Owen Friend
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1949-1956)
Owen Friend was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1956 for 5 teams, including the St. Louis Browns, a span of 8 seasons. In 208 career games, he hit .227 with 136 hits, 13 home runs, and 76 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 180 lb
- Died
- 10/14/2007 in Wichita, KS, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1949-10-02
- Last Game
- 1956-05-16
Full name: Owen Lacey Friend
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 208 | 598 | 69 | 136 | 24 | 2 | 13 | 76 | 2 | 55 | 109 | .227 | .295 | .339 | .634 | -1,269 |
Career AVG .227 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 13.2% below league average.
Career OBP .295 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 12.8% below league average.
Career SLG .339 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — 14.0% below league average.
Career OPS .634 vs. league average .733 across their career seasons — 13.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | SLA | AL | 2 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .375 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | SLA | AL | 119 | 372 | 48 | 88 | 15 | 2 | 8 | 50 | 2 | 40 | 68 | .237 | .265 (-11%) | .346 (-10%) | .401 (-12%) | .747 (-11%) | -703.7 |
| 1953 | DET | AL | 31 | 96 | 10 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 9 | .177 | .264 (-33%) | .335 (-31%) | .397 (-21%) | .733 (-26%) | -419.4 |
| 1953 | CLE | AL | 34 | 68 | 7 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 16 | .235 | .264 (-11%) | .335 (-14%) | .397 (-11%) | .733 (-13%) | -419.4 |
| 1955 | BOS | AL | 14 | 42 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | .262 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1955 | CHN | NL | 6 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .100 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | CHN | NL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 208 | 598 | 69 | 136 | 24 | 2 | 13 | 76 | 2 | 55 | 109 | .227 | — | — | — | — | -1,543 | ||
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 (208 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 99 | 289 | 42 | 66 | 9 | 47 | .228 |
| Away | 109 | 309 | 27 | 70 | 4 | 29 | .227 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-05-16 | CHC | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956-05-02 | CHC | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1955-09-18 | CHC | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1955-09-04 | CHC | STL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-07-16 | CHC | PHI | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-07-15 | CHC | NY1 | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-07-10 | CHC | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1955-06-23 | CHC | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1955-05-03 | BOS | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1955-05-01 | BOS | CLE | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 141 | 0 | 354 | 421 | 30 | 99 |
| 3B | 27 | 2 | 26 | 34 | 7 | 4 |
| SS | 26 | 14 | 30 | 59 | 4 | 9 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | SLA | 2B | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1950 | SLA | 2B | 93 | 0 | 244 | 302 | 22 | 62 |
| 1950 | SLA | 3B | 24 | 0 | 24 | 32 | 7 | 4 |
| 1950 | SLA | SS | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| 1953 | DET | 2B | 26 | 0 | 74 | 69 | 8 | 22 |
| 1953 | CLE | 2B | 19 | 0 | 32 | 42 | 0 | 14 |
| 1953 | CLE | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953 | CLE | SS | 8 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 2 |
| 1955 | BOS | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955 | BOS | SS | 14 | 14 | 20 | 38 | 3 | 5 |
| 1955 | CHN | 3B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955 | CHN | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 136 |
| Third Base | 32 |
| Shortstop | 26 |
Owen Friend: the record in brief
Owen Friend's major league career runs from a debut on October 2, 1949 to a final game on May 16, 1956. Club by club, the record runs the St. Louis Browns (1949 through 1950), the Detroit Tigers (1953), the Cleveland Indians (1953), the Boston Red Sox (1955), and the Chicago Cubs (1955 through 1956). Friend played primarily as a second baseman and threw and hit right-handed. Born on March 21, 1927, in Granite City, IL, USA, Friend was listed at 6'1" and 180 pounds. Friend's death is recorded on October 14, 2007, in Wichita, KS, USA. The bio lists the given name Owen Lacey.
Friend finished with 136 hits from 598 at bats in 208 games, which works out to .227; the totals also include 13 home runs and 76 RBI. Friend got on base at a .295 rate and slugged .339 (.634 OPS). Set against a .262 league average for the same years, Friend's .227 average sits 13.2% below it. By OPS the gap is 13.5% below league average (.634 against .733). The hits column peaks at 88, in 1950.
Frequently Asked Questions about Owen Friend
- What years did Owen Friend play?
- Owen Friend played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1956.
- Was Owen Friend a pitcher?
- No. Owen Friend was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Owen Friend hit?
- Owen Friend hit 13 career home runs with 136 hits.
- What teams did Owen Friend play for?
- Owen Friend played for 5 teams: the St. Louis Browns (1949–1950), the Detroit Tigers (1953), the Cleveland Indians (1953), the Boston Red Sox (1955), and the Chicago Cubs (1955–1956).
- What were Owen Friend's career stats?
- In 208 games, Owen Friend had 136 hits, 13 home runs, 76 RBI, 69 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .227 batting average.
- What position did Owen Friend play?
- Owen Friend played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Owen Friend and how much did he weigh?
- Owen Friend was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Owen Friend hit each season?
- Owen Friend's home runs by season: 0 in 1949, 8 in 1950, 5 in 1953, 0 in 1955, and 0 in 1956. His most in one season was 8, in 1950.
- What was Owen Friend's career batting average?
- Owen Friend batted .227 over his career, with 136 hits in 598 at bats.
- How many RBI did Owen Friend have?
- Owen Friend drove in 76 runs in his career.
- Is Owen Friend in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Owen Friend has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.