Harvey Kuenn
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1952-1966)
Harvey Kuenn was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1966 for 5 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,833 career games, he hit .303 with 2,092 hits, 87 home runs, and 671 RBI. Harvey Kuenn was a 8-time All-Star and a Rookie of the Year. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 9,745.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 187 lb
- Died
- 2/28/1988 in Peoria, AZ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1952-09-06
- Last Game
- 1966-10-02
- Awards
- 8× All-Star · Rookie of the Year
Full name: Harvey Edward Kuenn
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,833 | 6,913 | 951 | 2,092 | 356 | 56 | 87 | 671 | 68 | 594 | 404 | .303 | .357 | .408 | .765 | 9,745 |
Career AVG .303 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — +18.8% above league average.
Career OBP .357 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — +10.5% above league average.
Career SLG .408 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — +5.6% above league average.
Career OPS .765 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — +7.9% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | DET | AL | 19 | 80 | 2 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .325 | .252 (+29%) | .326 (+7%) | .369 (+8%) | .696 (+8%) | 74.8 |
| 1953 | DET | AL | 155 | 679 | 94 | 209 | 33 | 7 | 2 | 48 | 6 | 50 | 31 | .308 | .264 (+16%) | .335 (+6%) | .397 (-3%) | .733 (+1%) | 165.0 |
| 1954 | DET | AL | 155 | 656 | 81 | 201 | 28 | 6 | 5 | 48 | 9 | 29 | 13 | .306 | .261 (+17%) | .333 (avg) | .390 (avg) | .723 (avg) | -73.9 |
| 1955 | DET | AL | 145 | 620 | 101 | 190 | 38 | 5 | 8 | 62 | 8 | 40 | 27 | .306 | .258 (+19%) | .332 (+4%) | .393 (+7%) | .726 (+6%) | 623.9 |
| 1956 | DET | AL | 146 | 591 | 96 | 196 | 32 | 7 | 12 | 88 | 9 | 55 | 34 | .332 | .258 (+28%) | .331 (+17%) | .397 (+18%) | .728 (+18%) | 2128.5 |
| 1957 | DET | AL | 151 | 624 | 74 | 173 | 30 | 6 | 9 | 44 | 5 | 47 | 28 | .277 | .257 (+8%) | .323 (+1%) | .391 (-1%) | .715 (avg) | -36.2 |
| 1958 | DET | AL | 139 | 561 | 73 | 179 | 39 | 3 | 8 | 54 | 5 | 51 | 34 | .319 | .257 (+24%) | .324 (+15%) | .394 (+12%) | .719 (+13%) | 1537.8 |
| 1959 | DET | AL | 139 | 561 | 99 | 198 | 42 | 7 | 9 | 71 | 7 | 48 | 37 | .353 | .256 (+38%) | .323 (+24%) | .392 (+28%) | .715 (+26%) | 2916.1 |
| 1960 | CLE | AL | 126 | 474 | 65 | 146 | 24 | 0 | 9 | 54 | 3 | 55 | 25 | .308 | .255 (+21%) | .323 (+17%) | .387 (+7%) | .711 (+12%) | 1248.8 |
| 1961 | SFN | NL | 131 | 471 | 60 | 125 | 22 | 4 | 5 | 46 | 5 | 47 | 34 | .265 | .258 (+3%) | .328 (avg) | .399 (-10%) | .727 (-5%) | -396.2 |
| 1962 | SFN | NL | 130 | 487 | 73 | 148 | 23 | 5 | 10 | 68 | 3 | 49 | 37 | .304 | .257 (+18%) | .326 (+12%) | .393 (+10%) | .719 (+11%) | 1075.5 |
| 1963 | SFN | NL | 120 | 417 | 61 | 121 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 31 | 2 | 44 | 38 | .290 | .246 (+18%) | .308 (+16%) | .371 (+1%) | .680 (+7%) | 716.5 |
| 1964 | SFN | NL | 111 | 351 | 42 | 92 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 35 | 32 | .262 | .250 (+5%) | .312 (+5%) | .377 (-7%) | .690 (-1%) | -11.5 |
| 1965 | SFN | NL | 23 | 59 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 3 | .237 | .245 (-3%) | .310 (+13%) | .371 (-36%) | .682 (-14%) | -69.6 |
| 1965 | CHN | NL | 54 | 120 | 11 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 22 | 13 | .217 | .245 (-12%) | .310 (+8%) | .371 (-30%) | .682 (-13%) | -69.6 |
| 1966 | CHN | NL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1966 | PHI | NL | 86 | 159 | 15 | 47 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 10 | 16 | .296 | .248 (+19%) | .309 (+8%) | .376 (-6%) | .685 (avg) | 0.0 |
| Career · 17 seasons | 1,833 | 6,913 | 951 | 2,092 | 356 | 56 | 87 | 671 | 68 | 594 | 404 | .303 | — | — | — | — | 9,830 | ||
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 (1830 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 931 | 3479 | 492 | 1068 | 45 | 357 | .307 |
| Away | 899 | 3422 | 457 | 1022 | 42 | 313 | .299 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-10-02 | PHI | LAD | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-10-02 | PHI | LAD | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-30 | PHI | LAD | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-28 | PHI | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-28 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-26 | PHI | PIT | W | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1966-09-25 | PHI | STL | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1966-09-24 | PHI | STL | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966-09-23 | PHI | STL | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-09-21 | PHI | LAD | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 33 | 16 | 170 | 15 | 4 | 16 |
| 3B | 140 | 130 | 119 | 171 | 26 | 13 |
| OF | 826 | 759 | 1396 | 43 | 32 | 8 |
| SS | 748 | 569 | 1343 | 2116 | 129 | 431 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | DET | SS | 19 | 0 | 44 | 57 | 4 | 12 |
| 1953 | DET | SS | 155 | 0 | 308 | 441 | 21 | 78 |
| 1954 | DET | SS | 155 | 155 | 294 | 496 | 28 | 85 |
| 1955 | DET | SS | 141 | 140 | 253 | 378 | 29 | 83 |
| 1956 | DET | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956 | DET | SS | 141 | 140 | 219 | 388 | 20 | 86 |
| 1957 | DET | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1957 | DET | 3B | 17 | 16 | 24 | 33 | 3 | 4 |
| 1957 | DET | SS | 136 | 134 | 225 | 354 | 27 | 86 |
| 1958 | DET | OF | 138 | 138 | 358 | 9 | 6 | 1 |
| 1959 | DET | OF | 137 | 137 | 247 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 1960 | CLE | 3B | 5 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960 | CLE | OF | 119 | 116 | 222 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
| 1961 | SFN | 3B | 32 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 8 | 4 |
| 1961 | SFN | OF | 93 | 91 | 157 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 1961 | SFN | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962 | SFN | 3B | 30 | 29 | 20 | 44 | 3 | 4 |
| 1962 | SFN | OF | 105 | 88 | 160 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 1963 | SFN | 3B | 53 | 52 | 41 | 56 | 11 | 1 |
| 1963 | SFN | OF | 64 | 47 | 74 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 1964 | SFN | 1B | 11 | 2 | 38 | 7 | 1 | 4 |
| 1964 | SFN | 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964 | SFN | OF | 88 | 78 | 97 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 1965 | SFN | 1B | 7 | 2 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | SFN | OF | 14 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | CHN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1965 | CHN | OF | 35 | 27 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1966 | CHN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966 | PHI | 1B | 13 | 12 | 99 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
| 1966 | PHI | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966 | PHI | OF | 31 | 24 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 34 |
| Third Base | 141 |
| Shortstop | 747 |
| Left Field | 353 |
| Center Field | 164 |
| Right Field | 343 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | TSN All-Star | SS |
| 1953 | Rookie of the Year | |
| 1953 | TSN Rookie of the Year |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin at Madison | Madison | WI | 1951, 1952 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 5.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1960 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 24th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1959 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 8th | 64.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1958 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 13th | 24.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1957 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 22th | 2.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1956 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 4th | 80.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1955 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 18th | 8.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1954 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 8th | 37.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1953 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 15th | 23.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1953 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 1st | 23.0 | 24 | 23 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Harvey Kuenn (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Harvey Kuenn
- What years did Harvey Kuenn play?
- Harvey Kuenn played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1966.
- Was Harvey Kuenn a pitcher?
- No. Harvey Kuenn was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Harvey Kuenn hit?
- Harvey Kuenn hit 87 career home runs with 2092 hits.
- What was Harvey Kuenn's career batting average?
- Harvey Kuenn batted .303 over his career, with 2,092 hits in 6,913 at bats.
- How many RBI did Harvey Kuenn have?
- Harvey Kuenn drove in 671 runs in his career.
- Is Harvey Kuenn in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Harvey Kuenn has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.