Walt French
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1923-1929)
Walt French was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1929 for the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 7 seasons. In 397 career games, he hit .303 with 297 hits, 2 home runs, and 109 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'7" / 155 lb
- Died
- 5/13/1984 in Mountain Home, AR, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1923-09-15
- Last Game
- 1929-10-06
Full name: Walter Edward French
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 397 | 981 | 142 | 297 | 45 | 12 | 2 | 109 | 13 | 44 | 62 | .303 | .336 | .379 | .715 | -419 |
Career AVG .303 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — +6.7% above league average.
Career OBP .336 vs. league average .347 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .379 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .715 vs. league average .745 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | PHA | AL | 16 | 39 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 7 | .231 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1925 | PHA | AL | 67 | 100 | 20 | 37 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 9 | .370 | .288 (+28%) | .349 (+8%) | .407 (+13%) | .756 (+11%) | 169.6 |
| 1926 | PHA | AL | 112 | 397 | 51 | 121 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 36 | 2 | 18 | 24 | .305 | .279 (+9%) | .345 (-2%) | .390 (+1%) | .735 (avg) | -93.8 |
| 1927 | PHA | AL | 109 | 326 | 48 | 99 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 41 | 9 | 16 | 14 | .304 | .282 (+8%) | .344 (-2%) | .392 (-7%) | .736 (-5%) | -260.6 |
| 1928 | PHA | AL | 48 | 74 | 9 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .257 | .280 (-9%) | .342 (-17%) | .395 (-21%) | .737 (-19%) | -234.0 |
| 1929 | PHA | AL | 45 | 45 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 397 | 981 | 142 | 297 | 45 | 12 | 2 | 109 | 13 | 44 | 62 | .303 | — | — | — | — | -419 | ||
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 (397 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 213 | 554 | 89 | 180 | 1 | 70 | .325 |
| Away | 184 | 426 | 53 | 117 | 1 | 40 | .275 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-10-06 | PHA | NYY | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-22 | PHA | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-21 | PHA | DET | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-20 | PHA | DET | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-19 | PHA | DET | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-18 | PHA | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-16 | PHA | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-10 | PHA | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-07 | PHA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-09-01 | PHA | MIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 23 |
| Center Field | 18 |
| Right Field | 210 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States Military Academy | West Point | NY | 1921, 1922 |
| Rutgers - the State University of New Jersey | New Brunswick | NJ | 1920 |
Walt French: the record in brief
According to the bio, Walt French debuted on September 15, 1923 and played a final game on October 6, 1929. The team column never changes: it is the Philadelphia Athletics from 1923 to 1929. French, born on July 12, 1899, in Moorestown, NJ, USA, is listed as an outfielder and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. The bio gives 5-foot-7 and 155 pounds. The bio records the death on May 13, 1984, in Mountain Home, AR, USA. On the record, Walt French was born Walter Edward French.
French collected 297 hits in 981 at bats across 397 games, good for a .303 batting average; the totals also include 2 homers and 109 RBI. The on-base percentage is .336 and the slugging percentage .379, for an OPS of .715. French's .303 average ran 6.7% above the .284 that the league posted over the same seasons. French collected a career-high 121 hits in 1926. 1927 brought the most runs batted in, 41. In 1926, a season of regular play, French hit .305 while the league hit .279. French was above the league average in every compared season except 1928.
Frequently Asked Questions about Walt French
- What years did Walt French play?
- Walt French played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1929.
- Was Walt French a pitcher?
- No. Walt French was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Walt French hit?
- Walt French hit 2 career home runs with 297 hits.
- What teams did Walt French play for?
- Walt French played for one team, the Philadelphia Athletics (1923, 1925–1929).
- What were Walt French's career stats?
- In 397 games, Walt French had 297 hits, 2 home runs, 109 RBI, 142 runs, and 13 stolen bases, with a .303 batting average.
- What position did Walt French play?
- Walt French played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Walt French and how much did he weigh?
- Walt French was listed at 5 feet 7 inches and 155 pounds.
- How many home runs did Walt French hit each season?
- Walt French's home runs by season: 0 in 1923, 0 in 1925, 1 in 1926, 0 in 1927, 0 in 1928, and 1 in 1929. His most in one season was 1, in 1926 and 1929.
- What was Walt French's career batting average?
- Walt French batted .303 over his career, with 297 hits in 981 at bats.
- How many RBI did Walt French have?
- Walt French drove in 109 runs in his career.
- Is Walt French in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Walt French has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.