Jerry Grote

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1963-1981)

Jerry Grote was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1981 for 4 teams, including the Houston Astros, a span of 19 seasons. In 1,421 career games, he hit .252 with 1,092 hits, 39 home runs, and 404 RBI. Jerry Grote was a 2-time All-Star.

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 39
RBI 404
H 1,092
OPS .642
PIV -3,348
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 185 lb
Born
10/6/1942 in San Antonio, TX, USA
Died
4/7/2024 in Austin, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1963-09-21
Last Game
1981-10-03
Awards
2× All-Star

Full name: Gerald Wayne Grote

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Career Batting Statistics

Jerry Grote — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,421 4,339 352 1,092 160 22 39 404 15 399 600 .252 .316 .326 .642 -3,348

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

Career OBP .316 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .326 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 12.3% below league average.

Career OPS .642 vs. league average .689 across their career seasons — 6.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jerry Grote 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
1963 HOU NL 3 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 .200 — — — — 0.0
1964 HOU NL 100 298 26 54 9 3 3 24 0 20 75 .181 .250 (-28%) .312 (-23%) .377 (-31%) .690 (-27%) -1274.5
1966 NYN NL 120 317 26 75 12 2 3 31 4 40 81 .237 .248 (-5%) .309 (+6%) .376 (-16%) .685 (-6%) -183.6
1967 NYN NL 120 344 25 67 8 0 4 23 2 14 65 .195 .242 (-20%) .306 (-26%) .357 (-29%) .663 (-28%) -1466.9
1968 NYN NL 124 404 29 114 18 0 3 31 1 44 81 .282 .236 (+19%) .298 (+19%) .340 (+3%) .638 (+10%) 940.1
1969 NYN NL 113 365 38 92 12 3 6 40 2 32 59 .252 .248 (+2%) .320 (-2%) .369 (-5%) .689 (-4%) -227.0
1970 NYN NL 126 415 38 106 14 1 2 34 2 36 39 .255 .253 (+1%) .325 (-4%) .385 (-20%) .711 (-13%) -804.0
1971 NYN NL 125 403 35 109 25 0 2 35 1 40 47 .270 .249 (+8%) .316 (+7%) .365 (-5%) .682 (+1%) 124.2
1972 NYN NL 64 205 15 43 5 1 3 21 1 26 27 .210 .243 (-14%) .310 (-2%) .353 (-19%) .664 (-11%) -283.7
1973 NYN NL 84 285 17 73 10 2 1 32 0 13 23 .256 .256 (avg) .325 (-11%) .378 (-17%) .703 (-14%) -646.6
1974 NYN NL 97 319 25 82 8 1 5 36 0 33 33 .257 .256 (avg) .324 (avg) .369 (-9%) .693 (-5%) -197.6
1975 NYN NL 119 386 28 114 14 5 2 39 0 38 23 .295 .257 (+15%) .327 (+9%) .374 (avg) .701 (+4%) 346.6
1976 NYN NL 101 323 30 88 14 2 4 28 1 38 19 .272 .255 (+7%) .320 (+9%) .360 (+1%) .681 (+5%) 381.9
1977 NYN NL 42 115 8 31 3 1 0 7 0 9 12 .270 .264 (+2%) .329 (+1%) .401 (-22%) .730 (-11%) -177.6
1977 LAN NL 18 27 3 7 0 0 0 4 0 2 5 .259 — — — — -177.6
1978 LAN NL 41 70 5 19 5 0 0 9 0 10 5 .271 .257 (+5%) .323 (+9%) .378 (-9%) .702 (-1%) 6.0
1981 KCA AL 22 56 4 17 3 1 1 9 1 3 2 .304 .255 (+19%) .320 (+8%) .368 (+21%) .688 (+15%) 114.8
1981 LAN NL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 114.8
Career · 18 seasons 1,421 4,339 352 1,092 160 22 39 404 15 399 600 .252 — — — — -3,411

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

Jerry Grote — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
26 81 8 18 3 0 0 4 4 11 .222

Playoff Batting by Year

Jerry Grote — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1978 NLCS LAN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1978 WS LAN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 NLCS LAN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
1977 WS LAN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1973 NLCS NYN 5 19 2 4 0 0 0 2 1 3 .211
1973 WS NYN 7 30 2 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 .267
1969 NLCS NYN 3 12 3 2 1 0 0 1 1 4 .167
1969 WS NYN 5 19 1 4 2 0 0 1 1 3 .211

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1421 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Jerry Grote — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home732215717954418182.252
Away689218217354821222.251

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jerry Grote — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1981-10-03 LADHOUW 100000001
1981-10-01 LADSDPL 100000000
1981-08-29 KCRTORW 300000000
1981-06-11 KCRTORW 301000010
1981-06-10 KCRTORW 400000000
1981-06-09 KCRNYYL 412010000
1981-06-05 KCRMILL 201000011
1981-06-03 KCRSEAW 413101700
1981-06-02 KCRSEAL 413100000
1981-05-31 KCRMINL 101000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jerry Grote — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 27 10 16 31 4 5
C 1348 1234 8081 635 78 76
OF 3 2 6 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jerry Grote — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1963 HOU C 3 2 10 0 0 0
1964 HOU C 98 88 522 52 9 5
1966 NYN 3B 2 1 3 0 0 1
1966 NYN C 115 101 516 55 11 7
1967 NYN C 119 111 609 62 7 8
1968 NYN C 115 109 754 60 5 8
1969 NYN C 112 100 718 63 7 11
1970 NYN C 125 121 855 46 8 12
1971 NYN C 122 118 892 41 9 4
1972 NYN 3B 3 1 1 1 0 0
1972 NYN C 59 58 405 42 1 5
1972 NYN OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
1973 NYN 3B 2 0 1 3 1 1
1973 NYN C 81 76 545 34 3 0
1974 NYN C 94 92 549 36 7 1
1975 NYN C 111 108 706 55 4 8
1976 NYN C 95 88 617 49 5 6
1976 NYN OF 2 1 5 0 0 0
1977 NYN 3B 11 8 7 14 2 2
1977 NYN C 28 23 124 15 0 0
1977 LAN 3B 2 0 2 4 0 1
1977 LAN C 16 4 47 7 0 1
1978 LAN 3B 7 0 2 9 1 0
1978 LAN C 32 15 123 12 2 0
1981 KCA C 22 20 87 6 0 0
1981 LAN C 1 0 2 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jerry Grote Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 1348
Third Base 27
Left Field 1
Right Field 2

College History

Jerry Grote — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Trinity University San Antonio TX 1962

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Jerry Grote (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Rick Cerone
    .245 avg, 59 HR
  2. 90
    Joe Girardi
    .267 avg, 36 HR
  3. 89
    Mickey Owen
    .255 avg, 14 HR
  4. 88
    Johnny Edwards
    .242 avg, 81 HR
  5. 88
    Brent Mayne
    .263 avg, 38 HR
  6. 86
    Del Rice
    .237 avg, 79 HR

Jerry Grote: the record in brief

Between the debut on September 21, 1963 and the final game on October 3, 1981, Jerry Grote built the record summarized on this page. Grote played for the Houston Colt .45's (1963 through 1964), the New York Mets (1966 through 1977), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1977 to 1981), and the Kansas City Royals (1981). At 185 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame, Grote is listed as a catcher. Grote both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Grote was born on October 6, 1942, in San Antonio, TX, USA. Grote's death is recorded on April 7, 2024, in Austin, TX, USA. Jerry Grote was the playing name; the full given name is Gerald Wayne.

The batting record for Grote: 1,421 games, 1,092 hits in 4,339 at bats, and a .252 average, adding 39 homers and 404 runs batted in. Grote's career OPS of .642 combines a .316 on-base mark with .326 slugging. Against a .252 league average for those years, Grote's .252 average was near the norm. 1968 produced Grote's most hits, 114 of them for the New York Mets.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jerry Grote

What years did Jerry Grote play?
Jerry Grote played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1981.
Was Jerry Grote a pitcher?
No. Jerry Grote was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Jerry Grote hit?
Jerry Grote hit 39 career home runs with 1,092 hits.
What teams did Jerry Grote play for?
Jerry Grote played for 4 teams: the Houston Colt .45's (1963–1964), the New York Mets (1966–1977), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1977–1978, 1981), and the Kansas City Royals (1981).
Did Jerry Grote win an MVP award?
No. Jerry Grote did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Jerry Grote win?
Jerry Grote was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
What were Jerry Grote's career stats?
In 1,421 games, Jerry Grote had 1,092 hits, 39 home runs, 404 RBI, 352 runs, and 15 stolen bases, with a .252 batting average.
What position did Jerry Grote play?
Jerry Grote played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jerry Grote and how much did he weigh?
Jerry Grote was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did Jerry Grote hit each season?
Jerry Grote's home runs by season: 0 in 1963, 3 in 1964, 3 in 1966, 4 in 1967, 3 in 1968, 6 in 1969, 2 in 1970, 2 in 1971, 3 in 1972, 1 in 1973, 5 in 1974, 2 in 1975, 4 in 1976, 0 in 1977, 0 in 1978, and 1 in 1981. His most in one season was 6, in 1969.
What was Jerry Grote's career batting average?
Jerry Grote batted .252 over his career, with 1,092 hits in 4,339 at bats.
How many RBI did Jerry Grote have?
Jerry Grote drove in 404 runs in his career.
Is Jerry Grote in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jerry Grote has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Jerry Grote make?
Jerry Grote was selected to 2 All-Star Games.