Richie Ashburn (1995)


Date of Birth: 3/19/1927
Date of Death: 9/9/1997
Birthplace: Tildon, Nebraska

Richie Ashburn followed in his father's footsteps when he became a baseball player. The senior Ashburn played semi-pro baseball on the weekends. Richie began playing organized baseball at the age of eight, when he joined a league team as a catcher. In high school, he played both baseball and basketball.

Philadelphia Phillies

Ashburn was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945. He played in the minors that year and then served in the US military in 1946. He returned to the minor leagues for one more season in 1947.

Ashburn first played with the Phillies in 1948. He had a strong first season, winning the Sporting News Rookie of the Year award and leading the NL in stolen bases. He batted .333, with 154 hits, 17 doubles, a career high 32 stolen bases, and 40 RBIs in 117 games.

Ashburn followed up his rookie season with another strong one. He finished the 1949 season with 188 hits, 18 doubles, 11 triples, 37 RBIs, and a .284 batting average in 154 games. He walked 58 times and struck out 38 times. He played well defensively also, leading all NL center fielders in putouts with 498.

Ashburn had a career high, National League leading 14 triples in 1950. He also had 180 hits, 25 doubles, 41 RBIs, 32 strikeouts to 63 walks, and a .303 batting average in 151 games. He again led NL center fielders in putouts with 407.

In 1951, Ashburn led the NL in hits with a career high of 221. He batted .344 with 31 doubles, 29 stolen bases, and a career high 63 RBIs in 154 games. He continued to lead NL center fielders in putouts with 532. He would continue to lead them in putouts six more times (1952-1954, 1956-1958).

Although Ashburn's batting average dropped to .282 in 1952, he still had a good season with 173 hits, 31 doubles, and 42 RBIs in 154 games. The following season, his batting average went back up to .330 and he led the NL in hits with 205. He played in a career high 156 games and he had 25 doubles and 57 RBIs in 1953.

Ashburn led the NL in walks and on-base percentage in 1954. He had 175 hits, 16 doubles, 41 RBIs, 46 strikeouts to a career high 125 walks, and a .313 batting average in 153 games. His on-base percentage was .441.

In 1955, Ashburn led the NL in batting average and on-base percentage. He had 180 hits, a career high 32 doubles, 42 RBIs, and a .338 batting average in 140 games. He had a career high on-base percentage of .449.

Ashburn batted .303 in 154 games in 1956. He had 190 hits, 26 doubles, 50 RBIs, and 45 strikeouts to 79 walks. His numbers were similar the following season, with 186 hits, 26 doubles, 33 RBIs, 44 strikeouts to 94 walks, and a .297 batting average in 156 games.

Ashburn had one of his best seasons in 1958. That year, he led the NL in hits, triples, walks, batting average, and on-base percentage. He batted a career high .350 with 215 hits, 24 doubles, 13 triples, and 30 stolen bases in 152 games. His on-base percentage was .440. He walked 97 times, while striking out 48 times.

Ashburn struggled in 1959, batting just .266 in 153 games. He had 150 hits and 16 doubles that year.

Chicago Cubs

The Phillies traded Ashburn to the Chicago Cubs on January 11, 1960. He had a good first season in Chicago, leading the NL in walks and in on-base percentage. He finished the 1960 season with 159 hits, 16 doubles, 40 RBIs, 50 strikeouts to 116 walks, and a .291 batting average in 151 games.

Ashburn played in just 109 games in 1961. He batted .257 with 79 hits.

New York Mets

Ashburn's contract was purchased by the New York Mets on December 8, 1961. He played in 135 games in 1962, and he batted .306 with 119 hits.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Sporting News Rookie of the Year
  • Led NL in batting average (2 times)
  • Led NL in hits (3 times)
  • Led NL in triples (2 times)
  • Led NL in on-base percentage (4 times)
  • Led NL in walks (4 times)

Career Statistics

Career statistics for Ashburn in 15 seasons (1948-1962) in the major leagues include:

  • 13 seasons with 150 or more hits, with a high of 221 in 1951
  • 3 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 32 in 1955
  • 3 seasons with over 10 triples, with a high of 14 in 1950
  • 3 seasons with 20 or more stolen bases, with a high of 32 in 1948
  • 9 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .350 in 1958

Career batting statistics for Ashburn include:

  • 2,189 games played
  • 2,574 hits
  • 317 doubles
  • 109 triples
  • 234 stolen bases
  • 586 RBIs
  • 571 strikeouts to 1,198 walks
  • .308 batting average
  • .396 on-base percentage
  • .778 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Ashburn as a center fielder include:

  • 1,980 games played
  • 5,801 putouts
  • 106 errors
  • .983 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a player, Ashburn had a long and successful career as a radio and TV broadcaster for the Phillies. He started in 1963, and he continued in this second career until his death, 35 years later, in 1997.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Richie Ashburn
ESPN - Richie Ashburn
Baseball Reference - Richie Ashburn
SABR - Richie Ashburn

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