Babe Ellison

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1916-1920)

Babe Ellison was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1920 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 5 seasons. In 135 career games, he hit .216 with 75 hits, 1 home runs, and 39 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

AVG .216
HR 1
RBI 39
H 75
OPS .566
PIV -902
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 170 lb
Born
11/15/1896 in Ola, AR, USA
Died
8/11/1955 in San Francisco, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1916-09-18
Last Game
1920-09-23

Full name: Herbert Spencer Ellison

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Career Batting Statistics

Babe Ellison — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
135 348 32 75 13 4 1 39 9 30 55 .216 .282 .284 .566 -902

Career AVG .216 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 16.4% below league average.

Career OBP .282 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — 12.1% below league average.

Career SLG .284 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 15.9% below league average.

Career OPS .566 vs. league average .659 across their career seasons — 14.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Babe Ellison — Season-by-Season Batting
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 DET AL 2 7 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .143 — — — — 0.0
1917 DET AL 9 29 2 5 1 2 1 4 0 6 3 .172 — — — — 0.0
1918 DET AL 7 23 1 6 1 0 0 2 1 3 1 .261 — — — — 0.0
1919 DET AL 56 134 18 29 4 0 0 11 4 13 24 .216 .262 (-17%) .322 (-10%) .347 (-29%) .670 (-20%) -366.2
1920 DET AL 61 155 11 34 7 2 0 21 4 8 26 .219 .271 (-19%) .331 (-22%) .363 (-20%) .694 (-21%) -535.3
Career · 5 seasons 135 348 32 75 13 4 1 39 9 30 55 .216 — — — — -902

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 (135 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Babe Ellison — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home611461430018.205
Away742021845125.223

Last 10 Games — Batting

Babe Ellison — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1920-09-23 DETSLAL 100000001
1920-09-19 DETMINW 301000000
1920-09-19 DETMINW 321100110
1920-09-18 DETBOSL 301000110
1920-09-17 DETBOSW 100000000
1920-09-14 DETNYYL 100000001
1920-08-27 DETMINL 101000000
1920-08-17 DETBOSL 000000000
1920-08-14 DETCHWL 100000001
1920-08-04 DETBOSL 101000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Babe Ellison — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 47 0 461 27 3 18
2B 28 0 50 78 4 8
3B 3 0 5 2 1 0
OF 18 0 18 3 0 1
SS 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Babe Ellison — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1916 DET 3B 2 0 4 1 0 0
1917 DET 1B 9 0 98 1 2 5
1918 DET 2B 3 0 2 14 0 1
1918 DET OF 4 0 6 0 0 0
1919 DET 2B 25 0 48 64 4 7
1919 DET OF 10 0 11 1 0 0
1919 DET SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1920 DET 1B 38 0 363 26 1 13
1920 DET 3B 1 0 1 1 1 0
1920 DET OF 4 0 1 2 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Babe Ellison — Career Games by Position
Position Games
First Base 47
Second Base 28
Third Base 3
Shortstop 1
Left Field 1
Center Field 3
Right Field 14

College History

Babe Ellison — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Arkansas Fayetteville AR 1914, 1915

Babe Ellison: the record in brief

Babe Ellison played a first major league game on September 18, 1916 and a last one on September 23, 1920. Ellison spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Detroit Tigers. Ellison, a first baseman by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 5'11" and 170 pounds. Ellison was born on November 15, 1896, in Ola, AR, USA. The bio records the death on August 11, 1955, in San Francisco, CA, USA. The given name on file is Herbert Spencer Ellison.

Ellison's career batting table shows 135 games, 348 at bats and 75 hits, a .216 average, plus 1 home run and 39 RBI. Ellison got on base at a .282 rate and slugged .284 (.566 OPS). Measured against the leagues Ellison played in, the .216 career average compares with a .258 league average over the same seasons, 16.4% below the league. The OPS comparison is .566 to a league .659, 14.0% below average. 1920 produced Ellison's most hits, 34 of them for the Detroit Tigers. Ellison drove in a season-high 21 runs in 1920.

Frequently Asked Questions about Babe Ellison

What years did Babe Ellison play?
Babe Ellison played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1920.
Was Babe Ellison a pitcher?
No. Babe Ellison was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Babe Ellison hit?
Babe Ellison hit 1 career home runs with 75 hits.
What was Babe Ellison's career batting average?
Babe Ellison batted .216 over his career, with 75 hits in 348 at bats.
How many RBI did Babe Ellison have?
Babe Ellison drove in 39 runs in his career.
Is Babe Ellison in the Hall of Fame?
No. Babe Ellison has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.