John Ellis
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1969-1981)
John Ellis was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1981 for the New York Yankees, the Cleveland Guardians, and the Texas Rangers, a span of 13 seasons. In 883 career games, he hit .262 with 699 hits, 69 home runs, and 391 RBI.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 225 lb
- Died
- 4/6/2022 in New Haven, CT, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1969-05-17
- Last Game
- 1981-10-03
Full name: John Charles Ellis
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 883 | 2,672 | 259 | 699 | 116 | 13 | 69 | 391 | 6 | 190 | 403 | .262 | .312 | .392 | .704 | -258 |
Career AVG .262 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .312 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .392 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .704 vs. league average .700 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | NYA | AL | 22 | 62 | 2 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 11 | .290 | .248 (+17%) | .320 (-4%) | .369 (+9%) | .689 (+3%) | 4.6 |
| 1970 | NYA | AL | 78 | 226 | 24 | 56 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 29 | 0 | 18 | 47 | .248 | .253 (-2%) | .325 (-6%) | .385 (+4%) | .711 (avg) | -69.8 |
| 1971 | NYA | AL | 83 | 238 | 16 | 58 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 34 | 0 | 23 | 42 | .244 | .249 (-2%) | .316 (+2%) | .365 (-7%) | .682 (-3%) | -74.9 |
| 1972 | NYA | AL | 52 | 136 | 13 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 8 | 22 | .294 | .243 (+21%) | .310 (+7%) | .353 (+29%) | .664 (+19%) | 375.7 |
| 1973 | CLE | AL | 127 | 437 | 59 | 118 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 68 | 0 | 46 | 57 | .270 | .256 (+5%) | .325 (+4%) | .378 (+6%) | .703 (+5%) | 454.1 |
| 1974 | CLE | AL | 128 | 477 | 58 | 136 | 23 | 6 | 10 | 64 | 1 | 32 | 53 | .285 | .256 (+11%) | .324 (+2%) | .369 (+14%) | .693 (+8%) | 626.4 |
| 1975 | CLE | AL | 92 | 296 | 22 | 68 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 32 | 0 | 14 | 33 | .230 | .257 (-11%) | .327 (-19%) | .374 (-8%) | .701 (-13%) | -689.4 |
| 1976 | TEX | AL | 11 | 31 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .419 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | TEX | AL | 49 | 119 | 7 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 26 | .235 | .264 (-11%) | .329 (-14%) | .401 (-2%) | .730 (-7%) | -154.0 |
| 1978 | TEX | AL | 34 | 94 | 7 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 20 | .245 | .257 (-5%) | .323 (-13%) | .378 (+1%) | .702 (-5%) | -118.5 |
| 1979 | TEX | AL | 111 | 316 | 33 | 90 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 61 | 2 | 15 | 55 | .285 | .265 (+7%) | .329 (-4%) | .397 (+10%) | .727 (+4%) | 146.6 |
| 1980 | TEX | AL | 73 | 182 | 12 | 43 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 3 | 14 | 23 | .236 | .264 (-11%) | .326 (-11%) | .387 (-19%) | .714 (-16%) | -463.0 |
| 1981 | TEX | AL | 23 | 58 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 10 | .138 | .255 (-46%) | .320 (-32%) | .368 (-35%) | .688 (-33%) | -296.1 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 883 | 2,672 | 259 | 699 | 116 | 13 | 69 | 391 | 6 | 190 | 403 | .262 | — | — | — | — | -258 | ||
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 (883 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 446 | 1303 | 116 | 327 | 27 | 195 | .251 |
| Away | 437 | 1369 | 143 | 372 | 42 | 196 | .272 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-10-03 | TEX | LAA | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-10-02 | TEX | LAA | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-09-30 | TEX | SEA | W | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 1981-09-24 | TEX | SEA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1981-09-20 | TEX | MIN | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1981-09-09 | TEX | OAK | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1981-09-03 | TEX | DET | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1981-09-02 | TEX | TOR | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-06-09 | TEX | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981-06-08 | TEX | DET | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 304 | 282 | 2583 | 149 | 30 | 224 |
| 3B | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| C | 297 | 245 | 1306 | 123 | 33 | 17 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | NYA | C | 15 | 15 | 83 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| 1970 | NYA | 1B | 53 | 49 | 449 | 37 | 4 | 35 |
| 1970 | NYA | 3B | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1970 | NYA | C | 2 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | NYA | 1B | 65 | 64 | 625 | 35 | 7 | 66 |
| 1971 | NYA | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | NYA | 1B | 8 | 7 | 63 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 1972 | NYA | C | 25 | 23 | 127 | 11 | 5 | 1 |
| 1973 | CLE | 1B | 12 | 11 | 117 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 1973 | CLE | C | 72 | 70 | 370 | 27 | 8 | 5 |
| 1974 | CLE | 1B | 69 | 68 | 667 | 37 | 6 | 57 |
| 1974 | CLE | C | 42 | 34 | 156 | 18 | 3 | 4 |
| 1975 | CLE | 1B | 2 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1975 | CLE | C | 84 | 72 | 396 | 44 | 11 | 3 |
| 1976 | TEX | C | 7 | 4 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | TEX | 1B | 8 | 7 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | TEX | C | 16 | 5 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1978 | TEX | C | 22 | 17 | 81 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| 1979 | TEX | 1B | 30 | 28 | 216 | 11 | 5 | 17 |
| 1979 | TEX | C | 7 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980 | TEX | 1B | 39 | 33 | 240 | 12 | 2 | 22 |
| 1980 | TEX | C | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | TEX | 1B | 18 | 13 | 140 | 8 | 1 | 16 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 297 |
| First Base | 304 |
| Third Base | 5 |
| Designated Hitter | 170 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell College | New London | CT | 1966 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Ellis (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
John Ellis: the record in brief
Between the debut on May 17, 1969 and the final game on October 3, 1981, John Ellis built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the New York Yankees (1969 through 1972), the Cleveland Indians (1973 through 1975), and the Texas Rangers (1976 through 1981). Born on August 21, 1948, in New London, CT, USA, Ellis is listed as a first baseman and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds. The bio records the death on April 6, 2022, in New Haven, CT, USA. John Ellis was the playing name; the full given name is John Charles.
Across 883 games at the plate, Ellis's career line reads 699 hits in 2,672 at bats for a .262 average; the totals also include 69 home runs and 391 runs batted in. Ellis got on base at a .312 rate and slugged .392 (.704 OPS). Ellis hit .262 while the league hit .256 over the same span, a figure close to average. Ellis's most home runs in a season came in 1973, when the total reached 14 for the Cleveland Indians.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Ellis
- What years did John Ellis play?
- John Ellis played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1981.
- Was John Ellis a pitcher?
- No. John Ellis was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did John Ellis hit?
- John Ellis hit 69 career home runs with 699 hits.
- What was John Ellis's career batting average?
- John Ellis batted .262 over his career, with 699 hits in 2,672 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Ellis have?
- John Ellis drove in 391 runs in his career.
- Is John Ellis in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Ellis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.