Earl Torgeson

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1947-1961)

Earl Torgeson was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1961 for 5 teams, including the Boston Braves, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,668 career games, he hit .265 with 1,318 hits, 149 home runs, and 740 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 14,056.

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 .265
HR 149
RBI 740
H 1,318
OPS .802
PIV 14,056
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'3" / 180 lb
Born
1/1/1924 in Snohomish, WA, USA
Died
11/8/1990 in Everett, WA, USA
MLB Debut
1947-04-15
Last Game
1961-08-23

Full name: Clifford Earl Torgeson

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Career Batting Statistics

Earl Torgeson — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,668 4,969 848 1,318 215 46 149 740 133 980 653 .265 .385 .417 .802 14,056

Career AVG .265 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .385 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +15.9% above league average.

Career SLG .417 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — +7.2% above league average.

Career OPS .802 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — +11.2% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Earl Torgeson 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
1947 BSN NL 128 399 73 112 20 6 16 78 11 82 59 .281 .262 (+7%) .336 (+20%) .376 (+28%) .712 (+24%) 2112.7
1948 BSN NL 134 438 70 111 23 5 10 67 19 81 54 .253 .263 (-4%) .340 (+9%) .379 (+5%) .719 (+7%) 806.5
1949 BSN NL 25 100 17 26 5 1 4 19 4 13 4 .260 .262 (-1%) .343 (avg) .384 (+17%) .727 (+9%) 141.7
1950 BSN NL 156 576 120 167 30 3 23 87 15 119 69 .290 .265 (+9%) .346 (+19%) .401 (+18%) .747 (+18%) 2646.2
1951 BSN NL 155 581 99 153 21 4 24 92 20 102 70 .263 .260 (+1%) .336 (+12%) .385 (+13%) .721 (+13%) 1750.1
1952 BSN NL 122 382 49 88 17 0 5 34 11 81 38 .230 .252 (-9%) .326 (+12%) .369 (-15%) .696 (-2%) 183.2
1953 PHI NL 111 379 58 104 25 8 11 64 7 53 57 .274 .264 (+4%) .335 (+9%) .397 (+18%) .733 (+14%) 1038.5
1954 PHI NL 135 490 63 133 22 6 5 54 7 75 52 .271 .261 (+4%) .333 (+9%) .390 (-5%) .723 (+2%) 338.1
1955 PHI NL 47 150 29 40 5 3 1 17 2 32 20 .267 .258 (+3%) .332 (+18%) .393 (-9%) .726 (+4%) 214.9
1955 DET AL 89 300 58 85 10 1 9 50 9 61 29 .283 .258 (+10%) .332 (+19%) .393 (+5%) .726 (+12%) 214.9
1956 DET AL 117 318 61 84 9 3 12 42 6 78 47 .264 .258 (+2%) .331 (+23%) .397 (+7%) .728 (+14%) 1216.2
1957 DET AL 30 50 5 12 2 1 1 5 0 12 10 .240 .257 (-7%) .323 (+19%) .391 (-3%) .715 (+7%) 105.6
1957 CHA AL 86 251 53 74 11 2 7 46 7 49 44 .295 .257 (+14%) .323 (+25%) .391 (+12%) .715 (+18%) 105.6
1958 CHA AL 96 188 37 50 8 0 10 30 7 48 29 .266 .257 (+3%) .324 (+28%) .394 (+19%) .719 (+23%) 1044.8
1959 CHA AL 127 277 40 61 5 3 9 45 7 62 55 .220 .256 (-14%) .323 (+11%) .392 (-9%) .715 (avg) 209.5
1960 CHA AL 68 57 12 15 2 0 2 9 1 21 8 .263 .255 (+3%) .323 (+43%) .387 (+4%) .711 (+22%) 364.6
1961 CHA AL 20 15 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 5 .067 — — — — 0.0
1961 NYA AL 22 18 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 8 3 .111 — — — — 0.0
Career · 18 seasons 1,668 4,969 848 1,318 215 46 149 740 133 980 653 .265 — — — — 12,493

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Earl Torgeson — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 19 3 7 3 0 0 1 3 1 .368

Playoff Batting by Year

Earl Torgeson — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1959 WS CHA 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
1948 WS BSN 5 18 2 7 3 0 0 1 2 1 .389

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1668 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Earl Torgeson — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home812235642862786364.266
Away856261442169163374.264

Last 10 Games — Batting

Earl Torgeson — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1961-08-23 NYYLAAW 100000000
1961-08-22 NYYLAAL 000000000
1961-08-16 NYYCHWW 010000000
1961-08-13 NYYTEXL 100000000
1961-08-03 NYYKC1L 100000001
1961-07-30 NYYBALL 000000000
1961-07-25 NYYCHWW 101000000
1961-07-19 NYYTEXL 000000000
1961-07-17 NYYBALW 100000001
1961-07-16 NYYBALW 000000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Earl Torgeson — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1416 520 11680 814 143 1097
OF 6 0 4 1 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Earl Torgeson — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1947 BSN 1B 117 0 1033 76 18 83
1948 BSN 1B 129 0 1069 81 8 85
1949 BSN 1B 25 0 242 8 3 21
1950 BSN 1B 156 0 1365 110 21 126
1951 BSN 1B 155 0 1330 107 17 137
1952 BSN 1B 105 0 931 73 11 86
1952 BSN OF 5 0 4 1 1 0
1953 PHI 1B 105 0 916 65 13 83
1954 PHI 1B 133 131 1146 74 12 103
1955 PHI 1B 43 43 349 26 2 27
1955 DET 1B 83 80 695 53 6 79
1956 DET 1B 83 75 623 32 5 62
1957 DET 1B 17 9 98 7 0 11
1957 CHA 1B 70 62 612 29 1 72
1957 CHA OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1958 CHA 1B 73 45 470 30 11 54
1959 CHA 1B 103 68 717 37 13 58
1960 CHA 1B 10 4 54 4 1 3
1961 CHA 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1961 NYA 1B 8 3 29 2 1 7

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Earl Torgeson Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 1417
Left Field 2
Right Field 4

Award Voting History

Earl Torgeson — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 27th 6.0 336 0
1949 Most Valuable Player NL 27th 2.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Earl Torgeson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Harlond Clift
    .272 avg, 178 HR
  2. 93
    Norm Siebern
    .272 avg, 132 HR
  3. 91
    Elbie Fletcher
    .271 avg, 79 HR
  4. 91
    Dan Driessen
    .267 avg, 153 HR
  5. 88
    Ben Zobrist
    .266 avg, 167 HR
  6. 84
    Jason Thompson
    .261 avg, 208 HR

Earl Torgeson: the record in brief

According to the bio, Earl Torgeson debuted on April 15, 1947 and played a final game on August 23, 1961. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Braves (1947 through 1952), the Philadelphia Phillies (1953 through 1955), the Detroit Tigers (1955 to 1957), the Chicago White Sox (1957 to 1961), and the New York Yankees (1961). Torgeson played primarily as a first baseman and threw and hit left-handed. Born on January 1, 1924, in Snohomish, WA, USA, Torgeson was listed at 180 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame. Torgeson died on November 8, 1990, in Everett, WA, USA. Earl Torgeson was the playing name; the full given name is Clifford Earl.

Torgeson's career batting table shows 1,668 games, 4,969 at bats and 1,318 hits, a .265 average, adding 149 homers, 740 RBI, and 133 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .385 clip and slugging .417, Torgeson finished with a .802 OPS. Torgeson hit .265 while the league hit .260 over the same span, a figure close to average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Earl Torgeson

What years did Earl Torgeson play?
Earl Torgeson played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1961.
Was Earl Torgeson a pitcher?
No. Earl Torgeson was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Earl Torgeson hit?
Earl Torgeson hit 149 career home runs with 1,318 hits.
What teams did Earl Torgeson play for?
Earl Torgeson played for 5 teams: the Boston Braves (1947–1952), the Philadelphia Phillies (1953–1955), the Detroit Tigers (1955–1957), the Chicago White Sox (1957–1961), and the New York Yankees (1961).
What were Earl Torgeson's career stats?
In 1,668 games, Earl Torgeson had 1,318 hits, 149 home runs, 740 RBI, 848 runs, and 133 stolen bases, with a .265 batting average.
What position did Earl Torgeson play?
Earl Torgeson played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Earl Torgeson and how much did he weigh?
Earl Torgeson was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 180 pounds.
How many home runs did Earl Torgeson hit each season?
Earl Torgeson's home runs by season: 16 in 1947, 10 in 1948, 4 in 1949, 23 in 1950, 24 in 1951, 5 in 1952, 11 in 1953, 5 in 1954, 10 in 1955, 12 in 1956, 8 in 1957, 10 in 1958, 9 in 1959, 2 in 1960, and 0 in 1961. His most in one season was 24, in 1951.
What was Earl Torgeson's career batting average?
Earl Torgeson batted .265 over his career, with 1,318 hits in 4,969 at bats.
How many RBI did Earl Torgeson have?
Earl Torgeson drove in 740 runs in his career.
Is Earl Torgeson in the Hall of Fame?
No. Earl Torgeson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.