Ellis Kinder
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1946-1957)
Ellis Kinder was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1957 for 4 teams, including the St. Louis Browns, a span of 12 seasons. Across 484 career appearances, he went 102-71 with a 3.43 ERA, 749 strikeouts, and 102 saves. He also batted .142 with 1 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 13338.7.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 195 lb
- Died
- 10/16/1968 in Jackson, TN, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1946-04-30
- Last Game
- 1957-05-08
Full name: Ellis Raymond Kinder
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | SLA | AL | 3 | 3 | 33 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 86.2 | 78 | 32 | 36 | 59 | 3.32 | 3.59 (+7%) | -173.5 |
| 1947 | SLA | AL | 8 | 15 | 34 | 26 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 194.1 | 201 | 97 | 82 | 110 | 4.49 | 3.97 (-13%) | 2055.2 |
| 1948 | BOS | AL | 10 | 7 | 28 | 22 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 178.0 | 183 | 74 | 63 | 53 | 3.74 | 4.10 (+9%) | 459.2 |
| 1949 | BOS | AL | 23 | 6 | 43 | 30 | 19 | 6 | 4 | 252.0 | 251 | 94 | 99 | 138 | 3.36 | 4.12 (+18%) | 2766.6 |
| 1950 | BOS | AL | 14 | 12 | 48 | 23 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 207.0 | 212 | 98 | 78 | 95 | 4.26 | 4.36 (+2%) | 558.0 |
| 1951 | BOS | AL | 11 | 2 | 63 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 127.0 | 108 | 36 | 46 | 84 | 2.55 | 4.04 (+37%) | 2856.3 |
| 1952 | BOS | AL | 5 | 6 | 23 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 97.2 | 85 | 28 | 28 | 50 | 2.58 | 3.70 (+30%) | -46.5 |
| 1953 | BOS | AL | 10 | 6 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 107.0 | 84 | 22 | 38 | 39 | 1.85 | 4.14 (+55%) | 497.2 |
| 1954 | BOS | AL | 8 | 8 | 48 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 107.0 | 106 | 43 | 36 | 67 | 3.62 | 3.90 (+7%) | 2440.7 |
| 1955 | BOS | AL | 5 | 5 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 66.2 | 57 | 21 | 15 | 31 | 2.83 | 4.00 (+29%) | 1463.2 |
| 1956 | SLN | NL | 2 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 25.2 | 23 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 3.51 | 3.96 (+12%) | -426.4 |
| 1956 | CHA | AL | 3 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 29.2 | 33 | 9 | 8 | 19 | 2.73 | 3.96 (+31%) | 888.8 |
| 1957 | CHA | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 102 | 71 | 484 | 122 | 56 | 10 | 102 | 1,479.2 | 1,421 | 564 | 539 | 749 | 3.43 | — | 13,339 | ||
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.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 484 | 444 | 34 | 63 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 0 | 23 | 123 | .142 | .184 | .169 | .353 | -2,441 |
Career AVG .142 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 45.5% below league average.
Career OBP .184 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 45.0% below league average.
Career SLG .169 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 56.1% below league average.
Career OPS .353 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — 50.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | SLA | AL | 33 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .053 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | SLA | AL | 34 | 62 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 20 | .129 | .262 (-51%) | .336 (-58%) | .376 (-66%) | .712 (-62%) | -607.6 |
| 1948 | BOS | AL | 28 | 62 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 18 | .097 | .263 (-63%) | .340 (-41%) | .379 (-74%) | .719 (-59%) | -574.5 |
| 1949 | BOS | AL | 43 | 92 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 24 | .130 | .262 (-50%) | .343 (-47%) | .384 (-60%) | .727 (-54%) | -808.6 |
| 1950 | BOS | AL | 48 | 71 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 13 | .183 | .265 (-31%) | .346 (-41%) | .401 (-33%) | .747 (-37%) | -450.7 |
| 1951 | BOS | AL | 63 | 34 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 16 | .118 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1952 | BOS | AL | 23 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1953 | BOS | AL | 69 | 29 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .379 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | BOS | AL | 48 | 27 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .185 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1955 | BOS | AL | 43 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | SLN | NL | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | CHA | AL | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1957 | CHA | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 484 | 444 | 34 | 63 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 0 | 23 | 123 | .142 | — | — | — | — | -2,441 | ||
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 (966 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 245 | 220 | 17 | 28 | 0 | 12 | .127 |
| Away | 238 | 222 | 17 | 35 | 1 | 21 | .158 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 245 | 757.1 | 730 | 294 | 276 | 420 | 3.49 |
| Away | 238 | 716.1 | 684 | 267 | 259 | 330 | 3.35 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-05-08 | CHW | BOS | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-24 | CHW | DET | — | 0.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1956-09-15 | CHW | BAL | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1956-09-12 | CHW | BOS | — | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-11 | CHW | BOS | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-09 | CHW | CLE | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-09-01 | CHW | CLE | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-08-29 | CHW | MIN | SV | 0.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-08-28 | CHW | MIN | SV | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-08-24 | CHW | NYY | — | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | SLA | P | 33 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 2 |
| 1947 | SLA | P | 34 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 2 |
| 1948 | BOS | P | 28 | 0 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 2 |
| 1949 | BOS | P | 43 | 0 | 7 | 28 | 1 | 1 |
| 1950 | BOS | P | 48 | 0 | 7 | 30 | 3 | 0 |
| 1951 | BOS | P | 63 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 1952 | BOS | P | 23 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 2 |
| 1953 | BOS | P | 69 | 0 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | BOS | P | 48 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 1955 | BOS | P | 43 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956 | SLN | P | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956 | CHA | P | 29 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957 | CHA | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 484 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | TSN All-Star | P |
| 1949 | TSN Pitcher of the Year |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 41.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1951 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 7th | 66.0 | 336 | 2 |
| 1949 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 5th | 122.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ellis Kinder (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Ellis Kinder
Ellis Kinder: the record in brief
According to the bio, Ellis Kinder debuted on April 30, 1946 and played a final game on May 8, 1957. The season rows list, in order, the St. Louis Browns (1946 through 1947), the Boston Red Sox (1948 to 1955), the St. Louis Cardinals (1956), and the Chicago White Sox (1956 to 1957). Kinder is listed as a pitcher at 6 feet, 0 inches and 195 pounds. Kinder both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Kinder was born on July 26, 1914, in Atkins, AR, USA. The bio records the death on October 16, 1968, in Jackson, TN, USA. The given name on file is Ellis Raymond Kinder.
The pitching table credits Kinder with a 102-71 record and a 3.43 ERA in 484 games. Also on Kinder's record: 749 strikeouts, 56 complete games, 10 shutouts, and 102 saves. The leagues Kinder pitched in allowed 3.97 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 13.6% better than average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ellis Kinder
- What years did Ellis Kinder play?
- Ellis Kinder played in Major League Baseball from 1946 to 1957.
- Was Ellis Kinder a pitcher?
- Yes. Ellis Kinder pitched in the major leagues, recording 102 wins and 749 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Ellis Kinder hit?
- Ellis Kinder hit 1 career home runs with 63 hits.
- What was Ellis Kinder's career batting average?
- Ellis Kinder batted .142 over his career, with 63 hits in 444 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ellis Kinder have?
- Ellis Kinder drove in 33 runs in his career.
- What was Ellis Kinder's career ERA?
- Ellis Kinder finished with a 3.43 career ERA, going 102-71 with 749 strikeouts.