Buster Mills

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1934-1946)

Buster Mills was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1946 for 6 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 13 seasons. In 415 career games, he hit .287 with 396 hits, 14 home runs, and 163 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 845.

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 .287
HR 14
RBI 163
H 396
OPS .746
PIV 845
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 195 lb
Born
9/16/1908 in Ranger, TX, USA
Died
12/1/1991 in Arlington, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1934-04-18
Last Game
1946-06-01

Full name: Colonel Buster Mills

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Career Batting Statistics

Buster Mills — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
415 1,379 200 396 62 19 14 163 23 131 137 .287 .355 .390 .746 845

Career AVG .287 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — +6.7% above league average.

Career OBP .355 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — +5.7% above league average.

Career SLG .390 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .746 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Buster Mills — 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
1934 SLN NL 29 72 7 17 4 1 1 8 0 4 11 .236 .278 (-15%) .340 (-13%) .392 (-8%) .733 (-11%) -132.8
1935 BRO NL 17 56 12 12 2 1 1 7 0 5 11 .214 .279 (-23%) .342 (-6%) .399 (-15%) .742 (-11%) -84.1
1937 BOS AL 123 505 85 149 25 8 7 58 11 46 41 .295 .276 (+7%) .342 (+5%) .398 (+5%) .740 (+5%) 548.4
1938 SLA AL 123 466 66 133 24 4 3 46 7 43 46 .285 .272 (+5%) .341 (+2%) .392 (-5%) .734 (-2%) -84.1
1940 NYA AL 34 63 10 25 3 3 1 15 0 7 5 .397 .267 (+49%) .335 (+36%) .387 (+51%) .722 (+44%) 472.6
1942 CLE AL 80 195 19 54 4 2 1 26 5 23 18 .277 .253 (+9%) .323 (+9%) .349 (-5%) .672 (+2%) 125.0
1946 CLE AL 9 22 1 6 0 0 0 3 0 3 5 .273 — — — — 0.0
Career · 7 seasons 415 1,379 200 396 62 19 14 163 23 131 137 .287 — — — — 845

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 (415 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Buster Mills — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home20365594184472.281
Away2127241072121093.293

Last 10 Games — Batting

Buster Mills — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1946-06-01 CLEPHAL 100000001
1946-05-25 CLESLAW 401000000
1946-05-23 CLEBOSW 311000100
1946-05-22 CLEBOSL 501000103
1946-05-21 CLENYYW 401000001
1946-05-20 CLENYYW 302000120
1946-05-17 CLEMINL 000000010
1946-05-07 CLEMINL 100000000
1946-04-28 CLEDETW 100000000
1942-09-25 CLECHWL 100000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Buster Mills — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 341 0 727 21 28 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Buster Mills — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1934 SLN OF 18 0 45 0 0 0
1935 BRO OF 17 0 33 0 1 0
1937 BOS OF 120 0 239 8 14 0
1938 SLA OF 113 0 235 9 9 2
1940 NYA OF 14 0 22 0 0 0
1942 CLE OF 53 0 142 4 4 2
1946 CLE OF 6 0 11 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Buster Mills — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Left Field 254
Center Field 79
Right Field 14

College History

Buster Mills — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Oklahoma Norman OK 1930, 1931

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Buster Mills (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Algie McBride
    .292 avg, 12 HR
  2. 92
    Buzz Boyle
    .290 avg, 12 HR
  3. 89
    Joe Grace
    .283 avg, 20 HR
  4. 85
    Ted Page
    .286 avg, 7 HR
  5. 80
    Al Shaw
    .281 avg, 14 HR
  6. 73
    Country Brown
    .290 avg, 12 HR

Buster Mills: the record in brief

Buster Mills's major league career runs from a debut on April 18, 1934 to a final game on June 1, 1946. The season rows list, in order, the St. Louis Cardinals (1934), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1935), the Boston Red Sox (1937), the St. Louis Browns (1938), the New York Yankees (1940), and the Cleveland Indians (1942 through 1946). Mills played primarily as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on September 16, 1908, in Ranger, TX, USA, Mills was listed at 5'11" and 195 pounds. Mills died on December 1, 1991, in Arlington, TX, USA. Mills's full given name, per the bio, is Colonel Buster Mills.

Mills's career batting table shows 415 games, 1,379 at bats and 396 hits, a .287 average, plus 14 home runs, 163 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .355 clip and slugging .390, Mills finished with a .746 OPS. Over the seasons Mills played, league hitters batted .269; the .287 career figure is 6.7% above that. No season topped the 149 hits of 1937.

Frequently Asked Questions about Buster Mills

What years did Buster Mills play?
Buster Mills played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1946.
Was Buster Mills a pitcher?
No. Buster Mills was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Buster Mills hit?
Buster Mills hit 14 career home runs with 396 hits.
What teams did Buster Mills play for?
Buster Mills played for 6 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1934), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1935), the Boston Red Sox (1937), the St. Louis Browns (1938), the New York Yankees (1940), and the Cleveland Indians (1942, 1946).
What were Buster Mills's career stats?
In 415 games, Buster Mills had 396 hits, 14 home runs, 163 RBI, 200 runs, and 23 stolen bases, with a .287 batting average.
What position did Buster Mills play?
Buster Mills played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Buster Mills and how much did he weigh?
Buster Mills was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 195 pounds.
How many home runs did Buster Mills hit each season?
Buster Mills's home runs by season: 1 in 1934, 1 in 1935, 7 in 1937, 3 in 1938, 1 in 1940, 1 in 1942, and 0 in 1946. His most in one season was 7, in 1937.
What was Buster Mills's career batting average?
Buster Mills batted .287 over his career, with 396 hits in 1,379 at bats.
How many RBI did Buster Mills have?
Buster Mills drove in 163 runs in his career.
Is Buster Mills in the Hall of Fame?
No. Buster Mills has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.