Horace Ford
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1919-1933)
Horace Ford was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1919 to 1933 for 5 teams, including the Boston Braves, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,446 career games, he hit .263 with 1,269 hits, 16 home runs, and 494 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 165 lb
- Died
- 1/29/1977 in Winchester, MA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1919-09-08
- Last Game
- 1933-05-08
Full name: Horace Hills Ford
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,446 | 4,833 | 484 | 1,269 | 200 | 55 | 16 | 494 | 21 | 351 | 354 | .263 | .316 | .337 | .652 | -9,427 |
Career AVG .263 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — 6.6% below league average.
Career OBP .316 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — 7.9% below league average.
Career SLG .337 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 14.3% below league average.
Career OPS .652 vs. league average .735 across their career seasons — 11.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | BSN | NL | 10 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .214 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1920 | BSN | NL | 88 | 257 | 16 | 62 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 30 | 3 | 18 | 25 | .241 | .271 (-11%) | .331 (-11%) | .363 (-7%) | .694 (-9%) | -383.7 |
| 1921 | BSN | NL | 152 | 555 | 50 | 155 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 61 | 2 | 36 | 49 | .279 | .286 (-2%) | .344 (-5%) | .395 (-9%) | .739 (-7%) | -634.4 |
| 1922 | BSN | NL | 143 | 515 | 58 | 140 | 23 | 9 | 2 | 60 | 2 | 30 | 36 | .272 | .285 (-5%) | .345 (-8%) | .397 (-9%) | .743 (-8%) | -776.0 |
| 1923 | BSN | NL | 111 | 380 | 27 | 103 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 50 | 1 | 31 | 30 | .271 | .282 (-4%) | .344 (-5%) | .390 (-6%) | .734 (-6%) | -392.9 |
| 1924 | PHI | NL | 145 | 530 | 58 | 144 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 53 | 1 | 27 | 40 | .272 | .283 (-4%) | .345 (-11%) | .389 (-8%) | .734 (-9%) | -878.9 |
| 1925 | BRO | NL | 66 | 216 | 32 | 59 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 26 | 15 | .273 | .288 (-5%) | .349 (+2%) | .407 (-17%) | .756 (-8%) | -222.2 |
| 1926 | CIN | NL | 57 | 197 | 14 | 55 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 14 | 12 | .279 | .279 (avg) | .345 (-3%) | .390 (-18%) | .735 (-11%) | -312.4 |
| 1927 | CIN | NL | 115 | 409 | 45 | 112 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 46 | 0 | 33 | 34 | .274 | .282 (-3%) | .344 (-4%) | .392 (-16%) | .736 (-10%) | -635.7 |
| 1928 | CIN | NL | 149 | 506 | 49 | 122 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 47 | 31 | .241 | .280 (-14%) | .342 (-10%) | .395 (-27%) | .737 (-19%) | -1484.5 |
| 1929 | CIN | NL | 148 | 529 | 68 | 146 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 50 | 8 | 41 | 25 | .276 | .289 (-5%) | .353 (-7%) | .415 (-18%) | .769 (-13%) | -1100.9 |
| 1930 | CIN | NL | 132 | 424 | 36 | 98 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 34 | 2 | 24 | 28 | .231 | .293 (-21%) | .354 (-23%) | .429 (-28%) | .784 (-26%) | -1929.6 |
| 1931 | CIN | NL | 84 | 175 | 18 | 40 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 13 | .229 | .276 (-17%) | .338 (-16%) | .388 (-26%) | .726 (-21%) | -594.4 |
| 1932 | SLN | NL | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1932 | BSN | NL | 40 | 95 | 9 | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 9 | .274 | .275 (-1%) | .335 (-4%) | .391 (-6%) | .726 (-5%) | 0.0 |
| 1933 | BSN | NL | 5 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .067 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,446 | 4,833 | 484 | 1,269 | 200 | 55 | 16 | 494 | 21 | 351 | 354 | .263 | — | — | — | — | -9,346 | ||
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 (1447 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 727 | 2363 | 250 | 630 | 4 | 259 | .267 |
| Away | 720 | 2471 | 237 | 638 | 12 | 241 | .258 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933-05-08 | BSN | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-05-07 | BSN | CHC | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1933-05-07 | BSN | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-05-06 | BSN | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1933-04-23 | BSN | BRO | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932-09-10 | BSN | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932-09-05 | BSN | BRO | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932-09-05 | BSN | BRO | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932-08-30 | BSN | PIT | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932-08-24 | BSN | CIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 4 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2B | 589 | 0 | 1338 | 2009 | 88 | 328 |
| 3B | 5 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 846 | 0 | 1821 | 2644 | 185 | 565 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | BSN | 3B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1919 | BSN | SS | 8 | 0 | 10 | 25 | 2 | 3 |
| 1920 | BSN | 1B | 4 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1920 | BSN | 2B | 59 | 0 | 122 | 219 | 10 | 21 |
| 1920 | BSN | SS | 18 | 0 | 28 | 65 | 9 | 3 |
| 1921 | BSN | 2B | 119 | 0 | 297 | 417 | 20 | 48 |
| 1921 | BSN | SS | 33 | 0 | 96 | 109 | 6 | 17 |
| 1922 | BSN | 2B | 28 | 0 | 68 | 94 | 3 | 13 |
| 1922 | BSN | SS | 115 | 0 | 267 | 387 | 32 | 58 |
| 1923 | BSN | 2B | 95 | 0 | 213 | 300 | 16 | 61 |
| 1923 | BSN | SS | 19 | 0 | 39 | 52 | 6 | 6 |
| 1924 | PHI | 2B | 145 | 0 | 337 | 543 | 27 | 96 |
| 1925 | BRO | SS | 66 | 0 | 126 | 185 | 11 | 33 |
| 1926 | CIN | SS | 57 | 0 | 152 | 190 | 13 | 57 |
| 1927 | CIN | 2B | 12 | 0 | 21 | 31 | 0 | 5 |
| 1927 | CIN | SS | 104 | 0 | 218 | 323 | 27 | 75 |
| 1928 | CIN | SS | 149 | 0 | 355 | 508 | 25 | 128 |
| 1929 | CIN | 2B | 42 | 0 | 94 | 152 | 5 | 30 |
| 1929 | CIN | SS | 108 | 0 | 239 | 368 | 30 | 86 |
| 1930 | CIN | 2B | 66 | 0 | 152 | 217 | 6 | 45 |
| 1930 | CIN | SS | 74 | 0 | 139 | 198 | 9 | 45 |
| 1931 | CIN | 2B | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 1931 | CIN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931 | CIN | SS | 73 | 0 | 107 | 162 | 13 | 41 |
| 1932 | SLN | SS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1932 | BSN | 2B | 20 | 0 | 30 | 30 | 1 | 7 |
| 1932 | BSN | 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932 | BSN | SS | 16 | 0 | 26 | 48 | 1 | 8 |
| 1933 | BSN | SS | 5 | 0 | 17 | 23 | 0 | 4 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 4 |
| Second Base | 593 |
| Third Base | 5 |
| Shortstop | 845 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts University | Medford | MA | 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 22th | 2.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Horace Ford (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Horace Ford: the record in brief
The profile opens with Horace Ford's first major league game on September 8, 1919; the last one listed came on May 8, 1933. By club, Ford's seasons break down as the Boston Braves (1919 to 1933), the Philadelphia Phillies (1924), the Brooklyn Robins (1925), the Cincinnati Reds (1926 through 1931), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1932). Ford, a shortstop by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. Ford is listed at 5 feet, 10 inches and 165 pounds. Ford was born on July 23, 1897, in New Haven, CT, USA. The bio records the death on January 29, 1977, in Winchester, MA, USA. Horace Ford was the playing name; the full given name is Horace Hills.
Ford finished with 1,269 hits from 4,833 at bats in 1,446 games, which works out to .263, along with 16 homers, 494 runs batted in, and 21 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .316 and the slugging percentage .337, for an OPS of .652. The league as a whole hit .281 across Ford's seasons, which puts the .263 career mark 6.6% below average. By OPS the gap is 11.3% below league average (.652 against .735).
Frequently Asked Questions about Horace Ford
- What years did Horace Ford play?
- Horace Ford played in Major League Baseball from 1919 to 1933.
- Was Horace Ford a pitcher?
- No. Horace Ford was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Horace Ford hit?
- Horace Ford hit 16 career home runs with 1,269 hits.
- What teams did Horace Ford play for?
- Horace Ford played for 5 teams: the Boston Braves (1919–1923, 1932–1933), the Philadelphia Phillies (1924), the Brooklyn Robins (1925), the Cincinnati Reds (1926–1931), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1932).
- What were Horace Ford's career stats?
- In 1,446 games, Horace Ford had 1,269 hits, 16 home runs, 494 RBI, 484 runs, and 21 stolen bases, with a .263 batting average.
- What position did Horace Ford play?
- Horace Ford played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Horace Ford and how much did he weigh?
- Horace Ford was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 165 pounds.
- How many home runs did Horace Ford hit each season?
- Horace Ford's home runs by season: 0 in 1919, 1 in 1920, 2 in 1921, 2 in 1922, 2 in 1923, 3 in 1924, 1 in 1925, 0 in 1926, 1 in 1927, 0 in 1928, 3 in 1929, 1 in 1930, 0 in 1931, 0 in 1932, and 0 in 1933. His most in one season was 3, in 1924 and 1929.
- What was Horace Ford's career batting average?
- Horace Ford batted .263 over his career, with 1,269 hits in 4,833 at bats.
- How many RBI did Horace Ford have?
- Horace Ford drove in 494 runs in his career.
- Is Horace Ford in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Horace Ford has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.