Smead Jolley

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1930-1933)

Smead Jolley was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1930 to 1933 for the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 4 seasons. In 473 career games, he hit .305 with 521 hits, 46 home runs, and 313 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,859.

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 .305
HR 46
RBI 313
H 521
OPS .818
PIV 2,859
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 210 lb
Born
1/14/1902 in Wesson, AR, USA
Died
11/17/1991 in Alameda, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1930-04-17
Last Game
1933-10-01

Full name: Smead Powell Jolley

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Career Batting Statistics

Smead Jolley — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
473 1,710 188 521 111 21 46 313 5 89 105 .305 .343 .475 .818 2,859

Career AVG .305 vs. league average .279 across their career seasons — +9.1% above league average.

Career OBP .343 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .475 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — +19.4% above league average.

Career OPS .818 vs. league average .737 across their career seasons — +10.9% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Smead Jolley — 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
1930 CHA AL 152 616 76 193 38 12 16 114 3 28 52 .313 .293 (+7%) .354 (-2%) .429 (+14%) .784 (+7%) 728.2
1931 CHA AL 54 110 5 33 11 0 3 28 0 7 4 .300 .276 (+9%) .338 (+4%) .388 (+24%) .726 (+15%) 269.6
1932 CHA AL 12 42 3 15 3 0 0 7 1 3 0 .357 — — — — 0.0
1932 BOS AL 137 531 57 164 27 5 18 99 0 27 29 .309 .275 (+12%) .335 (+3%) .391 (+23%) .726 (+13%) 0.0
1933 BOS AL 118 411 47 116 32 4 9 65 1 24 20 .282 .270 (+5%) .329 (-1%) .377 (+18%) .707 (+9%) 560.7
Career · 5 seasons 473 1,710 188 521 111 21 46 313 5 89 105 .305 — — — — 1,559

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 (473 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Smead Jolley — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2348209226021156.317
Away2398919626125159.293

Last 10 Games — Batting

Smead Jolley — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1933-10-01 BOSNYYL 501000000
1933-09-24 BOSNYYW 100000000
1933-09-23 BOSNYYL 200000000
1933-09-19 BOSCLEW 401000000
1933-09-18 BOSCLEL 400000002
1933-09-13 BOSSLAW 400000000
1933-09-12 BOSSLAL 100000000
1933-09-10 BOSSLAL 100000000
1933-09-10 BOSSLAL 100000001
1933-09-08 BOSDETL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Smead Jolley — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 5 0 21 2 0 0
OF 413 0 701 43 44 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Smead Jolley — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1930 CHA OF 151 0 249 17 14 4
1931 CHA OF 23 0 29 1 5 1
1932 CHA OF 11 0 11 1 1 0
1932 BOS C 5 0 21 2 0 0
1932 BOS OF 126 0 234 12 15 3
1933 BOS OF 102 0 178 12 9 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Smead Jolley — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 6
Left Field 286
Right Field 127

Award Voting History

Smead Jolley — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1932 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 3.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Smead Jolley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Cliff Lee
    .300 avg, 38 HR
  2. 76
    Austin McHenry
    .302 avg, 34 HR
  3. 73
    George Johnson
    .293 avg, 36 HR
  4. 61
    Ed Coleman
    .285 avg, 40 HR
  5. 58
    Lip Pike
    .322 avg, 21 HR
  6. 49
    Johnny Moore
    .307 avg, 73 HR

Smead Jolley: the record in brief

Smead Jolley played a first major league game on April 17, 1930 and a last one on October 1, 1933. Jolley played for the Chicago White Sox (1930 to 1932) and the Boston Red Sox (1932 to 1933). The bio lists Jolley as an outfielder who hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. The recorded size is 6'3" and 210 pounds. Jolley was born on January 14, 1902, in Wesson, AR, USA. The bio records the death on November 17, 1991, in Alameda, CA, USA. Smead Jolley was the playing name; the full given name is Smead Powell.

Across 473 games at the plate, Jolley's career line reads 521 hits in 1,710 at bats for a .305 average, plus 46 homers and 313 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .343 and the slugging percentage .475, for an OPS of .818. Measured against the leagues Jolley played in, the .305 career average compares with a .279 league average over the same seasons, 9.1% above the league.

Frequently Asked Questions about Smead Jolley

What years did Smead Jolley play?
Smead Jolley played in Major League Baseball from 1930 to 1933.
Was Smead Jolley a pitcher?
No. Smead Jolley was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Smead Jolley hit?
Smead Jolley hit 46 career home runs with 521 hits.
What teams did Smead Jolley play for?
Smead Jolley played for 2 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1930–1932) and the Boston Red Sox (1932–1933).
What were Smead Jolley's career stats?
In 473 games, Smead Jolley had 521 hits, 46 home runs, 313 RBI, 188 runs, and 5 stolen bases, with a .305 batting average.
What position did Smead Jolley play?
Smead Jolley played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Smead Jolley and how much did he weigh?
Smead Jolley was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 210 pounds.
How many home runs did Smead Jolley hit each season?
Smead Jolley's home runs by season: 16 in 1930, 3 in 1931, 18 in 1932, and 9 in 1933. His most in one season was 18, in 1932.
What was Smead Jolley's career batting average?
Smead Jolley batted .305 over his career, with 521 hits in 1,710 at bats.
How many RBI did Smead Jolley have?
Smead Jolley drove in 313 runs in his career.
Is Smead Jolley in the Hall of Fame?
No. Smead Jolley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.