George Freese
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1953-1961)
George Freese was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1961 for the Detroit Tigers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 9 seasons. In 61 career games, he hit .257 with 48 hits, 3 home runs, and 23 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 190 lb
- Died
- 7/27/2014 in Portland, OR, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1953-04-29
- Last Game
- 1961-05-31
Full name: George Walter Freese
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 187 | 17 | 48 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 18 | 22 | .257 | .327 | .369 | .696 | -100 |
Career AVG .257 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .327 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .369 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 7.0% below league average.
Career OPS .696 vs. league average .729 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | DET | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1955 | PIT | NL | 51 | 179 | 17 | 46 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 1 | 17 | 18 | .257 | .258 (-1%) | .332 (-2%) | .393 (-5%) | .726 (-3%) | -99.8 |
| 1961 | CHN | NL | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 61 | 187 | 17 | 48 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 18 | 22 | .257 | — | — | — | — | -100 | ||
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 (61 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 38 | 124 | 14 | 30 | 3 | 16 | .242 |
| Away | 23 | 63 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 7 | .286 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-05-31 | CHC | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961-05-26 | CHC | SFG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-05-23 | CHC | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-05-17 | CHC | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961-05-15 | CHC | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-05-13 | CHC | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961-05-12 | CHC | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-05-06 | CHC | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1961-05-04 | CHC | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1955-06-12 | PIT | ATL | L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 50 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia University | Morgantown | WV | 1947 |
George Freese: the record in brief
George Freese's major league career runs from a debut on April 29, 1953 to a final game on May 31, 1961. Club by club, the record runs the Detroit Tigers (1953), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1955), and the Chicago Cubs (1961). Freese is listed as a third baseman at 190 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. Freese threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is September 12, 1926, in Wheeling, WV, USA. Freese's death is recorded on July 27, 2014, in Portland, OR, USA. Freese's full given name, per the bio, is George Walter Freese.
Across 61 games at the plate, Freese's career line reads 48 hits in 187 at bats for a .257 average, plus 3 homers and 23 RBI. Freese's career OPS of .696 combines a .327 on-base mark with .369 slugging. Freese hit .257 while the league hit .260 over the same span, a figure close to average. Freese collected a career-high 46 hits in 1955. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .257 in 1955, did not top the league's .258.
Frequently Asked Questions about George Freese
- What years did George Freese play?
- George Freese played in Major League Baseball from 1953 to 1961.
- Was George Freese a pitcher?
- No. George Freese was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did George Freese hit?
- George Freese hit 3 career home runs with 48 hits.
- What teams did George Freese play for?
- George Freese played for 3 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1953), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1955), and the Chicago Cubs (1961).
- What were George Freese's career stats?
- In 61 games, George Freese had 48 hits, 3 home runs, 23 RBI, 17 runs, and 1 stolen bases, with a .257 batting average.
- What position did George Freese play?
- George Freese played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was George Freese and how much did he weigh?
- George Freese was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.
- How many home runs did George Freese hit each season?
- George Freese's home runs by season: 0 in 1953, 3 in 1955, and 0 in 1961. His most in one season was 3, in 1955.
- What was George Freese's career batting average?
- George Freese batted .257 over his career, with 48 hits in 187 at bats.
- How many RBI did George Freese have?
- George Freese drove in 23 runs in his career.
- Is George Freese in the Hall of Fame?
- No. George Freese has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.