Earl Averill (averiea02)

Earl Douglas Averill

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 190 lb.
• School University of Oregon
• High School Snohomish High School
• Debut April 19, 1956
• Final Game September 26, 1963
• Born September 9, 1931 in Cleveland, OH USA
• Died May 13, 2015 in Tacoma, WA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

The son of a Hall of Famer, Earl Averill played seven years in the majors and held down several different positions in the field.

Born in Cleveland while his father was playing for the Indians, Averill attended high school in Washington and went to the University of Oregon. As a sophomore, he hit .439 and became the first All-American in the school's history. Following his college career, he was signed by the Indians and reached the majors with the club in 1956. After spending 1957 back in the minors, he hit .347 with 24 home runs for the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League in 1958 and was named the circuit's MVP. He also got into 17 games, all as a third baseman, with Cleveland and hit .182.

Prior to the 1959 season, Averill was traded to the Chicago Cubs as part of a four-player deal, and he hit .237 with 10 homers that year while backing up Sammy Taylor behind the plate. He played in three organizations in 1960, starting the year with the Cubs before being sent to the Milwaukee Braves for Al Heist in July. He appeared in 21 games for the Louisville Colonels, the Braves' AAA affiliate, and was dealt to the Chicago White Sox in August. Taken by the Los Angeles Angels in the 1960 expansion draft, Averill was the Angels regular catcher in 1961 and had his best big league season, posting a line of .266/.384/.489 and hitting 21 home runs. The following year he played mostly left field, and his average dropped to .219 in 92 games. However, from June 3rd to June 10th of that season, he reached base in 17 straight at-bats. Following the 1962 campaign, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Jacke Davis, and made his final big league appearance in 1963. He continued to play in the minors through 1965.

Although often referred to as "Earl Averill Jr.", Averill was not truly a Junior; he was "Earl Douglas" and his father was "Howard Earl". Both father and son were teammates of Bob Feller with the Indians.

Notable Achievements

• 1958 MVP Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1961)

Related Sites

• Eral Averill at the SABR Bio Project
• Duck standout Averill dies at 83
• Earl Averill Jr.: University of Oregon
• Ex-major league and Snohomish star Earl Averill Jr. dies