Red Rolfe
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1931-1942)
Red Rolfe was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1942 for the New York Yankees, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,175 career games, he hit .289 with 1,394 hits, 69 home runs, and 497 RBI. Red Rolfe was a 4-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 6,342.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 170 lb
- Died
- 7/8/1969 in Gilford, NH, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1931-06-29
- Last Game
- 1942-09-27
- Awards
- 4× All-Star
Full name: Robert Abial Rolfe
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,175 | 4,827 | 942 | 1,394 | 257 | 67 | 69 | 497 | 44 | 526 | 335 | .289 | .360 | .413 | .773 | 6,342 |
Career AVG .289 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — +6.0% above league average.
Career OBP .360 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +6.2% above league average.
Career SLG .413 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — +6.4% above league average.
Career OPS .773 vs. league average .727 across their career seasons — +6.3% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | NYA | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1934 | NYA | AL | 89 | 279 | 54 | 80 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 26 | 16 | .287 | .278 (+3%) | .340 (+2%) | .392 (-12%) | .733 (-5%) | -195.4 |
| 1935 | NYA | AL | 149 | 639 | 108 | 192 | 33 | 9 | 5 | 67 | 7 | 57 | 39 | .300 | .279 (+7%) | .342 (+5%) | .399 (+1%) | .742 (+3%) | 436.3 |
| 1936 | NYA | AL | 135 | 568 | 116 | 181 | 39 | 15 | 10 | 70 | 3 | 68 | 38 | .319 | .283 (+12%) | .349 (+12%) | .404 (+22%) | .753 (+17%) | 2015.6 |
| 1937 | NYA | AL | 154 | 648 | 143 | 179 | 34 | 10 | 4 | 62 | 4 | 90 | 53 | .276 | .276 (avg) | .342 (+7%) | .398 (-5%) | .740 (avg) | 247.7 |
| 1938 | NYA | AL | 151 | 631 | 132 | 196 | 36 | 8 | 10 | 80 | 13 | 74 | 44 | .311 | .272 (+14%) | .341 (+13%) | .392 (+12%) | .734 (+12%) | 1761.8 |
| 1939 | NYA | AL | 152 | 648 | 139 | 213 | 46 | 10 | 14 | 80 | 7 | 81 | 41 | .329 | .274 (+20%) | .342 (+18%) | .393 (+26%) | .735 (+22%) | 3113.1 |
| 1940 | NYA | AL | 139 | 588 | 102 | 147 | 26 | 6 | 10 | 53 | 4 | 50 | 48 | .250 | .267 (-6%) | .335 (-7%) | .387 (-6%) | .722 (-6%) | -650.0 |
| 1941 | NYA | AL | 136 | 561 | 106 | 148 | 22 | 5 | 8 | 42 | 3 | 57 | 38 | .264 | .262 (+1%) | .332 (avg) | .373 (-3%) | .705 (-1%) | -116.0 |
| 1942 | NYA | AL | 69 | 265 | 42 | 58 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 25 | 1 | 23 | 18 | .219 | .253 (-14%) | .323 (-13%) | .349 (+1%) | .672 (-5%) | -271.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 1,175 | 4,827 | 942 | 1,394 | 257 | 67 | 69 | 497 | 44 | 526 | 335 | .289 | — | — | — | — | 6,342 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | WS | NYA | 4 | 17 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .353 |
| 1941 | WS | NYA | 5 | 20 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .300 |
| 1939 | WS | NYA | 4 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 |
| 1938 | WS | NYA | 4 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .167 |
| 1937 | WS | NYA | 5 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | .300 |
| 1936 | WS | NYA | 6 | 25 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | .400 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1175 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 571 | 2271 | 464 | 654 | 55 | 257 | .288 |
| Away | 604 | 2556 | 476 | 740 | 14 | 239 | .290 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942-09-27 | NYY | BOS | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-23 | NYY | MIN | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-20 | NYY | BOS | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-19 | NYY | BOS | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-09-17 | NYY | DET | W | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1942-09-14 | NYY | CLE | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1942-09-13 | NYY | CLE | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1942-09-12 | NYY | CHW | W | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-11 | NYY | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-09-10 | NYY | SLA | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 1084 | 0 | 1220 | 2128 | 155 | 184 |
| SS | 64 | 0 | 116 | 147 | 15 | 32 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | NYA | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934 | NYA | 3B | 26 | 0 | 37 | 56 | 8 | 5 |
| 1934 | NYA | SS | 46 | 0 | 84 | 103 | 11 | 26 |
| 1935 | NYA | 3B | 136 | 0 | 166 | 239 | 15 | 16 |
| 1935 | NYA | SS | 17 | 0 | 31 | 44 | 4 | 6 |
| 1936 | NYA | 3B | 133 | 0 | 162 | 265 | 19 | 20 |
| 1937 | NYA | 3B | 154 | 0 | 195 | 309 | 20 | 27 |
| 1938 | NYA | 3B | 151 | 0 | 151 | 294 | 19 | 26 |
| 1939 | NYA | 3B | 152 | 0 | 151 | 282 | 19 | 22 |
| 1940 | NYA | 3B | 138 | 0 | 161 | 288 | 24 | 24 |
| 1941 | NYA | 3B | 134 | 0 | 140 | 263 | 23 | 28 |
| 1942 | NYA | 3B | 60 | 0 | 57 | 132 | 8 | 16 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 1084 |
| Shortstop | 63 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
| 1939 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1938 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
| 1938 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1937 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth College | Hanover | NH | 1929, 1930, 1931 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 27th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1938 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 24th | 5.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Red Rolfe (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Red Rolfe: the record in brief
Red Rolfe played a first major league game on June 29, 1931 and a last one on September 27, 1942. Rolfe's only club in the season tables is the New York Yankees. Rolfe is listed as a third baseman at 170 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Rolfe hit left-handed while throwing right-handed, per the bio block. Rolfe was born on October 17, 1908, in Penacook, NH, USA. The bio records the death on July 8, 1969, in Gilford, NH, USA. The given name on file is Robert Abial Rolfe.
Rolfe collected 1,394 hits in 4,827 at bats across 1,175 games, good for a .289 batting average; the totals also include 69 homers, 497 RBI, and 44 stolen bases. Rolfe's career OPS of .773 combines a .360 on-base mark with .413 slugging. Over the seasons Rolfe played, league hitters batted .272; the .289 career figure is 6.0% above that. In OPS terms, Rolfe's .773 stands 6.3% above the league's .727. 1939 was Rolfe's biggest home run year, with 14.
Frequently Asked Questions about Red Rolfe
- What years did Red Rolfe play?
- Red Rolfe played in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1942.
- Was Red Rolfe a pitcher?
- No. Red Rolfe was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Red Rolfe hit?
- Red Rolfe hit 69 career home runs with 1,394 hits.
- What teams did Red Rolfe play for?
- Red Rolfe played for one team, the New York Yankees (1931, 1934–1942).
- Did Red Rolfe win an MVP award?
- No. Red Rolfe did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Red Rolfe win?
- Red Rolfe was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
- What were Red Rolfe's career stats?
- In 1,175 games, Red Rolfe had 1,394 hits, 69 home runs, 497 RBI, 942 runs, and 44 stolen bases, with a .289 batting average.
- What position did Red Rolfe play?
- Red Rolfe played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Red Rolfe and how much did he weigh?
- Red Rolfe was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 170 pounds.
- How many home runs did Red Rolfe hit each season?
- Red Rolfe's home runs by season: 0 in 1934, 5 in 1935, 10 in 1936, 4 in 1937, 10 in 1938, 14 in 1939, 10 in 1940, 8 in 1941, and 8 in 1942. His most in one season was 14, in 1939.
- What was Red Rolfe's career batting average?
- Red Rolfe batted .289 over his career, with 1,394 hits in 4,827 at bats.
- How many RBI did Red Rolfe have?
- Red Rolfe drove in 497 runs in his career.
- Is Red Rolfe in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Red Rolfe has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Red Rolfe make?
- Red Rolfe was selected to 4 All-Star Games.