Joe Becker
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1936-1937)
Joe Becker was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1937 for the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 2 seasons. In 40 career games, he hit .241 with 20 hits, 1 home runs, and 13 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
- 6'1" / 180 lb
- Died
- 1/11/1998 in Sunset Hills, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1936-05-10
- Last Game
- 1937-09-14
Full name: Joseph Edward Becker
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 83 | 8 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 8 | .241 | .315 | .386 | .701 | -194 |
Career AVG .241 vs. league average .280 across their career seasons — 14.0% below league average.
Career OBP .315 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — 8.9% below league average.
Career SLG .386 vs. league average .401 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .701 vs. league average .747 across their career seasons — 6.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | CLE | AL | 22 | 50 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 4 | .180 | .283 (-37%) | .349 (-27%) | .404 (-16%) | .753 (-21%) | -193.8 |
| 1937 | CLE | AL | 18 | 33 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 40 | 83 | 8 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 8 | .241 | — | — | — | — | -194 | ||
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 (40 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 19 | 43 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 9 | .279 |
| Away | 21 | 40 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 4 | .200 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937-09-14 | CLE | NYY | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1937-09-12 | CLE | SLA | W | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937-09-12 | CLE | SLA | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937-09-11 | CLE | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-09-11 | CLE | SLA | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-08-29 | CLE | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-08-08 | CLE | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-08-04 | CLE | BOS | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-08-03 | CLE | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-07-30 | CLE | MIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 27 |
Joe Becker: the record in brief
Between the debut on May 10, 1936 and the final game on September 14, 1937, Joe Becker built the record summarized on this page. Every season row on the page belongs to the Cleveland Indians, from 1936 through 1937. Becker played primarily as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on June 25, 1908, in St. Louis, MO, USA and a listed size of 6'1" and 180 pounds. Becker died on January 11, 1998, in Sunset Hills, MO, USA. The given name on file is Joseph Edward Becker.
The batting record for Becker: 40 games, 20 hits in 83 at bats, and a .241 average, adding 1 home run and 13 RBI. Becker got on base at a .315 rate and slugged .386 (.701 OPS). The league as a whole hit .280 across Becker's seasons, which puts the .241 career mark 14.0% below average. No season topped the 11 hits of 1937. The best average in the busiest seasons was .333, in 1937.
Becker appears at one position only: catcher, in 27 games. Fielding behind the plate produced 69 putouts and 11 assists against 3 errors.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Becker
- What years did Joe Becker play?
- Joe Becker played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1937.
- Was Joe Becker a pitcher?
- No. Joe Becker was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Joe Becker hit?
- Joe Becker hit 1 career home runs with 20 hits.
- What was Joe Becker's career batting average?
- Joe Becker batted .241 over his career, with 20 hits in 83 at bats.
- How many RBI did Joe Becker have?
- Joe Becker drove in 13 runs in his career.
- Is Joe Becker in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Joe Becker has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.