Lou Finney
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1931-1947)
Lou Finney was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1947 for 4 teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 17 seasons. In 1,270 career games, he hit .287 with 1,329 hits, 31 home runs, and 494 RBI. Lou Finney was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 267.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- Died
- 4/22/1966 in Lafayette, AL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1931-09-12
- Last Game
- 1947-05-08
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Louis Klopsche Finney
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,270 | 4,631 | 643 | 1,329 | 203 | 85 | 31 | 494 | 39 | 329 | 186 | .287 | .336 | .388 | .723 | 267 |
Career AVG .287 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — +6.7% above league average.
Career OBP .336 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .388 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .723 vs. league average .716 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | PHA | AL | 9 | 24 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | .375 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1933 | PHA | AL | 74 | 240 | 26 | 64 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 32 | 1 | 13 | 17 | .267 | .270 (-1%) | .329 (-7%) | .377 (-2%) | .707 (-4%) | -188.0 |
| 1934 | PHA | AL | 92 | 272 | 32 | 76 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 4 | 14 | 17 | .279 | .278 (avg) | .340 (-8%) | .392 (-8%) | .733 (-8%) | -387.3 |
| 1935 | PHA | AL | 109 | 410 | 45 | 112 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 7 | 18 | 18 | .273 | .279 (-2%) | .342 (-10%) | .399 (-18%) | .742 (-14%) | -980.2 |
| 1936 | PHA | AL | 151 | 653 | 100 | 197 | 26 | 10 | 1 | 41 | 7 | 47 | 22 | .302 | .283 (+6%) | .349 (avg) | .404 (-7%) | .753 (-3%) | -369.5 |
| 1937 | PHA | AL | 92 | 379 | 53 | 95 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 20 | 2 | 20 | 16 | .251 | .276 (-9%) | .342 (-16%) | .398 (-14%) | .740 (-15%) | -1001.0 |
| 1938 | PHA | AL | 122 | 454 | 61 | 125 | 21 | 12 | 10 | 48 | 5 | 39 | 25 | .275 | .272 (+1%) | .341 (-3%) | .392 (+12%) | .734 (+5%) | 325.5 |
| 1939 | PHA | AL | 9 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .136 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | BOS | AL | 95 | 249 | 43 | 81 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 46 | 2 | 24 | 11 | .325 | .274 (+19%) | .342 (+12%) | .393 (+10%) | .735 (+11%) | 0.0 |
| 1940 | BOS | AL | 130 | 534 | 73 | 171 | 31 | 15 | 5 | 73 | 5 | 33 | 13 | .320 | .267 (+20%) | .335 (+7%) | .387 (+19%) | .722 (+14%) | 1260.0 |
| 1941 | BOS | AL | 127 | 497 | 83 | 143 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 53 | 2 | 38 | 17 | .288 | .262 (+10%) | .332 (+2%) | .373 (+7%) | .705 (+5%) | 361.3 |
| 1942 | BOS | AL | 113 | 397 | 58 | 113 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 61 | 3 | 29 | 11 | .285 | .253 (+12%) | .323 (+4%) | .349 (+9%) | .672 (+7%) | 398.4 |
| 1944 | BOS | AL | 68 | 251 | 37 | 72 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 23 | 7 | .287 | .261 (+10%) | .325 (+6%) | .357 (-3%) | .683 (+1%) | 89.9 |
| 1945 | BOS | AL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | SLA | AL | 57 | 213 | 24 | 59 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 21 | 6 | .277 | .260 (+6%) | .328 (+5%) | .354 (+7%) | .683 (+6%) | 0.0 |
| 1946 | SLA | AL | 16 | 30 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .300 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | PHI | NL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 17 seasons | 1,270 | 4,631 | 643 | 1,329 | 203 | 85 | 31 | 494 | 39 | 329 | 186 | .287 | — | — | — | — | -491 | ||
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 (1270 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 642 | 2296 | 323 | 646 | 8 | 246 | .281 |
| Away | 628 | 2335 | 321 | 683 | 23 | 249 | .293 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-05-08 | PHI | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-04-30 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-04-26 | PHI | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-04-18 | PHI | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-05-28 | SLA | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-05-26 | SLA | CLE | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-05-26 | SLA | CLE | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-05-25 | SLA | CLE | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946-05-22 | SLA | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-05-21 | SLA | PHA | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 415 | 0 | 3781 | 191 | 39 | 320 |
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| OF | 688 | 0 | 1483 | 56 | 63 | 11 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | PHA | OF | 8 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1933 | PHA | OF | 63 | 0 | 136 | 6 | 8 | 1 |
| 1934 | PHA | 1B | 15 | 0 | 120 | 9 | 2 | 16 |
| 1934 | PHA | OF | 54 | 0 | 112 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 1935 | PHA | 1B | 18 | 0 | 171 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| 1935 | PHA | OF | 76 | 0 | 145 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| 1936 | PHA | 1B | 78 | 0 | 782 | 34 | 8 | 70 |
| 1936 | PHA | OF | 73 | 0 | 179 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 1937 | PHA | 1B | 50 | 0 | 428 | 28 | 5 | 38 |
| 1937 | PHA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937 | PHA | OF | 39 | 0 | 91 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 1938 | PHA | 1B | 64 | 0 | 574 | 24 | 6 | 35 |
| 1938 | PHA | OF | 46 | 0 | 124 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 1939 | PHA | OF | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | BOS | 1B | 32 | 0 | 280 | 11 | 4 | 27 |
| 1939 | BOS | OF | 24 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1940 | BOS | 1B | 51 | 0 | 504 | 23 | 3 | 41 |
| 1940 | BOS | OF | 69 | 0 | 148 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| 1941 | BOS | 1B | 24 | 0 | 214 | 15 | 3 | 8 |
| 1941 | BOS | OF | 92 | 0 | 181 | 7 | 11 | 2 |
| 1942 | BOS | 1B | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1942 | BOS | OF | 95 | 0 | 199 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| 1944 | BOS | 1B | 59 | 0 | 521 | 23 | 7 | 53 |
| 1944 | BOS | OF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1945 | SLA | 1B | 22 | 0 | 165 | 14 | 1 | 13 |
| 1945 | SLA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1945 | SLA | OF | 36 | 0 | 68 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1946 | SLA | OF | 7 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 414 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 121 |
| Center Field | 104 |
| Right Field | 472 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 29th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Lou Finney (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Lou Finney: the record in brief
September 12, 1931 and May 8, 1947 bracket Lou Finney's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Finney played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1931 through 1939), the Boston Red Sox (1939 through 1945), the St. Louis Browns (1945 to 1946), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1947). At 180 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame, Finney is listed as an outfielder. Finney hit left-handed while throwing right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is August 13, 1910, in Buffalo, AL, USA. Finney's death is recorded on April 22, 1966, in Lafayette, AL, USA. On the record, Lou Finney was born Louis Klopsche Finney.
Finney collected 1,329 hits in 4,631 at bats across 1,270 games, good for a .287 batting average; the totals also include 31 homers, 494 runs batted in, and 39 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .336 clip and slugging .388, Finney finished with a .723 OPS.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lou Finney
- What years did Lou Finney play?
- Lou Finney played in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1947.
- Was Lou Finney a pitcher?
- No. Lou Finney was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Lou Finney hit?
- Lou Finney hit 31 career home runs with 1,329 hits.
- What teams did Lou Finney play for?
- Lou Finney played for 4 teams: the Philadelphia Athletics (1931, 1933–1939), the Boston Red Sox (1939–1942, 1944–1945), the St. Louis Browns (1945–1946), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1947).
- Did Lou Finney win an MVP award?
- No. Lou Finney did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Lou Finney win?
- Lou Finney was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Lou Finney's career stats?
- In 1,270 games, Lou Finney had 1,329 hits, 31 home runs, 494 RBI, 643 runs, and 39 stolen bases, with a .287 batting average.
- What position did Lou Finney play?
- Lou Finney played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Lou Finney and how much did he weigh?
- Lou Finney was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Lou Finney hit each season?
- Lou Finney's home runs by season: 0 in 1931, 3 in 1933, 1 in 1934, 0 in 1935, 1 in 1936, 1 in 1937, 10 in 1938, 1 in 1939, 5 in 1940, 4 in 1941, 3 in 1942, 0 in 1944, 2 in 1945, 0 in 1946, and 0 in 1947. His most in one season was 10, in 1938.
- What was Lou Finney's career batting average?
- Lou Finney batted .287 over his career, with 1,329 hits in 4,631 at bats.
- How many RBI did Lou Finney have?
- Lou Finney drove in 494 runs in his career.
- Is Lou Finney in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Lou Finney has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Lou Finney make?
- Lou Finney was selected to 1 All-Star Game.