John Bateman
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1963-1972)
John Bateman was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1972 for the Houston Astros, the Montreal Expos, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 10 seasons. In 1,017 career games, he hit .230 with 765 hits, 81 home runs, and 375 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
- 6'3" / 210 lb
- Died
- 12/3/1996 in Sand Springs, OK, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1963-04-19
- Last Game
- 1972-10-03
Full name: John Alvin Bateman
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,017 | 3,330 | 250 | 765 | 123 | 18 | 81 | 375 | 10 | 172 | 610 | .230 | .271 | .350 | .621 | -4,919 |
Career AVG .230 vs. league average .247 across their career seasons — 6.9% below league average.
Career OBP .271 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — 13.4% below league average.
Career SLG .350 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .621 vs. league average .680 across their career seasons — 8.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | HOU | NL | 128 | 404 | 23 | 85 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 59 | 0 | 13 | 103 | .210 | .246 (-15%) | .308 (-19%) | .371 (-10%) | .680 (-14%) | -975.5 |
| 1964 | HOU | NL | 74 | 221 | 18 | 42 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 0 | 17 | 48 | .190 | .250 (-24%) | .312 (-20%) | .377 (-22%) | .690 (-21%) | -740.1 |
| 1965 | HOU | NL | 45 | 142 | 15 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 37 | .197 | .245 (-20%) | .310 (-18%) | .371 (+2%) | .682 (-7%) | -189.5 |
| 1966 | HOU | NL | 131 | 433 | 39 | 121 | 24 | 3 | 17 | 70 | 0 | 20 | 74 | .279 | .248 (+12%) | .309 (+2%) | .376 (+24%) | .685 (+14%) | 946.2 |
| 1967 | HOU | NL | 76 | 252 | 16 | 48 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 53 | .190 | .242 (-21%) | .306 (-20%) | .357 (-30%) | .663 (-25%) | -946.9 |
| 1968 | HOU | NL | 111 | 350 | 28 | 87 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 1 | 23 | 46 | .249 | .236 (+5%) | .298 (avg) | .340 (-1%) | .638 (-1%) | -65.3 |
| 1969 | MON | NL | 74 | 235 | 16 | 49 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 19 | 0 | 12 | 44 | .209 | .248 (-16%) | .320 (-22%) | .369 (-11%) | .689 (-16%) | -619.7 |
| 1970 | MON | NL | 139 | 520 | 51 | 123 | 21 | 5 | 15 | 68 | 8 | 28 | 75 | .237 | .253 (-7%) | .325 (-15%) | .385 (-1%) | .711 (-7%) | -776.7 |
| 1971 | MON | NL | 139 | 492 | 34 | 119 | 17 | 3 | 10 | 56 | 1 | 19 | 87 | .242 | .249 (-3%) | .316 (-14%) | .365 (-4%) | .682 (-9%) | -788.1 |
| 1972 | MON | NL | 18 | 29 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .241 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | PHI | NL | 82 | 252 | 10 | 56 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 8 | 39 | .222 | .243 (-9%) | .310 (-21%) | .353 (-17%) | .664 (-19%) | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 1,017 | 3,330 | 250 | 765 | 123 | 18 | 81 | 375 | 10 | 172 | 610 | .230 | — | — | — | — | -4,156 | ||
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 (1017 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 521 | 1688 | 131 | 387 | 42 | 188 | .229 |
| Away | 496 | 1642 | 119 | 378 | 39 | 187 | .230 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-10-03 | PHI | CHC | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972-09-28 | PHI | PIT | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972-09-24 | PHI | NYN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-23 | PHI | NYN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-20 | PHI | STL | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-17 | PHI | WSN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1972-09-15 | PHI | WSN | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-09-11 | PHI | NYN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972-09-09 | PHI | CHC | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972-09-08 | PHI | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | HOU | C | 115 | 111 | 690 | 81 | 23 | 7 |
| 1964 | HOU | C | 72 | 67 | 400 | 43 | 6 | 4 |
| 1965 | HOU | C | 39 | 38 | 234 | 26 | 4 | 3 |
| 1966 | HOU | C | 121 | 120 | 731 | 63 | 15 | 14 |
| 1967 | HOU | C | 71 | 70 | 483 | 46 | 6 | 5 |
| 1968 | HOU | C | 108 | 105 | 690 | 49 | 11 | 6 |
| 1969 | MON | C | 66 | 64 | 433 | 26 | 7 | 5 |
| 1970 | MON | C | 137 | 136 | 824 | 62 | 15 | 19 |
| 1971 | MON | C | 137 | 133 | 726 | 56 | 12 | 12 |
| 1972 | MON | C | 7 | 5 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | PHI | C | 80 | 74 | 447 | 38 | 14 | 6 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 952 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Bateman (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
John Bateman: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 19, 1963 and the final game on October 3, 1972, John Bateman built the record summarized on this page. Bateman played for the Houston Colt .45's (1963 through 1964), the Houston Astros (1965 to 1968), the Montreal Expos (1969 through 1972), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1972). Bateman is listed as a catcher at 6 feet, 3 inches and 210 pounds. Bateman batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is July 21, 1940, in Fort Sill, OK, USA. Bateman died on December 3, 1996, in Sand Springs, OK, USA. John Bateman was the playing name; the full given name is John Alvin.
Bateman's career batting table shows 1,017 games, 3,330 at bats and 765 hits, a .230 average, plus 81 home runs and 375 runs batted in. Bateman got on base at a .271 rate and slugged .350 (.621 OPS). Over the seasons Bateman played, league hitters batted .247; the .230 career figure is 6.9% below that. The OPS comparison is .621 to a league .680, 8.6% below average.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Bateman
- What years did John Bateman play?
- John Bateman played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1972.
- Was John Bateman a pitcher?
- No. John Bateman was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did John Bateman hit?
- John Bateman hit 81 career home runs with 765 hits.
- What was John Bateman's career batting average?
- John Bateman batted .230 over his career, with 765 hits in 3,330 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Bateman have?
- John Bateman drove in 375 runs in his career.
- Is John Bateman in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Bateman has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.