Ralph Houk
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1947-1954)
Ralph Houk was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1954 for the New York Yankees, a span of 8 seasons. In 91 career games, he hit .272 with 43 hits and 20 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
- 5'11" / 193 lb
- Died
- 7/21/2010 in Winter Haven, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1947-04-26
- Last Game
- 1954-05-01
Full name: Ralph George Houk
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | 158 | 12 | 43 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 12 | 10 | .272 | .327 | .323 | .650 | -38 |
Career AVG .272 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .327 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .323 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 16.2% below league average.
Career OPS .650 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — 10.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | NYA | AL | 41 | 92 | 7 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 5 | .272 | .262 (+4%) | .336 (+6%) | .376 (-13%) | .712 (-4%) | -37.6 |
| 1948 | NYA | AL | 14 | 29 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .276 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1949 | NYA | AL | 5 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .571 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | NYA | AL | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | NYA | AL | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1952 | NYA | AL | 9 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1953 | NYA | AL | 8 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | NYA | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 91 | 158 | 12 | 43 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 12 | 10 | .272 | — | — | — | — | -38 | ||
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
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (91 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 43 | 81 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 11 | .296 |
| Away | 48 | 77 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 9 | .247 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-05-01 | NYY | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-07-25 | NYY | DET | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1953-06-03 | NYY | CHW | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-21 | NYY | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-19 | NYY | DET | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-17 | NYY | SLA | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-16 | NYY | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-14 | NYY | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-13 | NYY | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-08-20 | NYY | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 89 |
Ralph Houk: the record in brief
According to the bio, Ralph Houk debuted on April 26, 1947 and played a final game on May 1, 1954. Every season row on the page belongs to the New York Yankees, from 1947 through 1954. Houk, a catcher by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 193 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. The birth record reads August 9, 1919, in Lawrence, KS, USA. Houk's death is recorded on July 21, 2010, in Winter Haven, FL, USA. Houk's full given name, per the bio, is Ralph George Houk.
Houk collected 43 hits in 158 at bats across 91 games, good for a .272 batting average; the totals also include 20 RBI. Reaching base at a .327 clip and slugging .323, Houk finished with a .650 OPS. Against a .262 league average for those years, Houk's .272 average was near the norm. By OPS the gap is 10.0% below league average (.650 against .723). The hits column peaks at 25, in 1947. Among the seasons with the heaviest workload, the best average was .272 in 1947, 4% above that year's league mark of .262.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ralph Houk
- What years did Ralph Houk play?
- Ralph Houk played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1954.
- Was Ralph Houk a pitcher?
- No. Ralph Houk was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Ralph Houk hit?
- Ralph Houk hit 0 career home runs with 43 hits.
- What was Ralph Houk's career batting average?
- Ralph Houk batted .272 over his career, with 43 hits in 158 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ralph Houk have?
- Ralph Houk drove in 20 runs in his career.
- Is Ralph Houk in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ralph Houk has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.