Buddy Blattner
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1942-1949)
Buddy Blattner was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1949 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Giants, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 8 seasons. In 272 career games, he hit .247 with 176 hits, 16 home runs, and 84 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,104.
- 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- Died
- 9/5/2009 in Chesterfield, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1942-04-18
- Last Game
- 1949-10-02
Full name: Robert Garnett Blattner
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 272 | 713 | 112 | 176 | 34 | 8 | 16 | 84 | 18 | 102 | 96 | .247 | .347 | .384 | .731 | 1,104 |
Career AVG .247 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .347 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .384 vs. league average .369 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .731 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | SLN | NL | 19 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .043 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | NY1 | NL | 126 | 420 | 63 | 107 | 18 | 6 | 11 | 49 | 12 | 56 | 52 | .255 | .256 (-1%) | .328 (+7%) | .358 (+13%) | .687 (+10%) | 854.1 |
| 1947 | NY1 | NL | 55 | 153 | 28 | 40 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 21 | 19 | .261 | .262 (avg) | .336 (+4%) | .376 (-8%) | .712 (-2%) | -31.1 |
| 1948 | NY1 | NL | 8 | 20 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1949 | PHI | NL | 64 | 97 | 15 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 0 | 19 | 17 | .247 | .262 (-6%) | .343 (+8%) | .384 (+21%) | .727 (+15%) | 280.9 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 272 | 713 | 112 | 176 | 34 | 8 | 16 | 84 | 18 | 102 | 96 | .247 | — | — | — | — | 1,104 | ||
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 (272 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 134 | 320 | 55 | 86 | 8 | 46 | .269 |
| Away | 138 | 393 | 57 | 90 | 8 | 38 | .229 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-10-02 | PHI | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-10-01 | PHI | BRO | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-24 | PHI | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-09-22 | PHI | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-20 | PHI | STL | L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-18 | PHI | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-16 | PHI | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949-09-14 | PHI | PIT | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-13 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-10 | PHI | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B | 173 | 0 | 399 | 466 | 26 | 86 |
| 3B | 23 | 0 | 18 | 17 | 2 | 3 |
| SS | 14 | 0 | 11 | 16 | 3 | 2 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | SLN | 2B | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1942 | SLN | SS | 13 | 0 | 11 | 16 | 3 | 2 |
| 1946 | NY1 | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | NY1 | 2B | 114 | 0 | 285 | 315 | 15 | 62 |
| 1947 | NY1 | 2B | 34 | 0 | 79 | 100 | 10 | 14 |
| 1947 | NY1 | 3B | 11 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 1948 | NY1 | 2B | 7 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 0 | 4 |
| 1949 | PHI | 2B | 15 | 0 | 24 | 27 | 1 | 5 |
| 1949 | PHI | 3B | 12 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| 1949 | PHI | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 173 |
| Third Base | 23 |
| Shortstop | 14 |
Buddy Blattner: the record in brief
Buddy Blattner played a first major league game on April 18, 1942 and a last one on October 2, 1949. Club by club, the record runs the St. Louis Cardinals (1942), the New York Giants (1946 to 1948), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1949). Blattner played primarily as a second baseman and threw and hit right-handed. Born on February 8, 1920, in St. Louis, MO, USA, Blattner was listed at 6'0" and 180 pounds. The bio records the death on September 5, 2009, in Chesterfield, MO, USA. Buddy Blattner was the playing name; the full given name is Robert Garnett.
Blattner finished with 176 hits from 713 at bats in 272 games, which works out to .247, along with 16 homers and 84 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .347 and .384 give Blattner a career OPS of .731. The .247 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions about Buddy Blattner
- What years did Buddy Blattner play?
- Buddy Blattner played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1949.
- Was Buddy Blattner a pitcher?
- No. Buddy Blattner was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Buddy Blattner hit?
- Buddy Blattner hit 16 career home runs with 176 hits.
- What was Buddy Blattner's career batting average?
- Buddy Blattner batted .247 over his career, with 176 hits in 713 at bats.
- How many RBI did Buddy Blattner have?
- Buddy Blattner drove in 84 runs in his career.
- Is Buddy Blattner in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Buddy Blattner has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.