Joe DeMaestri
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1951-1961)
Joe DeMaestri was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1961 for 5 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 11 seasons. In 1,121 career games, he hit .236 with 813 hits, 49 home runs, and 281 RBI. Joe DeMaestri 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 170 lb
- Died
- 8/26/2016 in San Rafael, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1951-04-19
- Last Game
- 1961-09-27
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Joseph Paul DeMaestri
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,121 | 3,441 | 322 | 813 | 114 | 23 | 49 | 281 | 15 | 168 | 511 | .236 | .274 | .325 | .599 | -9,310 |
Career AVG .236 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 8.5% below league average.
Career OBP .274 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 16.9% below league average.
Career SLG .325 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 16.7% below league average.
Career OPS .599 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — 16.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | CHA | AL | 56 | 74 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 11 | .203 | .260 (-22%) | .336 (-25%) | .385 (-23%) | .721 (-24%) | -300.1 |
| 1952 | SLA | AL | 81 | 186 | 13 | 42 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 25 | .226 | .252 (-11%) | .326 (-21%) | .369 (-19%) | .696 (-20%) | -613.8 |
| 1953 | PHA | AL | 111 | 420 | 53 | 107 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 35 | 0 | 24 | 39 | .255 | .264 (-4%) | .335 (-12%) | .397 (-11%) | .733 (-11%) | -842.2 |
| 1954 | PHA | AL | 146 | 539 | 49 | 124 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 40 | 1 | 20 | 63 | .230 | .261 (-12%) | .333 (-22%) | .390 (-19%) | .723 (-21%) | -1916.0 |
| 1955 | KC1 | AL | 123 | 457 | 42 | 114 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 37 | 3 | 20 | 47 | .249 | .258 (-4%) | .332 (-14%) | .393 (-18%) | .726 (-16%) | -1228.5 |
| 1956 | KC1 | AL | 133 | 434 | 41 | 101 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 39 | 3 | 25 | 73 | .233 | .258 (-10%) | .331 (-16%) | .397 (-21%) | .728 (-19%) | -1339.5 |
| 1957 | KC1 | AL | 135 | 461 | 44 | 113 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 33 | 6 | 22 | 82 | .245 | .257 (-5%) | .323 (-14%) | .391 (-8%) | .715 (-10%) | -869.3 |
| 1958 | KC1 | AL | 139 | 442 | 32 | 97 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 38 | 1 | 16 | 84 | .219 | .257 (-15%) | .324 (-24%) | .394 (-27%) | .719 (-25%) | -1834.0 |
| 1959 | KC1 | AL | 118 | 352 | 31 | 86 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 34 | 1 | 28 | 65 | .244 | .256 (-5%) | .323 (-6%) | .392 (-6%) | .715 (-6%) | -366.1 |
| 1960 | NYA | AL | 49 | 35 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | .229 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1961 | NYA | AL | 30 | 41 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | .146 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 1,121 | 3,441 | 322 | 813 | 114 | 23 | 49 | 281 | 15 | 168 | 511 | .236 | — | — | — | — | -9,310 | ||
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 (1121 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 570 | 1696 | 164 | 399 | 32 | 165 | .235 |
| Away | 551 | 1746 | 158 | 414 | 17 | 116 | .237 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-09-27 | NYY | BAL | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961-09-24 | NYY | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1961-09-21 | NYY | BAL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-25 | NYY | KC1 | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-24 | NYY | LAA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-23 | NYY | LAA | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-22 | NYY | LAA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-19 | NYY | CLE | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-17 | NYY | CHW | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961-08-11 | NYY | TEX | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 39 | 0 | 38 | 30 | 2 | 8 |
| 3B | 14 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| SS | 1029 | 761 | 1689 | 2852 | 156 | 612 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | CHA | 2B | 11 | 0 | 16 | 14 | 1 | 2 |
| 1951 | CHA | 3B | 8 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1951 | CHA | SS | 27 | 0 | 26 | 45 | 3 | 12 |
| 1952 | SLA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1952 | SLA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1952 | SLA | SS | 77 | 0 | 105 | 156 | 17 | 29 |
| 1953 | PHA | SS | 108 | 0 | 191 | 297 | 18 | 53 |
| 1954 | PHA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | PHA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | PHA | SS | 142 | 139 | 285 | 406 | 25 | 90 |
| 1955 | KC1 | SS | 122 | 118 | 206 | 358 | 21 | 78 |
| 1956 | KC1 | 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956 | KC1 | SS | 132 | 125 | 210 | 407 | 23 | 95 |
| 1957 | KC1 | SS | 134 | 130 | 248 | 387 | 13 | 87 |
| 1958 | KC1 | SS | 137 | 132 | 226 | 417 | 13 | 95 |
| 1959 | KC1 | SS | 115 | 106 | 167 | 320 | 22 | 63 |
| 1960 | NYA | 2B | 19 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 |
| 1960 | NYA | SS | 17 | 2 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961 | NYA | 2B | 5 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 1961 | NYA | 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | NYA | SS | 18 | 9 | 15 | 38 | 1 | 9 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 39 |
| Third Base | 14 |
| Shortstop | 1029 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Joe DeMaestri (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Joe DeMaestri: the record in brief
According to the bio, Joe DeMaestri debuted on April 19, 1951 and played a final game on September 27, 1961. By club, DeMaestri's seasons break down as the Chicago White Sox (1951), the St. Louis Browns (1952), the Philadelphia Athletics (1953 through 1954), the Kansas City Athletics (1955 to 1959), and the New York Yankees (1960 to 1961). The bio lists DeMaestri as a shortstop who batted and threw right-handed. DeMaestri is listed at 6-foot-0 and 170 pounds. DeMaestri was born on December 9, 1928, in San Francisco, CA, USA. The bio records the death on August 26, 2016, in San Rafael, CA, USA. Joe DeMaestri was the playing name; the full given name is Joseph Paul.
DeMaestri finished with 813 hits from 3,441 at bats in 1,121 games, which works out to .236; the totals also include 49 home runs and 281 RBI. Reaching base at a .274 clip and slugging .325, DeMaestri finished with a .599 OPS. Set against a .258 league average for the same years, DeMaestri's .236 average sits 8.5% below it. No season topped the 124 hits of 1954.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joe DeMaestri
- What years did Joe DeMaestri play?
- Joe DeMaestri played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1961.
- Was Joe DeMaestri a pitcher?
- No. Joe DeMaestri was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Joe DeMaestri hit?
- Joe DeMaestri hit 49 career home runs with 813 hits.
- What teams did Joe DeMaestri play for?
- Joe DeMaestri played for 4 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1951), the St. Louis Browns (1952), the Kansas City Athletics (1953–1959), and the New York Yankees (1960–1961).
- Did Joe DeMaestri win an MVP award?
- No. Joe DeMaestri did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Joe DeMaestri win?
- Joe DeMaestri was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Joe DeMaestri's career stats?
- In 1,121 games, Joe DeMaestri had 813 hits, 49 home runs, 281 RBI, 322 runs, and 15 stolen bases, with a .236 batting average.
- What position did Joe DeMaestri play?
- Joe DeMaestri played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Joe DeMaestri and how much did he weigh?
- Joe DeMaestri was listed at 6 feet and 170 pounds.
- How many home runs did Joe DeMaestri hit each season?
- Joe DeMaestri's home runs by season: 1 in 1951, 1 in 1952, 6 in 1953, 8 in 1954, 6 in 1955, 6 in 1956, 9 in 1957, 6 in 1958, 6 in 1959, 0 in 1960, and 0 in 1961. His most in one season was 9, in 1957.
- What was Joe DeMaestri's career batting average?
- Joe DeMaestri batted .236 over his career, with 813 hits in 3,441 at bats.
- How many RBI did Joe DeMaestri have?
- Joe DeMaestri drove in 281 runs in his career.
- Is Joe DeMaestri in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Joe DeMaestri has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Joe DeMaestri make?
- Joe DeMaestri was selected to 1 All-Star Game.