Johnny Gooch
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1921-1933)
Johnny Gooch was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1933 for 4 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 13 seasons. In 805 career games, he hit .280 with 662 hits, 7 home runs, and 293 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
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 175 lb
- Died
- 5/15/1975 in Nashville, TN, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1921-09-09
- Last Game
- 1933-09-12
Full name: John Beverley Gooch
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 805 | 2,363 | 227 | 662 | 98 | 29 | 7 | 293 | 11 | 206 | 141 | .280 | .342 | .355 | .697 | -2,137 |
Career AVG .280 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .342 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .355 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — 10.9% below league average.
Career OPS .697 vs. league average .744 across their career seasons — 6.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | PIT | NL | 13 | 38 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | .237 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1922 | PIT | NL | 105 | 353 | 45 | 116 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 39 | 15 | .329 | .285 (+15%) | .345 (+16%) | .397 (avg) | .743 (+8%) | 705.7 |
| 1923 | PIT | NL | 66 | 202 | 16 | 56 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 2 | 17 | 13 | .277 | .282 (-2%) | .344 (-2%) | .390 (-7%) | .734 (-5%) | -160.0 |
| 1924 | PIT | NL | 70 | 224 | 26 | 65 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 16 | 12 | .290 | .283 (+2%) | .345 (-1%) | .389 (-7%) | .734 (-4%) | -149.2 |
| 1925 | PIT | NL | 79 | 215 | 24 | 64 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 20 | 16 | .298 | .288 (+3%) | .349 (+2%) | .407 (-9%) | .756 (-4%) | -110.0 |
| 1926 | PIT | NL | 86 | 218 | 19 | 59 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 20 | 14 | .271 | .279 (-3%) | .345 (-2%) | .390 (-7%) | .735 (-5%) | -144.6 |
| 1927 | PIT | NL | 101 | 291 | 22 | 75 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 48 | 0 | 19 | 21 | .258 | .282 (-9%) | .344 (-11%) | .392 (-11%) | .736 (-11%) | -550.9 |
| 1928 | PIT | NL | 31 | 80 | 7 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .237 | .280 (-15%) | .342 (-23%) | .395 (-27%) | .737 (-25%) | -334.6 |
| 1928 | BRO | NL | 42 | 101 | 9 | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 9 | .317 | .280 (+13%) | .342 (+5%) | .395 (-7%) | .737 (-1%) | -334.6 |
| 1929 | BRO | NL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1929 | CIN | NL | 92 | 287 | 22 | 86 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 34 | 4 | 24 | 10 | .300 | .289 (+4%) | .353 (+1%) | .415 (-9%) | .769 (-4%) | 0.0 |
| 1930 | CIN | NL | 82 | 276 | 29 | 67 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 27 | 15 | .243 | .293 (-17%) | .354 (-11%) | .429 (-25%) | .784 (-19%) | -858.5 |
| 1933 | BOS | AL | 37 | 77 | 6 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 7 | .182 | .270 (-33%) | .329 (-14%) | .377 (-41%) | .707 (-29%) | -321.9 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 805 | 2,363 | 227 | 662 | 98 | 29 | 7 | 293 | 11 | 206 | 141 | .280 | — | — | — | — | -2,259 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (804 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 425 | 1178 | 116 | 344 | 0 | 158 | .292 |
| Away | 379 | 1182 | 110 | 317 | 7 | 141 | .268 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933-09-12 | BOS | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-09-10 | BOS | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1933-09-08 | BOS | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1933-09-08 | BOS | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-09-06 | BOS | DET | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-09-05 | BOS | MIN | L | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1933-08-27 | BOS | SLA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1933-08-23 | BOS | CHW | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1933-08-22 | BOS | CHW | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1933-08-20 | BOS | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | PIT | C | 13 | 0 | 49 | 15 | 1 | 2 |
| 1922 | PIT | C | 103 | 0 | 382 | 102 | 15 | 10 |
| 1923 | PIT | C | 66 | 0 | 217 | 56 | 7 | 7 |
| 1924 | PIT | C | 69 | 0 | 198 | 47 | 3 | 12 |
| 1925 | PIT | C | 76 | 0 | 172 | 39 | 7 | 8 |
| 1926 | PIT | C | 80 | 0 | 202 | 38 | 5 | 6 |
| 1927 | PIT | C | 91 | 0 | 285 | 57 | 9 | 7 |
| 1928 | PIT | C | 31 | 0 | 92 | 20 | 5 | 3 |
| 1928 | BRO | C | 38 | 0 | 112 | 15 | 4 | 3 |
| 1929 | CIN | C | 86 | 0 | 251 | 61 | 8 | 7 |
| 1930 | CIN | C | 79 | 0 | 233 | 42 | 13 | 4 |
| 1933 | BOS | C | 26 | 0 | 86 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 757 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Johnny Gooch (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Johnny Gooch: the record in brief
Johnny Gooch played a first major league game on September 9, 1921 and a last one on September 12, 1933. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1921 to 1928), the Brooklyn Robins (1928 through 1929), the Cincinnati Reds (1929 to 1930), and the Boston Red Sox (1933). Gooch is listed as a catcher at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds. Gooch switch-hit and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Gooch was born on November 9, 1897, in Smyrna, TN, USA. Gooch died on May 15, 1975, in Nashville, TN, USA. Gooch's full given name, per the bio, is John Beverley Gooch.
Across 805 games at the plate, Gooch's career line reads 662 hits in 2,363 at bats for a .280 average; the totals also include 7 home runs and 293 runs batted in. Gooch got on base at a .342 rate and slugged .355 (.697 OPS). Gooch hit .280 while the league hit .284 over the same span, a figure close to average. 1922 produced Gooch's most hits, 116 of them for the Pittsburgh Pirates. 1922 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .329 against a league .285, a 15% edge.
Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Gooch
- What years did Johnny Gooch play?
- Johnny Gooch played in Major League Baseball from 1921 to 1933.
- Was Johnny Gooch a pitcher?
- No. Johnny Gooch was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Johnny Gooch hit?
- Johnny Gooch hit 7 career home runs with 662 hits.
- What was Johnny Gooch's career batting average?
- Johnny Gooch batted .280 over his career, with 662 hits in 2,363 at bats.
- How many RBI did Johnny Gooch have?
- Johnny Gooch drove in 293 runs in his career.
- Is Johnny Gooch in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Johnny Gooch has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.