Dave Philley
Born: 5/16/1920 in Paris, TX, USA
Died: 3/15/2012 in Paris, TX, USA
MLB Debut: 1941-09-06 | Final Game: 1962-08-06
Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 188 lbs
Full name: David Earl Philley
Biography
Dave Philley, born in 1920, was a versatile position player who enjoyed a lengthy Major League Baseball career from 1941 until his retirement in 1962. Philley played in a total of 1,904 games, showcasing his durability and commitment to the sport during an era that experienced significant change, including the integration of baseball and the aftermath of World War II. His steady presence in the lineup contributed to his teams' successes, as he accumulated 1,700 hits, 84 home runs, and 729 RBIs, all while maintaining a respectable batting average of .270.
Known for his speed on the basepaths, Philley also recorded 101 stolen bases, demonstrating his ability to blend power with agility. His career coincided with the rise of various baseball legends and the evolving dynamics of the game, and his contributions were crucial for the teams he played for, including the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago White Sox. Philley's legacy is marked not only by his impressive statistics but also by his role as a reliable player who adapted to the shifting landscape of Major League Baseball throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 | 6296 | 789 | 1700 | 276 | 72 | 84 | 729 | 101 | 594 | 551 | 0.270 | 0.334 | 0.377 | 0.710 | -2489.7 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | CHW | AL | 7 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.222 | 0.0 |
| 1946 | CHW | AL | 17 | 68 | 10 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0.353 | 240.0 |
| 1947 | CHW | AL | 143 | 551 | 55 | 142 | 25 | 11 | 2 | 45 | 21 | 35 | 39 | 0.258 | -1059.0 |
| 1948 | CHW | AL | 137 | 488 | 51 | 140 | 28 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 8 | 50 | 33 | 0.287 | 227.6 |
| 1949 | CHW | AL | 146 | 598 | 84 | 171 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 44 | 13 | 54 | 51 | 0.286 | -578.9 |
| 1950 | CHW | AL | 156 | 619 | 69 | 150 | 21 | 5 | 14 | 80 | 6 | 52 | 57 | 0.242 | -1640.9 |
| 1951 | CHW | AL | 7 | 25 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0.240 | 0.0 |
| 1951 | PHA | AL | 125 | 468 | 71 | 123 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 59 | 9 | 63 | 38 | 0.263 | 0.0 |
| 1952 | PHA | AL | 151 | 586 | 80 | 154 | 25 | 4 | 7 | 71 | 11 | 59 | 35 | 0.263 | -69.8 |
| 1953 | PHA | AL | 157 | 620 | 80 | 188 | 30 | 9 | 9 | 59 | 13 | 51 | 35 | 0.303 | 815.6 |
| 1954 | CLE | AL | 133 | 452 | 48 | 102 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 60 | 2 | 57 | 48 | 0.226 | -865.6 |
| 1955 | BAL | AL | 83 | 311 | 50 | 93 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 41 | 1 | 34 | 38 | 0.299 | 513.3 |
| 1955 | CLE | AL | 43 | 104 | 15 | 31 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 0.298 | 513.3 |
| 1956 | BAL | AL | 32 | 117 | 13 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 18 | 13 | 0.205 | -316.4 |
| 1956 | CHW | AL | 86 | 279 | 44 | 74 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 47 | 1 | 28 | 27 | 0.265 | -316.4 |
| 1957 | CHW | AL | 22 | 71 | 9 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 0.324 | 47.9 |
| 1957 | DET | AL | 65 | 173 | 15 | 49 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 0.283 | 47.9 |
| 1958 | PHI | NL | 91 | 207 | 30 | 64 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 31 | 1 | 15 | 20 | 0.309 | 415.4 |
| 1959 | PHI | NL | 99 | 254 | 32 | 74 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 37 | 0 | 18 | 27 | 0.291 | 503.0 |
| 1960 | BAL | AL | 14 | 34 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0.265 | 0.0 |
| 1960 | PHI | NL | 14 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.333 | 0.0 |
| 1960 | SFG | NL | 39 | 61 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 0.164 | 0.0 |
| 1961 | BAL | AL | 99 | 144 | 13 | 36 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 2 | 10 | 20 | 0.250 | -336.0 |
| 1962 | BOS | AL | 38 | 42 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0.143 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.125 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | WS | CLE | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.125 |
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 | BAL | 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1955 | BAL | OF | 82 | 80 | 154 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| 1955 | CLE | OF | 34 | 22 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 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 | BAL | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | BAL | OF | 8 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 |
| 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
| 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 |