Bubba Phillips

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1964)

Bubba Phillips was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1964 for the Detroit Tigers, the Chicago White Sox, and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 10 seasons. In 1,062 career games, he hit .255 with 835 hits, 62 home runs, and 356 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

AVG .255
HR 62
RBI 356
H 835
OPS .655
PIV -4,643
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 180 lb
Born
2/24/1928 in West Point, MS, USA
Died
6/22/1993 in Hattiesburg, MS, USA
MLB Debut
1955-04-12
Last Game
1964-09-18

Full name: John Melvin Phillips

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Career Batting Statistics

Bubba Phillips — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,062 3,278 348 835 135 8 62 356 25 182 314 .255 .297 .358 .655 -4,643

Career AVG .255 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .297 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 8.0% below league average.

Career SLG .358 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 8.2% below league average.

Career OPS .655 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — 8.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bubba Phillips 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
1955 DET AL 95 184 18 43 4 0 3 23 2 14 20 .234 .258 (-10%) .332 (-13%) .393 (-23%) .726 (-18%) -555.0
1956 CHA AL 67 99 16 27 6 0 2 11 1 6 12 .273 .258 (+6%) .331 (-3%) .397 (-1%) .728 (-2%) -36.1
1957 CHA AL 121 393 38 106 13 3 7 42 5 28 32 .270 .257 (+5%) .323 (-1%) .391 (-5%) .715 (-3%) -186.3
1958 CHA AL 84 260 26 71 10 0 5 30 3 15 14 .273 .257 (+6%) .324 (-5%) .394 (-6%) .719 (-6%) -271.6
1959 CHA AL 117 379 43 100 27 1 5 40 1 27 28 .264 .256 (+3%) .323 (-2%) .392 (-3%) .715 (-2%) -159.5
1960 CLE AL 113 304 34 63 14 1 4 33 1 14 37 .207 .255 (-19%) .323 (-23%) .387 (-23%) .711 (-23%) -1152.3
1961 CLE AL 143 546 64 144 23 1 18 72 1 29 61 .264 .258 (+2%) .328 (-7%) .399 (+2%) .727 (-2%) -249.9
1962 CLE AL 148 562 53 145 26 0 10 54 4 20 55 .258 .257 (avg) .326 (-11%) .393 (-9%) .719 (-10%) -1002.3
1963 DET AL 128 464 42 114 11 2 5 45 6 19 42 .246 .246 (avg) .308 (-11%) .371 (-17%) .680 (-14%) -1057.3
1964 DET AL 46 87 14 22 1 0 3 6 1 10 13 .253 .250 (+1%) .312 (+4%) .377 (-3%) .690 (+1%) 27.0
Career · 10 seasons 1,062 3,278 348 835 135 8 62 356 25 182 314 .255 — — — — -4,643

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Bubba Phillips — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 10 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 .300

Playoff Batting by Year

Bubba Phillips — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1959 WS CHA 3 10 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 .300

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1062 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bubba Phillips — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home517154516440930193.265
Away545173318542632163.246

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bubba Phillips — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1964-09-18 DETCLEL 000000000
1964-09-06 DETTEXW 100000001
1964-08-29 DETLAAL 200000010
1964-08-21 DETMINW 301000000
1964-08-14 DETKC1L 101000000
1964-08-09 DETKC1W 400000001
1964-08-09 DETKC1W 401000001
1964-08-08 DETKC1W 400000001
1964-08-07 DETKC1W 100000000
1964-08-06 DETCHWW 100000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bubba Phillips — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
3B 762 717 808 1416 92 133
OF 214 138 403 8 7 2
SS 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bubba Phillips — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1955 DET 3B 4 4 3 9 2 1
1955 DET OF 65 35 128 2 1 0
1956 CHA 3B 2 1 2 2 0 1
1956 CHA OF 35 23 59 2 0 1
1957 CHA 3B 97 92 91 227 14 18
1957 CHA OF 20 16 56 3 0 0
1958 CHA 3B 47 42 38 86 6 12
1958 CHA OF 37 30 84 1 2 1
1959 CHA 3B 100 86 90 202 15 13
1959 CHA OF 23 17 37 0 0 0
1960 CLE 3B 85 74 87 135 11 18
1960 CLE OF 25 10 22 0 2 0
1960 CLE SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1961 CLE 3B 143 143 188 246 19 23
1962 CLE 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1962 CLE 3B 145 144 175 243 10 16
1962 CLE OF 3 3 8 0 1 0
1963 DET 3B 117 112 116 226 14 26
1963 DET OF 5 3 9 0 1 0
1964 DET 3B 22 19 18 40 1 5
1964 DET OF 1 1 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bubba Phillips Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 1
Third Base 763
Shortstop 1
Left Field 109
Center Field 63
Right Field 47

College History

Bubba Phillips — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg MS 1947, 1948

Award Voting History

Bubba Phillips — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1961 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 5.0 280 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bubba Phillips (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Billy Martin
    .257 avg, 64 HR
  2. 96
    Jimmy Bloodworth
    .248 avg, 62 HR
  3. 88
    Jerry Adair
    .254 avg, 57 HR
  4. 85
    Luis Sojo
    .261 avg, 36 HR
  5. 84
    Mike Aviles
    .261 avg, 60 HR
  6. 84
    Pat Meares
    .258 avg, 58 HR

Bubba Phillips: the record in brief

The profile opens with Bubba Phillips's first major league game on April 12, 1955; the last one listed came on September 18, 1964. The season rows list, in order, the Detroit Tigers (1955 through 1964), the Chicago White Sox (1956 through 1959), and the Cleveland Indians (1960 through 1962). The bio lists Phillips as a third baseman who batted and threw right-handed. Phillips is listed at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. Phillips was born on February 24, 1928, in West Point, MS, USA. Phillips's death is recorded on June 22, 1993, in Hattiesburg, MS, USA. Phillips's full given name, per the bio, is John Melvin Phillips.

Phillips's career batting table shows 1,062 games, 3,278 at bats and 835 hits, a .255 average, plus 62 homers, 356 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .297 clip and slugging .358, Phillips finished with a .655 OPS. Against a .255 league average for those years, Phillips's .255 average was near the norm. The home run peak was 18 in 1961 with the Cleveland Indians. The hits column peaks at 145, in 1962.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bubba Phillips

What years did Bubba Phillips play?
Bubba Phillips played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1964.
Was Bubba Phillips a pitcher?
No. Bubba Phillips was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Bubba Phillips hit?
Bubba Phillips hit 62 career home runs with 835 hits.
What was Bubba Phillips's career batting average?
Bubba Phillips batted .255 over his career, with 835 hits in 3,278 at bats.
How many RBI did Bubba Phillips have?
Bubba Phillips drove in 356 runs in his career.
Is Bubba Phillips in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bubba Phillips has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.