Earl Grace
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1929-1937)
Earl Grace was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1937 for the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 9 seasons. In 627 career games, he hit .263 with 493 hits, 31 home runs, and 251 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 175 lb
- Died
- 12/22/1980 in Phoenix, AZ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1929-04-23
- Last Game
- 1937-10-03
Full name: Robert Earl Grace
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 627 | 1,877 | 169 | 493 | 83 | 10 | 31 | 251 | 1 | 185 | 130 | .263 | .331 | .367 | .698 | -1,277 |
Career AVG .263 vs. league average .279 across their career seasons — 5.8% below league average.
Career OBP .331 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .367 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — 7.4% below league average.
Career OPS .698 vs. league average .738 across their career seasons — 5.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | CHN | NL | 27 | 80 | 7 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 9 | 7 | .250 | .289 (-14%) | .353 (-6%) | .415 (-19%) | .769 (-13%) | -150.4 |
| 1931 | CHN | NL | 7 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1931 | PIT | NL | 47 | 150 | 8 | 42 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 13 | 5 | .280 | .276 (+1%) | .338 (avg) | .388 (-9%) | .726 (-5%) | 0.0 |
| 1932 | PIT | NL | 115 | 390 | 41 | 107 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 55 | 0 | 14 | 23 | .274 | .275 (avg) | .335 (-9%) | .391 (+4%) | .726 (-2%) | -234.4 |
| 1933 | PIT | NL | 93 | 291 | 22 | 84 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 44 | 0 | 26 | 23 | .289 | .270 (+7%) | .329 (+6%) | .377 (-2%) | .707 (+2%) | 151.9 |
| 1934 | PIT | NL | 95 | 289 | 27 | 78 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 24 | 0 | 20 | 19 | .270 | .278 (-3%) | .340 (-7%) | .392 (-4%) | .733 (-5%) | -276.9 |
| 1935 | PIT | NL | 77 | 224 | 19 | 59 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 29 | 1 | 32 | 17 | .263 | .279 (-6%) | .342 (+4%) | .399 (-13%) | .742 (-5%) | -111.4 |
| 1936 | PHI | NL | 86 | 221 | 24 | 55 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 0 | 34 | 20 | .249 | .283 (-12%) | .349 (+1%) | .404 (-13%) | .753 (-7%) | -169.9 |
| 1937 | PHI | NL | 80 | 223 | 19 | 47 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 0 | 33 | 15 | .211 | .276 (-24%) | .342 (-9%) | .398 (-13%) | .740 (-11%) | -382.9 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 627 | 1,877 | 169 | 493 | 83 | 10 | 31 | 251 | 1 | 185 | 130 | .263 | — | — | — | — | -1,174 | ||
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 (627 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 324 | 946 | 90 | 258 | 20 | 141 | .273 |
| Away | 303 | 932 | 80 | 235 | 11 | 115 | .252 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937-10-03 | PHI | BSN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937-10-02 | PHI | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-09-29 | PHI | NY1 | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1937-09-25 | PHI | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-09-23 | PHI | CIN | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-09-21 | PHI | CIN | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1937-09-19 | PHI | PIT | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-09-18 | PHI | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-09-16 | PHI | STL | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-09-15 | PHI | STL | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| C | 557 | 0 | 1977 | 247 | 30 | 49 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | CHN | C | 27 | 0 | 106 | 18 | 0 | 1 |
| 1931 | CHN | C | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931 | PIT | C | 45 | 0 | 128 | 23 | 4 | 5 |
| 1932 | PIT | C | 114 | 0 | 364 | 48 | 1 | 10 |
| 1933 | PIT | C | 88 | 0 | 305 | 37 | 7 | 7 |
| 1934 | PIT | 1B | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934 | PIT | C | 83 | 0 | 304 | 26 | 6 | 4 |
| 1935 | PIT | C | 69 | 0 | 269 | 35 | 3 | 9 |
| 1936 | PHI | C | 65 | 0 | 217 | 29 | 6 | 3 |
| 1937 | PHI | C | 64 | 0 | 275 | 30 | 3 | 10 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 557 |
| First Base | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Earl Grace (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Earl Grace: the record in brief
April 23, 1929 and October 3, 1937 bracket Earl Grace's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Grace's seasons break down as the Chicago Cubs (1929 to 1931), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1931 to 1935), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1936 through 1937). The bio lists Grace as a catcher who threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Grace is listed at 6'0" and 175 pounds. Grace was born on February 24, 1907, in Barlow, KY, USA. The bio records the death on December 22, 1980, in Phoenix, AZ, USA. The given name on file is Robert Earl Grace.
Across 627 games at the plate, Grace's career line reads 493 hits in 1,877 at bats for a .263 average, along with 31 home runs and 251 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .331 and .367 give Grace a career OPS of .698. The league as a whole hit .279 across Grace's seasons, which puts the .263 career mark 5.8% below average. The highest hit total in a season was 107, in 1932.
Frequently Asked Questions about Earl Grace
- What years did Earl Grace play?
- Earl Grace played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1937.
- Was Earl Grace a pitcher?
- No. Earl Grace was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Earl Grace hit?
- Earl Grace hit 31 career home runs with 493 hits.
- What was Earl Grace's career batting average?
- Earl Grace batted .263 over his career, with 493 hits in 1,877 at bats.
- How many RBI did Earl Grace have?
- Earl Grace drove in 251 runs in his career.
- Is Earl Grace in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Earl Grace has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.