Karl Olson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1951-1957)
Karl Olson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1957 for the Boston Red Sox, the Washington Senators, and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 7 seasons. In 279 career games, he hit .235 with 160 hits, 6 home runs, and 50 RBI.
- 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
- 6'3" / 205 lb
- Died
- 12/25/2010 in Reno, NV, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1951-06-30
- Last Game
- 1957-06-10
Full name: Karl Arthur Olson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 279 | 681 | 74 | 160 | 25 | 6 | 6 | 50 | 3 | 43 | 94 | .235 | .278 | .316 | .594 | -1,659 |
Career AVG .235 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 9.7% below league average.
Career OBP .278 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 16.2% below league average.
Career SLG .316 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 19.6% below league average.
Career OPS .594 vs. league average .725 across their career seasons — 18.0% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | BOS | AL | 5 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .100 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1953 | BOS | AL | 25 | 57 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 9 | .123 | .264 (-54%) | .335 (-59%) | .397 (-47%) | .733 (-52%) | -497.6 |
| 1954 | BOS | AL | 101 | 227 | 25 | 59 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 2 | 12 | 23 | .260 | .261 (avg) | .333 (-12%) | .390 (-12%) | .723 (-12%) | -490.8 |
| 1955 | BOS | AL | 26 | 48 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | WS1 | AL | 106 | 313 | 34 | 77 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 1 | 28 | 41 | .246 | .258 (-5%) | .331 (-8%) | .397 (-17%) | .728 (-13%) | -671.0 |
| 1957 | WS1 | AL | 8 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1957 | DET | AL | 8 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 279 | 681 | 74 | 160 | 25 | 6 | 6 | 50 | 3 | 43 | 94 | .235 | — | — | — | — | -1,659 | ||
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 (279 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 131 | 328 | 40 | 89 | 3 | 26 | .271 |
| Away | 148 | 353 | 34 | 71 | 3 | 24 | .201 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-06-10 | DET | NYY | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-06-02 | DET | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1957-05-21 | DET | BAL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1957-05-15 | DET | BOS | L | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1957-05-10 | DET | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-05-08 | DET | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-05-06 | DET | BAL | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-05-01 | DET | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-04-28 | MIN | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-04-28 | MIN | BAL | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 83 |
| Center Field | 140 |
| Right Field | 29 |
Karl Olson: the record in brief
According to the bio, Karl Olson debuted on June 30, 1951 and played a final game on June 10, 1957. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Red Sox (1951 through 1955), the Washington Senators (1956 through 1957), and the Detroit Tigers (1957). Olson, born on July 6, 1930, in Ross, CA, USA, is listed as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. Olson's listed size is 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. The bio records the death on December 25, 2010, in Reno, NV, USA. Olson's full given name, per the bio, is Karl Arthur Olson.
Olson finished with 160 hits from 681 at bats in 279 games, which works out to .235, plus 6 homers and 50 runs batted in. Olson's career OPS of .594 combines a .278 on-base mark with .316 slugging. Set against a .260 league average for the same years, Olson's .235 average sits 9.7% below it. The hits column peaks at 77, in 1956. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .260 in 1954, did not top the league's .261.
Frequently Asked Questions about Karl Olson
- What years did Karl Olson play?
- Karl Olson played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1957.
- Was Karl Olson a pitcher?
- No. Karl Olson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Karl Olson hit?
- Karl Olson hit 6 career home runs with 160 hits.
- What was Karl Olson's career batting average?
- Karl Olson batted .235 over his career, with 160 hits in 681 at bats.
- How many RBI did Karl Olson have?
- Karl Olson drove in 50 runs in his career.
- Is Karl Olson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Karl Olson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.