Jack Dittmer
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1952-1957)
Jack Dittmer was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1957 for the Boston Braves, the Milwaukee Braves, and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 6 seasons. In 395 career games, he hit .232 with 283 hits, 24 home runs, and 136 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
- Position
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 175 lb
- Died
- 5/31/2014 in Strawberry Point, IA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1952-06-17
- Last Game
- 1957-06-23
Full name: John Douglas Dittmer
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 395 | 1,218 | 117 | 283 | 43 | 4 | 24 | 136 | 2 | 77 | 102 | .232 | .280 | .333 | .614 | -2,960 |
Career AVG .232 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 10.2% below league average.
Career OBP .280 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 15.2% below league average.
Career SLG .333 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 14.5% below league average.
Career OPS .614 vs. league average .720 across their career seasons — 14.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | BSN | NL | 93 | 326 | 26 | 63 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 41 | 1 | 26 | 26 | .193 | .252 (-24%) | .326 (-22%) | .369 (-21%) | .696 (-22%) | -1128.5 |
| 1953 | ML1 | NL | 138 | 504 | 54 | 134 | 22 | 1 | 9 | 63 | 1 | 18 | 35 | .266 | .264 (+1%) | .335 (-13%) | .397 (-8%) | .733 (-10%) | -918.1 |
| 1954 | ML1 | NL | 66 | 192 | 22 | 47 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 0 | 19 | 17 | .245 | .261 (-6%) | .333 (-4%) | .390 (-3%) | .723 (-3%) | -96.2 |
| 1955 | ML1 | NL | 38 | 72 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 15 | .125 | .258 (-52%) | .332 (-48%) | .393 (-47%) | .726 (-48%) | -566.3 |
| 1956 | ML1 | NL | 44 | 102 | 8 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 8 | .245 | .258 (-5%) | .331 (-9%) | .397 (-21%) | .728 (-16%) | -251.1 |
| 1957 | DET | AL | 16 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .227 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 395 | 1,218 | 117 | 283 | 43 | 4 | 24 | 136 | 2 | 77 | 102 | .232 | — | — | — | — | -2,960 | ||
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 (395 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 202 | 627 | 51 | 136 | 9 | 59 | .217 |
| Away | 193 | 590 | 66 | 147 | 15 | 77 | .249 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-06-23 | DET | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-06-21 | DET | BAL | L | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957-06-20 | DET | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-06-11 | DET | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-06-09 | DET | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-06-07 | DET | NYY | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957-06-01 | DET | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-05-26 | DET | KC1 | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-05-25 | DET | KC1 | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-05-22 | DET | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 353 |
| Third Base | 3 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Iowa | Iowa City | IA | 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jack Dittmer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jack Dittmer: the record in brief
According to the bio, Jack Dittmer debuted on June 17, 1952 and played a final game on June 23, 1957. Club by club, the record runs the Boston Braves (1952), the Milwaukee Braves (1953 to 1956), and the Detroit Tigers (1957). Dittmer is listed as a second baseman at 6 feet, 1 inch and 175 pounds. The bio says Dittmer threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Dittmer was born on January 10, 1928, in Elkader, IA, USA. Dittmer's death is recorded on May 31, 2014, in Strawberry Point, IA, USA. The given name on file is John Douglas Dittmer.
Dittmer finished with 283 hits from 1,218 at bats in 395 games, which works out to .232, plus 24 home runs and 136 runs batted in. Dittmer's career OPS of .614 combines a .280 on-base mark with .333 slugging. Over the seasons Dittmer played, league hitters batted .259; the .232 career figure is 10.2% below that. By OPS the gap is 14.8% below league average (.614 against .720). Dittmer collected a career-high 134 hits in 1953.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jack Dittmer
- What years did Jack Dittmer play?
- Jack Dittmer played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1957.
- Was Jack Dittmer a pitcher?
- No. Jack Dittmer was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Jack Dittmer hit?
- Jack Dittmer hit 24 career home runs with 283 hits.
- What was Jack Dittmer's career batting average?
- Jack Dittmer batted .232 over his career, with 283 hits in 1,218 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jack Dittmer have?
- Jack Dittmer drove in 136 runs in his career.
- Is Jack Dittmer in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jack Dittmer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.