Buddy Lewis

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1935-1949)

Buddy Lewis was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1935 to 1949 for the Washington Senators, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,349 career games, he hit .297 with 1,563 hits, 71 home runs, and 607 RBI. Buddy Lewis was a 2-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 10,483.

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 .297
HR 71
RBI 607
H 1,563
OPS .789
PIV 10,483
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 175 lb
Born
8/10/1916 in Gastonia, NC, USA
Died
2/18/2011 in Gastonia, NC, USA
MLB Debut
1935-09-16
Last Game
1949-09-30
Awards
2× All-Star

Full name: John Kelly Lewis

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Career Batting Statistics

Buddy Lewis — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,349 5,261 830 1,563 249 93 71 607 83 573 303 .297 .368 .420 .789 10,483

Career AVG .297 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — +10.4% above league average.

Career OBP .368 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +8.8% above league average.

Career SLG .420 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +9.5% above league average.

Career OPS .789 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — +9.2% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Buddy Lewis 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
1935 WS1 AL 8 28 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 .107 — — — — 0.0
1936 WS1 AL 143 601 100 175 21 13 6 67 6 47 46 .291 .283 (+3%) .349 (-1%) .404 (-1%) .753 (-1%) -145.4
1937 WS1 AL 156 668 107 210 32 6 10 79 11 52 44 .314 .276 (+14%) .342 (+7%) .398 (+7%) .740 (+7%) 992.8
1938 WS1 AL 151 656 122 194 35 9 12 91 17 58 35 .296 .272 (+8%) .341 (+4%) .392 (+10%) .734 (+7%) 869.9
1939 WS1 AL 140 536 87 171 23 16 10 75 10 72 27 .319 .274 (+16%) .342 (+17%) .393 (+22%) .735 (+20%) 2253.4
1940 WS1 AL 148 600 101 190 38 10 6 63 15 74 36 .317 .267 (+19%) .335 (+17%) .387 (+14%) .722 (+16%) 2047.0
1941 WS1 AL 149 569 97 169 29 11 9 72 10 82 30 .297 .262 (+13%) .332 (+16%) .373 (+16%) .705 (+16%) 1994.4
1945 WS1 AL 69 258 42 86 14 7 2 37 1 37 15 .333 .260 (+28%) .328 (+29%) .354 (+31%) .683 (+30%) 1424.0
1946 WS1 AL 150 582 82 170 28 13 7 45 5 59 26 .292 .256 (+14%) .328 (+9%) .358 (+17%) .687 (+13%) 1469.8
1947 WS1 AL 140 506 67 132 15 4 6 48 6 51 27 .261 .262 (-1%) .336 (-2%) .376 (-9%) .712 (-6%) -435.5
1949 WS1 AL 95 257 25 63 14 4 3 28 2 41 12 .245 .262 (-7%) .343 (+3%) .384 (-5%) .727 (-1%) 12.7
Career · 11 seasons 1,349 5,261 830 1,563 249 93 71 607 83 573 303 .297 — — — — 10,483

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 (1348 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Buddy Lewis — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home677256238175117265.293
Away671270045081254340.301

Last 10 Games — Batting

Buddy Lewis — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1949-09-30 MINBOSL 000000010
1949-09-28 MINBOSW 000000000
1949-09-23 MINNYYL 100000000
1949-09-20 MINSLAL 100000000
1949-09-18 MINDETL 410000000
1949-09-16 MINCLEW 400000010
1949-09-14 MINCHWL 100000000
1949-09-13 MINCHWL 100000000
1949-09-11 MINNYYL 400000013
1949-09-10 MINNYYW 221100030

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Buddy Lewis — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 671 0 679 1415 164 141
OF 619 0 1285 66 41 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Buddy Lewis — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1935 WS1 3B 6 0 5 11 1 1
1936 WS1 3B 139 0 152 297 32 24
1937 WS1 3B 156 0 146 293 29 32
1938 WS1 3B 151 0 161 329 47 32
1939 WS1 3B 134 0 122 326 32 31
1940 WS1 3B 36 0 42 72 6 11
1940 WS1 OF 112 0 206 11 9 1
1941 WS1 3B 49 0 51 87 17 10
1941 WS1 OF 96 0 229 16 7 3
1945 WS1 OF 69 0 151 8 3 3
1946 WS1 OF 145 0 304 16 10 5
1947 WS1 OF 130 0 259 11 9 2
1949 WS1 OF 67 0 136 4 3 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Buddy Lewis Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Third Base 671
Left Field 8
Center Field 1
Right Field 611

Award Voting History

Buddy Lewis — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1938 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 5.0 336 0
1937 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 7.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Buddy Lewis (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Red Rolfe
    .289 avg, 69 HR
  2. 89
    Cecil Travis
    .314 avg, 27 HR
  3. 87
    Henry Larkin
    .303 avg, 53 HR
  4. 87
    Gus Suhr
    .279 avg, 84 HR
  5. 81
    Kevin Seitzer
    .295 avg, 74 HR
  6. 80
    Lou Boudreau HOF
    .295 avg, 68 HR

Buddy Lewis: the record in brief

According to the bio, Buddy Lewis debuted on September 16, 1935 and played a final game on September 30, 1949. Lewis's only club in the season tables is the Washington Senators. At 6'1" and 175 pounds, Lewis is listed as a third baseman. The bio says Lewis hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Lewis was born on August 10, 1916, in Gastonia, NC, USA. Lewis's death is recorded on February 18, 2011, in Gastonia, NC, USA. The given name on file is John Kelly Lewis.

In 1,349 games and 5,261 at bats, Lewis batted .297 with 1,563 hits, along with 71 homers, 607 RBI, and 83 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .368 and .420 give Lewis a career OPS of .789. The league as a whole hit .269 across Lewis's seasons, which puts the .297 career mark 10.4% above average. The home run peak was 12 in 1938 with the Washington Senators. The highest hit total in a season was 210, in 1937.

Frequently Asked Questions about Buddy Lewis

What years did Buddy Lewis play?
Buddy Lewis played in Major League Baseball from 1935 to 1949.
Was Buddy Lewis a pitcher?
No. Buddy Lewis was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Buddy Lewis hit?
Buddy Lewis hit 71 career home runs with 1,563 hits.
What teams did Buddy Lewis play for?
Buddy Lewis played for one team, the Washington Senators (1935–1941, 1945–1947, 1949).
Did Buddy Lewis win an MVP award?
No. Buddy Lewis did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Buddy Lewis win?
Buddy Lewis was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
What were Buddy Lewis's career stats?
In 1,349 games, Buddy Lewis had 1,563 hits, 71 home runs, 607 RBI, 830 runs, and 83 stolen bases, with a .297 batting average.
What position did Buddy Lewis play?
Buddy Lewis played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Buddy Lewis and how much did he weigh?
Buddy Lewis was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Buddy Lewis hit each season?
Buddy Lewis's home runs by season: 0 in 1935, 6 in 1936, 10 in 1937, 12 in 1938, 10 in 1939, 6 in 1940, 9 in 1941, 2 in 1945, 7 in 1946, 6 in 1947, and 3 in 1949. His most in one season was 12, in 1938.
What was Buddy Lewis's career batting average?
Buddy Lewis batted .297 over his career, with 1,563 hits in 5,261 at bats.
How many RBI did Buddy Lewis have?
Buddy Lewis drove in 607 runs in his career.
Is Buddy Lewis in the Hall of Fame?
No. Buddy Lewis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Buddy Lewis make?
Buddy Lewis was selected to 2 All-Star Games.