What years did Don Kessinger play?

Don Kessinger played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1979.

Was Don Kessinger a pitcher?

No. Don Kessinger was a position player (Shortstop).

How many home runs did Don Kessinger hit?

Don Kessinger hit 14 career home runs with 1931 hits.

What was Don Kessinger's career batting average?

Don Kessinger batted .252 over his career, with 1,931 hits in 7,651 at bats.

How many RBI did Don Kessinger have?

Don Kessinger drove in 527 runs in his career.

Is Don Kessinger in the Hall of Fame?

No. Don Kessinger has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Don Kessinger

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1964-1979)

Don Kessinger was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1979 for the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 16 seasons. In 2,078 career games, he hit .252 with 1,931 hits, 14 home runs, and 527 RBI. Don Kessinger was a 6-time All-Star and a 2-time Gold Glove.

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 October 12, 2026

AVG .252

HR 14

RBI 527

H 1,931

OPS .626

PIV -9,377

Position: Shortstop
Bats / Throws: B / R
Height / Weight: 6'1" / 170 lb
Born: 7/17/1942 in Forrest City, AR, USA
MLB Debut: 1964-09-07
Last Game: 1979-07-31
Awards: 6× All-Star · 2× Gold Glove

Full name: Donald Eulon Kessinger

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Career Batting Statistics

Don Kessinger — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
2,078	7,651	899	1,931	254	80	14	527	100	684	759	.252	.314	.312	.626	-9,377

Career AVG .252 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .314 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .312 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 16.4% below league average.

Career OPS .626 vs. league average .692 across their career seasons — 9.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Kessinger 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
1964	CHN	NL	4	12	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	CHN	NL	106	309	19	62	4	3	0	14	1	20	44	.201	.245 (-18%)	.310 (-19%)	.371 (-37%)	.682 (-29%)	-1338.6
1966	CHN	NL	150	533	50	146	8	2	1	43	13	26	46	.274	.248 (+10%)	.309 (-1%)	.376 (-20%)	.685 (-11%)	-884.2
1967	CHN	NL	145	580	61	134	10	7	0	42	6	33	80	.231	.242 (-5%)	.306 (-10%)	.357 (-24%)	.663 (-17%)	-1501.0
1968	CHN	NL	160	655	63	157	14	7	1	32	9	38	86	.240	.236 (+1%)	.298 (-5%)	.340 (-16%)	.638 (-11%)	-1007.1
1969	CHN	NL	158	664	109	181	38	6	4	53	11	61	70	.273	.248 (+10%)	.320 (+4%)	.369 (-1%)	.689 (+1%)	126.1
1970	CHN	NL	154	631	100	168	21	14	1	39	12	66	59	.266	.253 (+5%)	.325 (+3%)	.385 (-10%)	.711 (-4%)	-315.5
1971	CHN	NL	155	617	77	159	18	6	2	38	15	52	54	.258	.249 (+3%)	.316 (avg)	.365 (-13%)	.682 (-7%)	-589.9
1972	CHN	NL	149	577	77	158	20	6	1	39	8	67	44	.274	.243 (+12%)	.310 (+13%)	.353 (-5%)	.664 (+3%)	569.5
1973	CHN	NL	160	577	52	151	22	3	0	43	6	57	44	.262	.256 (+2%)	.325 (+1%)	.378 (-18%)	.703 (-9%)	-751.9
1974	CHN	NL	153	599	83	155	20	7	1	42	7	62	54	.259	.256 (+1%)	.324 (+2%)	.369 (-13%)	.693 (-6%)	-431.4
1975	CHN	NL	154	601	77	146	26	10	0	46	4	68	47	.243	.257 (-6%)	.327 (-3%)	.374 (-15%)	.701 (-9%)	-889.9
1976	SLN	NL	145	502	55	120	22	6	1	40	3	61	51	.239	.255 (-6%)	.320 (avg)	.360 (-13%)	.681 (-7%)	-458.8
1977	SLN	NL	59	134	14	32	4	0	0	7	0	14	26	.239	.264 (-10%)	.329 (-6%)	.401 (-33%)	.730 (-21%)	-416.4
1977	CHA	AL	39	119	12	28	3	2	0	11	2	13	7	.235	.264 (-11%)	.329 (-6%)	.401 (-27%)	.730 (-18%)	-416.4
1978	CHA	AL	131	431	35	110	18	1	1	31	2	36	34	.255	.257 (-1%)	.323 (-4%)	.378 (-19%)	.702 (-12%)	-722.1
1979	CHA	AL	56	110	14	22	6	0	1	7	1	10	12	.200	.265 (-25%)	.329 (-20%)	.397 (-29%)	.727 (-25%)	-444.9
Career · 17 seasons			2,078	7,651	899	1,931	254	80	14	527	100	684	759	.252	—	—	—	—	-9,472

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 (2078 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Don Kessinger — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	1064	3891	492	1028	5	271	.264
Away	1014	3760	407	903	9	256	.240

Last 10 Games — Batting

Don Kessinger — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO
1979-07-31	CHW	NYY	L	0	0	0	0	0	0
1979-07-29	CHW	CLE	L	2	0	0	0	0	0
1979-07-28	CHW	CLE	L	2	0	1	0	1	0
1979-07-23	CHW	DET	W	5	1	1	0	0	2
1979-07-22	CHW	DET	L	0	0	0	0	0	0
1979-07-20	CHW	TEX	W	0	0	0	0	0	0
1979-07-19	CHW	TEX	W	0	0	0	0	1	0
1979-07-19	CHW	TEX	W	0	0	0	0	0	0
1979-07-15	CHW	DET	L	2	0	1	0	0	0
1979-07-14	CHW	DET	W	2	0	1	1	1	1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Kessinger — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	1	0	2	0	0	0
2B	78	64	126	195	11	42
3B	28	19	13	46	5	3
SS	1955	1872	3151	6212	334	1170

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Kessinger — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1964	CHN	SS	4	1	3	7	0	1
1965	CHN	SS	105	104	176	338	28	69
1966	CHN	SS	148	144	202	474	35	68
1967	CHN	SS	143	136	215	457	19	77
1968	CHN	SS	159	158	263	573	33	97
1969	CHN	SS	157	157	266	542	20	101
1970	CHN	SS	154	152	257	501	22	86
1971	CHN	SS	154	151	263	512	27	97
1972	CHN	SS	146	145	259	504	28	90
1973	CHN	SS	158	156	274	526	30	109
1974	CHN	SS	150	147	259	476	32	87
1975	CHN	3B	13	12	5	28	2	3
1975	CHN	SS	140	132	205	436	22	100
1976	SLN	2B	31	29	53	85	6	21
1976	SLN	3B	2	0	1	0	0	0
1976	SLN	SS	113	105	212	350	18	84
1977	SLN	2B	24	16	32	63	5	9
1977	SLN	3B	4	1	0	2	1	0
1977	SLN	SS	26	13	37	54	2	15
1977	CHA	2B	13	11	27	27	0	10
1977	CHA	3B	9	6	7	16	2	0
1977	CHA	SS	21	18	32	38	3	12
1978	CHA	2B	9	7	12	14	0	2
1978	CHA	SS	123	117	171	321	13	60
1979	CHA	1B	1	0	2	0	0	0
1979	CHA	2B	1	1	2	6	0	0
1979	CHA	SS	54	36	57	103	2	17

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Kessinger Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
First Base	1
Second Base	79
Third Base	28
Shortstop	1956

Awards & Honors

Don Kessinger — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1978	Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1970	Gold Glove	SS
1970	TSN All-Star	SS
1969	Gold Glove	SS
1969	TSN All-Star	SS
1968	TSN All-Star	SS

College History

Don Kessinger — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
University of Mississippi	Oxford	MS	1962, 1963, 1964

Award Voting History

Don Kessinger — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1970	Most Valuable Player	NL	23th	6.0	336	0
1969	Most Valuable Player	NL	15th	8.0	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

Don Kessinger (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Don Kessinger: the record in brief

Don Kessinger played a first major league game on September 7, 1964 and a last one on July 31, 1979. By club, Kessinger's seasons break down as the Chicago Cubs (1964 through 1975), the St. Louis Cardinals (1976 to 1977), and the Chicago White Sox (1977 to 1979). Kessinger played primarily as a shortstop and switch-hit and threw right-handed. Born on July 17, 1942, in Forrest City, AR, USA, Kessinger was listed at 170 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Don Kessinger was the playing name; the full given name is Donald Eulon.

The batting record for Kessinger: 2,078 games, 1,931 hits in 7,651 at bats, and a .252 average; the totals also include 14 homers, 527 runs batted in, and 100 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .314 and .312 give Kessinger a career OPS of .626. The .252 career average is close to the .253 the league hit across the same seasons. In OPS terms, Kessinger's .626 stands 9.6% below the league's .692. The hits column peaks at 181, in 1969.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Kessinger

What years did Don Kessinger play?: Don Kessinger played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1979.
Was Don Kessinger a pitcher?: No. Don Kessinger was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Don Kessinger hit?: Don Kessinger hit 14 career home runs with 1931 hits.
What was Don Kessinger's career batting average?: Don Kessinger batted .252 over his career, with 1,931 hits in 7,651 at bats.
How many RBI did Don Kessinger have?: Don Kessinger drove in 527 runs in his career.
Is Don Kessinger in the Hall of Fame?: No. Don Kessinger has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.