Bunny Downs
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Bunny Downs was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball for 8 teams, including the St. Louis Giants. In 277 career games, he hit .224 with 225 hits, 1 home runs, and 89 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'5" / 158 lb
- Died
- 6/30/1973 in Winston-Salem, NC, USA
Full name: McKinley Downs
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 277 | 1,003 | 136 | 225 | 27 | 14 | 1 | 89 | 30 | 99 | 2 | .224 | .295 | .282 | .577 | -3,087 |
Career AVG .224 vs. league average .278 across their career seasons — 19.2% below league average.
Career OBP .295 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 13.2% below league average.
Career SLG .282 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 26.1% below league average.
Career OPS .577 vs. league average .721 across their career seasons — 20.0% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | SLG | WES | 17 | 68 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | .250 | .248 (+1%) | .314 (-1%) | .326 (-5%) | .640 (-3%) | -34.1 |
| 1918 | HIL | EAS | 11 | 40 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .325 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1918 | AC | EAS | 10 | 37 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .270 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1919 | HIL | EAS | 19 | 74 | 7 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 | .230 | .262 (-12%) | .322 (-6%) | .347 (-11%) | .670 (-8%) | -88.2 |
| 1920 | HIL | EAS | 16 | 50 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .140 | .271 (-49%) | .331 (-34%) | .363 (-61%) | .694 (-48%) | -363.5 |
| 1921 | HIL | EAS | 32 | 113 | 17 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 0 | .221 | .286 (-23%) | .344 (-19%) | .395 (-19%) | .739 (-19%) | -374.6 |
| 1922 | HIL | IND | 34 | 122 | 18 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 0 | .148 | .285 (-48%) | .345 (-30%) | .397 (-57%) | .743 (-44%) | -871.2 |
| 1923 | ACB | ECL | 37 | 135 | 15 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 8 | 1 | .230 | .282 (-19%) | .344 (-21%) | .390 (-28%) | .734 (-25%) | -548.4 |
| 1923 | BRG | ECL | 16 | 62 | 10 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .323 | .282 (+14%) | .344 (+3%) | .390 (-5%) | .734 (-1%) | -548.4 |
| 1924 | BRG | ECL | 39 | 140 | 16 | 36 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 19 | 1 | .257 | .283 (-9%) | .345 (avg) | .389 (-21%) | .734 (-11%) | -208.2 |
| 1925 | BRG | ECL | 14 | 54 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .204 | .288 (-29%) | .349 (-22%) | .407 (-4%) | .756 (-13%) | -139.7 |
| 1925 | WMP | ECL | 7 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | .269 | — | — | — | — | -139.7 |
| 1925 | HBG | ECL | 15 | 48 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .125 | — | — | — | — | -139.7 |
| 1928 | PTG | ECL | 8 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .214 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | HIL | ANL | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 277 | 1,003 | 136 | 225 | 27 | 14 | 1 | 89 | 30 | 99 | 2 | .224 | — | — | — | — | -3,456 | ||
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | ACB | ECL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1928 | PTG | ECL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 108.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 16.20 | — | 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
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | 2 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | .556 |
Last 2 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924-08-03 | BRG | BLS | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924-08-03 | BRG | BLS | W | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B | 214 | 168 | 403 | 588 | 67 | 46 |
| 3B | 18 | 8 | 24 | 34 | 3 | 2 |
| C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 51 | 24 | 71 | 85 | 13 | 10 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | SLG | 2B | 17 | 0 | 25 | 64 | 11 | 5 |
| 1916 | SLG | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918 | HIL | 2B | 9 | 0 | 24 | 20 | 3 | 3 |
| 1918 | HIL | 3B | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1918 | AC | 3B | 7 | 0 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 1 |
| 1918 | AC | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1918 | AC | SS | 3 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 1919 | HIL | 2B | 13 | 13 | 17 | 43 | 3 | 4 |
| 1919 | HIL | 3B | 6 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 1920 | HIL | 2B | 8 | 8 | 25 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920 | HIL | SS | 10 | 8 | 21 | 30 | 3 | 4 |
| 1921 | HIL | 2B | 19 | 19 | 49 | 59 | 5 | 5 |
| 1921 | HIL | 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921 | HIL | SS | 12 | 12 | 32 | 27 | 8 | 4 |
| 1922 | HIL | 2B | 30 | 30 | 53 | 76 | 6 | 8 |
| 1922 | HIL | 3B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922 | HIL | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1922 | HIL | SS | 6 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 1923 | ACB | 2B | 37 | 35 | 72 | 119 | 18 | 5 |
| 1923 | ACB | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1923 | ACB | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923 | BRG | 2B | 16 | 16 | 31 | 63 | 2 | 6 |
| 1924 | BRG | 2B | 37 | 37 | 84 | 89 | 16 | 8 |
| 1924 | BRG | SS | 5 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 1925 | BRG | SS | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | WMP | 2B | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | WMP | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | HBG | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | HBG | 2B | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925 | HBG | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928 | PTG | 2B | 8 | 8 | 21 | 27 | 2 | 2 |
| 1928 | PTG | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929 | HIL | 2B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 2 |
| Catcher | 1 |
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 214 |
| Third Base | 18 |
| Shortstop | 51 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Center Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bunny Downs: the record in brief
Bunny Downs's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1916 to 1929. Downs played for the St. Louis Giants (1916), the Hilldale Club (1918 through 1929), the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1918 to 1923), the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1923 to 1925), the Wilmington Potomacs (1925), the Harrisburg Giants (1925), and the Philadelphia Tigers (1928). Listed as a second baseman, Downs threw and hit right-handed. The recorded size is 5-foot-5 and 158 pounds. The birth record reads March 7, 1894, in Chattanooga, TN, USA. The bio records the death on June 30, 1973, in Winston-Salem, NC, USA. Bunny Downs was the playing name; the full given name is McKinley.
The batting record for Downs: 277 games, 225 hits in 1,003 at bats, and a .224 average, adding 1 home run, 89 RBI, and 30 stolen bases. Downs's career OPS of .577 combines a .295 on-base mark with .282 slugging. Downs's .224 average ran 19.2% below the .278 that the league posted over the same seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bunny Downs
- Was Bunny Downs a pitcher?
- No. Bunny Downs was a position player (Second Baseman), though he did pitch in 2 career games.
- How many home runs did Bunny Downs hit?
- Bunny Downs hit 1 career home run with 225 hits.
- What teams did Bunny Downs play for?
- Bunny Downs played for 8 teams: the St. Louis Giants (1916), the Hilldale Club (1918–1922, 1929), the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1918), the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1923), the Brooklyn Royal Giants (1923–1925), the Wilmington Potomacs (1925), the Harrisburg Giants (1925), and the Philadelphia Tigers (1928).
- What were Bunny Downs's career stats?
- In 277 games, Bunny Downs had 225 hits, 1 home runs, 89 RBI, 136 runs, and 30 stolen bases, with a .224 batting average.
- What position did Bunny Downs play?
- Bunny Downs played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bunny Downs and how much did he weigh?
- Bunny Downs was listed at 5 feet 5 inches and 158 pounds.
- How many home runs did Bunny Downs hit each season?
- Bunny Downs's home runs by season: 0 in 1916, 0 in 1918, 0 in 1919, 0 in 1920, 0 in 1921, 0 in 1922, 0 in 1923, 0 in 1924, 1 in 1925, 0 in 1928, and 0 in 1929. His most in one season was 1, in 1925.
- What was Bunny Downs's career batting average?
- Bunny Downs batted .224 over his career, with 225 hits in 1,003 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bunny Downs have?
- Bunny Downs drove in 89 runs in his career.
- What was Bunny Downs's career ERA?
- Bunny Downs finished with a 16.20 career ERA, going 0-0 with 2 strikeouts.
- Is Bunny Downs in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bunny Downs has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.