John Kennedy
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1962-1974)
John Kennedy was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1974 for 6 teams, including the Washington Senators, a span of 13 seasons. In 856 career games, he hit .225 with 475 hits, 32 home runs, and 185 RBI.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 185 lb
- Died
- 8/9/2018 in Peabody, MA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1962-09-05
- Last Game
- 1974-06-16
Full name: John Edward Kennedy
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 856 | 2,110 | 237 | 475 | 77 | 17 | 32 | 185 | 14 | 142 | 461 | .225 | .281 | .323 | .604 | -3,862 |
Career AVG .225 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 10.0% below league average.
Career OBP .281 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — 11.4% below league average.
Career SLG .323 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 13.2% below league average.
Career OPS .604 vs. league average .689 across their career seasons — 12.4% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | WS2 | AL | 14 | 42 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .262 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | WS2 | AL | 36 | 62 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 22 | .177 | .246 (-28%) | .308 (-16%) | .371 (-39%) | .680 (-29%) | -253.8 |
| 1964 | WS2 | AL | 148 | 482 | 55 | 111 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 35 | 3 | 29 | 119 | .230 | .250 (-8%) | .312 (-10%) | .377 (-14%) | .690 (-13%) | -931.6 |
| 1965 | LAN | NL | 104 | 105 | 12 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 33 | .171 | .245 (-30%) | .310 (-22%) | .371 (-39%) | .682 (-31%) | -473.6 |
| 1966 | LAN | NL | 125 | 274 | 15 | 55 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 10 | 64 | .201 | .248 (-19%) | .309 (-22%) | .376 (-25%) | .685 (-24%) | -1011.6 |
| 1967 | NYA | AL | 78 | 179 | 22 | 35 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 35 | .196 | .242 (-19%) | .306 (-14%) | .357 (-34%) | .663 (-25%) | -635.5 |
| 1969 | SE1 | AL | 61 | 128 | 18 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 4 | 14 | 25 | .234 | .248 (-6%) | .320 (-2%) | .369 (-1%) | .689 (-1%) | -11.2 |
| 1970 | ML4 | AL | 25 | 55 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 9 | .255 | .253 (avg) | .325 (-3%) | .385 (+4%) | .711 (+1%) | 5.8 |
| 1970 | BOS | AL | 43 | 129 | 15 | 33 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 14 | .256 | .253 (+1%) | .325 (-10%) | .385 (+9%) | .711 (avg) | 5.8 |
| 1971 | BOS | AL | 74 | 272 | 41 | 75 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 1 | 14 | 42 | .276 | .249 (+11%) | .316 (+1%) | .365 (+13%) | .682 (+7%) | 261.9 |
| 1972 | BOS | AL | 71 | 212 | 22 | 52 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 18 | 40 | .245 | .243 (+1%) | .310 (avg) | .353 (-5%) | .664 (-3%) | -86.3 |
| 1973 | BOS | AL | 67 | 155 | 17 | 28 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 12 | 45 | .181 | .256 (-30%) | .325 (-24%) | .378 (-28%) | .703 (-27%) | -677.1 |
| 1974 | BOS | AL | 10 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 856 | 2,110 | 237 | 475 | 77 | 17 | 32 | 185 | 14 | 142 | 461 | .225 | — | — | — | — | -3,807 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (856 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 422 | 994 | 122 | 229 | 19 | 93 | .230 |
| Away | 434 | 1116 | 115 | 246 | 13 | 92 | .220 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-06-16 | BOS | LAA | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-05-19 | BOS | BAL | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-05-18 | BOS | BAL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-05-17 | BOS | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974-05-01 | BOS | LAA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1974-04-30 | BOS | LAA | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1974-04-23 | BOS | KCR | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1974-04-17 | BOS | NYY | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-04-14 | BOS | DET | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-04-05 | BOS | MIL | W | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B | 143 | 114 | 280 | 288 | 21 | 81 |
| 3B | 455 | 273 | 299 | 665 | 48 | 52 |
| SS | 226 | 173 | 304 | 503 | 46 | 106 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | WS2 | 3B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 1962 | WS2 | SS | 9 | 9 | 13 | 25 | 1 | 4 |
| 1963 | WS2 | 3B | 26 | 18 | 16 | 46 | 3 | 4 |
| 1963 | WS2 | SS | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1964 | WS2 | 2B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1964 | WS2 | 3B | 106 | 81 | 97 | 191 | 18 | 14 |
| 1964 | WS2 | SS | 49 | 43 | 71 | 130 | 7 | 27 |
| 1965 | LAN | 3B | 95 | 21 | 35 | 64 | 3 | 5 |
| 1965 | LAN | SS | 5 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 1966 | LAN | 2B | 15 | 10 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 7 |
| 1966 | LAN | 3B | 87 | 52 | 39 | 127 | 6 | 10 |
| 1966 | LAN | SS | 28 | 24 | 37 | 57 | 2 | 15 |
| 1967 | NYA | 2B | 2 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967 | NYA | 3B | 34 | 24 | 31 | 64 | 4 | 5 |
| 1967 | NYA | SS | 36 | 29 | 43 | 87 | 12 | 16 |
| 1969 | SE1 | 3B | 23 | 18 | 21 | 37 | 2 | 2 |
| 1969 | SE1 | SS | 33 | 14 | 42 | 45 | 8 | 11 |
| 1970 | ML4 | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | ML4 | 2B | 16 | 14 | 26 | 32 | 5 | 7 |
| 1970 | ML4 | 3B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 1970 | BOS | 2B | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1970 | BOS | 3B | 33 | 28 | 31 | 65 | 4 | 4 |
| 1970 | BOS | SS | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | BOS | 2B | 37 | 31 | 71 | 76 | 4 | 16 |
| 1971 | BOS | 3B | 5 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 1971 | BOS | SS | 33 | 27 | 41 | 74 | 9 | 18 |
| 1972 | BOS | 2B | 32 | 25 | 62 | 66 | 5 | 21 |
| 1972 | BOS | 3B | 11 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| 1972 | BOS | SS | 27 | 22 | 44 | 65 | 5 | 13 |
| 1973 | BOS | 2B | 31 | 27 | 75 | 72 | 3 | 25 |
| 1973 | BOS | 3B | 24 | 14 | 17 | 36 | 3 | 5 |
| 1974 | BOS | 2B | 6 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 1974 | BOS | 3B | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 139 |
| Third Base | 459 |
| Shortstop | 226 |
| Designated Hitter | 10 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Kennedy (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
John Kennedy: the record in brief
John Kennedy's major league career runs from a debut on September 5, 1962 to a final game on June 16, 1974. Kennedy played for the Washington Senators (1962 to 1964), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1965 to 1966), the New York Yankees (1967), the Seattle Pilots (1969), the Milwaukee Brewers (1970), and the Boston Red Sox (1970 through 1974). The bio lists Kennedy as a third baseman who both batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 0 inches and 185 pounds. Kennedy was born on May 29, 1941, in Chicago, IL, USA. Kennedy died on August 9, 2018, in Peabody, MA, USA. On the record, John Kennedy was born John Edward Kennedy.
Kennedy finished with 475 hits from 2,110 at bats in 856 games, which works out to .225, plus 32 homers and 185 RBI. Kennedy's career OPS of .604 combines a .281 on-base mark with .323 slugging. The league as a whole hit .250 across Kennedy's seasons, which puts the .225 career mark 10.0% below average. The OPS comparison is .604 to a league .689, 12.4% below average. No season topped the 111 hits of 1964.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Kennedy
- What years did John Kennedy play?
- John Kennedy played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1974.
- Was John Kennedy a pitcher?
- No. John Kennedy was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did John Kennedy hit?
- John Kennedy hit 32 career home runs with 475 hits.
- What teams did John Kennedy play for?
- John Kennedy played for 5 teams: the Washington Senators (1962–1964), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1965–1966), the New York Yankees (1967), the Milwaukee Brewers (1969–1970), and the Boston Red Sox (1970–1974).
- What were John Kennedy's career stats?
- In 856 games, John Kennedy had 475 hits, 32 home runs, 185 RBI, 237 runs, and 14 stolen bases, with a .225 batting average.
- What position did John Kennedy play?
- John Kennedy played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was John Kennedy and how much did he weigh?
- John Kennedy was listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.
- How many home runs did John Kennedy hit each season?
- John Kennedy's home runs by season: 1 in 1962, 0 in 1963, 7 in 1964, 1 in 1965, 3 in 1966, 1 in 1967, 4 in 1969, 6 in 1970, 5 in 1971, 2 in 1972, 1 in 1973, and 1 in 1974. His most in one season was 7, in 1964.
- What was John Kennedy's career batting average?
- John Kennedy batted .225 over his career, with 475 hits in 2,110 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Kennedy have?
- John Kennedy drove in 185 runs in his career.
- Is John Kennedy in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Kennedy has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.