Ken Hamlin
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1957-1966)
Ken Hamlin was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1966 for 4 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 10 seasons. In 468 career games, he hit .241 with 323 hits, 11 home runs, and 89 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" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1957-06-17
- Last Game
- 1966-09-26
Full name: Kenneth Lee Hamlin
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 468 | 1,340 | 143 | 323 | 53 | 4 | 11 | 89 | 17 | 125 | 146 | .241 | .304 | .311 | .616 | -2,416 |
Career AVG .241 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 5.1% below league average.
Career OBP .304 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 5.1% below league average.
Career SLG .311 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 19.6% below league average.
Career OPS .616 vs. league average .707 across their career seasons — 13.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | PIT | NL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1959 | PIT | NL | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | KC1 | AL | 140 | 428 | 51 | 96 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 1 | 44 | 48 | .224 | .255 (-12%) | .323 (-8%) | .387 (-30%) | .711 (-20%) | -1274.7 |
| 1961 | LAA | AL | 42 | 91 | 4 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 9 | .209 | .258 (-19%) | .328 (-9%) | .399 (-31%) | .727 (-21%) | -292.5 |
| 1962 | WS2 | AL | 98 | 292 | 29 | 74 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 7 | 22 | 22 | .253 | .257 (-2%) | .326 (-7%) | .393 (-17%) | .719 (-13%) | -593.0 |
| 1965 | WS2 | AL | 117 | 362 | 45 | 99 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 8 | 33 | 45 | .273 | .245 (+11%) | .310 (+7%) | .371 (avg) | .682 (+3%) | 229.3 |
| 1966 | WS2 | AL | 66 | 158 | 13 | 34 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 13 | 21 | .215 | .248 (-13%) | .309 (-14%) | .376 (-23%) | .685 (-19%) | -485.6 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 468 | 1,340 | 143 | 323 | 53 | 4 | 11 | 89 | 17 | 125 | 146 | .241 | — | — | — | — | -2,416 | ||
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 (468 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 229 | 650 | 82 | 161 | 6 | 42 | .248 |
| Away | 239 | 690 | 61 | 162 | 5 | 47 | .235 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-09-26 | TEX | BOS | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-24 | TEX | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1966-09-18 | TEX | KC1 | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966-09-16 | TEX | KC1 | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-10 | TEX | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-09 | TEX | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-07 | TEX | DET | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-06 | TEX | DET | L | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1966-09-05 | TEX | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-04 | TEX | LAA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 129 | 102 | 235 | 256 | 15 | 59 |
| 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 316 | 264 | 430 | 722 | 49 | 149 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | PIT | SS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | PIT | SS | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 1960 | KC1 | SS | 139 | 127 | 195 | 341 | 25 | 61 |
| 1961 | LAA | SS | 39 | 30 | 63 | 93 | 6 | 25 |
| 1962 | WS2 | 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | WS2 | SS | 87 | 74 | 126 | 210 | 13 | 47 |
| 1965 | WS2 | 2B | 77 | 62 | 145 | 138 | 7 | 31 |
| 1965 | WS2 | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | WS2 | SS | 47 | 31 | 40 | 72 | 5 | 14 |
| 1966 | WS2 | 2B | 50 | 40 | 90 | 118 | 8 | 28 |
| 1966 | WS2 | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 129 |
| Third Base | 2 |
| Shortstop | 315 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo | MI | 1956, 1957 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ken Hamlin (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ken Hamlin: the record in brief
Ken Hamlin's major league career runs from a debut on June 17, 1957 to a final game on September 26, 1966. Club by club, the record runs the Pittsburgh Pirates (1957 through 1959), the Kansas City Athletics (1960), the Los Angeles Angels (1961), and the Washington Senators (1962 through 1966). Hamlin played primarily as a shortstop and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on May 18, 1935, in Detroit, MI, USA and a listed size of 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. The given name on file is Kenneth Lee Hamlin.
In 468 games and 1,340 at bats, Hamlin batted .241 with 323 hits; the totals also include 11 home runs and 89 RBI. Reaching base at a .304 clip and slugging .311, Hamlin finished with a .616 OPS. The league as a whole hit .254 across Hamlin's seasons, which puts the .241 career mark 5.1% below average. The OPS comparison is .616 to a league .707, 13.0% below average. Hamlin collected a career-high 99 hits in 1965. Hamlin drove in a season-high 24 runs in 1960.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Hamlin
- What years did Ken Hamlin play?
- Ken Hamlin played in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1966.
- Was Ken Hamlin a pitcher?
- No. Ken Hamlin was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Ken Hamlin hit?
- Ken Hamlin hit 11 career home runs with 323 hits.
- What was Ken Hamlin's career batting average?
- Ken Hamlin batted .241 over his career, with 323 hits in 1,340 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ken Hamlin have?
- Ken Hamlin drove in 89 runs in his career.
- Is Ken Hamlin in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ken Hamlin has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.