Joe Cunningham
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1954-1966)
Joe Cunningham was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1966 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago White Sox, and the Washington Senators, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,141 career games, he hit .291 with 980 hits, 64 home runs, and 436 RBI. Joe Cunningham was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 13,143.
- 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- Died
- 3/25/2021 in Chesterfield, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1954-06-30
- Last Game
- 1966-04-17
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Joseph Robert Cunningham
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,141 | 3,362 | 525 | 980 | 177 | 26 | 64 | 436 | 16 | 599 | 369 | .291 | .403 | .417 | .820 | 13,143 |
Career AVG .291 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — +14.8% above league average.
Career OBP .403 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — +25.8% above league average.
Career SLG .417 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — +7.9% above league average.
Career OPS .820 vs. league average .707 across their career seasons — +16.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | SLN | NL | 85 | 310 | 40 | 88 | 11 | 3 | 11 | 50 | 1 | 43 | 40 | .284 | .261 (+9%) | .333 (+12%) | .390 (+14%) | .723 (+13%) | 871.2 |
| 1956 | SLN | NL | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1957 | SLN | NL | 122 | 261 | 50 | 83 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 52 | 3 | 56 | 29 | .318 | .257 (+23%) | .323 (+36%) | .391 (+22%) | .715 (+28%) | 1770.4 |
| 1958 | SLN | NL | 131 | 337 | 61 | 105 | 20 | 3 | 12 | 57 | 4 | 82 | 23 | .312 | .257 (+21%) | .324 (+38%) | .394 (+26%) | .719 (+31%) | 2600.3 |
| 1959 | SLN | NL | 144 | 458 | 65 | 158 | 28 | 6 | 7 | 60 | 2 | 88 | 47 | .345 | .256 (+34%) | .323 (+40%) | .392 (+22%) | .715 (+30%) | 3323.1 |
| 1960 | SLN | NL | 139 | 492 | 68 | 138 | 28 | 3 | 6 | 39 | 1 | 59 | 59 | .280 | .255 (+10%) | .323 (+12%) | .387 (avg) | .711 (+5%) | 687.4 |
| 1961 | SLN | NL | 113 | 322 | 60 | 92 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 40 | 1 | 53 | 32 | .286 | .258 (+11%) | .328 (+23%) | .399 (avg) | .727 (+10%) | 953.9 |
| 1962 | CHA | AL | 149 | 526 | 91 | 155 | 32 | 7 | 8 | 70 | 3 | 101 | 59 | .295 | .257 (+14%) | .326 (+26%) | .393 (+9%) | .719 (+16%) | 2189.8 |
| 1963 | CHA | AL | 67 | 210 | 32 | 60 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 1 | 33 | 23 | .286 | .246 (+16%) | .308 (+26%) | .371 (-1%) | .680 (+11%) | 551.5 |
| 1964 | CHA | AL | 40 | 108 | 13 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 15 | .250 | .250 (avg) | .312 (+13%) | .377 (-17%) | .690 (-3%) | 10.1 |
| 1964 | WS2 | AL | 49 | 126 | 15 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 23 | 13 | .214 | .250 (-14%) | .312 (+10%) | .377 (-35%) | .690 (-14%) | 10.1 |
| 1965 | WS2 | AL | 95 | 201 | 29 | 46 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 46 | 27 | .229 | .245 (-7%) | .310 (+21%) | .371 (-12%) | .682 (+3%) | 349.7 |
| 1966 | WS2 | AL | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 1,141 | 3,362 | 525 | 980 | 177 | 26 | 64 | 436 | 16 | 599 | 369 | .291 | — | — | — | — | 13,318 | ||
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 (1141 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 579 | 1655 | 288 | 513 | 36 | 229 | .310 |
| Away | 562 | 1707 | 237 | 467 | 28 | 207 | .274 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-04-17 | TEX | DET | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-04-16 | TEX | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966-04-11 | TEX | CLE | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965-10-02 | TEX | DET | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1965-09-29 | TEX | KC1 | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965-09-19 | TEX | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1965-09-15 | TEX | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1965-09-11 | TEX | LAA | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965-09-08 | TEX | NYY | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1965-09-06 | TEX | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 607 | 475 | 4564 | 299 | 34 | 424 |
| OF | 440 | 407 | 692 | 17 | 26 | 5 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | SLN | 1B | 85 | 84 | 814 | 68 | 10 | 96 |
| 1956 | SLN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957 | SLN | 1B | 57 | 22 | 279 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| 1957 | SLN | OF | 46 | 42 | 81 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1958 | SLN | 1B | 67 | 31 | 328 | 23 | 1 | 19 |
| 1958 | SLN | OF | 66 | 60 | 90 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 1959 | SLN | 1B | 35 | 10 | 158 | 9 | 1 | 22 |
| 1959 | SLN | OF | 121 | 117 | 201 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| 1960 | SLN | 1B | 15 | 14 | 114 | 10 | 0 | 7 |
| 1960 | SLN | OF | 116 | 108 | 184 | 6 | 10 | 1 |
| 1961 | SLN | 1B | 10 | 6 | 69 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 1961 | SLN | OF | 86 | 77 | 131 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 1962 | CHA | 1B | 143 | 142 | 1282 | 90 | 8 | 118 |
| 1962 | CHA | OF | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963 | CHA | 1B | 58 | 57 | 535 | 24 | 6 | 39 |
| 1964 | CHA | 1B | 33 | 30 | 264 | 16 | 1 | 25 |
| 1964 | WS2 | 1B | 41 | 33 | 316 | 13 | 1 | 28 |
| 1965 | WS2 | 1B | 59 | 43 | 393 | 24 | 6 | 44 |
| 1966 | WS2 | 1B | 3 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 608 |
| Left Field | 46 |
| Right Field | 404 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 18th | 9.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1959 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 13th | 12.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Joe Cunningham (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Joe Cunningham: the record in brief
Between the debut on June 30, 1954 and the final game on April 17, 1966, Joe Cunningham built the record summarized on this page. Cunningham played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1954 through 1961), the Chicago White Sox (1962 through 1964), and the Washington Senators (1964 to 1966). At 6'0" and 180 pounds, Cunningham is listed as a first baseman. The bio says Cunningham both batted and threw left-handed. The recorded birth is August 27, 1931, in Paterson, NJ, USA. The bio records the death on March 25, 2021, in Chesterfield, MO, USA. The given name on file is Joseph Robert Cunningham.
Cunningham's career batting table shows 1,141 games, 3,362 at bats and 980 hits, a .291 average, plus 64 home runs and 436 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .403 and the slugging percentage .417, for an OPS of .820. The league as a whole hit .254 across Cunningham's seasons, which puts the .291 career mark 14.8% above average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Cunningham
- What years did Joe Cunningham play?
- Joe Cunningham played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1966.
- Was Joe Cunningham a pitcher?
- No. Joe Cunningham was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Joe Cunningham hit?
- Joe Cunningham hit 64 career home runs with 980 hits.
- What was Joe Cunningham's career batting average?
- Joe Cunningham batted .291 over his career, with 980 hits in 3,362 at bats.
- How many RBI did Joe Cunningham have?
- Joe Cunningham drove in 436 runs in his career.
- Is Joe Cunningham in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Joe Cunningham has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.