Evar Swanson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1929-1934)
Evar Swanson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1934 for the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 6 seasons. In 518 career games, he hit .303 with 573 hits, 7 home runs, and 170 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,841.
- 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
- 5'9" / 170 lb
- Died
- 7/17/1973 in Galesburg, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1929-04-18
- Last Game
- 1934-09-30
Full name: Ernest Evar Swanson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 518 | 1,892 | 325 | 573 | 87 | 28 | 7 | 170 | 69 | 212 | 133 | .303 | .376 | .390 | .766 | 1,841 |
Career AVG .303 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — +7.5% above league average.
Career OBP .376 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.
Career SLG .390 vs. league average .402 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .766 vs. league average .746 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | CIN | NL | 148 | 574 | 100 | 172 | 35 | 12 | 4 | 43 | 33 | 41 | 47 | .300 | .289 (+4%) | .353 (avg) | .415 (+2%) | .769 (+1%) | 30.2 |
| 1930 | CIN | NL | 95 | 301 | 43 | 93 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 4 | 11 | 17 | .309 | .293 (+5%) | .354 (-5%) | .429 (-7%) | .784 (-6%) | -349.2 |
| 1932 | CHA | AL | 14 | 52 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 3 | .308 | .275 (+12%) | .335 (+19%) | .391 (+3%) | .726 (+11%) | 114.4 |
| 1933 | CHA | AL | 144 | 539 | 102 | 165 | 25 | 7 | 1 | 63 | 19 | 93 | 35 | .306 | .270 (+13%) | .329 (+25%) | .377 (+2%) | .707 (+12%) | 1848.2 |
| 1934 | CHA | AL | 117 | 426 | 71 | 127 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 34 | 10 | 59 | 31 | .298 | .278 (+7%) | .340 (+13%) | .392 (-13%) | .733 (-1%) | 197.2 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 518 | 1,892 | 325 | 573 | 87 | 28 | 7 | 170 | 69 | 212 | 133 | .303 | — | — | — | — | 1,841 | ||
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 (518 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 263 | 948 | 174 | 299 | 0 | 92 | .315 |
| Away | 255 | 944 | 151 | 273 | 7 | 79 | .289 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934-09-30 | CHW | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1934-09-29 | CHW | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-26 | CHW | DET | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1934-09-23 | CHW | CLE | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1934-09-22 | CHW | CLE | L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-19 | CHW | PHA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-16 | CHW | BOS | W | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1934-09-16 | CHW | BOS | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1934-09-14 | CHW | BOS | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1934-09-11 | CHW | MIN | W | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 117 |
| Center Field | 129 |
| Right Field | 230 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lombard College | Galesburg | IL | 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Evar Swanson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Evar Swanson: the record in brief
Evar Swanson played a first major league game on April 18, 1929 and a last one on September 30, 1934. Swanson played for the Cincinnati Reds (1929 to 1930) and the Chicago White Sox (1932 to 1934). Swanson, an outfielder by primary position, batted and threw right-handed. Swanson is listed at 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds. Swanson was born on October 15, 1902, in DeKalb, IL, USA. Swanson's death is recorded on July 17, 1973, in Galesburg, IL, USA. The given name on file is Ernest Evar Swanson.
Swanson finished with 573 hits from 1,892 at bats in 518 games, which works out to .303; the totals also include 7 home runs, 170 RBI, and 69 stolen bases. Swanson's career OPS of .766 combines a .376 on-base mark with .390 slugging. Measured against the leagues Swanson played in, the .303 career average compares with a .282 league average over the same seasons, 7.5% above the league. The highest hit total in a season was 172, in 1929. Swanson drove in a season-high 63 runs in 1933.
Frequently Asked Questions about Evar Swanson
- What years did Evar Swanson play?
- Evar Swanson played in Major League Baseball from 1929 to 1934.
- Was Evar Swanson a pitcher?
- No. Evar Swanson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Evar Swanson hit?
- Evar Swanson hit 7 career home runs with 573 hits.
- What teams did Evar Swanson play for?
- Evar Swanson played for 2 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1929–1930) and the Chicago White Sox (1932–1934).
- What were Evar Swanson's career stats?
- In 518 games, Evar Swanson had 573 hits, 7 home runs, 170 RBI, 325 runs, and 69 stolen bases, with a .303 batting average.
- What position did Evar Swanson play?
- Evar Swanson played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Evar Swanson and how much did he weigh?
- Evar Swanson was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 170 pounds.
- How many home runs did Evar Swanson hit each season?
- Evar Swanson's home runs by season: 4 in 1929, 2 in 1930, 0 in 1932, 1 in 1933, and 0 in 1934. His most in one season was 4, in 1929.
- What was Evar Swanson's career batting average?
- Evar Swanson batted .303 over his career, with 573 hits in 1,892 at bats.
- How many RBI did Evar Swanson have?
- Evar Swanson drove in 170 runs in his career.
- Is Evar Swanson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Evar Swanson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.