Howie Shanks
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1912-1925)
Howie Shanks was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1925 for the Washington Senators, the Boston Red Sox, and the New York Yankees, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,665 career games, he hit .253 with 1,440 hits, 25 home runs, and 620 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 170 lb
- Died
- 7/30/1941 in Monaca, PA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1912-05-09
- Last Game
- 1925-10-03
Full name: Howard Samuel Shanks
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,665 | 5,699 | 604 | 1,440 | 211 | 96 | 25 | 620 | 185 | 415 | 507 | .253 | .308 | .337 | .644 | -5,420 |
Career AVG .253 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — 5.9% below league average.
Career OBP .308 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 7.3% below league average.
Career SLG .337 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — 7.1% below league average.
Career OPS .644 vs. league average .694 across their career seasons — 7.2% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | WS1 | AL | 116 | 399 | 52 | 92 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 48 | 21 | 40 | 64 | .231 | .268 (-14%) | .335 (-9%) | .358 (-14%) | .694 (-12%) | -713.7 |
| 1913 | WS1 | AL | 109 | 390 | 38 | 99 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 37 | 24 | 15 | 40 | .254 | .259 (-2%) | .325 (-12%) | .345 (-9%) | .670 (-10%) | -667.6 |
| 1914 | WS1 | AL | 143 | 500 | 44 | 112 | 22 | 10 | 4 | 64 | 18 | 29 | 51 | .224 | .255 (-12%) | .322 (-16%) | .339 (-2%) | .661 (-9%) | -838.7 |
| 1915 | WS1 | AL | 141 | 492 | 52 | 123 | 19 | 8 | 0 | 47 | 12 | 30 | 42 | .250 | .250 (avg) | .318 (-7%) | .332 (-3%) | .651 (-5%) | -449.0 |
| 1916 | WS1 | AL | 140 | 471 | 51 | 119 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 48 | 23 | 41 | 34 | .253 | .248 (+2%) | .314 (+1%) | .326 (-2%) | .640 (-1%) | -30.1 |
| 1917 | WS1 | AL | 126 | 430 | 45 | 87 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 28 | 15 | 33 | 37 | .202 | .248 (-19%) | .312 (-14%) | .323 (-19%) | .635 (-17%) | -1027.2 |
| 1918 | WS1 | AL | 120 | 436 | 42 | 112 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 56 | 23 | 31 | 21 | .257 | .255 (+1%) | .318 (-2%) | .326 (avg) | .645 (-1%) | -100.1 |
| 1919 | WS1 | AL | 135 | 491 | 33 | 122 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 54 | 13 | 25 | 48 | .248 | .262 (-5%) | .322 (-10%) | .347 (-14%) | .670 (-12%) | -929.9 |
| 1920 | WS1 | AL | 128 | 444 | 56 | 119 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 37 | 11 | 29 | 43 | .268 | .271 (-1%) | .331 (-5%) | .363 (avg) | .694 (-2%) | -214.6 |
| 1921 | WS1 | AL | 154 | 562 | 81 | 170 | 24 | 18 | 7 | 69 | 11 | 57 | 38 | .302 | .286 (+6%) | .344 (+7%) | .395 (+13%) | .739 (+10%) | 1206.5 |
| 1922 | WS1 | AL | 84 | 272 | 35 | 77 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 32 | 6 | 25 | 25 | .283 | .285 (-1%) | .345 (+2%) | .397 (avg) | .743 (+1%) | 35.8 |
| 1923 | BOS | AL | 131 | 464 | 38 | 118 | 19 | 5 | 3 | 57 | 6 | 19 | 37 | .254 | .282 (-10%) | .344 (-17%) | .390 (-14%) | .734 (-15%) | -1244.4 |
| 1924 | BOS | AL | 72 | 193 | 22 | 50 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 21 | 12 | .259 | .283 (-9%) | .345 (-4%) | .389 (-4%) | .734 (-4%) | -144.2 |
| 1925 | NYA | AL | 66 | 155 | 15 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 20 | 15 | .258 | .288 (-10%) | .349 (-2%) | .407 (-24%) | .756 (-14%) | -303.3 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 1,665 | 5,699 | 604 | 1,440 | 211 | 96 | 25 | 620 | 185 | 415 | 507 | .253 | — | — | — | — | -5,420 | ||
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 (1664 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 836 | 2795 | 314 | 716 | 7 | 343 | .256 |
| Away | 828 | 2903 | 294 | 726 | 18 | 281 | .250 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925-10-03 | NYY | PHA | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-10-02 | NYY | PHA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-09-28 | NYY | DET | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1925-09-28 | NYY | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1925-09-27 | NYY | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-09-27 | NYY | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1925-09-26 | NYY | DET | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-09-24 | NYY | CHW | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-09-23 | NYY | CHW | W | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-09-22 | NYY | CHW | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 25 | 0 | 200 | 9 | 8 | 13 |
| 2B | 159 | 0 | 353 | 407 | 41 | 63 |
| 3B | 485 | 0 | 646 | 987 | 94 | 94 |
| OF | 702 | 0 | 1423 | 99 | 45 | 20 |
| SS | 235 | 0 | 518 | 620 | 88 | 88 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | WS1 | OF | 114 | 0 | 189 | 14 | 8 | 2 |
| 1913 | WS1 | OF | 109 | 0 | 207 | 13 | 5 | 3 |
| 1914 | WS1 | OF | 139 | 0 | 276 | 14 | 14 | 3 |
| 1915 | WS1 | 2B | 10 | 0 | 18 | 21 | 1 | 4 |
| 1915 | WS1 | 3B | 49 | 0 | 57 | 94 | 14 | 10 |
| 1915 | WS1 | OF | 80 | 0 | 151 | 13 | 3 | 1 |
| 1916 | WS1 | 1B | 7 | 0 | 54 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 1916 | WS1 | 3B | 31 | 0 | 45 | 49 | 4 | 3 |
| 1916 | WS1 | OF | 88 | 0 | 203 | 19 | 3 | 4 |
| 1916 | WS1 | SS | 8 | 0 | 11 | 22 | 6 | 4 |
| 1917 | WS1 | 1B | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1917 | WS1 | OF | 26 | 0 | 73 | 12 | 2 | 3 |
| 1917 | WS1 | SS | 90 | 0 | 205 | 255 | 35 | 44 |
| 1918 | WS1 | 2B | 48 | 0 | 130 | 136 | 14 | 20 |
| 1918 | WS1 | 3B | 3 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| 1918 | WS1 | OF | 64 | 0 | 149 | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| 1919 | WS1 | 2B | 34 | 0 | 72 | 98 | 14 | 8 |
| 1919 | WS1 | OF | 6 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1919 | WS1 | SS | 94 | 0 | 238 | 260 | 42 | 25 |
| 1920 | WS1 | 1B | 14 | 0 | 112 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| 1920 | WS1 | 2B | 5 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
| 1920 | WS1 | 3B | 63 | 0 | 102 | 131 | 12 | 4 |
| 1920 | WS1 | OF | 35 | 0 | 74 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1920 | WS1 | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921 | WS1 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1921 | WS1 | 3B | 154 | 0 | 218 | 330 | 23 | 35 |
| 1922 | WS1 | 3B | 54 | 0 | 61 | 112 | 15 | 14 |
| 1922 | WS1 | OF | 27 | 0 | 65 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 1923 | BOS | 2B | 38 | 0 | 92 | 82 | 7 | 18 |
| 1923 | BOS | 3B | 83 | 0 | 89 | 173 | 17 | 16 |
| 1923 | BOS | OF | 6 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1923 | BOS | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1924 | BOS | 1B | 2 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1924 | BOS | 2B | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1924 | BOS | 3B | 22 | 0 | 37 | 58 | 4 | 9 |
| 1924 | BOS | OF | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1924 | BOS | SS | 41 | 0 | 62 | 75 | 4 | 15 |
| 1925 | NYA | 2B | 21 | 0 | 32 | 58 | 2 | 11 |
| 1925 | NYA | 3B | 26 | 0 | 32 | 29 | 4 | 2 |
| 1925 | NYA | OF | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 28 |
| Second Base | 158 |
| Third Base | 489 |
| Shortstop | 240 |
| Left Field | 601 |
| Center Field | 60 |
| Right Field | 50 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Howie Shanks (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Howie Shanks: the record in brief
The profile opens with Howie Shanks's first major league game on May 9, 1912; the last one listed came on October 3, 1925. Club by club, the record runs the Washington Senators (1912 through 1922), the Boston Red Sox (1923 through 1924), and the New York Yankees (1925). Listed as an outfielder, Shanks both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 170 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Shanks was born on July 21, 1890, in Chicago, IL, USA. Shanks's death is recorded on July 30, 1941, in Monaca, PA, USA. The given name on file is Howard Samuel Shanks.
Shanks finished with 1,440 hits from 5,699 at bats in 1,665 games, which works out to .253; the totals also include 25 home runs, 620 RBI, and 185 stolen bases. Shanks got on base at a .308 rate and slugged .337 (.644 OPS). The league as a whole hit .269 across Shanks's seasons, which puts the .253 career mark 5.9% below average. The OPS comparison is .644 to a league .694, 7.2% below average. The highest hit total in a season was 170, in 1921.
Frequently Asked Questions about Howie Shanks
- What years did Howie Shanks play?
- Howie Shanks played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1925.
- Was Howie Shanks a pitcher?
- No. Howie Shanks was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Howie Shanks hit?
- Howie Shanks hit 25 career home runs with 1,440 hits.
- What teams did Howie Shanks play for?
- Howie Shanks played for 3 teams: the Washington Senators (1912–1922), the Boston Red Sox (1923–1924), and the New York Yankees (1925).
- What were Howie Shanks's career stats?
- In 1,665 games, Howie Shanks had 1,440 hits, 25 home runs, 620 RBI, 604 runs, and 185 stolen bases, with a .253 batting average.
- What position did Howie Shanks play?
- Howie Shanks played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Howie Shanks and how much did he weigh?
- Howie Shanks was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 170 pounds.
- How many home runs did Howie Shanks hit each season?
- Howie Shanks's home runs by season: 1 in 1912, 1 in 1913, 4 in 1914, 0 in 1915, 1 in 1916, 0 in 1917, 1 in 1918, 1 in 1919, 4 in 1920, 7 in 1921, 1 in 1922, 3 in 1923, 0 in 1924, and 1 in 1925. His most in one season was 7, in 1921.
- What was Howie Shanks's career batting average?
- Howie Shanks batted .253 over his career, with 1,440 hits in 5,699 at bats.
- How many RBI did Howie Shanks have?
- Howie Shanks drove in 620 runs in his career.
- Is Howie Shanks in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Howie Shanks has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.