Chris Cannizzaro
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1960-1974)
Chris Cannizzaro was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1974 for 6 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 15 seasons. In 740 career games, he hit .235 with 458 hits, 18 home runs, and 169 RBI. Chris Cannizzaro was an All-Star.
- 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
- 6'0" / 190 lb
- Died
- 12/29/2016 in San Diego, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1960-04-17
- Last Game
- 1974-09-28
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Christopher John Cannizzaro
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 740 | 1,950 | 132 | 458 | 66 | 12 | 18 | 169 | 3 | 241 | 354 | .235 | .319 | .309 | .628 | -1,870 |
Career AVG .235 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — 6.3% below league average.
Career OBP .319 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .309 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 17.3% below league average.
Career OPS .628 vs. league average .691 across their career seasons — 9.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | SLN | NL | 7 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1961 | SLN | NL | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1962 | NYN | NL | 59 | 133 | 9 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 19 | 26 | .241 | .257 (-7%) | .326 (+3%) | .393 (-31%) | .719 (-16%) | -277.2 |
| 1963 | NYN | NL | 16 | 33 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .242 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1964 | NYN | NL | 60 | 164 | 11 | 51 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 28 | .311 | .250 (+24%) | .312 (+17%) | .377 (-2%) | .690 (+7%) | 237.1 |
| 1965 | NYN | NL | 114 | 251 | 17 | 46 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 28 | 60 | .183 | .245 (-25%) | .310 (-13%) | .371 (-38%) | .682 (-27%) | -947.4 |
| 1968 | PIT | NL | 25 | 58 | 5 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 13 | .241 | .236 (+2%) | .298 (+15%) | .340 (+17%) | .638 (+16%) | 149.1 |
| 1969 | SDN | NL | 134 | 418 | 23 | 92 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 33 | 0 | 42 | 81 | .220 | .248 (-11%) | .320 (-9%) | .369 (-20%) | .689 (-15%) | -946.4 |
| 1970 | SDN | NL | 111 | 341 | 27 | 95 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 42 | 2 | 48 | 49 | .279 | .253 (+10%) | .325 (+12%) | .385 (-2%) | .711 (+5%) | 431.1 |
| 1971 | SDN | NL | 21 | 63 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 10 | .190 | .249 (-24%) | .316 (+1%) | .365 (-30%) | .682 (-16%) | -108.1 |
| 1971 | CHN | NL | 71 | 197 | 18 | 42 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 0 | 28 | 24 | .213 | .249 (-14%) | .316 (-2%) | .365 (-7%) | .682 (-4%) | -108.1 |
| 1972 | LAN | NL | 73 | 200 | 14 | 48 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 31 | 38 | .240 | .243 (-2%) | .310 (+10%) | .353 (-15%) | .664 (-4%) | -1.7 |
| 1973 | LAN | NL | 17 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .190 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | SDN | NL | 26 | 60 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 11 | .183 | .256 (-29%) | .324 (-21%) | .369 (-46%) | .693 (-34%) | -301.1 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 740 | 1,950 | 132 | 458 | 66 | 12 | 18 | 169 | 3 | 241 | 354 | .235 | — | — | — | — | -1,873 | ||
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 (740 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 386 | 1001 | 70 | 244 | 11 | 100 | .244 |
| Away | 354 | 949 | 62 | 214 | 7 | 69 | .226 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-09-28 | SDP | LAD | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-27 | SDP | LAD | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-26 | SDP | LAD | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974-09-25 | SDP | SFG | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-24 | SDP | SFG | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-22 | SDP | LAD | L | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-21 | SDP | LAD | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1974-09-20 | SDP | LAD | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-18 | SDP | CIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-16 | SDP | CIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 714 | 617 | 3161 | 333 | 62 | 42 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | SLN | C | 6 | 3 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961 | SLN | C | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | NYN | C | 56 | 42 | 218 | 34 | 7 | 3 |
| 1962 | NYN | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963 | NYN | C | 15 | 10 | 49 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964 | NYN | C | 53 | 47 | 225 | 28 | 3 | 6 |
| 1965 | NYN | C | 112 | 103 | 435 | 69 | 12 | 8 |
| 1968 | PIT | C | 25 | 18 | 111 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| 1969 | SDN | C | 132 | 128 | 644 | 69 | 9 | 8 |
| 1970 | SDN | C | 110 | 100 | 559 | 44 | 12 | 5 |
| 1971 | SDN | C | 19 | 19 | 114 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| 1971 | CHN | C | 70 | 61 | 311 | 26 | 6 | 2 |
| 1972 | LAN | C | 72 | 59 | 312 | 26 | 6 | 4 |
| 1973 | LAN | C | 13 | 4 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | SDN | C | 26 | 23 | 126 | 12 | 3 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 715 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Chris Cannizzaro (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Chris Cannizzaro: the record in brief
April 17, 1960 and September 28, 1974 bracket Chris Cannizzaro's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Cannizzaro's seasons break down as the St. Louis Cardinals (1960 to 1961), the New York Mets (1962 through 1965), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1968), the San Diego Padres (1969 to 1974), the Chicago Cubs (1971), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1972 to 1973). At 190 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame, Cannizzaro is listed as a catcher. The bio says Cannizzaro both batted and threw right-handed. Cannizzaro was born on May 3, 1938, in Oakland, CA, USA. The bio records the death on December 29, 2016, in San Diego, CA, USA. On the record, Chris Cannizzaro was born Christopher John Cannizzaro.
Cannizzaro collected 458 hits in 1,950 at bats across 740 games, good for a .235 batting average, plus 18 homers and 169 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .319 and the slugging percentage .309, for an OPS of .628. Measured against the leagues Cannizzaro played in, the .235 career average compares with a .251 league average over the same seasons, 6.3% below the league.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chris Cannizzaro
- What years did Chris Cannizzaro play?
- Chris Cannizzaro played in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1974.
- Was Chris Cannizzaro a pitcher?
- No. Chris Cannizzaro was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Chris Cannizzaro hit?
- Chris Cannizzaro hit 18 career home runs with 458 hits.
- What teams did Chris Cannizzaro play for?
- Chris Cannizzaro played for 6 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1960–1961), the New York Mets (1962–1965), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1968), the San Diego Padres (1969–1971, 1974), the Chicago Cubs (1971), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1972–1973).
- Did Chris Cannizzaro win an MVP award?
- No. Chris Cannizzaro did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Chris Cannizzaro win?
- Chris Cannizzaro was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Chris Cannizzaro's career stats?
- In 740 games, Chris Cannizzaro had 458 hits, 18 home runs, 169 RBI, 132 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .235 batting average.
- What position did Chris Cannizzaro play?
- Chris Cannizzaro played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Chris Cannizzaro and how much did he weigh?
- Chris Cannizzaro was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.
- How many home runs did Chris Cannizzaro hit each season?
- Chris Cannizzaro's home runs by season: 0 in 1960, 0 in 1961, 0 in 1962, 0 in 1963, 0 in 1964, 0 in 1965, 1 in 1968, 4 in 1969, 5 in 1970, 6 in 1971, 2 in 1972, 0 in 1973, and 0 in 1974. His most in one season was 6, in 1971.
- What was Chris Cannizzaro's career batting average?
- Chris Cannizzaro batted .235 over his career, with 458 hits in 1,950 at bats.
- How many RBI did Chris Cannizzaro have?
- Chris Cannizzaro drove in 169 runs in his career.
- Is Chris Cannizzaro in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Chris Cannizzaro has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Chris Cannizzaro make?
- Chris Cannizzaro was selected to 1 All-Star Game.