Butch Hobson

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1975-1982)

Butch Hobson was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1982 for the Boston Red Sox, the California Angels, and the New York Yankees, a span of 8 seasons. In 738 career games, he hit .248 with 634 hits, 98 home runs, and 397 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 45.

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

AVG .248
HR 98
RBI 397
H 634
OPS .719
PIV 45
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 193 lb
Born
8/17/1951 in Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
MLB Debut
1975-09-07
Last Game
1982-08-03

Full name: Clell Lavern Hobson

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Career Batting Statistics

Butch Hobson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
738 2,556 314 634 107 23 98 397 11 183 569 .248 .297 .423 .719 45

Career AVG .248 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .297 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 8.8% below league average.

Career SLG .423 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +10.4% above league average.

Career OPS .719 vs. league average .708 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Butch Hobson — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1975 BOS AL 2 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .250 — — — — 0.0
1976 BOS AL 76 269 34 63 7 5 8 34 0 15 62 .234 .255 (-8%) .320 (-15%) .360 (+7%) .681 (-3%) -249.2
1977 BOS AL 159 593 77 157 33 5 30 112 5 27 162 .265 .264 (avg) .329 (-9%) .401 (+22%) .730 (+8%) 692.6
1978 BOS AL 147 512 65 128 26 2 17 80 1 50 122 .250 .257 (-3%) .323 (-3%) .378 (+8%) .702 (+3%) 148.7
1979 BOS AL 146 528 74 138 26 7 28 93 3 30 78 .261 .265 (-2%) .329 (-10%) .397 (+25%) .727 (+9%) 655.6
1980 BOS AL 93 324 35 74 6 0 11 39 1 25 69 .228 .264 (-14%) .326 (-14%) .387 (-10%) .714 (-12%) -622.2
1981 CAL AL 85 268 27 63 7 4 4 36 1 35 60 .235 .255 (-8%) .320 (avg) .368 (-9%) .688 (-5%) -153.7
1982 NYA AL 30 58 2 10 2 0 0 3 0 1 14 .172 .261 (-34%) .324 (-43%) .388 (-47%) .712 (-45%) -426.7
Career · 8 seasons 738 2,556 314 634 107 23 98 397 11 183 569 .248 — — — — 45

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 (737 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Butch Hobson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home376126816533449225.263
Away361128414929949171.233

Last 10 Games — Batting

Butch Hobson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1982-08-03 NYYCHWL 200000002
1982-07-26 NYYDETL 000000000
1982-07-25 NYYLAAL 100000001
1982-07-23 NYYLAAW 200000001
1982-07-21 NYYSEAL 301000000
1982-07-19 NYYSEAW 201000100
1982-07-16 NYYOAKW 200000001
1982-07-15 NYYOAKW 000000010
1982-06-20 NYYBALL 000000000
1982-06-15 NYYBOSW 300000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Butch Hobson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 11 3 37 2 2 3
2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
3B 651 648 558 1181 138 98

Season-by-Season Fielding

Butch Hobson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1975 BOS 3B 1 1 1 3 0 0
1976 BOS 3B 76 76 60 146 14 11
1977 BOS 3B 159 159 128 272 23 27
1978 BOS 3B 133 133 122 261 43 25
1979 BOS 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1979 BOS 3B 142 141 110 251 25 17
1980 BOS 3B 57 55 52 109 16 5
1981 CAL 3B 83 83 85 139 17 13
1982 NYA 1B 11 3 37 2 2 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Butch Hobson — Career Games by Position
Position Games
First Base 11
Second Base 1
Third Base 651
Designated Hitter 67

Awards & Honors

Butch Hobson — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-04-21
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-07-15

College History

Butch Hobson — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973

Award Voting History

Butch Hobson — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1977 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 4.0 392 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Butch Hobson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Khalil Greene
    .245 avg, 90 HR
  2. 86
    Brandon Drury
    .245 avg, 109 HR
  3. 82
    Kevin Kouzmanoff
    .257 avg, 87 HR
  4. 80
    Trevor Plouffe
    .242 avg, 106 HR
  5. 78
    Bob Oliver
    .256 avg, 94 HR
  6. 77
    Andrew Vaughn
    .259 avg, 92 HR

Butch Hobson: the record in brief

Butch Hobson's major league career runs from a debut on September 7, 1975 to a final game on August 3, 1982. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Red Sox (1975 through 1980), the California Angels (1981), and the New York Yankees (1982). Born on August 17, 1951, in Tuscaloosa, AL, USA, Hobson is listed as a third baseman and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds. The given name on file is Clell Lavern Hobson.

In 738 games and 2,556 at bats, Hobson batted .248 with 634 hits, adding 98 homers and 397 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .297 and .423 give Hobson a career OPS of .719. Hobson hit .248 while the league hit .261 over the same span, a figure close to average. The home run peak was 30 in 1977 with the Boston Red Sox. Hobson collected a career-high 157 hits in 1977. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .265 in 1977, did not top the league's .264.

Frequently Asked Questions about Butch Hobson

What years did Butch Hobson play?
Butch Hobson played in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1982.
Was Butch Hobson a pitcher?
No. Butch Hobson was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Butch Hobson hit?
Butch Hobson hit 98 career home runs with 634 hits.
What teams did Butch Hobson play for?
Butch Hobson played for 3 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1975–1980), the California Angels (1981), and the New York Yankees (1982).
What were Butch Hobson's career stats?
In 738 games, Butch Hobson had 634 hits, 98 home runs, 397 RBI, 314 runs, and 11 stolen bases, with a .248 batting average.
What position did Butch Hobson play?
Butch Hobson played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Butch Hobson and how much did he weigh?
Butch Hobson was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 193 pounds.
How many home runs did Butch Hobson hit each season?
Butch Hobson's home runs by season: 0 in 1975, 8 in 1976, 30 in 1977, 17 in 1978, 28 in 1979, 11 in 1980, 4 in 1981, and 0 in 1982. His most in one season was 30, in 1977.
What was Butch Hobson's career batting average?
Butch Hobson batted .248 over his career, with 634 hits in 2,556 at bats.
How many RBI did Butch Hobson have?
Butch Hobson drove in 397 runs in his career.
Is Butch Hobson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Butch Hobson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.