Buddy Kerr

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1943-1951)

Buddy Kerr was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1951 for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves, a span of 9 seasons. In 1,067 career games, he hit .249 with 903 hits, 31 home runs, and 333 RBI. Buddy Kerr 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 .249
HR 31
RBI 333
H 903
OPS .640
PIV -5,372
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 175 lb
Born
11/6/1922 in Astoria, NY, USA
Died
11/7/2006 in New York, NY, USA
MLB Debut
1943-09-08
Last Game
1951-09-30
Awards
All-Star

Full name: John Joseph Kerr

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Career Batting Statistics

Buddy Kerr — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,067 3,631 378 903 145 25 31 333 38 324 280 .249 .312 .328 .640 -5,372

Career AVG .249 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .312 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 6.6% below league average.

Career SLG .328 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — 11.5% below league average.

Career OPS .640 vs. league average .705 across their career seasons — 9.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Buddy Kerr 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
1943 NY1 NL 27 98 14 28 3 0 2 12 1 8 5 .286 .255 (+12%) .324 (+8%) .346 (+9%) .671 (+9%) 148.5
1944 NY1 NL 150 548 68 146 31 4 9 63 14 37 32 .266 .261 (+2%) .325 (-3%) .357 (+8%) .683 (+3%) 181.8
1945 NY1 NL 149 546 53 136 20 3 4 40 5 41 34 .249 .260 (-5%) .328 (-8%) .354 (-10%) .683 (-9%) -767.6
1946 NY1 NL 145 497 50 124 20 3 6 40 7 53 31 .249 .256 (-3%) .328 (-1%) .358 (-6%) .687 (-4%) -248.3
1947 NY1 NL 138 547 73 157 23 5 7 49 2 36 49 .287 .262 (+9%) .336 (-2%) .376 (+3%) .712 (+1%) -45.5
1948 NY1 NL 144 496 41 119 16 4 0 46 9 56 36 .240 .263 (-9%) .340 (-7%) .379 (-24%) .719 (-16%) -1196.5
1949 NY1 NL 90 220 16 46 4 0 0 19 0 21 23 .209 .262 (-20%) .343 (-17%) .384 (-41%) .727 (-30%) -1024.4
1950 BSN NL 155 507 45 115 24 6 2 46 0 50 50 .227 .265 (-15%) .346 (-14%) .401 (-23%) .747 (-19%) -1643.1
1951 BSN NL 69 172 18 32 4 0 1 18 0 22 20 .186 .260 (-29%) .336 (-16%) .385 (-41%) .721 (-30%) -776.7
Career · 9 seasons 1,067 3,631 378 903 145 25 31 333 38 324 280 .249 — — — — -5,372

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 (1067 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Buddy Kerr — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home536179419244326166.247
Away53118371854605166.250

Last 10 Games — Batting

Buddy Kerr — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1951-09-30 BSNNY1L 200000000
1951-09-29 BSNNY1L 200000001
1951-09-27 BSNBROW 300000001
1951-09-26 BSNBROL 310000001
1951-09-25 BSNBROW 421000000
1951-09-25 BSNBROW 403200300
1951-09-24 BSNNY1L 400000000
1951-09-23 BSNNY1L 301000001
1951-09-22 BSNNY1L 412000000
1951-09-19 BSNPITL 200000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Buddy Kerr — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 5 0 5 4 0 3
3B 18 0 24 28 2 2
SS 1038 0 2045 3297 185 548

Season-by-Season Fielding

Buddy Kerr — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1943 NY1 SS 27 0 60 90 7 10
1944 NY1 SS 149 0 328 507 40 81
1945 NY1 SS 148 0 333 515 32 81
1946 NY1 3B 18 0 24 28 2 2
1946 NY1 SS 126 0 240 400 12 66
1947 NY1 SS 138 0 270 461 17 77
1948 NY1 SS 143 0 269 456 25 72
1949 NY1 SS 89 0 125 224 15 33
1950 BSN SS 155 0 310 471 28 97
1951 BSN 2B 5 0 5 4 0 3
1951 BSN SS 63 0 110 173 9 31

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Buddy Kerr Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 5
Third Base 18
Shortstop 1037

Award Voting History

Buddy Kerr — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1946 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 37.0 336 0
1945 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 7.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Buddy Kerr (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Mark Lemke
    .246 avg, 32 HR
  2. 91
    Pete Coscarart
    .243 avg, 28 HR
  3. 91
    Sibby Sisti
    .244 avg, 27 HR
  4. 89
    Eddie Mayo
    .252 avg, 26 HR
  5. 85
    Mark Christman
    .253 avg, 19 HR
  6. 85
    Alex Cora
    .243 avg, 35 HR

Buddy Kerr: the record in brief

The profile opens with Buddy Kerr's first major league game on September 8, 1943; the last one listed came on September 30, 1951. By club, Kerr's seasons break down as the New York Giants (1943 to 1949) and the Boston Braves (1950 through 1951). Kerr played primarily as a shortstop and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on November 6, 1922, in Astoria, NY, USA and a listed size of 175 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. The bio records the death on November 7, 2006, in New York, NY, USA. Kerr's full given name, per the bio, is John Joseph Kerr.

The batting record for Kerr: 1,067 games, 903 hits in 3,631 at bats, and a .249 average, along with 31 home runs, 333 RBI, and 38 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .312 and .328 give Kerr a career OPS of .640. Kerr hit .249 while the league hit .261 over the same span, a figure close to average. The highest hit total in a season was 157, in 1947.

Frequently Asked Questions about Buddy Kerr

What years did Buddy Kerr play?
Buddy Kerr played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1951.
Was Buddy Kerr a pitcher?
No. Buddy Kerr was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Buddy Kerr hit?
Buddy Kerr hit 31 career home runs with 903 hits.
What teams did Buddy Kerr play for?
Buddy Kerr played for 2 teams: the New York Giants (1943–1949) and the Boston Braves (1950–1951).
Did Buddy Kerr win an MVP award?
No. Buddy Kerr did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Buddy Kerr win?
Buddy Kerr was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Buddy Kerr's career stats?
In 1,067 games, Buddy Kerr had 903 hits, 31 home runs, 333 RBI, 378 runs, and 38 stolen bases, with a .249 batting average.
What position did Buddy Kerr play?
Buddy Kerr played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Buddy Kerr and how much did he weigh?
Buddy Kerr was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Buddy Kerr hit each season?
Buddy Kerr's home runs by season: 2 in 1943, 9 in 1944, 4 in 1945, 6 in 1946, 7 in 1947, 0 in 1948, 0 in 1949, 2 in 1950, and 1 in 1951. His most in one season was 9, in 1944.
What was Buddy Kerr's career batting average?
Buddy Kerr batted .249 over his career, with 903 hits in 3,631 at bats.
How many RBI did Buddy Kerr have?
Buddy Kerr drove in 333 runs in his career.
Is Buddy Kerr in the Hall of Fame?
No. Buddy Kerr has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Buddy Kerr make?
Buddy Kerr was selected to 1 All-Star Game.