Dave Philley
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1941-1962)
Dave Philley was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1962 for 8 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 22 seasons. In 1,904 career games, he hit .270 with 1,700 hits, 84 home runs, and 729 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
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 188 lb
- Died
- 3/15/2012 in Paris, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1941-09-06
- Last Game
- 1962-08-06
Full name: David Earl Philley
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,904 | 6,296 | 789 | 1,700 | 276 | 72 | 84 | 729 | 101 | 594 | 551 | .270 | .334 | .377 | .710 | -1,350 |
Career AVG .270 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .334 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .377 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .710 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | CHA | AL | 7 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | CHA | AL | 17 | 68 | 10 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 4 | .353 | .256 (+37%) | .328 (+18%) | .358 (+31%) | .687 (+25%) | 240.6 |
| 1947 | CHA | AL | 143 | 551 | 55 | 142 | 25 | 11 | 2 | 45 | 21 | 35 | 39 | .258 | .262 (-2%) | .336 (-10%) | .376 (-6%) | .712 (-8%) | -827.1 |
| 1948 | CHA | AL | 137 | 488 | 51 | 140 | 28 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 8 | 50 | 33 | .287 | .263 (+9%) | .340 (+4%) | .379 (+2%) | .719 (+3%) | 285.6 |
| 1949 | CHA | AL | 146 | 598 | 84 | 171 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 44 | 13 | 54 | 51 | .286 | .262 (+9%) | .343 (+1%) | .384 (-10%) | .727 (-5%) | -450.7 |
| 1950 | CHA | AL | 156 | 619 | 69 | 150 | 21 | 5 | 14 | 80 | 6 | 52 | 57 | .242 | .265 (-9%) | .346 (-13%) | .401 (-10%) | .747 (-11%) | -1262.2 |
| 1951 | CHA | AL | 7 | 25 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .240 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | PHA | AL | 125 | 468 | 71 | 123 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 59 | 9 | 63 | 38 | .263 | .260 (+1%) | .336 (+5%) | .385 (-2%) | .721 (+1%) | 0.0 |
| 1952 | PHA | AL | 151 | 586 | 80 | 154 | 25 | 4 | 7 | 71 | 11 | 59 | 35 | .263 | .252 (+4%) | .326 (+2%) | .369 (-4%) | .696 (-1%) | -53.9 |
| 1953 | PHA | AL | 157 | 620 | 80 | 188 | 30 | 9 | 9 | 59 | 13 | 51 | 35 | .303 | .264 (+15%) | .335 (+7%) | .397 (+7%) | .733 (+7%) | 815.6 |
| 1954 | CLE | AL | 133 | 452 | 48 | 102 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 60 | 2 | 57 | 48 | .226 | .261 (-14%) | .333 (-7%) | .390 (-11%) | .723 (-9%) | -687.5 |
| 1955 | CLE | AL | 43 | 104 | 15 | 31 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 10 | .298 | .258 (+15%) | .332 (+11%) | .393 (+10%) | .726 (+10%) | 186.1 |
| 1955 | BAL | AL | 83 | 311 | 50 | 93 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 41 | 1 | 34 | 38 | .299 | .258 (+16%) | .332 (+11%) | .393 (+6%) | .726 (+8%) | 186.1 |
| 1956 | BAL | AL | 32 | 117 | 13 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 18 | 13 | .205 | .258 (-21%) | .331 (-7%) | .397 (-25%) | .728 (-17%) | -297.8 |
| 1956 | CHA | AL | 86 | 279 | 44 | 74 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 47 | 1 | 28 | 27 | .265 | .258 (+3%) | .331 (-1%) | .397 (-6%) | .728 (-4%) | -297.8 |
| 1957 | CHA | AL | 22 | 71 | 9 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 10 | .324 | .257 (+26%) | .323 (+11%) | .391 (-3%) | .715 (+4%) | 47.9 |
| 1957 | DET | AL | 65 | 173 | 15 | 49 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 16 | .283 | .257 (+10%) | .323 (-5%) | .391 (-4%) | .715 (-4%) | 47.9 |
| 1958 | PHI | NL | 91 | 207 | 30 | 64 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 31 | 1 | 15 | 20 | .309 | .257 (+20%) | .324 (+10%) | .394 (+13%) | .719 (+11%) | 415.4 |
| 1959 | PHI | NL | 99 | 254 | 32 | 74 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 37 | 0 | 18 | 27 | .291 | .256 (+14%) | .323 (+5%) | .392 (+17%) | .715 (+12%) | 503.0 |
| 1960 | PHI | NL | 14 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | SFN | NL | 39 | 61 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 14 | .164 | .255 (-36%) | .323 (-26%) | .387 (-45%) | .711 (-36%) | 0.0 |
| 1960 | BAL | AL | 14 | 34 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | .265 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1961 | BAL | AL | 99 | 144 | 13 | 36 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 2 | 10 | 20 | .250 | .258 (-3%) | .328 (-11%) | .399 (-10%) | .727 (-10%) | -283.9 |
| 1962 | BOS | AL | 38 | 42 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 3 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 24 seasons | 1,904 | 6,296 | 789 | 1,700 | 276 | 72 | 84 | 729 | 101 | 594 | 551 | .270 | — | — | — | — | -1,433 | ||
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 (1904 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 959 | 3029 | 397 | 806 | 26 | 353 | .266 |
| Away | 945 | 3267 | 392 | 894 | 58 | 376 | .274 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-08-06 | BOS | LAA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-07-27 | BOS | TEX | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-07-26 | BOS | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-07-25 | BOS | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-07-12 | BOS | KC1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-07-01 | BOS | KC1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-06-20 | BOS | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-06-17 | BOS | DET | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-06-17 | BOS | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-06-16 | BOS | DET | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 125 | 106 | 846 | 65 | 13 | 82 |
| 3B | 21 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| OF | 1454 | 402 | 3242 | 137 | 64 | 33 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | CHA | OF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | CHA | OF | 17 | 0 | 55 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1947 | CHA | 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947 | CHA | OF | 133 | 0 | 355 | 9 | 5 | 2 |
| 1948 | CHA | OF | 128 | 0 | 381 | 22 | 9 | 6 |
| 1949 | CHA | OF | 145 | 0 | 282 | 16 | 7 | 3 |
| 1950 | CHA | OF | 154 | 0 | 367 | 19 | 8 | 8 |
| 1951 | CHA | OF | 6 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1951 | PHA | 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951 | PHA | OF | 120 | 0 | 299 | 15 | 7 | 4 |
| 1952 | PHA | 3B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952 | PHA | OF | 149 | 0 | 442 | 13 | 4 | 3 |
| 1953 | PHA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953 | PHA | OF | 157 | 0 | 296 | 18 | 6 | 0 |
| 1954 | CLE | OF | 129 | 120 | 237 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| 1955 | CLE | OF | 34 | 22 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1955 | BAL | 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1955 | BAL | OF | 82 | 80 | 154 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| 1956 | BAL | 3B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1956 | BAL | OF | 31 | 31 | 56 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 1956 | CHA | 1B | 51 | 44 | 299 | 17 | 7 | 31 |
| 1956 | CHA | OF | 30 | 26 | 50 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957 | CHA | 1B | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1957 | CHA | OF | 17 | 16 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957 | DET | 1B | 27 | 23 | 203 | 25 | 1 | 19 |
| 1957 | DET | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957 | DET | OF | 12 | 11 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958 | PHI | 1B | 18 | 17 | 151 | 12 | 1 | 12 |
| 1958 | PHI | OF | 24 | 24 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | PHI | 1B | 24 | 21 | 174 | 11 | 4 | 17 |
| 1959 | PHI | OF | 34 | 35 | 64 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1960 | PHI | 1B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1960 | PHI | OF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | SFN | 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | SFN | OF | 10 | 9 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960 | BAL | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | BAL | OF | 8 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | BAL | 1B | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | BAL | OF | 25 | 17 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | BOS | OF | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 124 |
| Third Base | 22 |
| Left Field | 201 |
| Center Field | 590 |
| Right Field | 719 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 20th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1953 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 11.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1950 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 30th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Dave Philley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Philley
- What years did Dave Philley play?
- Dave Philley played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1962.
- Was Dave Philley a pitcher?
- No. Dave Philley was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Dave Philley hit?
- Dave Philley hit 84 career home runs with 1700 hits.
- What was Dave Philley's career batting average?
- Dave Philley batted .270 over his career, with 1,700 hits in 6,296 at bats.
- How many RBI did Dave Philley have?
- Dave Philley drove in 729 runs in his career.
- Is Dave Philley in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Dave Philley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.