Dick Howser

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1961-1968)

Dick Howser was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1968 for the Kansas City Athletics, the Cleveland Guardians, and the New York Yankees, a span of 8 seasons. In 789 career games, he hit .248 with 617 hits, 16 home runs, and 165 RBI. Dick Howser was an All-Star.

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 16
RBI 165
H 617
OPS .664
PIV -302
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 155 lb
Born
5/14/1936 in Miami, FL, USA
Died
6/17/1987 in Kansas City, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1961-04-11
Last Game
1968-09-27
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Richard Dalton Howser

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Career Batting Statistics

Dick Howser — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
789 2,483 398 617 90 17 16 165 105 367 186 .248 .346 .318 .664 -302

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

Career OBP .346 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — +10.8% above league average.

Career SLG .318 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 14.9% below league average.

Career OPS .664 vs. league average .686 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dick Howser Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1961 KC1 AL 158 611 108 171 29 6 3 45 37 92 38 .280 .258 (+8%) .328 (+15%) .399 (-9%) .727 (+2%) 580.4
1962 KC1 AL 83 286 53 68 8 3 6 34 19 38 8 .238 .257 (-8%) .326 (avg) .393 (-11%) .719 (-6%) -232.6
1963 KC1 AL 15 41 4 8 0 0 0 1 0 7 3 .195 — — — — 0.0
1963 CLE AL 49 162 25 40 5 0 1 10 9 22 18 .247 .246 (avg) .308 (+8%) .371 (-20%) .680 (-8%) 0.0
1964 CLE AL 162 637 101 163 23 4 3 52 20 76 39 .256 .250 (+2%) .312 (+7%) .377 (-16%) .690 (-5%) -307.3
1965 CLE AL 107 307 47 72 8 2 1 6 17 57 25 .235 .245 (-5%) .310 (+14%) .371 (-24%) .682 (-7%) -70.8
1966 CLE AL 67 140 18 32 9 1 2 4 2 15 23 .229 .248 (-8%) .309 (-3%) .376 (-7%) .685 (-5%) -122.5
1967 NYA AL 63 149 18 40 6 0 0 10 1 25 15 .268 .242 (+11%) .306 (+24%) .357 (-14%) .663 (+4%) 250.3
1968 NYA AL 85 150 24 23 2 1 0 3 0 35 17 .153 .236 (-35%) .298 (+7%) .340 (-47%) .638 (-22%) -284.5
Career · 9 seasons 789 2,483 398 617 90 17 16 165 105 367 186 .248 — — — — -187

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 (789 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Dick Howser — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home4071221228312683.256
Away38212621683051082.242

Last 10 Games — Batting

Dick Howser — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1968-09-27 NYYBOSL 100000000
1968-09-24 NYYCLEL 100000000
1968-09-22 NYYBOSL 100000000
1968-09-21 NYYBOSL 100000000
1968-09-20 NYYBOSL 111000000
1968-09-19 NYYDETL 100000000
1968-09-17 NYYDETL 010000000
1968-09-16 NYYDETL 000000010
1968-09-04 NYYBALL 211010000
1968-09-02 NYYBALL 501000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dick Howser — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 94 80 167 228 5 50
3B 14 13 9 26 2 3
SS 548 529 975 1428 93 284

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dick Howser — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1961 KC1 SS 157 156 299 427 38 85
1962 KC1 SS 72 72 138 191 13 37
1963 KC1 SS 10 10 21 23 2 6
1963 CLE SS 44 42 80 90 9 15
1964 CLE SS 162 161 291 463 20 100
1965 CLE 2B 17 12 25 38 0 8
1965 CLE SS 73 69 119 173 7 33
1966 CLE 2B 26 20 29 41 1 8
1966 CLE SS 26 17 24 54 4 8
1967 NYA 2B 22 21 55 46 1 15
1967 NYA 3B 12 11 7 24 2 3
1967 NYA SS 3 2 2 6 0 0
1968 NYA 2B 29 27 58 103 3 19
1968 NYA 3B 2 2 2 2 0 0
1968 NYA SS 1 0 1 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dick Howser Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 94
Third Base 14
Shortstop 548

Awards & Honors

Dick Howser — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1961 TSN Rookie of the Year non-Pitcher

College History

Dick Howser — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Florida State University Tallahassee FL 1956, 1957, 1958

Award Voting History

Dick Howser — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1961 Rookie of the Year AL 2nd 6.0 20 6

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Dick Howser (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ray Morgan
    .254 avg, 4 HR
  2. 85
    Chick Fewster
    .258 avg, 6 HR
  3. 80
    Danny Murtaugh
    .254 avg, 8 HR
  4. 79
    Johnny Lipon
    .259 avg, 10 HR
  5. 75
    Tim Flannery
    .255 avg, 9 HR
  6. 74
    Floyd Baker
    .251 avg, 1 HR

Dick Howser: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 11, 1961 and the final game on September 27, 1968, Dick Howser built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Kansas City Athletics (1961 through 1963), the Cleveland Indians (1963 through 1966), and the New York Yankees (1967 through 1968). The bio lists Howser as a shortstop who batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 155 pounds on a 5-foot-8 frame. The birth record reads May 14, 1936, in Miami, FL, USA. Howser died on June 17, 1987, in Kansas City, MO, USA. On the record, Dick Howser was born Richard Dalton Howser.

Howser's career batting table shows 789 games, 2,483 at bats and 617 hits, a .248 average, adding 16 home runs, 165 RBI, and 105 stolen bases. Howser got on base at a .346 rate and slugged .318 (.664 OPS). Howser hit .248 while the league hit .248 over the same span, a figure close to average. No season topped the 171 hits of 1961. 1964 brought the most runs batted in, 52.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dick Howser

What years did Dick Howser play?
Dick Howser played in Major League Baseball from 1961 to 1968.
Was Dick Howser a pitcher?
No. Dick Howser was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Dick Howser hit?
Dick Howser hit 16 career home runs with 617 hits.
What teams did Dick Howser play for?
Dick Howser played for 3 teams: the Kansas City Athletics (1961–1963), the Cleveland Indians (1963–1966), and the New York Yankees (1967–1968).
Did Dick Howser win an MVP award?
No. Dick Howser did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Dick Howser win?
Dick Howser was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Dick Howser's career stats?
In 789 games, Dick Howser had 617 hits, 16 home runs, 165 RBI, 398 runs, and 105 stolen bases, with a .248 batting average.
What position did Dick Howser play?
Dick Howser played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Dick Howser and how much did he weigh?
Dick Howser was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 155 pounds.
How many home runs did Dick Howser hit each season?
Dick Howser's home runs by season: 3 in 1961, 6 in 1962, 1 in 1963, 3 in 1964, 1 in 1965, 2 in 1966, 0 in 1967, and 0 in 1968. His most in one season was 6, in 1962.
What was Dick Howser's career batting average?
Dick Howser batted .248 over his career, with 617 hits in 2,483 at bats.
How many RBI did Dick Howser have?
Dick Howser drove in 165 runs in his career.
Is Dick Howser in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dick Howser has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Dick Howser make?
Dick Howser was selected to 1 All-Star Game.