Sam Dente

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1947-1955)

Sam Dente was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1955 for 5 teams, including the Boston Red Sox, a span of 9 seasons. In 745 career games, he hit .252 with 585 hits, 4 home runs, and 214 RBI.

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 .252
HR 4
RBI 214
H 585
OPS .608
PIV -6,269
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 175 lb
Born
4/26/1922 in Harrison, NJ, USA
Died
4/21/2002 in Montclair, NJ, USA
MLB Debut
1947-07-10
Last Game
1955-09-13

Full name: Samuel Joseph Dente

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Career Batting Statistics

Sam Dente — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
745 2,320 205 585 78 16 4 214 9 167 96 .252 .303 .305 .608 -6,269

Career AVG .252 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .303 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 10.0% below league average.

Career SLG .305 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 21.1% below league average.

Career OPS .608 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — 15.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Sam Dente 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
1947 BOS AL 46 168 14 39 4 2 0 11 0 19 15 .232 .262 (-12%) .336 (-8%) .376 (-26%) .712 (-17%) -439.3
1948 SLA AL 98 267 26 72 11 2 0 22 1 22 8 .270 .263 (+2%) .340 (-4%) .379 (-14%) .719 (-9%) -388.1
1949 WS1 AL 153 590 48 161 24 4 1 53 4 31 24 .273 .262 (+4%) .343 (-10%) .384 (-13%) .727 (-12%) -1228.3
1950 WS1 AL 155 603 56 144 20 5 2 59 1 39 19 .239 .265 (-10%) .346 (-17%) .401 (-26%) .747 (-22%) -2234.6
1951 WS1 AL 88 273 21 65 8 1 0 29 3 25 10 .238 .260 (-9%) .336 (-10%) .385 (-29%) .721 (-20%) -854.8
1952 CHA AL 62 145 12 32 0 1 0 11 0 5 8 .221 .252 (-13%) .326 (-21%) .369 (-37%) .696 (-29%) -659.2
1953 CHA AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1954 CLE AL 68 169 18 45 7 1 1 19 0 14 4 .266 .261 (+2%) .333 (-4%) .390 (-14%) .723 (-9%) -256.2
1955 CLE AL 73 105 10 27 4 0 0 10 0 12 8 .257 .258 (-1%) .332 (avg) .393 (-25%) .726 (-14%) -208.2
Career · 9 seasons 745 2,320 205 585 78 16 4 214 9 167 96 .252 — — — — -6,269

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

Sam Dente — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Sam Dente — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1954 WS CLE 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (745 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Sam Dente — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home36110981052810103.256
Away38412221003044111.249

Last 10 Games — Batting

Sam Dente — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1955-09-13 CLEMINW 000000000
1955-09-13 CLEMINW 000000000
1955-09-10 CLEBOSW 110000000
1955-09-05 CLEKC1W 000000000
1955-09-05 CLEKC1L 000000000
1955-09-04 CLECHWW 400000000
1955-09-04 CLECHWW 100000000
1955-09-03 CLECHWW 212000100
1955-08-28 CLEMINL 000000010
1955-08-27 CLENYYW 000000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Sam Dente — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 0 8 2 0 1
2B 56 7 162 161 6 43
3B 88 0 55 128 9 14
OF 6 0 4 0 0 0
SS 563 70 946 1524 109 345

Season-by-Season Fielding

Sam Dente — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1947 BOS 3B 46 0 40 83 8 11
1948 SLA 3B 6 0 3 9 1 1
1948 SLA SS 76 0 138 207 15 46
1949 WS1 SS 153 0 314 462 35 106
1950 WS1 2B 29 0 91 91 2 23
1950 WS1 SS 128 0 225 406 32 88
1951 WS1 2B 10 0 32 30 2 9
1951 WS1 3B 5 0 1 7 0 0
1951 WS1 SS 65 0 128 173 12 43
1952 CHA 1B 2 0 8 2 0 1
1952 CHA 2B 6 0 24 20 0 6
1952 CHA 3B 18 0 7 17 0 2
1952 CHA OF 6 0 4 0 0 0
1952 CHA SS 27 0 42 56 6 14
1953 CHA SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1954 CLE 2B 7 6 10 14 2 3
1954 CLE SS 60 48 66 133 6 33
1955 CLE 2B 4 1 5 6 0 2
1955 CLE 3B 13 0 4 12 0 0
1955 CLE SS 53 22 33 87 3 15

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Sam Dente Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 2
Second Base 56
Third Base 88
Shortstop 564
Left Field 4
Right Field 2

Award Voting History

Sam Dente — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1950 Most Valuable Player AL 30th 1.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Sam Dente (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Felix Fermin
    .259 avg, 4 HR
  2. 96
    Ed Romero
    .247 avg, 8 HR
  3. 96
    Doug Griffin
    .245 avg, 7 HR
  4. 95
    Rudy Hulswitt
    .253 avg, 3 HR
  5. 93
    Rocky Bridges
    .247 avg, 16 HR
  6. 93
    Billy Hitchcock
    .243 avg, 5 HR

Sam Dente: the record in brief

Sam Dente played a first major league game on July 10, 1947 and a last one on September 13, 1955. The team column moves through the Boston Red Sox (1947), the St. Louis Browns (1948), the Washington Senators (1949 through 1951), the Chicago White Sox (1952 to 1953), and the Cleveland Indians (1954 to 1955). Listed as a shortstop, Dente batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 5 feet, 11 inches and 175 pounds. Dente was born on April 26, 1922, in Harrison, NJ, USA. Dente died on April 21, 2002, in Montclair, NJ, USA. Sam Dente was the playing name; the full given name is Samuel Joseph.

The batting record for Dente: 745 games, 585 hits in 2,320 at bats, and a .252 average, plus 4 home runs and 214 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .303 and .305 give Dente a career OPS of .608. Dente hit .252 while the league hit .261 over the same span, a figure close to average. By OPS the gap is 15.9% below league average (.608 against .723). Dente collected a career-high 161 hits in 1949.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Dente

What years did Sam Dente play?
Sam Dente played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1955.
Was Sam Dente a pitcher?
No. Sam Dente was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Sam Dente hit?
Sam Dente hit 4 career home runs with 585 hits.
What teams did Sam Dente play for?
Sam Dente played for 5 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1947), the St. Louis Browns (1948), the Washington Senators (1949–1951), the Chicago White Sox (1952–1953), and the Cleveland Indians (1954–1955).
What were Sam Dente's career stats?
In 745 games, Sam Dente had 585 hits, 4 home runs, 214 RBI, 205 runs, and 9 stolen bases, with a .252 batting average.
What position did Sam Dente play?
Sam Dente played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Sam Dente and how much did he weigh?
Sam Dente was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Sam Dente hit each season?
Sam Dente's home runs by season: 0 in 1947, 0 in 1948, 1 in 1949, 2 in 1950, 0 in 1951, 0 in 1952, 1 in 1954, and 0 in 1955. His most in one season was 2, in 1950.
What was Sam Dente's career batting average?
Sam Dente batted .252 over his career, with 585 hits in 2,320 at bats.
How many RBI did Sam Dente have?
Sam Dente drove in 214 runs in his career.
Is Sam Dente in the Hall of Fame?
No. Sam Dente has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.