Stan Spence

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1940-1949)

Stan Spence was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1949 for the Boston Red Sox, the Washington Senators, and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 10 seasons. In 1,112 career games, he hit .282 with 1,090 hits, 95 home runs, and 575 RBI. Stan Spence was a 4-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 12,986.

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 .282
HR 95
RBI 575
H 1,090
OPS .806
PIV 12,986
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
5'10" / 180 lb
Born
3/20/1915 in South Portsmouth, KY, USA
Died
1/9/1983 in Kinston, NC, USA
MLB Debut
1940-06-08
Last Game
1949-10-02
Awards
4× All-Star

Full name: Stanley Orville Spence

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Career Batting Statistics

Stan Spence — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,112 3,871 541 1,090 196 60 95 575 21 520 248 .282 .369 .437 .806 12,986

Career AVG .282 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +8.1% above league average.

Career OBP .369 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +11.2% above league average.

Career SLG .437 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — +18.8% above league average.

Career OPS .806 vs. league average .700 across their career seasons — +15.2% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Stan Spence 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
1940 BOS AL 51 68 5 19 2 1 2 13 0 4 9 .279 .267 (+5%) .335 (-5%) .387 (+10%) .722 (+3%) 19.7
1941 BOS AL 86 203 22 47 10 3 2 28 1 18 14 .232 .262 (-12%) .332 (-9%) .373 (-9%) .705 (-9%) -295.3
1942 WS1 AL 149 629 94 203 27 15 4 79 5 62 16 .323 .253 (+27%) .323 (+19%) .349 (+24%) .672 (+21%) 2568.3
1943 WS1 AL 149 570 72 152 23 10 12 88 8 84 39 .267 .255 (+4%) .324 (+13%) .346 (+17%) .671 (+15%) 1803.8
1944 WS1 AL 153 592 83 187 31 8 18 100 3 69 28 .316 .261 (+21%) .325 (+20%) .357 (+36%) .683 (+28%) 3368.4
1946 WS1 AL 152 578 83 169 50 10 16 87 1 62 31 .292 .256 (+14%) .328 (+11%) .358 (+39%) .687 (+25%) 2705.8
1947 WS1 AL 147 506 62 141 22 6 16 73 2 81 41 .279 .262 (+6%) .336 (+12%) .376 (+17%) .712 (+15%) 1667.0
1948 BOS AL 114 391 71 92 17 4 12 61 0 82 33 .235 .263 (-11%) .340 (+8%) .379 (+3%) .719 (+6%) 621.2
1949 BOS AL 7 20 3 3 1 0 0 1 0 6 1 .150 — — — — 0.0
1949 SLA AL 104 314 46 77 13 3 13 45 1 52 36 .245 .262 (-7%) .343 (+4%) .384 (+12%) .727 (+8%) 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 1,112 3,871 541 1,090 196 60 95 575 21 520 248 .282 — — — — 12,459

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 (1111 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Stan Spence — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home553183724852730265.287
Away558203329256365310.277

Last 10 Games — Batting

Stan Spence — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1949-10-02 SLACHWW 101000000
1949-10-01 SLACHWW 412100000
1949-09-25 SLACHWW 000000000
1949-09-23 SLACHWL 300000001
1949-09-21 SLAMINL 401000002
1949-09-20 SLAMINW 400000001
1949-09-19 SLAPHAL 501000000
1949-09-17 SLABOSL 400000000
1949-09-16 SLABOSL 411100100
1949-09-14 SLANYYL 523002202

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Stan Spence — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 19 0 132 6 2 6
OF 990 0 2582 96 44 21

Season-by-Season Fielding

Stan Spence — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1940 BOS OF 15 0 15 0 0 0
1941 BOS 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1941 BOS OF 52 0 97 6 0 2
1942 WS1 OF 149 0 395 7 11 0
1943 WS1 OF 148 0 396 12 7 1
1944 WS1 1B 3 0 20 0 1 0
1944 WS1 OF 150 0 434 29 5 9
1946 WS1 OF 150 0 412 15 8 3
1947 WS1 OF 142 0 408 12 7 3
1948 BOS 1B 14 0 110 6 1 6
1948 BOS OF 92 0 206 4 5 1
1949 BOS OF 5 0 14 1 0 0
1949 SLA 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1949 SLA OF 87 0 205 10 1 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Stan Spence Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 19
Left Field 91
Center Field 800
Right Field 106

Awards & Honors

Stan Spence — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1944 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1942 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF

Award Voting History

Stan Spence — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1947 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 9.0 336 0
1946 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 4.0 336 0
1944 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 56.0 336 0
1942 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 65.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Stan Spence (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ival Goodman
    .281 avg, 95 HR
  2. 96
    Steve Kemp
    .278 avg, 130 HR
  3. 96
    Hoot Evers
    .278 avg, 98 HR
  4. 90
    Johnny Grubb
    .278 avg, 99 HR
  5. 90
    Frank Catalanotto
    .291 avg, 84 HR
  6. 90
    Ron Northey
    .276 avg, 108 HR

Stan Spence: the record in brief

According to the bio, Stan Spence debuted on June 8, 1940 and played a final game on October 2, 1949. The team column moves through the Boston Red Sox (1940 through 1949), the Washington Senators (1942 to 1947), and the St. Louis Browns (1949). The bio lists Spence as an outfielder who batted and threw left-handed. Spence is listed at 180 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. The birth record reads March 20, 1915, in South Portsmouth, KY, USA. Spence died on January 9, 1983, in Kinston, NC, USA. The given name on file is Stanley Orville Spence.

Across 1,112 games at the plate, Spence's career line reads 1,090 hits in 3,871 at bats for a .282 average, plus 95 home runs, 575 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .369 and the slugging percentage .437, for an OPS of .806. Measured against the leagues Spence played in, the .282 career average compares with a .261 league average over the same seasons, 8.1% above the league.

Frequently Asked Questions about Stan Spence

What years did Stan Spence play?
Stan Spence played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1949.
Was Stan Spence a pitcher?
No. Stan Spence was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Stan Spence hit?
Stan Spence hit 95 career home runs with 1090 hits.
What was Stan Spence's career batting average?
Stan Spence batted .282 over his career, with 1,090 hits in 3,871 at bats.
How many RBI did Stan Spence have?
Stan Spence drove in 575 runs in his career.
Is Stan Spence in the Hall of Fame?
No. Stan Spence has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.