Earl Averill (1975)


Date of Birth: 5/21/1902
Date of Death: 8/16/1983
Birthplace: Snohomish, Washington

Earl Averill first played professional baseball with the Pacific Coast League from 1926 through 1928. His contract was purchased by the Cleveland Indians in 1929.

Cleveland Indians

Averill started his major league baseball career in 1929, at the age of 27. In his first at bat in the major leagues, he hit a home run. That season, he batted .332 with 198 hits, 43 doubles, 13 triples, 18 home runs, and 96 RBIs in 151 games. Defensively, he led all AL center fielders in putouts with 384.

Averill batted .339 in 139 games in 1930. He had 181 hits, 33 doubles, 19 home runs, and 119 RBIs. The next year, he had career highs in home runs with 32 and in RBIs with 143. He batted .333 with 209 hits in 155 games in 1931.

Averill again had a career high 32 home runs in 1932. He finished the season with 198 hits, 37 doubles, 14 triples, 124 RBIs, and a .314 batting average in 153 games. In 1933, he had a career high 16 triples. He batted .301 with 180 hits, 39 doubles, and 92 RBIs in 151 games.

Averill led the AL in games played in 1934 with 154. He had 187 hits, a career high 48 doubles, 31 home runs, 113 RBIs, and a .313 batting average. Defensively, he led all AL center fielders in putouts with 400.

Averill's batting average dropped to .288 in 1935. That season, he had 162 hits, 34 doubles, 19 home runs, 13 triples, and 79 RBIs in 140 games.

In 1936, Averill led the American League in hits with 232 and triples with 15. He had a career high batting average of .378 that year. He also had 39 doubles, 28 home runs, and 126 RBIs in 152 games.

Averill played in a career high 156 games in 1937. He batted .299 with 182 hits, 33 doubles, 21 home runs, and 92 RBIs. He struck out 65 times and walked 88 times. The next year his batting average went up to .330. In 1938, he had 159 hits, 27 doubles, 15 triples, 14 home runs, and 93 RBIs in 134 games. He struck out just 48 times while walking 81 times.

Detroit Tigers

Averill was traded to the Detroit Tigers during the 1939 season. He finished that season with 96 hits and a .264 batting average in 24 games with the Indians and 87 games with the Tigers.

In 1940, Averill played in only 64 games with the Tigers. He ended his career in 1941, playing in just eight games with the Boston Braves.

Career Statistics

Statistics for Averill in 12 seasons (1929-1940) in the major leagues include:

  • 10 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 232 in 1936
  • 9 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 48 in 1934
  • 8 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 16 in 1933
  • 5 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 32 in 1931 and 1932
  • 5 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 143 in 1931
  • 8 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .378 in 1936

Career batting statistics for Averill include:

  • 1,668 games played
  • 2,019 hits
  • 401 doubles
  • 128 triples
  • 238 home runs
  • 1,164 RBIs
  • 518 strikeouts to 774 walks
  • .318 batting average
  • .395 on-base percentage
  • .929 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Averill as a center fielder include:

  • 1,476 games played
  • 3,745 putouts
  • 122 errors
  • .969 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

Averill returned to the Pacific Coast League for one season in 1941.

Averill's son, Earl Averill, Jr., was a catcher in the major leagues from 1956 through 1963. He played for five teams, including the Indians (1956, 1958).

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Earl Averill
ESPN - Earl Averill
Baseball Reference - Earl Averill

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