Al Dark
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1946-1960)
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 185 lb
- Died
- 11/13/2014 in Easley, SC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1946-07-14
- Last Game
- 1960-10-02
- Awards
- 3× All-Star · Rookie of the Year
Full name: Alvin Ralph Dark
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,828 | 7,219 | 1,064 | 2,089 | 358 | 72 | 126 | 757 | 59 | 430 | 534 | .289 | .333 | .411 | .744 | 3,492 |
Career AVG .289 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +11.5% above league average.
Career OBP .333 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .411 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.
Career OPS .744 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | BSN | NL | 15 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1948 | BSN | NL | 137 | 543 | 85 | 175 | 39 | 6 | 3 | 48 | 4 | 24 | 36 | .322 | .263 (+22%) | .340 (+4%) | .379 (+14%) | .719 (+9%) | 794.2 |
| 1949 | BSN | NL | 130 | 529 | 74 | 146 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 53 | 5 | 31 | 43 | .276 | .262 (+5%) | .343 (-8%) | .384 (-7%) | .727 (-8%) | -749.2 |
| 1950 | NY1 | NL | 154 | 587 | 79 | 164 | 36 | 5 | 16 | 67 | 9 | 39 | 60 | .279 | .265 (+5%) | .346 (-4%) | .401 (+9%) | .747 (+3%) | 175.2 |
| 1951 | NY1 | NL | 156 | 646 | 114 | 196 | 41 | 7 | 14 | 69 | 12 | 42 | 39 | .303 | .260 (+16%) | .336 (+4%) | .385 (+18%) | .721 (+12%) | 1339.8 |
| 1952 | NY1 | NL | 151 | 589 | 92 | 177 | 29 | 3 | 14 | 73 | 6 | 47 | 39 | .301 | .252 (+19%) | .326 (+9%) | .369 (+17%) | .696 (+13%) | 1503.2 |
| 1953 | NY1 | NL | 155 | 647 | 126 | 194 | 41 | 6 | 23 | 88 | 7 | 28 | 34 | .300 | .264 (+13%) | .335 (avg) | .397 (+23%) | .733 (+12%) | 1363.4 |
| 1954 | NY1 | NL | 154 | 644 | 98 | 189 | 26 | 6 | 20 | 70 | 5 | 27 | 40 | .293 | .261 (+12%) | .333 (-3%) | .390 (+14%) | .723 (+6%) | 624.1 |
| 1955 | NY1 | NL | 115 | 475 | 77 | 134 | 20 | 3 | 9 | 45 | 2 | 22 | 32 | .282 | .258 (+9%) | .332 (-4%) | .393 (avg) | .726 (-2%) | -202.4 |
| 1956 | NY1 | NL | 48 | 206 | 19 | 52 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 8 | 13 | .252 | .258 (-2%) | .331 (-16%) | .397 (-14%) | .728 (-15%) | -566.1 |
| 1956 | SLN | NL | 100 | 413 | 54 | 118 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 37 | 3 | 21 | 33 | .286 | .258 (+11%) | .331 (-3%) | .397 (-4%) | .728 (-4%) | -566.1 |
| 1957 | SLN | NL | 140 | 583 | 80 | 169 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 64 | 3 | 29 | 56 | .290 | .257 (+13%) | .323 (+1%) | .391 (-3%) | .715 (-1%) | -180.1 |
| 1958 | SLN | NL | 18 | 64 | 7 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .297 | .257 (+15%) | .324 (-2%) | .394 (-13%) | .719 (-8%) | -75.3 |
| 1958 | CHN | NL | 114 | 464 | 54 | 137 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 43 | 1 | 29 | 23 | .295 | .257 (+14%) | .324 (+4%) | .394 (-7%) | .719 (-2%) | -75.3 |
| 1959 | CHN | NL | 136 | 477 | 60 | 126 | 22 | 9 | 6 | 45 | 1 | 55 | 50 | .264 | .256 (+3%) | .323 (+6%) | .392 (-2%) | .715 (+2%) | 204.8 |
| 1960 | PHI | NL | 55 | 198 | 29 | 48 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 19 | 14 | .242 | .255 (-5%) | .323 (-3%) | .387 (-17%) | .711 (-10%) | -277.8 |
| 1960 | ML1 | NL | 50 | 141 | 16 | 42 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 7 | 13 | .298 | .255 (+17%) | .323 (+2%) | .387 (+1%) | .711 (+1%) | -277.8 |
| Career · 17 seasons | 1,828 | 7,219 | 1,064 | 2,089 | 358 | 72 | 126 | 757 | 59 | 430 | 534 | .289 | — | — | — | — | 3,035 | ||
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.
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18.00 | 0.0 |
Career ERA 18.00 vs. league average 4.14 across their career seasons — 335.0% worse than league average.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | NY1 | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 18.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 18.00 | — | 0 | ||
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 (1826 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 882 | 3385 | 512 | 988 | 84 | 421 | .292 |
| Away | 943 | 3821 | 551 | 1099 | 42 | 336 | .288 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 18.00 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-10-02 | ATL | PIT | L | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1960-10-01 | ATL | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-09-25 | ATL | PIT | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-09-21 | ATL | CIN | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1960-09-20 | ATL | CIN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-09-18 | ATL | PHI | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-09-17 | ATL | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1960-09-16 | ATL | PHI | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-09-15 | ATL | CHC | W | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960-09-14 | ATL | CHC | W | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Last 1 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-09-27 | NY1 | PIT | — | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 15 | 8 | 67 | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| 2B | 29 | 0 | 68 | 72 | 2 | 17 |
| 3B | 320 | 287 | 294 | 605 | 50 | 56 |
| OF | 43 | 25 | 73 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 1404 | 557 | 2672 | 4168 | 286 | 933 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | BSN | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | BSN | SS | 12 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| 1948 | BSN | SS | 133 | 0 | 253 | 393 | 25 | 66 |
| 1949 | BSN | 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949 | BSN | SS | 125 | 0 | 232 | 387 | 25 | 76 |
| 1950 | NY1 | SS | 154 | 0 | 288 | 465 | 30 | 101 |
| 1951 | NY1 | SS | 156 | 0 | 295 | 465 | 45 | 114 |
| 1952 | NY1 | SS | 150 | 0 | 324 | 423 | 27 | 116 |
| 1953 | NY1 | 2B | 26 | 0 | 68 | 72 | 2 | 17 |
| 1953 | NY1 | 3B | 8 | 0 | 12 | 17 | 3 | 5 |
| 1953 | NY1 | OF | 17 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1953 | NY1 | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953 | NY1 | SS | 110 | 0 | 219 | 343 | 19 | 79 |
| 1954 | NY1 | SS | 154 | 154 | 289 | 487 | 36 | 105 |
| 1955 | NY1 | SS | 115 | 114 | 213 | 324 | 21 | 70 |
| 1956 | NY1 | SS | 48 | 48 | 89 | 132 | 9 | 27 |
| 1956 | SLN | SS | 99 | 99 | 178 | 292 | 20 | 66 |
| 1957 | SLN | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957 | SLN | SS | 139 | 134 | 276 | 419 | 25 | 105 |
| 1958 | SLN | 3B | 8 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958 | SLN | SS | 8 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 2 | 6 |
| 1958 | CHN | 3B | 111 | 111 | 107 | 225 | 18 | 24 |
| 1959 | CHN | 1B | 4 | 4 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1959 | CHN | 3B | 131 | 121 | 111 | 255 | 20 | 20 |
| 1959 | CHN | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | PHI | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | PHI | 3B | 53 | 48 | 57 | 84 | 7 | 7 |
| 1960 | ML1 | 1B | 10 | 4 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 1960 | ML1 | 2B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | ML1 | 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | ML1 | OF | 25 | 25 | 46 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 1 |
| First Base | 15 |
| Second Base | 29 |
| Third Base | 320 |
| Shortstop | 1402 |
| Left Field | 39 |
| Right Field | 4 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Lou Gehrig Memorial Award | |
| 1954 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1948 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
| 1948 | Rookie of the Year |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana State University | Baton Rouge | LA | 1943 |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Lafayette | LA | 1944 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 12.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1954 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 5th | 110.0 | 336 | 1 |
| 1952 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 12th | 24.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1951 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 12th | 30.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1949 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 25th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1948 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 3rd | 174.0 | 336 | 1 |
| 1948 | Rookie of the Year | ML | 1st | 27.0 | 48 | 27 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Al Dark (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Al Dark
- What years did Al Dark play?
- Al Dark played in Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1960.
- Was Al Dark a pitcher?
- No. Al Dark was a position player (Shortstop), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
- How many home runs did Al Dark hit?
- Al Dark hit 126 career home runs with 2089 hits.