George Burns
Burns was the rare first baseman who could hit for both average and speed, stealing 383 bases during his 16-year career while maintaining that .307 batting mark. His 1926 MVP season with Cleveland showcased this unusual combination perfectly — he hit .358 while swiping 28 bags, numbers that would be remarkable for a middle infielder, let alone a corner man.
What made Burns special wasn't just his speed but his durability and consistency. He played over 150 games in seven different seasons, grinding out nearly 1,900 career games in an era when players routinely missed time due to injury. That .307 career average came with remarkable steadiness — he hit over .300 in nine seasons and never fell below .280 in any full campaign.
Burns represents a bygone era when first basemen were expected to contribute in multiple ways beyond just power. His 72 career home runs pale next to modern standards, but his ability to get on base and create havoc on the basepaths made him invaluable to deadball and early live-ball era clubs.
Career · Batting
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | DET | 137 | 478 | 5 | 57 | .291 | — | — |
| 1915 | DET | 105 | 392 | 5 | 50 | .253 | — | — |
| 1916 | DET | 135 | 479 | 4 | 73 | .286 | — | — |
| 1917 | DET | 119 | 407 | 1 | 40 | .226 | — | — |
| 1918 | PHA | 130 | 505 | 6 | 70 | .352 | — | — |
| 1919 | PHA | 126 | 470 | 8 | 57 | .296 | — | — |
| 1920 | PHA | 66 | 116 | 1 | 20 | .250 | — | — |
| 1921 | CLE | 84 | 244 | 0 | 49 | .361 | — | — |
| 1922 | BOS | 147 | 558 | 12 | 73 | .306 | — | — |
| 1923 | BOS | 146 | 551 | 7 | 82 | .328 | — | — |
| 1924 | CLE | 129 | 462 | 4 | 68 | .310 | — | — |
| 1925 | CLE | 127 | 488 | 6 | 79 | .336 | — | — |
| 1926 | CLE | 151 | 603 | 4 | 114 | .358 | — | — |
| 1927 | CLE | 140 | 549 | 3 | 78 | .319 | — | — |
| 1928 | CLE | 86 | 213 | 5 | 30 | .254 | — | — |
| 1929 | PHA | 38 | 58 | 1 | 11 | .224 | — | — |
| Career | 1866 | 6573 | 72 | 951 | .307 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.