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The Life And Career Of Earl Averill (Complete Story)

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Earl Averill, catcher for the Cleveland Indians, takes some swings in Metropolitan Stadium before a game in 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio.

 

For the Cleveland Indians, the period after 1920 (the team’s first World Series championship) and before 1948 (the team’s second World Series championship) may be regarded as unsuccessful.

However, one bright spot for the Indians during this period was the play of Earl Averill from 1929 to 1939.

Averill was an outstanding hitter and center fielder.

He was named to six All-Star teams and has been inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

We take a look at the life of Earl Averill – before, during, and after his major league baseball career.

 

The Early Years Before Major League Baseball (1902-1928)

Howard Earl Averill was born in Snohomish, Washington on May 21, 1902.

His parents were Joseph Averill and Annie Maddox Averill.

Joseph was a logger.

Snohomish is located in northwestern Washington, about 30 miles northeast of Seattle.

When Averill grew up there, Snohomish had a population of approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people.

Averill played baseball when he was growing up.

However, when Averill was 15, he injured his right throwing arm.

As a result, Averill gave up playing baseball for a few years and instead worked at various jobs (including growing flowers at his brother’s greenhouse).

Fortunately, Averill recovered from his arm injury and, at age 18, Averill started playing semi-pro baseball for the Snohomish Pilchuckers in 1920.

In 1924, Averill tried out for the Seattle Indians in the Class AA Pacific Coast League, but he failed to make the team.

Averill played for a semi-pro baseball team in Bellingham, Washington, the Bellingham Tulips, in 1924 and 1925.

In 1925, Averill hit better than .400 with the Bellingham team.

His play with Bellingham attracted the interest of the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League.

The Seals signed Averill to a contract for the 1926 season.

Playing with San Francisco, Averill had three excellent seasons.

In 1926, Averill, in 679 at bats, had a.348 batting average.

He hit 23 home runs and 49 doubles and had a slugging percentage of .539.

The following year, in 1927, Averill had a .324 batting average, with 20 home runs and 47 doubles, in 754 at bats.

Averill had his best season for the Seals in 1928.

In 763 at bats, Averill had a .354 batting average, hit 36 home runs, 53 doubles, and 11 triples, and posted a .594 slugging percentage.

According to Averill, his success from 1925 to 1928 was not attributable to any specific coaching.

He later stated:

“Nobody ever taught me much of anything. You were on your own when it came to fundamentals.”

Averill’s “fundamentals” apparently were good enough for the major leagues.

Before the 1929 season, the Cleveland Indians purchased Averill’s contract from San Francisco, and Averill was headed to the major leagues.

 

The Major League Baseball Years (1929–1941)

 

1929-1934

At 26 years old, Averill came to the major leagues relatively late compared to other players.

However, he immediately showed his ability, having an outstanding rookie season in 1929 for Cleveland.

On April 16, 1929, Averill (playing at a height of five feet and nine inches and a weight of 172 pounds) started in center field on “Opening Day” against the Detroit Tigers.

Hitting third for the Indians, in the first inning, Averill hit a home run in his first major league at bat.

Averill also had four putouts, as Cleveland defeated Detroit 5-4 in 11 innings.

Showing that his home run in his major league debut was no fluke, in the next game, on April 17, 1929, Averill had three hits, including another home run, two runs batted in, a stolen base, and two putouts.

The Indians lost to the Tigers 15-3.

For the 1929 season, Averill had a .332 batting average, with 96 runs batted in, in 597 at bats.

He hit 18 home runs (tied for sixth in the American League), 43 doubles (tied for fifth in the American League), and 13 triples (tied for eighth in the American League), stole 13 bases, and scored 110 runs.

Averill recorded a .538 slugging percentage in 1929 (10th in the American League).

He led the American League in putouts by a center fielder (383), and ranked tied for third in the American League in assists by a center fielder (12) and tied for fourth in the American League in double plays turned by a center fielder (3), in 1929.

Cleveland’s manager (from 1928 to 1933) Roger Peckinpaugh said:

“{Averill’s] the best looking youngster to come up in a long time.”

The Indians, with an 81-71 record, finished in third place in the American League in 1929.

There was no “sophomore slump” for Averill, as he had another excellent season in 1930.

In a doubleheader against the Washington Senators on September 17, 1930, Averill had a memorable performance.

He hit three home runs and had eight runs batted in for the first game of the doubleheader, as Cleveland defeated the Senators 13-7.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Averill had three more runs batted in, as he hit his fourth home run of the day and a double.

The Indians lost to Washington 6-4.

Averill’s 11 runs batted in for a doubleheader set a record that was not surpassed until 1972 (by Nate Colbert of the San Diego Padres).

In the doubleheader, Averill also had four total putouts.

In 1930, in 534 at bats, Averill, with 119 runs batted in, had a .339 batting average.

He hit 19 home runs (ninth in the American League) and 33 doubles, stole 10 bases, and scored 102 runs.

He posted an on-base percentage of .404 and a slugging percentage of .537 (eighth in the American League) in 1930.

In 1930, Averill led the American League in assists by a center fielder (11), was tied for first in the American League in double plays turned by a center fielder (5), ranked third in the American League in putouts by a center fielder (338), and ranked fifth in the American League in fielding percentage by a center fielder (.948).

Cleveland, in 1930, had an 81-73 record and finished in fourth place in the American League.

With a .333 batting average (sixth in the American League) in 627 at bats in 1931, Averill, a left-handed hitter, had a batting average that exceeded .330 for each of his first three major league seasons.

In describing Averill’s hitting, Averill’s Indians teammate pitcher Mel Harder later stated:

“When [Averill] hit the ball, it looked like a golf ball. He’d hit them in any park. League Park [where the Indians played] wasn’t that easy for homers because of the 40-foot wall. He hit a lot of liners against the wall that would have been homers somewhere else.”

Averill’s Indians teammate pitcher Al Milnar later added:

“[Averill] had great timing, and it was his nature to hit it through the middle.”

In 1931, Averill had a career high in runs batted in, with 143 runs batted in (third in the American League), and tied a career high in home runs, with 32 home runs (third in the American League).

He had 209 hits (second in the American League), including 36 doubles and 10 triples, and scored 140 runs (third in the American League).

Averill had an on-base percentage of .404 (ninth in the American League) and a slugging percentage of .576 (fourth in the American League) in 1931.

In 1931, Averill led the American League in putouts by a center fielder (404) and ranked tied for fourth in the American League in assists by a center fielder (9), tied for fourth in the American League in double plays turned by a center fielder (3), and third in the American League in fielding percentage by a center fielder (.976).

Averill finished in fourth place in the American League Most Valuable Player voting in 1931, the first year of the modern Most Valuable Player award.

Cleveland had a 78-76 record and finished in fourth place in the American League in 1931.

On August 29, 1932, as evidence of the respect that Averill had earned as a hitter, the Boston Red Sox walked Averill five times in five plate appearances, in a 6-3 Indians victory over Boston.

Averill scored two runs and had three putouts.

National Baseball Hall of Famer Boston Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams later said:

“He was treated with the kind of respect usually reserved for imposing specimens like (Jimmy) Foxx and (Lou) Gehrig.”

For the 1932 season, Averill had a .314 batting average, with 124 runs batted in (fifth in the American League), in 631 at bats.

He hit 32 home runs (fifth in the American League), 37 doubles, and 14 triples (tied for fifth in the American League), and scored 116 runs (ninth in the American League).

Averill had a slugging percentage of .569 in 1932 (fourth in the American League).

In 1932, Averill led the American League in putouts by a center fielder (409) and ranked second in the American League in assists by a center fielder (13) and fourth in the American League in double plays turned by a center fielder (3).

Averill finished in fourth place in the American League Most Valuable Player voting in 1932.

In 1932, with an 87-65 record, the Indians finished in fourth place in the American League.

On August 17, 1933, in a 15-4 Cleveland win over the Philadelphia Athletics, Averill batted “for the cycle”, hitting a double, a triple, a single, and a home run in four at bats.

He posted three runs batted in, scored four runs, and had three putouts.

Averill had a .301 batting average, with 92 runs batted in, in 599 at bats in 1933.

He hit 11 home runs, 39 doubles (seventh in the American League), and 16 triples (tied for second in the American League).

In 1933, Averill led the American League, for the third consecutive year, in putouts by a center fielder (392).

He also ranked fifth in the American League in assists by a center fielder (8) and tied for second in the American League in double plays turned by a center fielder (3).

The first baseball All-Star game was played in 1933, and Averill was named to the All-Star team.

Cleveland had a 75-76 record in 1933, finishing in fourth place in the American League.

Averill, in 1934, had a .313 batting average in 598 at bats.

He had a batting average over .300 for each of his first six major league seasons.

He had 113 runs batted in (seventh in the American League), hit 31 home runs (fifth in the American League) and 48 doubles (third in the American League), and scored 128 runs (tied for third in the American League), in 1934.

Averill had an on-base percentage of .414 (eighth in the American League) and a slugging percentage of .569 (fifth in the American League) in 1934.

In 1934, Averill was tied for first in the American League in double plays turned by a center fielder (3), and ranked second in the American League in putouts by a center fielder (384), second in the American League in assists by a center fielder (12), and third in the American League in fielding percentage by a center fielder (.968).

Averill again made the All-Star team in 1934.

With an 85-69 record, the Indians finished in third place in the American League in 1934.

 

1935-1941

In 1935, Averill had a .288 batting average, with 79 runs batted in, in 563 at bats.

He hit 19 home runs (tied for eighth in the American League), 34 doubles, and 13 triples (fifth in the American League), and scored 109 runs (eighth in the American League).

Averill ranked third in the American League in putouts by a center fielder (359), tied for fourth in the American League in assists by a center fielder (6), tied for third in the American League in double plays turned by a center fielder (2), and second in the American League in fielding percentage by a center fielder (.981).

In 1935, Averill again made the All-Star team.

Cleveland had an 82-71 record and finished in third place in the American League in 1935.

Averill may have had his best major league season in 1936.

He had a career high in batting average in 1936, with a .378 batting average (second in the American League) in 614 at bats.

In 1936, Averill led the American League in hits (232) and was tied for the lead in the American League in triples (15).

He had 126 runs batted in (seventh in the American League), hit 28 home runs (fifth in the American League) and 39 doubles, and scored 136 runs (fifth in the American League)

He had an on-base percentage of .438 (fourth in the American League) and a slugging percentage of .627 (fourth in the American League) in 1936.

Averill ranked fourth in the American League in putouts by a center fielder (360), tied for fourth in the American League in assists by a center fielder (11), and fifth in the American League in fielding percentage by a center fielder (.969).

In 1936, Averill again made the All-Star team.

He finished in third place in the American League Most Valuable Player voting in 1936.

National Baseball Hall of Famer New York Yankees pitcher Lefty Gomez later stated:

“I thank the good Lord [Averill] wasn’t twins. One more like him probably would have kept me out of the Hall of Fame.”

The Indians in 1936 finished in fifth place in the American League, with an 80-74 record.

In 1937, Averill had back problems and was diagnosed with a congenital spine condition.

The injury caused Averill to change his batting stance and hampered his play as an outfielder.

Averill, in 1937, had a .299 batting average, with 92 runs batted in, in 609 at bats.

He hit 21 home runs, 33 doubles, and 11 triples (tied for eighth in the American League), and scored 121 runs (seventh in the American League).

In 1937, Averill ranked third in the American League in putouts by a center fielder (348), tied for fifth in the American League in assists by a center fielder (11), tied for fifth in the American League in double plays turned by a center fielder (3), and third in the American League in fielding percentage by a center fielder (.976).

Averill again made the All-Star team in 1937.

Cleveland, with an 83-71 record, finished in fourth place in the American League in 1937.

In 1938, in 482 at bats, Averill had a .330 batting average (ninth in the American League).

He had 93 runs batted in, hit 14 home runs, 27 doubles, and 15 triples (second in the American League), and scored 101 runs, in 1938.

Averill had an on-base percentage of ,429 (fourth in the American League) and a slugging percentage of .535 in 1938.

He ranked tied for fourth in the American League in assists by a center fielder (12) and third in the American League in fielding percentage by a center fielder (.972) in 1938.

For the sixth consecutive year, Averill made the All-Star team in 1938.

In the 1938 American League Most Valuable Player voting, Averill finished in eighth place.

The Indians had an 86-66 record and finished in third place in the American League in 1938.

Averill started the 1939 season with Cleveland.

In 55 at bats, Averill had a .273 batting average, with seven runs batted in and one home run.

On June 14, 1939, the Indians traded Averill to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Harry Eisenstat and cash.

Cleveland went to have an 87-67 record in 1939, finishing in third place in the American League.

With Detroit, Averill had a .262 batting average in 309 at bats in 1939.

He had 58 runs batted in and hit 10 home runs and 20 doubles.

The Tigers, with an 81-73 record, finished in fifth place in the American League in 1939.

In 1940, in 118 at bats, Averill had a .280 batting average.

He had 20 runs batted in and hit two home runs.

Detroit won the American League pennant, with a 90-64 record, in 1940.

Averill then had his only opportunity to play in the World Series during his major league career.

However, in the 1940 World Series (which Detroit lost to the Cincinnati Reds, four games to three games), Averill went hitless in three at bats.

On February 8, 1941, Averill was released by the Tigers.

He then signed as a free agent with the Boston Braves in the National League on February 26, 1941.

In 1941, with Boston, Averill had a .118 batting average, with two runs batted in, in 17 at bats.

On April 29, 1941, the Braves (who had a 62-92 record, finishing in seventh place in the National League, in 1941) released Averill, ending his major league career at the age of 38.

 

The Years After Major League Baseball (1941-1983)

After he was released by Boston, Averill played one season with the Seattle Rainiers in the Pacific Coast League in 1941 before he completely retired from baseball.

With Seattle in 1941, Averill had a .247 batting average in 223 at bats.

He had 17 runs batted in and hit one home run.

Averill married Loette Hyatt in 1922.

They stayed married for the rest of Averill’s life.

They had four sons, Howard, Bernard, Earl Jr., and Lester.

Earl Averill Jr. was a catcher, who played in the major leagues in 1956 and from 1958 to 1963 (including two seasons with Cleveland).

After his retirement from baseball, Averill lived in the state of Washington.

He was a co-owner of the family greenhouse, Averill Floral, and operated a motel.

In 1975, Averill was inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Averill was inducted in the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 1951.

The Indians also retired Averill’s uniform number “3” in 1975.

On August 16, 1983, at the age of 81, Averill died in Everett, Washington.

Averill’s 11 years with the Indians were defined by his excellent play in individual games, during seasons, and over his career.

First, in terms of individual games, not many major league players can claim that they did any of hitting a home run in their first major league at bat, having 11 runs batted in (with four home runs) in a doubleheader, walking five times in a single game, or batting “for the cycle”, let alone achieving all four of these accomplishments, as Averill did.

Second, in terms of seasons, Averill regularly ranked in the “top 10” of various hitting and fielding season statistics.

What is especially impressive about Averill is his consistency, including that he had a batting average in excess of .300 for eight of his 10 full seasons with Cleveland, he posted more than 90 runs batted in for nine of his 10 full seasons with Cleveland, he hit more than 15 home runs for eight of his 10 full seasons with Cleveland, he scored more than 100 runs for nine of his 10 full seasons with Cleveland, he ranked in the “top four” in the American League in putouts by a center fielder for nine of his 10 full seasons with Cleveland, and he ranked in the “top five” in the American League in assists by a center fielder for all 10 of his 10 full seasons with Cleveland.

In addition, Averill made the All-Star team in all of the six full seasons that he played in Cleveland for which there was an All-Star game and finished in the “top 10” in Most Valuable Player voting in four of the eight full seasons that he played in Cleveland for which there was a modern Most Valuable Player award.

Third, in terms of his career, Averill ranks very high in various Indians career statistics.

Averill leads the Indians in Indians career runs batted in (1,084), Indians career runs scored (1,154), and Indians career triples (121).

He also ranks eighth in Indians career batting average (.322), fourth in Indians career home runs (226), third in Indians career hits (1,903), third in Indians career doubles (377), seventh in Indians career on-base percentage (.399), and tied for fifth in Indians career slugging percentage (.542).

These numbers are especially outstanding when one realizes that Averill could have played more years in the major leagues if he had starting playing there earlier than at age 26.

While Averill never helped Cleveland win a pennant, his play definitely helped the Indians win games, as Cleveland had a winning record in 10 of Averill’s 11 seasons with the Indians (only barely missing in 1933 with a 75-76 record).

It also should be noted that Cleveland had a losing record in the two seasons before Averill joined the team in 1929 (66-87 in 1927 and 62-92 in 1928).

For both his individual performance and contributions to the Indians winning games, Earl Averill, nicknamed “The Earl of Snohomish”, was one of the greatest players in Cleveland Indians history.

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