Spider Jorgensen
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1947-1951)
Spider Jorgensen was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1951 for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants, a span of 5 seasons. In 267 career games, he hit .266 with 201 hits, 9 home runs, and 107 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 978.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 155 lb
- Died
- 11/6/2003 in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1947-04-15
- Last Game
- 1951-06-30
Full name: John Donald Jorgensen
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 267 | 755 | 97 | 201 | 40 | 11 | 9 | 107 | 5 | 106 | 75 | .266 | .359 | .384 | .743 | 978 |
Career AVG .266 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .359 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — +5.4% above league average.
Career SLG .384 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .743 vs. league average .725 across their career seasons — near 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 | BRO | NL | 129 | 441 | 57 | 121 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 67 | 4 | 58 | 45 | .274 | .262 (+5%) | .336 (+7%) | .376 (+9%) | .712 (+8%) | 707.3 |
| 1948 | BRO | NL | 31 | 90 | 15 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 13 | .300 | .263 (+14%) | .340 (+21%) | .379 (+17%) | .719 (+19%) | 327.1 |
| 1949 | BRO | NL | 53 | 134 | 15 | 36 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 23 | 13 | .269 | .262 (+2%) | .343 (+9%) | .384 (-11%) | .727 (-1%) | 34.0 |
| 1950 | BRO | NL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | NY1 | NL | 24 | 37 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2 | .135 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | NY1 | NL | 28 | 51 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .235 | .260 (-10%) | .336 (-14%) | .385 (-8%) | .721 (-11%) | -90.2 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 267 | 755 | 97 | 201 | 40 | 11 | 9 | 107 | 5 | 106 | 75 | .266 | — | — | — | — | 978 | ||
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 (267 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 135 | 365 | 58 | 106 | 6 | 63 | .290 |
| Away | 132 | 390 | 40 | 95 | 3 | 43 | .244 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-06-30 | NY1 | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-06-27 | NY1 | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-06-23 | NY1 | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-06-21 | NY1 | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-06-20 | NY1 | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-06-17 | NY1 | PIT | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-06-10 | NY1 | CHC | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-06-07 | NY1 | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-06-06 | NY1 | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951-06-04 | NY1 | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 195 |
| Right Field | 11 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento City College | Sacramento | CA | 1939, 1941 |
Spider Jorgensen: the record in brief
Spider Jorgensen's major league career runs from a debut on April 15, 1947 to a final game on June 30, 1951. Jorgensen played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1947 through 1950) and the New York Giants (1950 through 1951). Listed as a third baseman, Jorgensen threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Height and weight on file: 155 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. Jorgensen was born on November 3, 1919, in Folsom, CA, USA. The bio records the death on November 6, 2003, in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA. Jorgensen's full given name, per the bio, is John Donald Jorgensen.
In 267 games and 755 at bats, Jorgensen batted .266 with 201 hits, adding 9 homers and 107 runs batted in. Jorgensen got on base at a .359 rate and slugged .384 (.743 OPS). The .266 career average is close to the .263 the league hit across the same seasons. No season topped the 121 hits of 1947. Among the seasons with the heaviest workload, the best average was .274 in 1947, 5% above that year's league mark of .262.
Frequently Asked Questions about Spider Jorgensen
- What years did Spider Jorgensen play?
- Spider Jorgensen played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1951.
- Was Spider Jorgensen a pitcher?
- No. Spider Jorgensen was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Spider Jorgensen hit?
- Spider Jorgensen hit 9 career home runs with 201 hits.
- What was Spider Jorgensen's career batting average?
- Spider Jorgensen batted .266 over his career, with 201 hits in 755 at bats.
- How many RBI did Spider Jorgensen have?
- Spider Jorgensen drove in 107 runs in his career.
- Is Spider Jorgensen in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Spider Jorgensen has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.