Johnny Temple

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1952-1964)

Johnny Temple was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1964 for 4 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,420 career games, he hit .284 with 1,484 hits, 22 home runs, and 395 RBI. Johnny Temple was a 4-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,226.

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 .284
HR 22
RBI 395
H 1,484
OPS .713
PIV 2,226
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 175 lb
Born
8/8/1927 in Lexington, NC, USA
Died
1/9/1994 in White Rock, SC, USA
MLB Debut
1952-04-15
Last Game
1964-07-14
Awards
4× All-Star

Full name: John Ellis Temple

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Career Batting Statistics

Johnny Temple — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,420 5,218 720 1,484 208 36 22 395 140 648 338 .284 .363 .351 .713 2,226

Career AVG .284 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — +11.0% above league average.

Career OBP .363 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.

Career SLG .351 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 9.7% below league average.

Career OPS .713 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Johnny Temple 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
1952 CIN NL 30 97 8 19 3 0 1 5 2 5 1 .196 .252 (-22%) .326 (-28%) .369 (-30%) .696 (-29%) -451.6
1953 CIN NL 63 110 14 29 4 0 1 9 1 7 12 .264 .264 (avg) .335 (-7%) .397 (-18%) .733 (-13%) -219.0
1954 CIN NL 146 505 60 155 14 8 0 44 21 62 24 .307 .261 (+18%) .333 (+15%) .390 (-6%) .723 (+4%) 641.1
1955 CIN NL 150 588 94 165 20 3 0 50 19 80 32 .281 .258 (+9%) .332 (+10%) .393 (-18%) .726 (-5%) -233.1
1956 CIN NL 154 632 88 180 18 3 2 41 14 58 40 .285 .258 (+10%) .331 (+4%) .397 (-16%) .728 (-7%) -611.0
1957 CIN NL 145 557 85 158 24 4 0 37 19 94 34 .284 .257 (+10%) .323 (+20%) .391 (-13%) .715 (+2%) 694.5
1958 CIN NL 141 542 82 166 31 6 3 47 15 91 41 .306 .257 (+19%) .324 (+25%) .394 (+2%) .719 (+12%) 1754.8
1959 CIN NL 149 598 102 186 35 6 8 67 14 72 40 .311 .256 (+21%) .323 (+17%) .392 (+10%) .715 (+13%) 1671.8
1960 CLE AL 98 381 50 102 13 1 2 19 11 32 20 .268 .255 (+5%) .323 (+1%) .387 (-17%) .711 (-9%) -451.7
1961 CLE AL 129 518 73 143 22 3 3 30 9 61 36 .276 .258 (+7%) .328 (+7%) .399 (-13%) .727 (-4%) -188.0
1962 BAL AL 78 270 28 71 8 1 1 17 7 36 22 .263 .257 (+2%) .326 (+8%) .393 (-21%) .719 (-8%) -206.1
1962 HOU NL 31 95 14 25 4 0 0 12 1 7 11 .263 .257 (+2%) .326 (-5%) .393 (-22%) .719 (-14%) -206.1
1963 HOU NL 100 322 22 85 12 1 1 17 7 41 24 .264 .246 (+7%) .308 (+12%) .371 (-15%) .680 (-2%) 37.1
1964 CIN NL 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 14 seasons 1,420 5,218 720 1,484 208 36 22 395 140 648 338 .284 — — — — 2,233

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 (1420 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Johnny Temple — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home70225473697478206.293
Away718267135073814190.276

Last 10 Games — Batting

Johnny Temple — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1964-07-14 CINHOUW 000000010
1964-07-08 CINPITL 000000010
1964-07-01 CINCHCW 100000000
1964-06-26 CINPITL 100000001
1964-06-22 CINSFGL 100000000
1964-06-21 CINLADL 000000000
1963-09-26 HOUPITW 100000000
1963-09-22 HOUPHIW 000000010
1963-09-18 HOUCINW 000000010
1963-09-15 HOUNYNW 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Johnny Temple — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 1 1 0 1
2B 1312 1227 3172 3329 172 829
3B 47 43 40 73 9 4
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
SS 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Johnny Temple — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1952 CIN 2B 22 0 63 57 2 18
1953 CIN 2B 44 0 71 90 6 20
1954 CIN 2B 144 140 428 374 22 117
1955 CIN 2B 149 149 408 410 24 119
1955 CIN SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1956 CIN 2B 154 152 389 432 16 89
1956 CIN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1957 CIN 2B 145 141 391 372 20 81
1958 CIN 1B 1 0 1 1 0 1
1958 CIN 2B 141 139 395 353 16 90
1959 CIN 2B 149 149 322 390 19 96
1960 CLE 2B 77 76 169 164 9 55
1960 CLE 3B 17 16 13 27 1 3
1961 CLE 2B 129 129 239 317 18 79
1962 BAL 2B 71 71 141 169 6 41
1962 HOU 2B 26 24 37 59 6 6
1962 HOU 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1963 HOU 2B 61 57 119 142 8 18
1963 HOU 3B 29 27 27 46 8 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Johnny Temple Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 1
Second Base 1309
Third Base 47
Shortstop 1
Right Field 1

Award Voting History

Johnny Temple — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1959 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 8.0 336 0
1958 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 26.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Johnny Temple (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ron Hunt
    .273 avg, 39 HR
  2. 96
    Ken Oberkfell
    .278 avg, 29 HR
  3. 93
    Sparky Adams
    .286 avg, 9 HR
  4. 91
    David Eckstein
    .280 avg, 35 HR
  5. 90
    Phil Rizzuto HOF
    .273 avg, 38 HR
  6. 90
    Bucky Harris HOF
    .274 avg, 9 HR

Compare Johnny Temple

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Temple's closest peers by position and era.

vs Jackie Robinson
vs Jose Altuve
vs Ketel Marte
vs Brandon Lowe
vs Luis Arraez
vs Gleyber Torres

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Johnny Temple: the record in brief

April 15, 1952 and July 14, 1964 bracket Johnny Temple's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Temple's seasons break down as the Cincinnati Reds (1952 through 1964), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1954 through 1959), the Cleveland Indians (1960 to 1961), the Baltimore Orioles (1962), and the Houston Colt .45's (1962 through 1963). At 175 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame, Temple is listed as a second baseman. Temple threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is August 8, 1927, in Lexington, NC, USA. The bio records the death on January 9, 1994, in White Rock, SC, USA. Johnny Temple was the playing name; the full given name is John Ellis.

Temple's career batting table shows 1,420 games, 5,218 at bats and 1,484 hits, a .284 average, adding 22 homers, 395 runs batted in, and 140 stolen bases. Temple's career OPS of .713 combines a .363 on-base mark with .351 slugging.

Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Temple

What years did Johnny Temple play?
Johnny Temple played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1964.
Was Johnny Temple a pitcher?
No. Johnny Temple was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Johnny Temple hit?
Johnny Temple hit 22 career home runs with 1484 hits.
What was Johnny Temple's career batting average?
Johnny Temple batted .284 over his career, with 1,484 hits in 5,218 at bats.
How many RBI did Johnny Temple have?
Johnny Temple drove in 395 runs in his career.
Is Johnny Temple in the Hall of Fame?
No. Johnny Temple has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.