2695.3 |
| 1931 | WS1 | AL | 156 | 611 | 103 | 187 | 44 | 13 | 12 | 126 | 10 | 81 | 52 | .306 | .276 (+11%) | .338 (+16%) | .388 (+23%) | .726 (+20%) | 2613.8 |
| 1932 | WS1 | AL | 143 | 557 | 95 | 177 | 43 | 18 | 6 | 116 | 7 | 66 | 45 | .318 | .275 (+16%) | .335 (+17%) | .391 (+26%) | .726 (+22%) | 2477.5 |
| 1933 | WS1 | AL | 152 | 602 | 89 | 186 | 45 | 11 | 5 | 118 | 5 | 87 | 49 | .309 | .270 (+14%) | .329 (+21%) | .377 (+18%) | .707 (+19%) | 2577.9 |
| 1934 | WS1 | AL | 127 | 504 | 68 | 143 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 101 | 8 | 53 | 28 | .284 | .278 (+2%) | .340 (+4%) | .392 (+7%) | .733 (+6%) | 538.2 |
| 1935 | BOS | AL | 144 | 556 | 70 | 164 | 37 | 14 | 9 | 95 | 3 | 63 | 40 | .295 | .279 (+5%) | .342 (+8%) | .399 (+15%) | .742 (+12%) | 1343.5 |
| 1936 | BOS | AL | 81 | 295 | 36 | 83 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 43 | 1 | 32 | 21 | .281 | .283 (-1%) | .349 (+1%) | .404 (avg) | .753 (avg) | 17.9 |
| 1937 | BOS | AL | 148 | 570 | 102 | 175 | 40 | 4 | 18 | 110 | 5 | 84 | 73 | .307 | .276 (+11%) | .342 (+17%) | .398 (+22%) | .740 (+20%) | 2597.6 |
| 1938 | BOS | AL | 143 | 530 | 98 | 172 | 51 | 5 | 17 | 94 | 7 | 91 | 60 | .325 | .272 (+19%) | .341 (+25%) | .392 (+36%) | .734 (+31%) | 3678.8 |
| 1939 | BOS | AL | 143 | 520 | 97 | 160 | 33 | 3 | 19 | 107 | 6 | 87 | 48 | .308 | .274 (+12%) | .342 (+19%) | .393 (+25%) | .735 (+22%) | 2632.0 |
| 1940 | BOS | AL | 149 | 548 | 104 | 156 | 35 | 6 | 24 | 111 | 7 | 83 | 65 | .285 | .267 (+7%) | .335 (+13%) | .387 (+29%) | .722 (+22%) | 2551.9 |
| 1941 | BOS | AL | 143 | 518 | 98 | 161 | 38 | 8 | 16 | 95 | 1 | 82 | 55 | .311 | .262 (+19%) | .332 (+22%) | .373 (+36%) | .705 (+29%) | 3183.3 |
| 1942 | BOS | AL | 45 | 79 | 7 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 0 | 15 | 21 | .304 | .253 (+20%) | .323 (+28%) | .349 (+41%) | .672 (+35%) | 501.7 |
| 1943 | BOS | AL | 59 | 77 | 8 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 29 | 0 | 11 | 4 | .312 | .255 (+22%) | .324 (+22%) | .346 (+61%) | .671 (+42%) | 549.9 |
| 1944 | BOS | AL | 76 | 191 | 24 | 46 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 28 | 1 | 34 | 19 | .241 | .261 (-8%) | .325 (+10%) | .357 (avg) | .683 (+5%) | 272.7 |
| 1945 | BOS | AL | 3 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .375 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 20 seasons | 2,124 | 7,579 | 1,233 | 2,285 | 515 | 118 | 170 | 1,424 | 87 | 1,059 | 700 | .301 | — | — | — | — | 28,296 | ||
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 (2124 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1064 | 3683 | 674 | 1174 | 86 | 754 | .319 |
| Away | 1060 | 3896 | 560 | 1111 | 84 | 679 | .285 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945-04-19 | BOS | NYY | L | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1945-04-18 | BOS | NYY | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1945-04-17 | BOS | NYY | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1944-09-25 | BOS | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-09-24 | BOS | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-09-15 | BOS | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-09-10 | BOS | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1944-09-04 | BOS | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-08-21 | BOS | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1944-08-15 | BOS | SLA | 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 | 57 | 0 | 485 | 35 | 10 | 45 |
| 2B | 35 | 0 | 58 | 76 | 3 | 18 |
| 3B | 69 | 0 | 64 | 127 | 12 | 13 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 1843 | 0 | 3696 | 5814 | 485 | 1165 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | PIT | 2B | 27 | 0 | 54 | 74 | 3 | 18 |
| 1926 | PIT | SS | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1927 | PIT | 1B | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927 | PIT | 2B | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1927 | PIT | SS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| 1928 | WS1 | SS | 63 | 0 | 133 | 190 | 16 | 42 |
| 1929 | WS1 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929 | WS1 | SS | 143 | 0 | 285 | 459 | 62 | 92 |
| 1930 | WS1 | SS | 154 | 0 | 336 | 509 | 35 | 95 |
| 1931 | WS1 | SS | 155 | 0 | 323 | 488 | 43 | 94 |
| 1932 | WS1 | SS | 141 | 0 | 306 | 448 | 32 | 95 |
| 1933 | WS1 | SS | 152 | 0 | 297 | 528 | 34 | 95 |
| 1934 | WS1 | SS | 127 | 0 | 246 | 486 | 38 | 86 |
| 1935 | BOS | 1B | 2 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 1935 | BOS | SS | 139 | 0 | 264 | 431 | 37 | 86 |
| 1936 | BOS | 3B | 21 | 0 | 18 | 38 | 3 | 3 |
| 1936 | BOS | SS | 60 | 0 | 115 | 191 | 23 | 34 |
| 1937 | BOS | SS | 148 | 0 | 300 | 414 | 31 | 89 |
| 1938 | BOS | SS | 142 | 0 | 304 | 449 | 36 | 110 |
| 1939 | BOS | SS | 142 | 0 | 306 | 437 | 32 | 93 |
| 1940 | BOS | 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | BOS | SS | 146 | 0 | 252 | 443 | 38 | 89 |
| 1941 | BOS | 3B | 22 | 0 | 22 | 38 | 3 | 3 |
| 1941 | BOS | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941 | BOS | SS | 119 | 0 | 225 | 324 | 24 | 64 |
| 1942 | BOS | 1B | 5 | 0 | 37 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 1942 | BOS | 3B | 11 | 0 | 9 | 23 | 5 | 4 |
| 1942 | BOS | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | BOS | 3B | 10 | 0 | 12 | 18 | 1 | 1 |
| 1944 | BOS | 1B | 49 | 0 | 428 | 27 | 9 | 39 |
| 1945 | BOS | 3B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 57 |
| Second Base | 35 |
| Third Base | 69 |
| Shortstop | 1843 |
| Left Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
| 1939 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1938 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
| 1938 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1935 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
| 1934 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1933 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
| 1933 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1932 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
| 1932 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1931 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
| 1931 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1930 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
| 1930 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1930 | TSN Guide MVP |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 27th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1941 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 26.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1939 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 16th | 15.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1938 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 7th | 92.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1937 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 7th | 19.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1933 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 2nd | 62.0 | 80 | 2 |
| 1932 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 6th | 26.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1931 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 7th | 18.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Joe Cronin (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Joe Cronin
Joe Cronin: the record in brief
The profile opens with Joe Cronin's first major league game on April 29, 1926; the last one listed came on April 19, 1945. By club, Cronin's seasons break down as the Pittsburgh Pirates (1926 through 1927), the Washington Senators (1928 through 1934), and the Boston Red Sox (1935 through 1945). Cronin, a shortstop by primary position, threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 5 feet, 11 inches and 180 pounds. Cronin was born on October 12, 1906, in San Francisco, CA, USA. Cronin's death is recorded on September 7, 1984, in Barnstable, MA, USA. The given name on file is Joseph Edward Cronin.
Cronin collected 2,285 hits in 7,579 at bats across 2,124 games, good for a .301 batting average, adding 170 homers, 1,424 RBI, and 87 stolen bases. Cronin got on base at a .390 rate and slugged .468 (.857 OPS). The league as a whole hit .274 across Cronin's seasons, which puts the .301 career mark 10.0% above average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Cronin
- What years did Joe Cronin play?
- Joe Cronin played in Major League Baseball from 1926 to 1945.
- Was Joe Cronin a pitcher?
- No. Joe Cronin was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Joe Cronin hit?
- Joe Cronin hit 170 career home runs with 2,285 hits.
- Is Joe Cronin in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Joe Cronin was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1956.
- What teams did Joe Cronin play for?
- Joe Cronin played for 3 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1926–1927), the Washington Senators (1928–1934), and the Boston Red Sox (1935–1945).
- Did Joe Cronin win an MVP award?
- No. Joe Cronin did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Joe Cronin win?
- Joe Cronin was selected to 7 All-Star Games.
- What were Joe Cronin's career stats?
- In 2,124 games, Joe Cronin had 2,285 hits, 170 home runs, 1,424 RBI, 1,233 runs, and 87 stolen bases, with a .301 batting average.
- What position did Joe Cronin play?
- Joe Cronin played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Joe Cronin and how much did he weigh?
- Joe Cronin was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Joe Cronin hit each season?
- Joe Cronin's home runs by season: 0 in 1926, 0 in 1927, 0 in 1928, 8 in 1929, 13 in 1930, 12 in 1931, 6 in 1932, 5 in 1933, 7 in 1934, 9 in 1935, 2 in 1936, 18 in 1937, 17 in 1938, 19 in 1939, 24 in 1940, 16 in 1941, 4 in 1942, 5 in 1943, 5 in 1944, and 0 in 1945. His most in one season was 24, in 1940.
- What was Joe Cronin's career batting average?
- Joe Cronin batted .301 over his career, with 2,285 hits in 7,579 at bats.
- How many RBI did Joe Cronin have?
- Joe Cronin drove in 1,424 runs in his career.
- How many All-Star Games did Joe Cronin make?
- Joe Cronin was selected to 7 All-Star Games.