Roy Smalley

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1958)

Roy Smalley was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1958 for the Chicago Cubs, the Milwaukee Braves, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 11 seasons. In 872 career games, he hit .227 with 601 hits, 61 home runs, and 305 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 .227
HR 61
RBI 305
H 601
OPS .660
PIV -4,071
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 190 lb
Born
6/9/1926 in Springfield, MO, USA
Died
10/22/2011 in Sahuarita, AZ, USA
MLB Debut
1948-04-20
Last Game
1958-04-21

Full name: Roy Frederick Smalley

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Roy Smalley — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
872 2,644 277 601 103 33 61 305 4 257 541 .227 .300 .360 .660 -4,071

Career AVG .227 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 12.7% below league average.

Career OBP .300 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 10.3% below league average.

Career SLG .360 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 7.4% below league average.

Career OPS .660 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — 8.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Roy Smalley (b. 1926) 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
1948 CHN NL 124 361 25 78 11 4 4 36 0 23 76 .216 .263 (-18%) .340 (-22%) .379 (-20%) .719 (-21%) -1294.1
1949 CHN NL 135 477 57 117 21 10 8 35 2 36 77 .245 .262 (-7%) .343 (-12%) .384 (-1%) .727 (-6%) -601.4
1950 CHN NL 154 557 58 128 21 9 21 85 2 49 114 .230 .265 (-14%) .346 (-14%) .401 (+3%) .747 (-5%) -647.5
1951 CHN NL 79 238 24 55 7 4 8 31 0 25 53 .231 .260 (-11%) .336 (-10%) .385 (+2%) .721 (-3%) -172.3
1952 CHN NL 87 261 36 58 14 1 5 30 0 29 58 .222 .252 (-12%) .326 (-7%) .369 (-8%) .696 (-7%) -295.7
1953 CHN NL 82 253 20 63 9 0 6 25 0 28 57 .249 .264 (-6%) .335 (-2%) .397 (-10%) .733 (-7%) -235.6
1954 ML1 NL 25 36 5 8 0 0 1 7 0 4 9 .222 — — — — 0.0
1955 PHI NL 92 260 33 51 11 1 7 39 0 39 58 .196 .258 (-24%) .332 (-9%) .393 (-17%) .726 (-13%) -519.7
1956 PHI NL 65 168 14 38 9 3 0 16 0 23 29 .226 .258 (-12%) .331 (-3%) .397 (-21%) .728 (-12%) -304.8
1957 PHI NL 28 31 5 5 0 1 1 1 0 1 9 .161 — — — — 0.0
1958 PHI NL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 11 seasons 872 2,644 277 601 103 33 61 305 4 257 541 .227 — — — — -4,071

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 (872 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Roy Smalley — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home440132413629628174.224
Away432131914030533132.231

Last 10 Games — Batting

Roy Smalley — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1958-04-21 PHICINL 200000001
1957-09-28 PHIBROL 000000000
1957-09-13 PHICINL 000000000
1957-09-08 PHIPITL 100000000
1957-08-25 PHIATLL 100000001
1957-08-20 PHICHCL 000000000
1957-08-18 PHINY1L 000000000
1957-08-04 PHISTLW 211000001
1957-07-31 PHICINL 000000000
1957-07-30 PHICINW 100000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Roy Smalley — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 1 14 1 0 1
2B 8 4 13 15 0 5
3B 1 1 2 1 0 0
SS 820 138 1435 2291 207 465

Season-by-Season Fielding

Roy Smalley — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1948 CHN SS 124 0 189 351 34 70
1949 CHN SS 132 0 265 438 39 91
1950 CHN SS 154 0 332 541 51 115
1951 CHN SS 74 0 117 190 15 42
1952 CHN SS 82 0 139 200 17 33
1953 CHN SS 77 0 153 191 25 39
1954 ML1 1B 2 1 14 1 0 1
1954 ML1 2B 7 4 13 15 0 5
1954 ML1 SS 9 0 9 10 1 5
1955 PHI 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1955 PHI 3B 1 1 2 1 0 0
1955 PHI SS 87 79 136 205 9 32
1956 PHI SS 60 53 81 142 12 32
1957 PHI SS 20 6 11 21 2 5
1958 PHI SS 1 0 3 2 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Roy Smalley (b. 1926) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 2
Second Base 8
Third Base 1
Shortstop 820

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Roy Smalley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Kevin Elster
    .228 avg, 88 HR
  2. 96
    Dale Sveum
    .236 avg, 69 HR
  3. 92
    Bobby Crosby
    .236 avg, 62 HR
  4. 92
    Nick Ahmed
    .233 avg, 72 HR
  5. 91
    Dalton Jones
    .235 avg, 41 HR
  6. 91
    Sean Rodriguez
    .226 avg, 81 HR

Roy Smalley: the record in brief

Roy Smalley played a first major league game on April 20, 1948 and a last one on April 21, 1958. The team column moves through the Chicago Cubs (1948 through 1953), the Milwaukee Braves (1954), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1955 through 1958). Smalley, born on June 9, 1926, in Springfield, MO, USA, is listed as a shortstop and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 6 feet, 3 inches and 190 pounds. The bio records the death on October 22, 2011, in Sahuarita, AZ, USA. The given name on file is Roy Frederick Smalley.

Smalley collected 601 hits in 2,644 at bats across 872 games, good for a .227 batting average, plus 61 home runs and 305 RBI. Reaching base at a .300 clip and slugging .360, Smalley finished with a .660 OPS. Over the seasons Smalley played, league hitters batted .260; the .227 career figure is 12.7% below that. The home run peak was 21 in 1950 with the Chicago Cubs. The highest hit total in a season was 128, in 1950. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .245 in 1949, did not top the league's .262.

Frequently Asked Questions about Roy Smalley

What years did Roy Smalley play?
Roy Smalley played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1958.
Was Roy Smalley a pitcher?
No. Roy Smalley was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Roy Smalley hit?
Roy Smalley hit 61 career home runs with 601 hits.
What teams did Roy Smalley play for?
Roy Smalley played for 3 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1948–1953), the Milwaukee Braves (1954), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1955–1958).
What were Roy Smalley's career stats?
In 872 games, Roy Smalley had 601 hits, 61 home runs, 305 RBI, 277 runs, and 4 stolen bases, with a .227 batting average.
What position did Roy Smalley play?
Roy Smalley played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Roy Smalley and how much did he weigh?
Roy Smalley was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Roy Smalley hit each season?
Roy Smalley's home runs by season: 4 in 1948, 8 in 1949, 21 in 1950, 8 in 1951, 5 in 1952, 6 in 1953, 1 in 1954, 7 in 1955, 0 in 1956, 1 in 1957, and 0 in 1958. His most in one season was 21, in 1950.
What was Roy Smalley's career batting average?
Roy Smalley batted .227 over his career, with 601 hits in 2,644 at bats.
How many RBI did Roy Smalley have?
Roy Smalley drove in 305 runs in his career.
Is Roy Smalley in the Hall of Fame?
No. Roy Smalley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.