Phil Cavarretta

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1934-1955)

Phil Cavarretta was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1955 for the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 22 seasons. In 2,030 career games, he hit .293 with 1,977 hits, 95 home runs, and 920 RBI. Phil Cavarretta was a 4-time All-Star and an MVP. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 15,811.

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 .293
HR 95
RBI 920
H 1,977
OPS .788
PIV 15,811
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
5'11" / 175 lb
Born
7/19/1916 in Chicago, IL, USA
Died
12/18/2010 in Lilburn, GA, USA
MLB Debut
1934-09-16
Last Game
1955-05-08
Awards
4× All-Star · MVP

Full name: Philip Joseph Cavarretta

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Career Batting Statistics

Phil Cavarretta — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2,030 6,754 990 1,977 347 99 95 920 65 820 598 .293 .372 .416 .788 15,811

Career AVG .293 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — +10.3% above league average.

Career OBP .372 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — +10.9% above league average.

Career SLG .416 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — +9.2% above league average.

Career OPS .788 vs. league average .717 across their career seasons — +10.0% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Phil Cavarretta 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 CHN NL 7 21 5 8 0 1 1 6 1 2 3 .381 — — — — 0.0
1935 CHN NL 146 589 85 162 28 12 8 82 4 39 61 .275 .279 (-2%) .342 (-6%) .399 (+1%) .742 (-2%) -323.1
1936 CHN NL 124 458 55 125 18 1 9 56 8 17 36 .273 .283 (-4%) .349 (-12%) .404 (-7%) .753 (-10%) -779.7
1937 CHN NL 106 329 43 94 18 7 5 56 7 32 35 .286 .276 (+3%) .342 (+2%) .398 (+8%) .740 (+5%) 278.7
1938 CHN NL 92 268 29 64 11 4 1 28 4 14 27 .239 .272 (-12%) .341 (-16%) .392 (-18%) .734 (-17%) -785.7
1939 CHN NL 22 55 4 15 3 1 0 0 2 4 3 .273 .274 (-1%) .342 (-6%) .393 (-7%) .735 (-7%) -68.4
1940 CHN NL 65 193 34 54 11 4 2 22 3 31 18 .280 .267 (+5%) .335 (+16%) .387 (+6%) .722 (+10%) 444.2
1941 CHN NL 107 346 46 99 18 4 6 40 2 53 28 .286 .262 (+9%) .332 (+15%) .373 (+11%) .705 (+13%) 992.2
1942 CHN NL 136 482 59 130 28 4 3 54 7 71 42 .270 .253 (+6%) .323 (+13%) .349 (+4%) .672 (+8%) 933.0
1943 CHN NL 143 530 93 154 27 9 8 73 3 75 42 .291 .255 (+14%) .324 (+17%) .346 (+21%) .671 (+20%) 2126.6
1944 CHN NL 152 614 106 197 35 15 5 82 4 67 42 .321 .261 (+23%) .325 (+20%) .357 (+26%) .683 (+23%) 2815.6
1945 CHN NL 132 498 94 177 34 10 6 97 5 81 34 .355 .260 (+36%) .328 (+37%) .354 (+41%) .683 (+39%) 4009.6
1946 CHN NL 139 510 89 150 28 10 8 78 2 88 54 .294 .256 (+15%) .328 (+22%) .358 (+21%) .687 (+22%) 2405.7
1947 CHN NL 127 459 56 144 22 5 2 63 2 58 35 .314 .262 (+20%) .336 (+16%) .376 (+5%) .712 (+10%) 1079.0
1948 CHN NL 111 334 41 93 16 5 3 40 4 35 29 .278 .263 (+6%) .340 (+3%) .379 (+1%) .719 (+2%) 100.6
1949 CHN NL 105 360 46 106 22 4 8 49 2 45 31 .294 .262 (+12%) .343 (+9%) .384 (+16%) .727 (+13%) 867.6
1950 CHN NL 82 256 49 70 11 1 10 31 1 40 31 .273 .265 (+3%) .346 (+9%) .401 (+10%) .747 (+9%) 522.4
1951 CHN NL 89 206 24 64 7 1 6 28 0 27 28 .311 .260 (+19%) .336 (+17%) .385 (+15%) .721 (+16%) 668.2
1952 CHN NL 41 63 7 15 1 1 1 8 0 9 3 .238 .252 (-6%) .326 (+2%) .369 (-10%) .696 (-4%) -28.6
1953 CHN NL 27 21 3 6 3 0 0 3 0 6 3 .286 — — — — 0.0
1954 CHA AL 71 158 21 50 6 0 3 24 4 26 12 .316 .261 (+21%) .333 (+25%) .390 (+5%) .723 (+15%) 553.3
1955 CHA AL 6 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 22 seasons 2,030 6,754 990 1,977 347 99 95 920 65 820 598 .293 — — — — 15,811

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Phil Cavarretta — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
17 63 9 20 3 0 1 5 4 9 .317

Playoff Batting by Year

Phil Cavarretta — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1945 WS CHN 7 26 7 11 2 0 1 5 4 3 .423
1938 WS CHN 4 13 1 6 1 0 0 0 0 1 .462
1935 WS CHN 6 24 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 5 .125

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (2030 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Phil Cavarretta — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1026332747697740458.294
Away1004342751399955466.292

Last 10 Games — Batting

Phil Cavarretta — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1955-05-08 CHWDETW 010000000
1955-05-07 CHWDETL 100000000
1955-05-04 CHWMINL 100000000
1955-05-01 CHWBALW 000000000
1955-04-30 CHWBOSW 100000001
1955-04-28 CHWBOSL 100000000
1954-09-25 CHWBALW 412000010
1954-09-21 CHWCLEW 402000010
1954-09-20 CHWCLEL 524100000
1954-09-19 CHWBALL 000000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Phil Cavarretta — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1254 31 11375 796 123 1012
OF 538 9 1060 48 26 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Phil Cavarretta — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1934 CHN 1B 5 0 53 5 0 6
1935 CHN 1B 145 0 1347 98 20 129
1936 CHN 1B 115 0 980 71 14 93
1937 CHN 1B 43 0 355 33 7 27
1937 CHN OF 55 0 99 7 3 1
1938 CHN 1B 28 0 206 16 1 14
1938 CHN OF 52 0 71 5 3 0
1939 CHN 1B 13 0 106 6 1 10
1939 CHN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1940 CHN 1B 52 0 524 30 5 57
1941 CHN 1B 33 0 335 12 4 18
1941 CHN OF 66 0 128 3 1 2
1942 CHN 1B 61 0 567 44 5 48
1942 CHN OF 70 0 177 5 2 1
1943 CHN 1B 134 0 1290 67 18 103
1943 CHN OF 7 0 15 0 0 0
1944 CHN 1B 139 0 1337 77 11 121
1944 CHN OF 13 0 26 1 2 0
1945 CHN 1B 120 0 1149 77 9 83
1945 CHN OF 11 0 23 1 0 0
1946 CHN 1B 51 0 450 40 4 26
1946 CHN OF 86 0 196 7 7 2
1947 CHN 1B 24 0 217 13 3 23
1947 CHN OF 100 0 203 11 5 3
1948 CHN 1B 41 0 374 28 1 46
1948 CHN OF 40 0 72 4 2 0
1949 CHN 1B 70 0 673 63 5 58
1949 CHN OF 25 0 39 4 0 1
1950 CHN 1B 67 0 606 47 9 55
1950 CHN OF 3 0 3 0 0 0
1951 CHN 1B 53 0 444 42 3 53
1952 CHN 1B 13 0 98 10 1 13
1954 CHA 1B 44 31 261 17 2 29
1954 CHA OF 9 9 8 0 1 0
1955 CHA 1B 3 0 3 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Phil Cavarretta Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 1254
Left Field 152
Center Field 234
Right Field 163

Awards & Honors

Phil Cavarretta — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1946 Baseball Magazine All-Star CF
1945 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1945 Most Valuable Player
1945 TSN All-Star 1B

Award Voting History

Phil Cavarretta — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1951 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 1.0 336 0
1948 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 6.0 336 0
1947 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 6.0 336 0
1946 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 49.0 336 0
1945 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 279.0 336 15
1944 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 27.0 336 0
1943 Most Valuable Player NL 28th 4.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Phil Cavarretta (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Marty McManus
    .289 avg, 120 HR
  2. 92
    Lou Boudreau HOF
    .295 avg, 68 HR
  3. 90
    Pinky Higgins
    .292 avg, 140 HR
  4. 86
    Bob Elliott
    .289 avg, 170 HR
  5. 85
    Jimmy Dykes
    .280 avg, 108 HR
  6. 85
    Billy Herman HOF
    .304 avg, 47 HR

Compare Phil Cavarretta

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Cavarretta's closest peers by position and era.

vs Johnny Mize
vs Freddie Freeman
vs Paul Goldschmidt
vs Matt Olson
vs Vladimir Guerrero
vs Pete Alonso

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

Phil Cavarretta: the record in brief

The profile opens with Phil Cavarretta's first major league game on September 16, 1934; the last one listed came on May 8, 1955. By club, Cavarretta's seasons break down as the Chicago Cubs (1934 through 1953) and the Chicago White Sox (1954 to 1955). Listed as a first baseman, Cavarretta both batted and threw left-handed. Height and weight on file: 5 feet, 11 inches and 175 pounds. Cavarretta was born on July 19, 1916, in Chicago, IL, USA. Cavarretta's death is recorded on December 18, 2010, in Lilburn, GA, USA. Phil Cavarretta was the playing name; the full given name is Philip Joseph.

Across 2,030 games at the plate, Cavarretta's career line reads 1,977 hits in 6,754 at bats for a .293 average, adding 95 homers, 920 RBI, and 65 stolen bases. Cavarretta got on base at a .372 rate and slugged .416 (.788 OPS). Set against a .265 league average for the same years, Cavarretta's .293 average sits 10.3% above it.

Frequently Asked Questions about Phil Cavarretta

What years did Phil Cavarretta play?
Phil Cavarretta played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1955.
Was Phil Cavarretta a pitcher?
No. Phil Cavarretta was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Phil Cavarretta hit?
Phil Cavarretta hit 95 career home runs with 1,977 hits.
What teams did Phil Cavarretta play for?
Phil Cavarretta played for 2 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1934–1953) and the Chicago White Sox (1954–1955).
How many MVP awards did Phil Cavarretta win?
Phil Cavarretta won 1 MVP award, in 1945.
What awards did Phil Cavarretta win?
Phil Cavarretta won the MVP award (1945). He was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
What were Phil Cavarretta's career stats?
In 2,030 games, Phil Cavarretta had 1,977 hits, 95 home runs, 920 RBI, 990 runs, and 65 stolen bases, with a .293 batting average.
What position did Phil Cavarretta play?
Phil Cavarretta played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Phil Cavarretta and how much did he weigh?
Phil Cavarretta was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Phil Cavarretta hit each season?
Phil Cavarretta's home runs by season: 1 in 1934, 8 in 1935, 9 in 1936, 5 in 1937, 1 in 1938, 0 in 1939, 2 in 1940, 6 in 1941, 3 in 1942, 8 in 1943, 5 in 1944, 6 in 1945, 8 in 1946, 2 in 1947, 3 in 1948, 8 in 1949, 10 in 1950, 6 in 1951, 1 in 1952, 0 in 1953, 3 in 1954, and 0 in 1955. His most in one season was 10, in 1950.
What was Phil Cavarretta's career batting average?
Phil Cavarretta batted .293 over his career, with 1,977 hits in 6,754 at bats.
How many RBI did Phil Cavarretta have?
Phil Cavarretta drove in 920 runs in his career.
Is Phil Cavarretta in the Hall of Fame?
No. Phil Cavarretta has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Phil Cavarretta make?
Phil Cavarretta was selected to 4 All-Star Games.