Joe Ginsberg

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1962)

Joe Ginsberg was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1962 for 7 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 15 seasons. In 695 career games, he hit .241 with 414 hits, 20 home runs, and 182 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 .241
HR 20
RBI 182
H 414
OPS .652
PIV -1,637
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 180 lb
Born
10/11/1926 in New York, NY, USA
Died
11/2/2012 in West Bloomfield, MI, USA
MLB Debut
1948-09-15
Last Game
1962-04-15

Full name: Myron Nathan Ginsberg

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Career Batting Statistics

Joe Ginsberg — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
695 1,716 168 414 59 8 20 182 7 226 135 .241 .332 .320 .652 -1,637

Career AVG .241 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 6.9% below league average.

Career OBP .332 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .320 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 18.1% below league average.

Career OPS .652 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — 9.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Ginsberg 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
1948 DET AL 11 36 7 13 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 .361 — — — — 0.0
1950 DET AL 36 95 12 22 6 0 0 12 1 11 6 .232 .265 (-13%) .346 (-8%) .401 (-27%) .747 (-18%) -272.8
1951 DET AL 102 304 44 79 10 2 8 37 0 43 21 .260 .260 (avg) .336 (+6%) .385 (avg) .721 (+3%) 228.2
1952 DET AL 113 307 29 68 13 2 6 36 1 51 21 .221 .252 (-12%) .326 (+3%) .369 (-9%) .696 (-3%) -49.5
1953 DET AL 18 53 6 16 2 0 0 3 0 10 1 .302 .264 (+14%) .335 (+26%) .397 (-15%) .733 (+4%) 91.1
1953 CLE AL 46 109 10 31 4 0 0 10 0 14 4 .284 .264 (+8%) .335 (+10%) .397 (-19%) .733 (-6%) 91.1
1954 CLE AL 3 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 .500 — — — — 0.0
1956 KC1 AL 71 195 15 48 8 1 1 12 1 23 17 .246 .258 (-5%) .331 (-3%) .397 (-21%) .728 (-13%) -374.6
1956 BAL AL 15 28 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 4 .071 — — — — -374.6
1957 BAL AL 85 175 15 48 8 2 1 18 2 18 19 .274 .257 (+7%) .323 (+5%) .391 (-8%) .715 (-2%) -43.6
1958 BAL AL 61 109 4 23 1 0 3 16 0 13 14 .211 .257 (-18%) .324 (-7%) .394 (-23%) .719 (-16%) -255.5
1959 BAL AL 65 166 14 30 2 0 1 14 1 21 13 .181 .256 (-30%) .323 (-17%) .392 (-46%) .715 (-33%) -843.6
1960 BAL AL 14 30 3 8 1 0 0 6 0 6 1 .267 — — — — 0.0
1960 CHA AL 28 75 8 19 4 0 0 9 1 10 8 .253 .255 (-1%) .323 (+6%) .387 (-21%) .711 (-8%) 0.0
1961 CHA AL 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1961 BOS AL 19 24 1 6 0 0 0 5 0 0 2 .250 — — — — 0.0
1962 NYN NL 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 17 seasons 695 1,716 168 414 59 8 20 182 7 226 135 .241 — — — — -1,804

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 (695 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Joe Ginsberg — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home37094210323512110.249
Away32577465179872.231

Last 10 Games — Batting

Joe Ginsberg — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1962-04-15 NYNPITL 100000001
1962-04-13 NYNPITL 400000000
1961-09-04 BOSCLEL 100000000
1961-08-29 BOSKC1W 110000000
1961-08-27 BOSLAAL 100000000
1961-08-26 BOSLAAL 100000000
1961-07-30 BOSCHWW 101000100
1961-07-26 BOSBALL 000000000
1961-07-22 BOSNYYL 100000001
1961-07-04 BOSTEXL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Joe Ginsberg — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 574 204 2304 234 44 40

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Ginsberg — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1948 DET C 11 0 46 4 3 3
1950 DET C 31 0 97 8 2 3
1951 DET C 95 0 388 56 10 7
1952 DET C 101 0 442 41 8 7
1953 DET C 15 0 71 12 1 2
1953 CLE C 39 0 130 10 5 2
1954 CLE C 1 0 1 0 0 0
1956 KC1 C 57 50 238 28 3 3
1956 BAL C 8 7 31 3 0 0
1957 BAL C 66 46 252 20 4 6
1958 BAL C 39 26 156 8 1 2
1959 BAL C 62 40 241 29 2 4
1960 BAL C 14 10 59 4 4 0
1960 CHA C 25 21 129 8 1 0
1961 CHA C 2 0 3 0 0 0
1961 BOS C 6 2 11 1 0 0
1962 NYN C 2 2 9 2 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joe Ginsberg Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 574

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Joe Ginsberg (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ron Hodges
    .240 avg, 19 HR
  2. 87
    Hobie Landrith
    .233 avg, 34 HR
  3. 86
    Joe Astroth
    .254 avg, 13 HR
  4. 82
    Al Evans
    .250 avg, 13 HR
  5. 81
    Hal Wagner
    .248 avg, 15 HR
  6. 81
    Jim Essian
    .244 avg, 33 HR

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Ginsberg

What years did Joe Ginsberg play?
Joe Ginsberg played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1962.
Was Joe Ginsberg a pitcher?
No. Joe Ginsberg was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Joe Ginsberg hit?
Joe Ginsberg hit 20 career home runs with 414 hits.
What was Joe Ginsberg's career batting average?
Joe Ginsberg batted .241 over his career, with 414 hits in 1,716 at bats.
How many RBI did Joe Ginsberg have?
Joe Ginsberg drove in 182 runs in his career.
Is Joe Ginsberg in the Hall of Fame?
No. Joe Ginsberg has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.