Walter Burch

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Walter Burch was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball for 7 teams, including the Baltimore Black Sox. In 40 career games, he hit .193 with 22 hits and 7 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.

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

AVG .193
HR 0
RBI 7
H 22
OPS .477
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 170 lb
Born
5/2/1908 in Atlanta, GA, USA
Died
5/10/1985 in Detroit, MI, USA

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Walter Burch — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
122.0 111.0 9.0 23.0 0 0 1.0 5.0 10.0 0 0 .207 .279 .234 .513

Pitching

Walter Burch — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
1 1 0 0 5 0 6.1 9 6 0 1 2 1 0.00 1.74

Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Walter Burch — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1933 6.0 6.0 0 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .666
Listed seasons · 1 6 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 — — —

Career Batting Statistics

Walter Burch — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
40 114 9 22 1 1 0 7 0 9 0 .193 .258 .219 .477 0

Career AVG .193 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — 27.7% below league average.

Career OBP .258 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 22.9% below league average.

Career SLG .219 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 41.8% below league average.

Career OPS .477 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — 32.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Walter Burch Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1934 BBS NN2 5 20 3 5 1 1 0 4 0 1 0 .250 — — — — 0.0
1936 HG NN2 3 8 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 .375 — — — — 0.0
1939 CBR NAL 11 35 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 .114 — — — — 0.0
1940 SNS NAL 4 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1940 CAG NAL 1 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 — — — — 0.0
1941 SNS NAL 5 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143 — — — — 0.0
1942 CCB NAL 2 7 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .429 — — — — 0.0
1944 CBE NAL 8 25 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 .160 — — — — 0.0
1946 CBE NAL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 9 seasons 40 114 9 22 1 1 0 7 0 9 0 .193 — — — — 0

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.

Career Pitching Statistics

Walter Burch — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 1 2 0 0 0 0 5.1 10 5 1 2 2 8.44 0.0

Career ERA 8.44 vs. league average 3.58 across their career seasons — 135.7% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Walter Burch — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1942 CCB NAL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4.1 6 2 2 1 4.15 — 0.0
1946 CBE NAL 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 4 3 0 1 27.00 — 0.0
Career · 2 seasons 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 5.1 10 5 2 2 8.44 — 0

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 (58 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Walter Burch — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home22517813.157
Away32361802.222

Pitching — Home / Away

Walter Burch — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home10.00000—
Away36.190210.00

Last 10 Games — Batting

Walter Burch — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1946-06-16 CVBKCML 100000000
1946-06-02 CVBIN9L 000000000
1946-05-10 CVBBIRL 000000000
1944-08-08 CVBKCML 301000000
1944-08-07 CVBCIAW 000000000
1944-08-06 CVBCIAL 000000000
1944-08-06 CVBCIAL 000000000
1944-08-04 CVBMEML 000000000
1944-08-01 CVBCIAL 201000110
1944-07-31 CVBCIAW 001000000

Last 4 Games — Pitching

Walter Burch — Last 4 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1946-06-16 CVBKCM L 1.0330001
1946-06-02 CVBIN9 — 0.0000000
1946-05-10 CVBBIR — 1.0000000
1942-05-10 CCBMEM — 4.1630210

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Walter Burch — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 2 2 3 6 0 1
3B 3 3 4 5 1 1
C 28 26 110 28 6 0
P 2 0 0 0 0 0
SS 2 2 3 5 1 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Walter Burch — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1934 BBS 2B 2 2 3 6 0 1
1934 BBS C 1 1 5 1 0 0
1934 BBS SS 2 2 3 5 1 2
1936 HG 3B 3 3 4 5 1 1
1939 CBR C 11 11 52 16 2 0
1940 SNS C 4 3 10 1 1 0
1940 CAG C 1 1 2 1 0 0
1941 SNS C 2 1 6 1 0 0
1942 CCB C 1 1 3 0 0 0
1942 CCB P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1944 CBE C 8 8 32 8 3 0
1946 CBE P 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Walter Burch Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 2
Catcher 28
Second Base 2
Third Base 3
Shortstop 2

Walter Burch: the record in brief

The season rows for Walter Burch begin in 1934. Burch played for the Baltimore Black Sox (1934), the Homestead Grays (1936), the Cleveland Bears (1939), the St. Louis-New Orleans Stars (1940 through 1941), the Chicago American Giants (1940), the Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes (1942), and the Cleveland Buckeyes (1944 through 1946). Burch is listed as a catcher at 5'10" and 170 pounds. Burch threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is May 2, 1908, in Atlanta, GA, USA. Burch's death is recorded on May 10, 1985, in Detroit, MI, USA.

Burch finished with 22 hits from 114 at bats in 40 games, which works out to .193, adding 7 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .258 and .219 give Burch a career OPS of .477. Over the seasons Burch played, league hitters batted .267; the .193 career figure is 27.7% below that. The OPS comparison is .477 to a league .712, 32.9% below average. No season topped the 5 hits of 1934.

Frequently Asked Questions about Walter Burch

Was Walter Burch a pitcher?
No. Walter Burch was a position player (Catcher), though he did pitch in 2 career games.
How many home runs did Walter Burch hit?
Walter Burch hit 0 career home runs with 22 hits.
What was Walter Burch's career batting average?
Walter Burch batted .193 over his career, with 22 hits in 114 at bats.
How many RBI did Walter Burch have?
Walter Burch drove in 7 runs in his career.
What was Walter Burch's career ERA?
Walter Burch finished with a 8.44 career ERA, going 0-1 with 2 strikeouts.
Is Walter Burch in the Hall of Fame?
No. Walter Burch has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.