Frank House
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1950-1961)
Frank House was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1961 for the Detroit Tigers, the Kansas City Athletics, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 12 seasons. In 653 career games, he hit .248 with 494 hits, 47 home runs, and 235 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
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 190 lb
- Died
- 3/13/2005 in Birmingham, AL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1950-07-21
- Last Game
- 1961-09-25
Full name: Henry Franklin House
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 653 | 1,994 | 202 | 494 | 64 | 11 | 47 | 235 | 6 | 151 | 147 | .248 | .302 | .362 | .663 | -2,499 |
Career AVG .248 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .302 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 8.7% below league average.
Career SLG .362 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 8.1% below league average.
Career OPS .663 vs. league average .724 across their career seasons — 8.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | DET | AL | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .400 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | DET | AL | 18 | 41 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 2 | .220 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | DET | AL | 114 | 352 | 35 | 88 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 38 | 2 | 31 | 34 | .250 | .261 (-4%) | .333 (-8%) | .390 (-6%) | .723 (-7%) | -444.5 |
| 1955 | DET | AL | 102 | 328 | 37 | 85 | 11 | 1 | 15 | 53 | 0 | 22 | 25 | .259 | .258 (avg) | .332 (-7%) | .393 (+11%) | .726 (+2%) | 53.2 |
| 1956 | DET | AL | 94 | 321 | 44 | 77 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 44 | 1 | 21 | 19 | .240 | .258 (-7%) | .331 (-12%) | .397 (-8%) | .728 (-10%) | -568.5 |
| 1957 | DET | AL | 106 | 348 | 31 | 90 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 36 | 1 | 35 | 26 | .259 | .257 (avg) | .323 (+1%) | .391 (-12%) | .715 (-6%) | -251.9 |
| 1958 | KC1 | AL | 76 | 202 | 16 | 51 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 24 | 1 | 12 | 13 | .252 | .257 (-2%) | .324 (-9%) | .394 (-6%) | .719 (-7%) | -276.4 |
| 1959 | KC1 | AL | 98 | 347 | 32 | 82 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 20 | 23 | .236 | .256 (-8%) | .323 (-13%) | .392 (-23%) | .715 (-18%) | -1011.4 |
| 1960 | CIN | NL | 23 | 28 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .179 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1961 | DET | AL | 17 | 22 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | .227 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 653 | 1,994 | 202 | 494 | 64 | 11 | 47 | 235 | 6 | 151 | 147 | .248 | — | — | — | — | -2,499 | ||
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 (653 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 333 | 991 | 105 | 259 | 25 | 125 | .261 |
| Away | 320 | 1003 | 96 | 235 | 22 | 110 | .234 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-09-25 | DET | KC1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-09-04 | DET | BAL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-09-03 | DET | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-09-02 | DET | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-27 | DET | TEX | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-23 | DET | CLE | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-20 | DET | BOS | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-20 | DET | BOS | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1961-08-16 | DET | BAL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1961-08-15 | DET | BAL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | DET | C | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951 | DET | C | 18 | 0 | 56 | 11 | 3 | 1 |
| 1954 | DET | C | 107 | 99 | 434 | 56 | 4 | 7 |
| 1955 | DET | C | 93 | 87 | 423 | 35 | 6 | 5 |
| 1956 | DET | C | 88 | 78 | 450 | 33 | 7 | 8 |
| 1957 | DET | C | 97 | 95 | 535 | 54 | 2 | 5 |
| 1958 | KC1 | C | 55 | 52 | 236 | 22 | 2 | 4 |
| 1959 | KC1 | C | 95 | 92 | 447 | 43 | 9 | 7 |
| 1960 | CIN | C | 8 | 1 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961 | DET | C | 14 | 5 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 580 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Frank House (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frank House: the record in brief
Frank House's major league career runs from a debut on July 21, 1950 to a final game on September 25, 1961. By club, House's seasons break down as the Detroit Tigers (1950 to 1961), the Kansas City Athletics (1958 to 1959), and the Cincinnati Reds (1960). House is listed as a catcher at 190 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The bio says House batted left-handed and threw right-handed. House was born on February 18, 1930, in Bessemer, AL, USA. The bio records the death on March 13, 2005, in Birmingham, AL, USA. House's full given name, per the bio, is Henry Franklin House.
House's career batting table shows 653 games, 1,994 at bats and 494 hits, a .248 average, along with 47 home runs and 235 runs batted in. House got on base at a .302 rate and slugged .362 (.663 OPS). Against a .259 league average for those years, House's .248 average was near the norm. The OPS comparison is .663 to a league .724, 8.4% below average. House's most home runs in a season came in 1955, when the total reached 15 for the Detroit Tigers.
Frequently Asked Questions about Frank House
- What years did Frank House play?
- Frank House played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1961.
- Was Frank House a pitcher?
- No. Frank House was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Frank House hit?
- Frank House hit 47 career home runs with 494 hits.
- What teams did Frank House play for?
- Frank House played for 3 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1950–1951, 1954–1957, 1961), the Kansas City Athletics (1958–1959), and the Cincinnati Reds (1960).
- What were Frank House's career stats?
- In 653 games, Frank House had 494 hits, 47 home runs, 235 RBI, 202 runs, and 6 stolen bases, with a .248 batting average.
- What position did Frank House play?
- Frank House played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Frank House and how much did he weigh?
- Frank House was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 190 pounds.
- How many home runs did Frank House hit each season?
- Frank House's home runs by season: 0 in 1950, 1 in 1951, 9 in 1954, 15 in 1955, 10 in 1956, 7 in 1957, 4 in 1958, 1 in 1959, 0 in 1960, and 0 in 1961. His most in one season was 15, in 1955.
- What was Frank House's career batting average?
- Frank House batted .248 over his career, with 494 hits in 1,994 at bats.
- How many RBI did Frank House have?
- Frank House drove in 235 runs in his career.
- Is Frank House in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Frank House has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.