Lew Riggs

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

Lew Riggs was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1946 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 13 seasons. In 760 career games, he hit .262 with 650 hits, 28 home runs, and 271 RBI. Lew Riggs was an All-Star.

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 .262
HR 28
RBI 271
H 650
OPS .692
PIV -2,208
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 175 lb
Born
4/22/1910 in Mebane, NC, USA
Died
8/12/1975 in Durham, NC, USA
MLB Debut
1934-04-28
Last Game
1946-04-16
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Lewis Sidney Riggs

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Career Batting Statistics

Lew Riggs — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
760 2,477 298 650 110 43 28 271 22 181 140 .262 .317 .375 .692 -2,208

Career AVG .262 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .317 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.

Career SLG .375 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .692 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Lew Riggs 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
1934 SLN NL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1935 CIN NL 142 532 73 148 26 8 5 46 8 43 32 .278 .279 (-1%) .342 (-2%) .399 (-4%) .742 (-3%) -289.9
1936 CIN NL 141 538 69 138 20 12 6 57 5 38 33 .257 .283 (-10%) .349 (-10%) .404 (-8%) .753 (-9%) -885.9
1937 CIN NL 122 384 43 93 17 5 6 45 4 24 17 .242 .276 (-12%) .342 (-16%) .398 (-10%) .740 (-13%) -859.6
1938 CIN NL 142 531 53 134 21 13 2 55 3 40 28 .252 .272 (-8%) .341 (-9%) .392 (-10%) .734 (-10%) -914.1
1939 CIN NL 22 38 5 6 1 0 0 1 1 5 4 .158 — — — — 0.0
1940 CIN NL 41 72 8 21 7 1 1 9 0 2 4 .292 .267 (+9%) .335 (-7%) .387 (+18%) .722 (+6%) 37.9
1941 BRO NL 77 197 27 60 13 4 5 36 1 16 12 .305 .262 (+16%) .332 (+7%) .373 (+31%) .705 (+20%) 620.2
1942 BRO NL 70 180 20 50 5 0 3 22 0 13 9 .278 .253 (+10%) .323 (+3%) .349 (+2%) .672 (+2%) 83.3
1946 BRO NL 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 760 2,477 298 650 110 43 28 271 22 181 140 .262 — — — — -2,208

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

Lew Riggs — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 11 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 3 .182

Playoff Batting by Year

Lew Riggs — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1941 WS BRO 3 8 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 .250
1940 WS CIN 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (760 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Lew Riggs — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home37411521392936116.254
Away386132415935722156.270

Last 10 Games — Batting

Lew Riggs — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1946-04-16 BROBSNL 400000000
1942-09-25 BROBSNW 101000000
1942-09-22 BRONY1W 201000100
1942-09-20 BROPHIL 101000100
1942-09-17 BROPITL 100000000
1942-09-13 BROCINL 401000000
1942-09-13 BROCINL 300000110
1942-09-11 BROSTLL 100000001
1942-09-07 BROBSNL 101000200
1942-09-05 BRONY1L 100000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Lew Riggs — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 0 4 1 1 1
2B 5 0 4 5 0 1
3B 627 0 614 1220 107 88
SS 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Lew Riggs — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1935 CIN 3B 135 0 132 269 31 21
1936 CIN 3B 140 0 122 267 13 19
1937 CIN 2B 4 0 0 3 0 0
1937 CIN 3B 100 0 112 223 21 16
1937 CIN SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1938 CIN 3B 140 0 146 280 24 18
1939 CIN 3B 11 0 6 16 1 1
1940 CIN 3B 11 0 10 23 2 2
1941 BRO 1B 1 0 3 1 1 1
1941 BRO 2B 1 0 4 2 0 1
1941 BRO 3B 43 0 48 75 9 4
1942 BRO 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1942 BRO 3B 46 0 36 65 6 7
1946 BRO 3B 1 0 2 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Lew Riggs Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 2
Second Base 5
Third Base 627
Shortstop 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Lew Riggs (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Gene Baker
    .263 avg, 42 HR
  2. 95
    Pep Young
    .262 avg, 32 HR
  3. 92
    Bert Haas
    .264 avg, 22 HR
  4. 91
    Sam Bohne
    .261 avg, 16 HR
  5. 90
    Nelson Liriano
    .260 avg, 25 HR
  6. 89
    Jackie Tavener
    .255 avg, 13 HR

Lew Riggs: the record in brief

According to the bio, Lew Riggs debuted on April 28, 1934 and played a final game on April 16, 1946. Club by club, the record runs the St. Louis Cardinals (1934), the Cincinnati Reds (1935 to 1940), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1941 through 1946). At 6 feet, 0 inches and 175 pounds, Riggs is listed as a third baseman. Riggs batted left-handed and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Riggs was born on April 22, 1910, in Mebane, NC, USA. Riggs died on August 12, 1975, in Durham, NC, USA. On the record, Lew Riggs was born Lewis Sidney Riggs.

The batting record for Riggs: 760 games, 650 hits in 2,477 at bats, and a .262 average, along with 28 homers, 271 runs batted in, and 22 stolen bases. Riggs got on base at a .317 rate and slugged .375 (.692 OPS). Against a .270 league average for those years, Riggs's .262 average was near the norm. The hits column peaks at 148, in 1935. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .278 in 1935, did not top the league's .279.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lew Riggs

What years did Lew Riggs play?
Lew Riggs played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1946.
Was Lew Riggs a pitcher?
No. Lew Riggs was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Lew Riggs hit?
Lew Riggs hit 28 career home runs with 650 hits.
What teams did Lew Riggs play for?
Lew Riggs played for 3 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1934), the Cincinnati Reds (1935–1940), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1941–1942, 1946).
Did Lew Riggs win an MVP award?
No. Lew Riggs did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Lew Riggs win?
Lew Riggs was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Lew Riggs's career stats?
In 760 games, Lew Riggs had 650 hits, 28 home runs, 271 RBI, 298 runs, and 22 stolen bases, with a .262 batting average.
What position did Lew Riggs play?
Lew Riggs played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Lew Riggs and how much did he weigh?
Lew Riggs was listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Lew Riggs hit each season?
Lew Riggs's home runs by season: 0 in 1934, 5 in 1935, 6 in 1936, 6 in 1937, 2 in 1938, 0 in 1939, 1 in 1940, 5 in 1941, 3 in 1942, and 0 in 1946. His most in one season was 6, in 1936 and 1937.
What was Lew Riggs's career batting average?
Lew Riggs batted .262 over his career, with 650 hits in 2,477 at bats.
How many RBI did Lew Riggs have?
Lew Riggs drove in 271 runs in his career.
Is Lew Riggs in the Hall of Fame?
No. Lew Riggs has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Lew Riggs make?
Lew Riggs was selected to 1 All-Star Game.