A third baseman and outfielder, he played 106 games of Major League Baseball during all or parts of five seasons (1962–1966) for the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians.

Banks threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).

In June 1964 he was part of a key trade, when the Twins sent Banks and pitcher Lee Stange to the Indians for right-handed pitcher Mudcat Grant; Grant would win 21 games and lead the Twins to the 1965 American League championship.

Banks played in only 17 games for Cleveland over parts of three seasons, and spent most of the rest of his career in the minors at the Triple-A level.

George Banks died at age 46 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease).