Chet Laabs
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1937-1947)
Chet Laabs was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1947 for the Detroit Tigers, the St. Louis Browns, and the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 11 seasons. In 950 career games, he hit .262 with 813 hits, 117 home runs, and 509 RBI. Chet Laabs was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 8,310.
- 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
- 5'8" / 175 lb
- Died
- 1/26/1983 in Warren, MI, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1937-05-05
- Last Game
- 1947-06-03
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Chester Peter Laabs
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 950 | 3,102 | 467 | 813 | 151 | 44 | 117 | 509 | 32 | 389 | 595 | .262 | .346 | .452 | .798 | 8,310 |
Career AVG .262 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .346 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .452 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — +21.7% above league average.
Career OPS .798 vs. league average .705 across their career seasons — +13.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | DET | AL | 72 | 242 | 31 | 58 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 37 | 6 | 24 | 66 | .240 | .276 (-13%) | .342 (-10%) | .398 (+9%) | .740 (avg) | -62.0 |
| 1938 | DET | AL | 64 | 211 | 26 | 50 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 3 | 15 | 52 | .237 | .272 (-13%) | .341 (-16%) | .392 (+1%) | .734 (-7%) | -287.4 |
| 1939 | DET | AL | 5 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .312 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | SLA | AL | 95 | 317 | 52 | 95 | 20 | 5 | 10 | 62 | 4 | 33 | 62 | .300 | .274 (+9%) | .342 (+7%) | .393 (+24%) | .735 (+17%) | 0.0 |
| 1940 | SLA | AL | 105 | 218 | 32 | 59 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 40 | 3 | 34 | 59 | .271 | .267 (+1%) | .335 (+11%) | .387 (+30%) | .722 (+21%) | 898.5 |
| 1941 | SLA | AL | 118 | 392 | 64 | 109 | 23 | 6 | 15 | 59 | 5 | 51 | 59 | .278 | .262 (+6%) | .332 (+9%) | .373 (+29%) | .705 (+20%) | 1430.2 |
| 1942 | SLA | AL | 144 | 520 | 90 | 143 | 21 | 7 | 27 | 99 | 0 | 88 | 88 | .275 | .253 (+9%) | .323 (+18%) | .349 (+42%) | .672 (+30%) | 3160.6 |
| 1943 | SLA | AL | 151 | 580 | 83 | 145 | 27 | 7 | 17 | 85 | 5 | 73 | 105 | .250 | .255 (-2%) | .324 (+4%) | .346 (+18%) | .671 (+11%) | 1261.1 |
| 1944 | SLA | AL | 66 | 201 | 28 | 47 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 3 | 29 | 33 | .234 | .261 (-11%) | .325 (+1%) | .357 (+6%) | .683 (+4%) | 151.8 |
| 1945 | SLA | AL | 35 | 109 | 15 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 17 | .239 | .260 (-9%) | .328 (+7%) | .354 (+1%) | .683 (+4%) | 101.6 |
| 1946 | SLA | AL | 80 | 264 | 40 | 69 | 13 | 0 | 16 | 52 | 3 | 20 | 50 | .261 | .256 (+2%) | .328 (-4%) | .358 (+37%) | .687 (+18%) | 699.5 |
| 1947 | PHA | AL | 15 | 32 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | .219 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 950 | 3,102 | 467 | 813 | 151 | 44 | 117 | 509 | 32 | 389 | 595 | .262 | — | — | — | — | 7,354 | ||
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 (950 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 520 | 1660 | 263 | 459 | 71 | 284 | .277 |
| Away | 430 | 1442 | 204 | 354 | 46 | 224 | .245 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-06-03 | PHA | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-05-28 | PHA | BOS | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-05-27 | PHA | BOS | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-05-25 | PHA | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-05-23 | PHA | MIN | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-05-21 | PHA | CHW | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1947-05-20 | PHA | SLA | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-05-18 | PHA | SLA | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947-05-17 | PHA | DET | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1947-05-13 | PHA | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | DET | OF | 62 | 0 | 133 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1938 | DET | OF | 53 | 0 | 128 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 1939 | DET | OF | 5 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1939 | SLA | OF | 79 | 0 | 199 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| 1940 | SLA | OF | 63 | 0 | 124 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 1941 | SLA | OF | 100 | 0 | 217 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 1942 | SLA | OF | 139 | 0 | 276 | 13 | 9 | 3 |
| 1943 | SLA | OF | 150 | 0 | 346 | 16 | 9 | 4 |
| 1944 | SLA | OF | 55 | 0 | 108 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 1945 | SLA | OF | 35 | 0 | 68 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946 | SLA | OF | 72 | 0 | 151 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 1947 | PHA | OF | 7 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 330 |
| Center Field | 254 |
| Right Field | 252 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 23th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1942 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 9.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Chet Laabs (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Chet Laabs: the record in brief
Chet Laabs's major league career runs from a debut on May 5, 1937 to a final game on June 3, 1947. Laabs played for the Detroit Tigers (1937 through 1939), the St. Louis Browns (1939 through 1946), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1947). Laabs is listed as an outfielder at 5'8" and 175 pounds. The bio says Laabs threw and hit right-handed. Laabs was born on April 30, 1912, in Milwaukee, WI, USA. The bio records the death on January 26, 1983, in Warren, MI, USA. Chet Laabs was the playing name; the full given name is Chester Peter.
Laabs's career batting table shows 950 games, 3,102 at bats and 813 hits, a .262 average, adding 117 homers, 509 RBI, and 32 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .346 and .452 give Laabs a career OPS of .798. Against a .264 league average for those years, Laabs's .262 average was near the norm. 1942 was Laabs's biggest home run year, with 27.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chet Laabs
- What years did Chet Laabs play?
- Chet Laabs played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1947.
- Was Chet Laabs a pitcher?
- No. Chet Laabs was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Chet Laabs hit?
- Chet Laabs hit 117 career home runs with 813 hits.
- What was Chet Laabs's career batting average?
- Chet Laabs batted .262 over his career, with 813 hits in 3,102 at bats.
- How many RBI did Chet Laabs have?
- Chet Laabs drove in 509 runs in his career.
- Is Chet Laabs in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Chet Laabs has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.