Don Hurst
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1928-1934)
Don Hurst was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1928 to 1934 for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 7 seasons. In 905 career games, he hit .298 with 976 hits, 115 home runs, and 610 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 11,001.
- 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 215 lb
- Died
- 12/6/1952 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1928-05-13
- Last Game
- 1934-09-20
Full name: Frank O'Donnell Hurst
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 905 | 3,275 | 510 | 976 | 190 | 28 | 115 | 610 | 41 | 391 | 210 | .298 | .375 | .478 | .854 | 11,001 |
Career AVG .298 vs. league average .281 across their career seasons — +6.1% above league average.
Career OBP .375 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.
Career SLG .478 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — +19.8% above league average.
Career OPS .854 vs. league average .742 across their career seasons — +15.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | PHI | NL | 107 | 396 | 73 | 113 | 23 | 4 | 19 | 64 | 3 | 68 | 40 | .285 | .280 (+2%) | .342 (+14%) | .395 (+28%) | .737 (+22%) | 1829.0 |
| 1929 | PHI | NL | 154 | 589 | 100 | 179 | 29 | 4 | 31 | 125 | 10 | 80 | 36 | .304 | .289 (+5%) | .353 (+10%) | .415 (+26%) | .769 (+19%) | 2535.6 |
| 1930 | PHI | NL | 119 | 391 | 78 | 128 | 19 | 3 | 17 | 78 | 6 | 46 | 22 | .327 | .293 (+11%) | .354 (+13%) | .429 (+21%) | .784 (+18%) | 1543.7 |
| 1931 | PHI | NL | 137 | 489 | 63 | 149 | 37 | 5 | 11 | 91 | 8 | 64 | 28 | .305 | .276 (+10%) | .338 (+14%) | .388 (+21%) | .726 (+18%) | 1840.5 |
| 1932 | PHI | NL | 150 | 579 | 109 | 196 | 41 | 4 | 24 | 143 | 10 | 65 | 27 | .339 | .275 (+23%) | .335 (+23%) | .391 (+40%) | .726 (+32%) | 3944.6 |
| 1933 | PHI | NL | 147 | 550 | 58 | 147 | 27 | 8 | 8 | 76 | 3 | 48 | 32 | .267 | .270 (-1%) | .329 (-1%) | .377 (+3%) | .707 (+1%) | 99.1 |
| 1934 | PHI | NL | 40 | 130 | 16 | 34 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 1 | 12 | 7 | .262 | .278 (-6%) | .340 (-5%) | .392 (-4%) | .733 (-4%) | -96.0 |
| 1934 | CHN | NL | 51 | 151 | 13 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 18 | .199 | .278 (-29%) | .340 (-30%) | .392 (-26%) | .733 (-28%) | -96.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 905 | 3,275 | 510 | 976 | 190 | 28 | 115 | 610 | 41 | 391 | 210 | .298 | — | — | — | — | 11,600 | ||
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 (905 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 455 | 1642 | 295 | 530 | 71 | 338 | .323 |
| Away | 450 | 1633 | 216 | 447 | 44 | 272 | .274 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934-09-20 | CHC | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-18 | CHC | PHI | W | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-16 | CHC | BRO | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934-09-16 | CHC | BRO | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1934-09-13 | CHC | BRO | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-09 | CHC | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-01 | CHC | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-08-31 | CHC | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-08-25 | CHC | BRO | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-08-24 | CHC | BRO | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 863 | 0 | 7950 | 586 | 110 | 732 |
| OF | 7 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | PHI | 1B | 104 | 0 | 964 | 68 | 12 | 92 |
| 1929 | PHI | 1B | 154 | 0 | 1509 | 112 | 24 | 125 |
| 1930 | PHI | 1B | 96 | 0 | 845 | 59 | 15 | 92 |
| 1930 | PHI | OF | 7 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1931 | PHI | 1B | 135 | 0 | 1206 | 104 | 18 | 117 |
| 1932 | PHI | 1B | 150 | 0 | 1341 | 94 | 10 | 105 |
| 1933 | PHI | 1B | 142 | 0 | 1355 | 114 | 23 | 132 |
| 1934 | PHI | 1B | 34 | 0 | 317 | 17 | 2 | 30 |
| 1934 | CHN | 1B | 48 | 0 | 413 | 18 | 6 | 39 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 861 |
| Center Field | 7 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 7th | 24.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Don Hurst (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Don Hurst: the record in brief
The profile opens with Don Hurst's first major league game on May 13, 1928; the last one listed came on September 20, 1934. Hurst played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1928 to 1934) and the Chicago Cubs (1934). Hurst played primarily as a first baseman and both batted and threw left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on August 12, 1905, in Maysville, KY, USA and a listed size of 6'0" and 215 pounds. Hurst died on December 6, 1952, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Don Hurst was the playing name; the full given name is Frank O'Donnell.
Hurst collected 976 hits in 3,275 at bats across 905 games, good for a .298 batting average, plus 115 homers, 610 RBI, and 41 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .375 and .478 give Hurst a career OPS of .854. Hurst's .298 average ran 6.1% above the .281 that the league posted over the same seasons. The home run peak was 31 in 1929 with the Philadelphia Phillies. No season topped the 196 hits of 1932.
Frequently Asked Questions about Don Hurst
- What years did Don Hurst play?
- Don Hurst played in Major League Baseball from 1928 to 1934.
- Was Don Hurst a pitcher?
- No. Don Hurst was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Don Hurst hit?
- Don Hurst hit 115 career home runs with 976 hits.
- What was Don Hurst's career batting average?
- Don Hurst batted .298 over his career, with 976 hits in 3,275 at bats.
- How many RBI did Don Hurst have?
- Don Hurst drove in 610 runs in his career.
- Is Don Hurst in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Don Hurst has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.