Earl Sheely
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1921-1931)
Earl Sheely was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1931 for the Chicago White Sox, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Boston Braves, a span of 11 seasons. In 1,234 career games, he hit .300 with 1,340 hits, 48 home runs, and 747 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 7,262.
- 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 195 lb
- Died
- 9/16/1952 in Seattle, WA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1921-04-14
- Last Game
- 1931-09-27
Full name: Earl Homer Sheely
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,234 | 4,471 | 572 | 1,340 | 244 | 27 | 48 | 747 | 33 | 563 | 205 | .300 | .383 | .399 | .782 | 7,262 |
Career AVG .300 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — +5.6% above league average.
Career OBP .383 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — +10.7% above league average.
Career SLG .399 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .782 vs. league average .742 across their career seasons — +5.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | CHA | AL | 154 | 563 | 68 | 171 | 25 | 6 | 11 | 95 | 4 | 57 | 34 | .304 | .286 (+6%) | .344 (+9%) | .395 (+8%) | .739 (+9%) | 1150.5 |
| 1922 | CHA | AL | 149 | 526 | 72 | 167 | 37 | 4 | 6 | 80 | 4 | 60 | 27 | .317 | .285 (+11%) | .345 (+13%) | .397 (+10%) | .743 (+12%) | 1445.0 |
| 1923 | CHA | AL | 156 | 570 | 74 | 169 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 88 | 5 | 79 | 30 | .296 | .282 (+5%) | .344 (+12%) | .390 (-5%) | .734 (+3%) | 737.1 |
| 1924 | CHA | AL | 146 | 535 | 84 | 171 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 103 | 7 | 95 | 28 | .320 | .283 (+13%) | .345 (+23%) | .389 (+6%) | .734 (+14%) | 2045.9 |
| 1925 | CHA | AL | 153 | 600 | 93 | 189 | 43 | 3 | 9 | 111 | 3 | 68 | 23 | .315 | .288 (+9%) | .349 (+11%) | .407 (+8%) | .756 (+10%) | 1428.5 |
| 1926 | CHA | AL | 145 | 525 | 77 | 157 | 40 | 2 | 6 | 89 | 3 | 75 | 13 | .299 | .279 (+7%) | .345 (+14%) | .390 (+7%) | .735 (+10%) | 1367.2 |
| 1927 | CHA | AL | 45 | 129 | 11 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 20 | 5 | .209 | .282 (-26%) | .344 (-7%) | .392 (-29%) | .736 (-19%) | -341.1 |
| 1929 | PIT | NL | 139 | 485 | 63 | 142 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 88 | 6 | 75 | 24 | .293 | .289 (+1%) | .353 (+11%) | .415 (-6%) | .769 (+2%) | 480.2 |
| 1931 | BSN | NL | 147 | 538 | 30 | 147 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 77 | 0 | 34 | 21 | .273 | .276 (-1%) | .338 (-6%) | .388 (-19%) | .726 (-13%) | -1051.5 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 1,234 | 4,471 | 572 | 1,340 | 244 | 27 | 48 | 747 | 33 | 563 | 205 | .300 | — | — | — | — | 7,262 | ||
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 (1235 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 613 | 2177 | 274 | 664 | 19 | 389 | .305 |
| Away | 622 | 2293 | 299 | 675 | 29 | 368 | .294 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931-09-27 | BSN | PHI | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931-09-21 | BSN | CIN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1931-09-20 | BSN | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-20 | BSN | CIN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-19 | BSN | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-18 | BSN | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-18 | BSN | PIT | W | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1931-09-17 | BSN | PIT | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-16 | BSN | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-16 | BSN | CHC | L | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1220 | 0 | 12067 | 744 | 113 | 890 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | CHA | 1B | 154 | 0 | 1637 | 119 | 22 | 121 |
| 1922 | CHA | 1B | 149 | 0 | 1512 | 103 | 12 | 101 |
| 1923 | CHA | 1B | 156 | 0 | 1563 | 96 | 14 | 113 |
| 1924 | CHA | 1B | 146 | 0 | 1423 | 79 | 14 | 97 |
| 1925 | CHA | 1B | 153 | 0 | 1565 | 95 | 20 | 136 |
| 1926 | CHA | 1B | 144 | 0 | 1386 | 84 | 8 | 87 |
| 1927 | CHA | 1B | 36 | 0 | 315 | 15 | 6 | 25 |
| 1929 | PIT | 1B | 139 | 0 | 1292 | 83 | 5 | 102 |
| 1931 | BSN | 1B | 143 | 0 | 1374 | 70 | 12 | 108 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1221 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 6th | 17.0 | 64 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Earl Sheely (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Earl Sheely: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 14, 1921 and the final game on September 27, 1931, Earl Sheely built the record summarized on this page. Sheely played for the Chicago White Sox (1921 through 1927), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1929), and the Boston Braves (1931). The bio lists Sheely as a first baseman who threw and hit right-handed. Sheely is listed at 195 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame. Sheely was born on February 12, 1893, in Bushnell, IL, USA. Sheely's death is recorded on September 16, 1952, in Seattle, WA, USA. The given name on file is Earl Homer Sheely.
The batting record for Sheely: 1,234 games, 1,340 hits in 4,471 at bats, and a .300 average, along with 48 homers, 747 RBI, and 33 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .383 and the slugging percentage .399, for an OPS of .782. Over the seasons Sheely played, league hitters batted .284; the .300 career figure is 5.6% above that. The OPS comparison is .782 to a league .742, 5.3% above average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Earl Sheely
- What years did Earl Sheely play?
- Earl Sheely played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1931.
- Was Earl Sheely a pitcher?
- No. Earl Sheely was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Earl Sheely hit?
- Earl Sheely hit 48 career home runs with 1340 hits.
- What was Earl Sheely's career batting average?
- Earl Sheely batted .300 over his career, with 1,340 hits in 4,471 at bats.
- How many RBI did Earl Sheely have?
- Earl Sheely drove in 747 runs in his career.
- Is Earl Sheely in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Earl Sheely has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.