Joe Astroth
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1945-1956)
Joe Astroth was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1956 for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Kansas City Athletics, a span of 12 seasons. In 544 career games, he hit .254 with 401 hits, 13 home runs, and 156 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 187 lb
- Died
- 5/3/2013 in Boca Raton, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1945-08-13
- Last Game
- 1956-05-13
Full name: Joseph Henry Astroth
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 544 | 1,579 | 163 | 401 | 51 | 10 | 13 | 156 | 6 | 177 | 124 | .254 | .334 | .324 | .658 | -1,400 |
Career AVG .254 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .334 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .324 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 15.4% below league average.
Career OPS .658 vs. league average .717 across their career seasons — 8.2% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | PHA | AL | 10 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .059 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | PHA | AL | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1949 | PHA | AL | 55 | 148 | 18 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 21 | 13 | .243 | .262 (-7%) | .343 (-2%) | .384 (-26%) | .727 (-15%) | -309.6 |
| 1950 | PHA | AL | 39 | 110 | 11 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 3 | .327 | .265 (+23%) | .346 (+22%) | .401 (avg) | .747 (+10%) | 260.9 |
| 1951 | PHA | AL | 64 | 187 | 30 | 46 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 18 | 13 | .246 | .260 (-6%) | .336 (-7%) | .385 (-8%) | .721 (-8%) | -258.3 |
| 1952 | PHA | AL | 104 | 337 | 24 | 84 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 2 | 25 | 27 | .249 | .252 (-1%) | .326 (-7%) | .369 (-21%) | .696 (-14%) | -732.8 |
| 1953 | PHA | AL | 82 | 260 | 28 | 77 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 27 | 12 | .296 | .264 (+12%) | .335 (+9%) | .397 (+2%) | .733 (+5%) | 284.2 |
| 1954 | PHA | AL | 77 | 226 | 22 | 50 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 21 | 19 | .221 | .261 (-15%) | .333 (-11%) | .390 (-29%) | .723 (-21%) | -701.4 |
| 1955 | KC1 | AL | 101 | 274 | 29 | 69 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 2 | 47 | 33 | .252 | .258 (-3%) | .332 (+12%) | .393 (-17%) | .726 (-4%) | 56.8 |
| 1956 | KC1 | AL | 8 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .077 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 544 | 1,579 | 163 | 401 | 51 | 10 | 13 | 156 | 6 | 177 | 124 | .254 | — | — | — | — | -1,400 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (544 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 276 | 780 | 89 | 207 | 7 | 80 | .265 |
| Away | 268 | 799 | 73 | 194 | 6 | 77 | .243 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-05-13 | KC1 | CLE | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956-05-06 | KC1 | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-05-05 | KC1 | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-04-27 | KC1 | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-04-25 | KC1 | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-04-22 | KC1 | CHW | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-04-20 | KC1 | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-04-17 | KC1 | DET | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-09-24 | KC1 | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-09-21 | KC1 | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | PHA | C | 8 | 0 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 1946 | PHA | C | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949 | PHA | C | 44 | 0 | 163 | 24 | 4 | 4 |
| 1950 | PHA | C | 38 | 0 | 123 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
| 1951 | PHA | C | 57 | 0 | 228 | 18 | 2 | 2 |
| 1952 | PHA | C | 102 | 0 | 436 | 36 | 4 | 9 |
| 1953 | PHA | C | 79 | 0 | 341 | 47 | 5 | 13 |
| 1954 | PHA | C | 71 | 64 | 300 | 39 | 4 | 5 |
| 1955 | KC1 | C | 100 | 92 | 420 | 50 | 5 | 9 |
| 1956 | KC1 | C | 8 | 5 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 511 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign | IL | 1940, 1941, 1942 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Joe Astroth (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Joe Astroth: the record in brief
Joe Astroth played a first major league game on August 13, 1945 and a last one on May 13, 1956. The season rows list, in order, the Philadelphia Athletics (1945 to 1954) and the Kansas City Athletics (1955 to 1956). Astroth, born on September 1, 1922, in East Alton, IL, USA, is listed as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio gives 5-foot-9 and 187 pounds. Astroth's death is recorded on May 3, 2013, in Boca Raton, FL, USA. On the record, Joe Astroth was born Joseph Henry Astroth.
Across 544 games at the plate, Astroth's career line reads 401 hits in 1,579 at bats for a .254 average, adding 13 homers and 156 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .334 and .324 give Astroth a career OPS of .658. The .254 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .658 to a league .717, 8.2% below average. 1952 produced Astroth's most hits, 84 of them for the Philadelphia Athletics. 1952 brought the most runs batted in, 36.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Astroth
- What years did Joe Astroth play?
- Joe Astroth played in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1956.
- Was Joe Astroth a pitcher?
- No. Joe Astroth was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Joe Astroth hit?
- Joe Astroth hit 13 career home runs with 401 hits.
- What was Joe Astroth's career batting average?
- Joe Astroth batted .254 over his career, with 401 hits in 1,579 at bats.
- How many RBI did Joe Astroth have?
- Joe Astroth drove in 156 runs in his career.
- Is Joe Astroth in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Joe Astroth has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.