Elston Howard
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1968)
Elston Howard was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1968 for the Kansas City Monarchs, the New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,625 career games, he hit .274 with 1,491 hits, 168 home runs, and 775 RBI. Elston Howard was a 9-time All-Star, an MVP, a 2-time Gold Glove, and a Babe Ruth Award. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 6,426.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 196 lb
- Died
- 12/14/1980 in New York, NY, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1955-04-14
- Last Game
- 1968-09-29
- Awards
- 9× All-Star · MVP · 2× Gold Glove · Babe Ruth Award
Full name: Elston Gene Howard
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,625 | 5,443 | 635 | 1,491 | 223 | 53 | 168 | 775 | 10 | 376 | 786 | .274 | .321 | .427 | .748 | 6,426 |
Career AVG .274 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +8.6% above league average.
Career OBP .321 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .427 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — +12.3% above league average.
Career OPS .748 vs. league average .700 across their career seasons — +6.9% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | KCM | NAL | 20 | 80 | 16 | 20 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | .263 (-5%) | .340 (-16%) | .379 (+12%) | .719 (-1%) | -65.9 |
| 1955 | NYA | AL | 97 | 279 | 33 | 81 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 43 | 0 | 20 | 36 | .290 | .258 (+12%) | .332 (+1%) | .393 (+21%) | .726 (+12%) | 502.7 |
| 1956 | NYA | AL | 98 | 290 | 35 | 76 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 34 | 0 | 21 | 30 | .262 | .258 (+1%) | .331 (-6%) | .397 (-9%) | .728 (-7%) | -370.8 |
| 1957 | NYA | AL | 110 | 356 | 33 | 90 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 44 | 2 | 16 | 43 | .253 | .257 (-2%) | .323 (-13%) | .391 (-3%) | .715 (-7%) | -502.9 |
| 1958 | NYA | AL | 103 | 376 | 45 | 118 | 19 | 5 | 11 | 66 | 1 | 22 | 60 | .314 | .257 (+22%) | .324 (+7%) | .394 (+21%) | .719 (+15%) | 944.5 |
| 1959 | NYA | AL | 125 | 443 | 59 | 121 | 24 | 6 | 18 | 73 | 0 | 20 | 57 | .273 | .256 (+6%) | .323 (-5%) | .392 (+21%) | .715 (+9%) | 567.5 |
| 1960 | NYA | AL | 107 | 323 | 29 | 79 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 39 | 3 | 28 | 43 | .245 | .255 (-4%) | .323 (-8%) | .387 (-9%) | .711 (-9%) | -506.5 |
| 1961 | NYA | AL | 129 | 446 | 64 | 155 | 17 | 5 | 21 | 77 | 0 | 28 | 65 | .348 | .258 (+35%) | .328 (+18%) | .399 (+38%) | .727 (+29%) | 2430.4 |
| 1962 | NYA | AL | 136 | 494 | 63 | 138 | 23 | 5 | 21 | 91 | 1 | 31 | 76 | .279 | .257 (+8%) | .326 (-3%) | .393 (+20%) | .719 (+10%) | 721.4 |
| 1963 | NYA | AL | 135 | 487 | 75 | 140 | 21 | 6 | 28 | 85 | 0 | 35 | 68 | .287 | .246 (+17%) | .308 (+11%) | .371 (+42%) | .680 (+28%) | 2390.9 |
| 1964 | NYA | AL | 150 | 550 | 63 | 172 | 27 | 3 | 15 | 84 | 1 | 48 | 73 | .313 | .250 (+25%) | .312 (+19%) | .377 (+20%) | .690 (+20%) | 2155.8 |
| 1965 | NYA | AL | 110 | 391 | 38 | 91 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 45 | 0 | 24 | 65 | .233 | .245 (-5%) | .310 (-11%) | .371 (-7%) | .682 (-9%) | -552.5 |
| 1966 | NYA | AL | 126 | 410 | 38 | 105 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 35 | 0 | 37 | 65 | .256 | .248 (+3%) | .309 (+2%) | .376 (-5%) | .685 (-2%) | -88.3 |
| 1967 | NYA | AL | 66 | 199 | 13 | 39 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 12 | 36 | .196 | .242 (-19%) | .306 (-20%) | .357 (-24%) | .663 (-22%) | -659.7 |
| 1967 | BOS | AL | 42 | 116 | 9 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 24 | .147 | .242 (-40%) | .306 (-31%) | .357 (-45%) | .663 (-38%) | -659.7 |
| 1968 | BOS | AL | 71 | 203 | 22 | 49 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 1 | 22 | 45 | .241 | .236 (+2%) | .298 (+6%) | .340 (-2%) | .638 (+2%) | 125.7 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,625 | 5,443 | 635 | 1,491 | 223 | 53 | 168 | 775 | 10 | 376 | 786 | .274 | — | — | — | — | 6,433 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 197 | 29 | 48 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 21 | 13 | 37 | .244 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | WS | BOS | 7 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .111 |
| 1964 | WS | NYA | 7 | 24 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | .292 |
| 1963 | WS | NYA | 4 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .333 |
| 1962 | WS | NYA | 6 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .143 |
| 1961 | WS | NYA | 5 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | .250 |
| 1960 | WS | NYA | 5 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | .462 |
| 1958 | WS | NYA | 6 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .222 |
| 1957 | WS | NYA | 6 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | .273 |
| 1956 | WS | NYA | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .400 |
| 1955 | WS | NYA | 7 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | .192 |
| 1948 | ALC | KCM | 7 | 26 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .231 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1688 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 864 | 2706 | 300 | 741 | 58 | 380 | .274 |
| Away | 823 | 2925 | 359 | 813 | 114 | 438 | .278 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-09-29 | BOS | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968-09-27 | BOS | NYY | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968-09-11 | BOS | OAK | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968-09-08 | BOS | LAA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1968-08-25 | BOS | BAL | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968-08-24 | BOS | BAL | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1968-08-22 | BOS | CLE | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1968-08-21 | BOS | CLE | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1968-08-20 | BOS | CLE | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1968-08-19 | BOS | CLE | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 85 | 79 | 734 | 44 | 8 | 70 |
| C | 1138 | 1066 | 6447 | 479 | 51 | 87 |
| OF | 285 | 249 | 415 | 18 | 12 | 3 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | KCM | OF | 20 | 20 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1955 | NYA | C | 9 | 4 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 1955 | NYA | OF | 75 | 65 | 124 | 10 | 3 | 3 |
| 1956 | NYA | C | 26 | 19 | 108 | 14 | 0 | 5 |
| 1956 | NYA | OF | 65 | 51 | 97 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957 | NYA | 1B | 2 | 1 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1957 | NYA | C | 32 | 26 | 178 | 11 | 3 | 4 |
| 1957 | NYA | OF | 71 | 66 | 68 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 1958 | NYA | 1B | 5 | 5 | 38 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 1958 | NYA | C | 67 | 64 | 355 | 26 | 1 | 8 |
| 1958 | NYA | OF | 24 | 23 | 54 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1959 | NYA | 1B | 50 | 48 | 444 | 26 | 7 | 39 |
| 1959 | NYA | C | 43 | 41 | 221 | 23 | 2 | 2 |
| 1959 | NYA | OF | 28 | 23 | 47 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960 | NYA | C | 91 | 80 | 410 | 40 | 6 | 9 |
| 1960 | NYA | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | NYA | 1B | 9 | 9 | 90 | 4 | 1 | 12 |
| 1961 | NYA | C | 111 | 106 | 635 | 43 | 5 | 4 |
| 1962 | NYA | C | 129 | 124 | 713 | 44 | 4 | 12 |
| 1963 | NYA | C | 132 | 128 | 786 | 51 | 5 | 8 |
| 1964 | NYA | C | 146 | 141 | 939 | 67 | 2 | 9 |
| 1965 | NYA | 1B | 5 | 3 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1965 | NYA | C | 95 | 93 | 614 | 43 | 6 | 6 |
| 1965 | NYA | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966 | NYA | 1B | 13 | 13 | 112 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
| 1966 | NYA | C | 100 | 98 | 553 | 44 | 9 | 6 |
| 1967 | NYA | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967 | NYA | C | 48 | 47 | 289 | 26 | 5 | 4 |
| 1967 | BOS | C | 41 | 33 | 246 | 14 | 1 | 5 |
| 1968 | BOS | C | 68 | 62 | 377 | 30 | 2 | 3 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1138 |
| First Base | 85 |
| Left Field | 247 |
| Right Field | 42 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Gold Glove | C |
| 1964 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1963 | Gold Glove | C |
| 1963 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1963 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1961 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1958 | Babe Ruth Award | C |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 17th | 7.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1964 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 3rd | 124.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1963 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 1st | 248.0 | 280 | 15 |
| 1961 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 30.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1958 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 17th | 9.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Elston Howard (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Elston Howard
Elston Howard: the record in brief
The rows for Elston Howard start in 1948, in the Negro Leagues, well before the April 14, 1955 debut listed in the bio, and the final game as September 29, 1968. Howard played for the Kansas City Monarchs (1948), the New York Yankees (1955 through 1967), and the Boston Red Sox (1967 to 1968). Howard played primarily as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on February 23, 1929, in St. Louis, MO, USA, Howard was listed at 6'2" and 196 pounds. The bio records the death on December 14, 1980, in New York, NY, USA. Howard's full given name, per the bio, is Elston Gene Howard.
In 1,625 games and 5,443 at bats, Howard batted .274 with 1,491 hits, plus 168 homers and 775 RBI. The on-base percentage is .321 and the slugging percentage .427, for an OPS of .748. The league as a whole hit .252 across Howard's seasons, which puts the .274 career mark 8.6% above average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Elston Howard
- What years did Elston Howard play?
- Elston Howard played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1968.
- Was Elston Howard a pitcher?
- No. Elston Howard was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Elston Howard hit?
- Elston Howard hit 168 career home runs with 1,491 hits.
- What teams did Elston Howard play for?
- Elston Howard played for 3 teams: the Kansas City Monarchs (1948), the New York Yankees (1955–1967), and the Boston Red Sox (1967–1968).
- How many MVP awards did Elston Howard win?
- Elston Howard won 1 MVP award, in 1963.
- What awards did Elston Howard win?
- Elston Howard won the MVP award (1963) and 2 Gold Gloves (1963 and 1964). He was selected to 9 All-Star Games.
- What were Elston Howard's career stats?
- In 1,625 games, Elston Howard had 1,491 hits, 168 home runs, 775 RBI, 635 runs, and 10 stolen bases, with a .274 batting average.
- What position did Elston Howard play?
- Elston Howard played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Elston Howard and how much did he weigh?
- Elston Howard was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 196 pounds.
- How many home runs did Elston Howard hit each season?
- Elston Howard's home runs by season: 1 in 1948, 10 in 1955, 5 in 1956, 8 in 1957, 11 in 1958, 18 in 1959, 6 in 1960, 21 in 1961, 21 in 1962, 28 in 1963, 15 in 1964, 9 in 1965, 6 in 1966, 4 in 1967, and 5 in 1968. His most in one season was 28, in 1963.
- What was Elston Howard's career batting average?
- Elston Howard batted .274 over his career, with 1,491 hits in 5,443 at bats.
- How many RBI did Elston Howard have?
- Elston Howard drove in 775 runs in his career.
- Is Elston Howard in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Elston Howard has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Elston Howard make?
- Elston Howard was selected to 9 All-Star Games.