Earl Averill
Averill homered in his very first major league at-bat, launching what became one of the most underrated careers of the 1930s. The Cleveland center fielder maintained a .318 average over 13 seasons while driving in 1,164 runs — production that quietly rivaled the era's biggest stars.
His six All-Star selections tell only part of the story. Averill's 238 home runs came during the dead-ball hangover years when power was still scarce, making him a legitimate slugging threat from center field. He combined that pop with consistency, never hitting below .270 in a full season.
The Veterans Committee finally recognized Averill's excellence in 1975, enshrining a player who spent his prime overshadowed by DiMaggio, Gehrig, and Ruth. His career represents the depth of talent in Depression-era baseball — stars who would be household names in any other generation.
Career · Batting
13 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | CLE | 151 | 597 | 18 | 96 | .332 | — | — |
| 1930 | CLE | 139 | 534 | 19 | 119 | .339 | — | — |
| 1931 | CLE | 155 | 627 | 32 | 143 | .333 | — | — |
| 1932 | CLE | 153 | 631 | 32 | 124 | .314 | — | — |
| 1933 | CLE | 151 | 599 | 11 | 92 | .301 | — | — |
| 1934 | CLE | 154 | 598 | 31 | 113 | .313 | — | — |
| 1935 | CLE | 140 | 563 | 19 | 79 | .288 | — | — |
| 1936 | CLE | 152 | 614 | 28 | 126 | .378 | — | — |
| 1937 | CLE | 156 | 609 | 21 | 92 | .299 | — | — |
| 1938 | CLE | 134 | 482 | 14 | 93 | .330 | — | — |
| 1939 | DET | 111 | 364 | 11 | 65 | .264 | — | — |
| 1940 | DET | 64 | 118 | 2 | 20 | .280 | — | — |
| 1941 | BSN | 8 | 17 | 0 | 2 | .118 | — | — |
| Career | 1668 | 6353 | 238 | 1164 | .318 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.