Ed FitzGerald
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1959)
Ed FitzGerald was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1959 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Washington Senators, and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 12 seasons. In 807 career games, he hit .260 with 542 hits, 19 home runs, and 217 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 170 lb
- Died
- 6/14/2020 in Folsom, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1948-04-19
- Last Game
- 1959-09-15
Full name: Edward Raymond FitzGerald
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 807 | 2,086 | 199 | 542 | 82 | 10 | 19 | 217 | 9 | 185 | 235 | .260 | .323 | .336 | .659 | -2,387 |
Career AVG .260 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .323 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .336 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 13.7% below league average.
Career OPS .659 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — 8.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | PIT | NL | 102 | 262 | 31 | 70 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 3 | 32 | 37 | .267 | .263 (+1%) | .340 (+3%) | .379 (-11%) | .719 (-5%) | -152.7 |
| 1949 | PIT | NL | 75 | 160 | 16 | 42 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 8 | 27 | .263 | .262 (avg) | .343 (-12%) | .384 (-10%) | .727 (-11%) | -318.1 |
| 1950 | PIT | NL | 6 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .067 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | PIT | NL | 55 | 97 | 8 | 22 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 10 | .227 | .260 (-13%) | .336 (-15%) | .385 (-25%) | .721 (-20%) | -322.0 |
| 1952 | PIT | NL | 51 | 73 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 15 | .233 | .252 (-8%) | .326 (-8%) | .369 (-22%) | .696 (-16%) | -167.1 |
| 1953 | PIT | NL | 6 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .118 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1953 | WS1 | AL | 88 | 288 | 23 | 72 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 2 | 19 | 34 | .250 | .264 (-5%) | .335 (-11%) | .397 (-18%) | .733 (-15%) | 0.0 |
| 1954 | WS1 | AL | 115 | 360 | 33 | 104 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 40 | 0 | 33 | 22 | .289 | .261 (+11%) | .333 (+5%) | .390 (-1%) | .723 (+2%) | 131.3 |
| 1955 | WS1 | AL | 74 | 236 | 28 | 56 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 0 | 25 | 23 | .237 | .258 (-8%) | .332 (-5%) | .393 (-21%) | .726 (-14%) | -464.6 |
| 1956 | WS1 | AL | 64 | 148 | 15 | 45 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 20 | 16 | .304 | .258 (+18%) | .331 (+17%) | .397 (avg) | .728 (+8%) | 278.3 |
| 1957 | WS1 | AL | 45 | 125 | 14 | 34 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 10 | 9 | .272 | .257 (+6%) | .323 (+2%) | .391 (-8%) | .715 (-3%) | -51.7 |
| 1958 | WS1 | AL | 58 | 114 | 7 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 15 | .263 | .257 (+2%) | .324 (-5%) | .394 (-27%) | .719 (-17%) | -288.7 |
| 1959 | WS1 | AL | 19 | 62 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 8 | .194 | .256 (-25%) | .323 (-25%) | .392 (-38%) | .715 (-32%) | -316.6 |
| 1959 | CLE | AL | 49 | 129 | 12 | 35 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 14 | .271 | .256 (+6%) | .323 (+6%) | .392 (-9%) | .715 (-2%) | -316.6 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 807 | 2,086 | 199 | 542 | 82 | 10 | 19 | 217 | 9 | 185 | 235 | .260 | — | — | — | — | -1,988 | ||
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 (808 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 416 | 1058 | 97 | 276 | 7 | 107 | .261 |
| Away | 392 | 1028 | 103 | 267 | 12 | 110 | .260 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-09-15 | CLE | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-13 | CLE | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-11 | CLE | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-10 | CLE | BAL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1959-09-09 | CLE | BAL | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-07 | CLE | DET | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1959-09-06 | CLE | CHW | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-09-04 | CLE | CHW | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1959-09-02 | CLE | KC1 | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-08-30 | CLE | CHW | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 5 | 3 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 3B | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| C | 651 | 302 | 2398 | 260 | 67 | 37 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | PIT | C | 96 | 0 | 338 | 36 | 15 | 4 |
| 1949 | PIT | C | 56 | 0 | 163 | 22 | 5 | 5 |
| 1950 | PIT | C | 5 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1951 | PIT | C | 38 | 0 | 98 | 13 | 4 | 2 |
| 1952 | PIT | 3B | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1952 | PIT | C | 18 | 0 | 49 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953 | PIT | C | 5 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953 | WS1 | C | 85 | 0 | 319 | 33 | 4 | 3 |
| 1954 | WS1 | C | 107 | 96 | 396 | 38 | 12 | 5 |
| 1955 | WS1 | C | 72 | 66 | 304 | 30 | 6 | 5 |
| 1956 | WS1 | C | 50 | 35 | 206 | 19 | 6 | 5 |
| 1957 | WS1 | C | 37 | 32 | 142 | 16 | 6 | 3 |
| 1958 | WS1 | 1B | 5 | 3 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 1958 | WS1 | C | 21 | 20 | 94 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 1959 | WS1 | C | 16 | 15 | 68 | 13 | 0 | 2 |
| 1959 | CLE | C | 45 | 38 | 192 | 26 | 5 | 3 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 651 |
| First Base | 5 |
| Third Base | 2 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ed FitzGerald (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ed FitzGerald: the record in brief
The profile opens with Ed FitzGerald's first major league game on April 19, 1948; the last one listed came on September 15, 1959. By club, FitzGerald's seasons break down as the Pittsburgh Pirates (1948 to 1953), the Washington Senators (1953 to 1959), and the Cleveland Indians (1959). Born on May 21, 1924, in Santa Ynez, CA, USA, FitzGerald is listed as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 170 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. The bio records the death on June 14, 2020, in Folsom, CA, USA. FitzGerald's full given name, per the bio, is Edward Raymond FitzGerald.
In 807 games and 2,086 at bats, FitzGerald batted .260 with 542 hits, plus 19 home runs and 217 runs batted in. FitzGerald's career OPS of .659 combines a .323 on-base mark with .336 slugging. The .260 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 8.8% below league average (.659 against .723). The hits column peaks at 104, in 1954. 1954 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .289 against a league .261, an 11% edge.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ed FitzGerald
- What years did Ed FitzGerald play?
- Ed FitzGerald played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1959.
- Was Ed FitzGerald a pitcher?
- No. Ed FitzGerald was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Ed FitzGerald hit?
- Ed FitzGerald hit 19 career home runs with 542 hits.
- What was Ed FitzGerald's career batting average?
- Ed FitzGerald batted .260 over his career, with 542 hits in 2,086 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ed FitzGerald have?
- Ed FitzGerald drove in 217 runs in his career.
- Is Ed FitzGerald in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ed FitzGerald has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.