Norm Larker

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1958-1963)

Norm Larker was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1958 to 1963 for 4 teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, a span of 6 seasons. In 667 career games, he hit .275 with 538 hits, 32 home runs, and 271 RBI. Norm Larker was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,649.

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 .275
HR 32
RBI 271
H 538
OPS .736
PIV 1,649
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'0" / 185 lb
Born
12/27/1930 in Beaver Meadows, PA, USA
Died
3/12/2007 in Long Beach, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1958-04-15
Last Game
1963-09-28
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Norman Howard John Larker

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Career Batting Statistics

Norm Larker — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
667 1,953 227 538 97 15 32 271 3 211 165 .275 .347 .390 .736 1,649

Career AVG .275 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — +8.0% above league average.

Career OBP .347 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — +7.6% above league average.

Career SLG .390 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .736 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Norm Larker — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1958 LAN NL 99 253 32 70 16 5 4 29 1 29 21 .277 .257 (+7%) .324 (+8%) .394 (+8%) .719 (+8%) 376.4
1959 LAN NL 108 311 37 90 14 1 8 49 0 26 25 .289 .256 (+13%) .323 (+6%) .392 (+7%) .715 (+6%) 372.8
1960 LAN NL 133 440 56 142 26 3 5 78 1 36 24 .323 .255 (+26%) .323 (+14%) .387 (+11%) .711 (+12%) 1011.6
1961 LAN NL 97 282 29 76 16 1 5 38 0 24 22 .270 .258 (+4%) .328 (-1%) .399 (-3%) .727 (-2%) -112.1
1962 HOU NL 147 506 58 133 19 5 9 63 1 70 47 .263 .257 (+2%) .326 (+10%) .393 (-5%) .719 (+2%) 408.0
1963 ML1 NL 64 147 15 26 6 0 1 14 0 24 24 .177 .246 (-28%) .308 (-4%) .371 (-36%) .680 (-21%) -407.3
1963 SFN NL 19 14 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 .071 — — — — -407.3
Career · 7 seasons 667 1,953 227 538 97 15 32 271 3 211 165 .275 — — — — 1,242

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Norm Larker — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 16 2 3 0 0 0 0 2 3 .188

Playoff Batting by Year

Norm Larker — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1959 WS LAN 6 16 2 3 0 0 0 0 2 3 .188

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (665 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Norm Larker — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home34498410225110125.255
Away32196112428222143.293

Last 10 Games — Batting

Norm Larker — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1963-09-28 SFGPITW 000000000
1963-09-26 SFGPHIW 000000000
1963-09-22 SFGNYNW 000000000
1963-09-18 SFGATLL 100000000
1963-09-17 SFGATLW 000000000
1963-09-15 SFGPITW 000000000
1963-09-10 SFGNYNL 100000000
1963-09-08 SFGLADW 101000000
1963-09-03 SFGCHCW 000000000
1963-09-02 SFGCHCL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Norm Larker — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 473 429 3629 326 35 349
OF 82 79 104 9 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Norm Larker — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1958 LAN 1B 25 22 178 14 4 18
1958 LAN OF 43 43 61 3 1 0
1959 LAN 1B 55 50 456 42 5 53
1959 LAN OF 30 30 35 6 0 0
1960 LAN 1B 119 112 914 80 7 81
1960 LAN OF 2 1 3 0 0 0
1961 LAN 1B 86 79 589 52 3 68
1961 LAN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1962 HOU 1B 135 130 1148 103 11 103
1962 HOU OF 6 5 5 0 0 0
1963 ML1 1B 42 35 320 33 3 23
1963 SFN 1B 11 1 24 2 2 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Norm Larker — Career Games by Position
Position Games
First Base 473
Left Field 72
Right Field 10

Award Voting History

Norm Larker — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1960 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 21.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Norm Larker (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jake Dunn
    .280 avg, 22 HR
  2. 97
    Gene Robertson
    .280 avg, 20 HR
  3. 94
    Frank Torre
    .273 avg, 13 HR
  4. 92
    Conor Jackson
    .271 avg, 52 HR
  5. 92
    Tommy La Stella
    .266 avg, 40 HR
  6. 91
    Gene Larkin
    .266 avg, 32 HR

Norm Larker: the record in brief

April 15, 1958 and September 28, 1963 bracket Norm Larker's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Los Angeles Dodgers (1958 through 1961), the Houston Colt .45's (1962), the Milwaukee Braves (1963), and the San Francisco Giants (1963). Larker played primarily as a first baseman and both batted and threw left-handed. Born on December 27, 1930, in Beaver Meadows, PA, USA, Larker was listed at 185 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. Larker's death is recorded on March 12, 2007, in Long Beach, CA, USA. Larker's full given name, per the bio, is Norman Howard John Larker.

In 667 games and 1,953 at bats, Larker batted .275 with 538 hits, adding 32 homers and 271 RBI. The on-base percentage is .347 and the slugging percentage .390, for an OPS of .736. Measured against the leagues Larker played in, the .275 career average compares with a .255 league average over the same seasons, 8.0% above the league.

Frequently Asked Questions about Norm Larker

What years did Norm Larker play?
Norm Larker played in Major League Baseball from 1958 to 1963.
Was Norm Larker a pitcher?
No. Norm Larker was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Norm Larker hit?
Norm Larker hit 32 career home runs with 538 hits.
What teams did Norm Larker play for?
Norm Larker played for 4 teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers (1958–1961), the Houston Colt .45's (1962), the Milwaukee Braves (1963), and the San Francisco Giants (1963).
Did Norm Larker win an MVP award?
No. Norm Larker did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Norm Larker win?
Norm Larker was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Norm Larker's career stats?
In 667 games, Norm Larker had 538 hits, 32 home runs, 271 RBI, 227 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .275 batting average.
What position did Norm Larker play?
Norm Larker played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Norm Larker and how much did he weigh?
Norm Larker was listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did Norm Larker hit each season?
Norm Larker's home runs by season: 4 in 1958, 8 in 1959, 5 in 1960, 5 in 1961, 9 in 1962, and 1 in 1963. His most in one season was 9, in 1962.
What was Norm Larker's career batting average?
Norm Larker batted .275 over his career, with 538 hits in 1,953 at bats.
How many RBI did Norm Larker have?
Norm Larker drove in 271 runs in his career.
Is Norm Larker in the Hall of Fame?
No. Norm Larker has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Norm Larker make?
Norm Larker was selected to 1 All-Star Game.