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(b. Jan. 31, 1931, Dallas, Texas, U.S.), American professional baseball player, regarded as one of the finest power hitters in the history of the game. Banks starred for the Chicago Cubs from 1953 to 1971. An 11-time All-Star, Banks was named the National League's (NL) Most Valuable Player for two consecutive seasons (1958-59). He hit more than 40 home runs in five different seasons, leading the NL in that category in 1958 and 1960. He also led the league in 1958-59 in runs batted in.
Banks excelled in football, basketball, track and field, and baseball at his Dallas high school. At age 17 he joined a barnstorming Negro leagueteam at a salary rate of $15 per game. In 1950 legendary Negro league star Cool Papa Bellsigned him to the Kansas City Monarchs. Soon after, Banks spent two years in the U.S. Army, after which he returned to the Monarchs. His stay there was short-lived, however, as the major leagues, recently integrated, were eager to take advantage of the wealth of talent in the Negro leagues.
Signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1953, Banks soon established himself as one of the league's leading power hitters. In addition to his potent bat, he proved to be a skilled defensive player, setting a single-season mark for fielding percentage for a shortstop in 1959. After injuries limited his mobility, Banks moved to first base in 1962.
Banks was known for his enthusiasm and love of the game, his trademark cry of "let's play two!" reflecting the pure enjoyment he took in baseball. When he retired in 1971, he was the holder of most of the Chicago Cubs' offensive records and had earned the nickname "Mr. Cub" among the team's fans. In his career Banks totaled 512 home runs and 1,636 runs batted in. He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977; he was only the eighth player to be elected in his first year of eligibility.
ERNEST BANKS
"MR. CUB"
CHICAGO N.L., 1953-1971
HIT 512 CAREER HOMERS WITH MORE THAN
40 IN A SEASON FIVE TIMES. HAD RECORD
FIVE GRAND-SLAMS IN 1955. FIRST TO BE
ELECTED N.L. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER TWO
SUCCESSIVE YEARS, 1958-59. LED LEAGUE
IN HOME RUNS AND RUNS BATTED IN TWICE
AND SLUGGING PCT. ONCE. ESTABLISHED
RECORDS FOR MOST HOMERS IN SEASON BY
SHORTSTOP (47 IN 1958) AND FOR FEWEST
ERRORS (12) AND BEST FIELDING AVERAGE
(.985) BY A SHORTSTOP IN 1959.
Ernie Banks' Career Batting Statistics
Year
Team
Lg
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
SO
SB
AVG
SLG
1953
CHI
NL 10 35 3 11 1 1 2 6 4 5 0 .314 .571
1954
CHI
NL 154 593 70 163 19 7 19 79 40 50 6 .275 .427
1955
CHI
NL 154 596 98 176 29 9 44 117 45 72 9 .295 .596
1956
CHI
NL 139 538 82 160 25 8 28 85 52 62 6 .297 .530
1957
CHI
NL 156 594 113 169 34 6 43 102 70 85 8 .285 .579
1958
CHI
NL 154 617 119 193 23 11 47 129 52 87 4 .313 .614
1959
CHI
NL 155 589 97 179 25 6 45 143 64 72 2 .304 .596
1960
CHI
NL 156 597 94 162 32 7 41 117 71 69 1 .271 .554
1961
CHI
NL 138 511 75 142 22 4 29 80 54 75 1 .278 .507
1962
CHI
NL 154 610 87 164 20 6 37 104 30 71 5 .269 .503
1963
CHI
NL 130 432 41 98 20 1 18 64 39 73 0 .227 .403
1964
CHI
NL 157 591 67 156 29 6 23 95 36 84 1 .264 .450
1965
CHI
NL 163 612 79 162 25 3 28 106 55 64 3 .265 .453
1966
CHI
NL 141 511 52 139 23 7 15 75 29 59 0 .272 .432
1967
CHI
NL 151 573 68 158 26 4 23 95 27 93 2 .276 .455
1968
CHI
NL 150 552 71 136 27 0 32 83 27 67 2 .246 .469
1969
CHI
NL 155 565 60 143 19 2 23 106 42 101 0 .253 .416
1970
CHI
NL 72 222 25 56 6 2 12 44 20 33 0 .252 .459
1971
CHI
NL 39 83 4 16 2 0 3 6 6 14 0 .193 .325
2528942113052583407905121636763123650.274.500
Year
Team
Lg
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
SO
SB
AVG
SLG
Official major league statistics verified by Elias Sports Bureau.
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