Joe Christopher
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1959-1966)
Joe Christopher was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1966 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Mets, and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 8 seasons. In 638 career games, he hit .260 with 434 hits, 29 home runs, and 173 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,047.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 175 lb
- Born
- 12/13/1935 in Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Died
- 10/3/2023 in Edgewood, MD, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1959-05-26
- Last Game
- 1966-06-09
Full name: Joseph O'Neal Christopher
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 638 | 1,667 | 224 | 434 | 68 | 17 | 29 | 173 | 29 | 157 | 277 | .260 | .329 | .374 | .702 | 1,047 |
Career AVG .260 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .329 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .374 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .702 vs. league average .701 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | PIT | NL | 15 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | PIT | NL | 50 | 56 | 21 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 8 | .232 | .255 (-9%) | .323 (-9%) | .387 (-17%) | .711 (-13%) | -112.5 |
| 1961 | PIT | NL | 76 | 186 | 25 | 49 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 24 | .263 | .258 (+2%) | .328 (avg) | .399 (-17%) | .727 (-9%) | -263.2 |
| 1962 | NYN | NL | 119 | 271 | 36 | 66 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 32 | 11 | 35 | 42 | .244 | .257 (-5%) | .326 (+4%) | .393 (-8%) | .719 (-3%) | -45.8 |
| 1963 | NYN | NL | 64 | 149 | 19 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 21 | .221 | .246 (-10%) | .308 (-4%) | .371 (-22%) | .680 (-14%) | -292.1 |
| 1964 | NYN | NL | 154 | 543 | 78 | 163 | 26 | 8 | 16 | 76 | 6 | 48 | 92 | .300 | .250 (+20%) | .312 (+15%) | .377 (+23%) | .690 (+20%) | 2056.0 |
| 1965 | NYN | NL | 148 | 437 | 38 | 109 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 40 | 4 | 35 | 82 | .249 | .245 (+2%) | .310 (avg) | .371 (-9%) | .682 (-5%) | -295.4 |
| 1966 | BOS | AL | 12 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .077 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 638 | 1,667 | 224 | 434 | 68 | 17 | 29 | 173 | 29 | 157 | 277 | .260 | — | — | — | — | 1,047 | ||
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 (638 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 316 | 866 | 125 | 240 | 21 | 106 | .277 |
| Away | 322 | 801 | 99 | 194 | 8 | 67 | .242 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-06-09 | BOS | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966-06-07 | BOS | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-06-03 | BOS | NYY | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966-06-02 | BOS | TEX | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966-05-30 | BOS | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-05-27 | BOS | TEX | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1966-05-25 | BOS | MIN | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1966-05-21 | BOS | KC1 | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-05-09 | BOS | KC1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966-05-03 | BOS | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 154 |
| Center Field | 52 |
| Right Field | 278 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Joe Christopher (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Joe Christopher: the record in brief
Joe Christopher played a first major league game on May 26, 1959 and a last one on June 9, 1966. Club by club, the record runs the Pittsburgh Pirates (1959 through 1961), the New York Mets (1962 through 1965), and the Boston Red Sox (1966). Christopher played primarily as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on December 13, 1935, in Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and a listed size of 5 feet, 10 inches and 175 pounds. The bio records the death on October 3, 2023, in Edgewood, MD, USA. Christopher's full given name, per the bio, is Joseph O'Neal Christopher.
In 638 games and 1,667 at bats, Christopher batted .260 with 434 hits, adding 29 home runs, 173 runs batted in, and 29 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .329 and the slugging percentage .374, for an OPS of .702. Against a .252 league average for those years, Christopher's .260 average was near the norm.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Christopher
- What years did Joe Christopher play?
- Joe Christopher played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1966.
- Was Joe Christopher a pitcher?
- No. Joe Christopher was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Joe Christopher hit?
- Joe Christopher hit 29 career home runs with 434 hits.
- What teams did Joe Christopher play for?
- Joe Christopher played for 3 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1959–1961), the New York Mets (1962–1965), and the Boston Red Sox (1966).
- What were Joe Christopher's career stats?
- In 638 games, Joe Christopher had 434 hits, 29 home runs, 173 RBI, 224 runs, and 29 stolen bases, with a .260 batting average.
- What position did Joe Christopher play?
- Joe Christopher played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Joe Christopher and how much did he weigh?
- Joe Christopher was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 175 pounds.
- How many home runs did Joe Christopher hit each season?
- Joe Christopher's home runs by season: 0 in 1959, 1 in 1960, 0 in 1961, 6 in 1962, 1 in 1963, 16 in 1964, 5 in 1965, and 0 in 1966. His most in one season was 16, in 1964.
- What was Joe Christopher's career batting average?
- Joe Christopher batted .260 over his career, with 434 hits in 1,667 at bats.
- How many RBI did Joe Christopher have?
- Joe Christopher drove in 173 runs in his career.
- Is Joe Christopher in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Joe Christopher has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.