Ron Karkovice

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1986-1997)

Ron Karkovice was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 1997 for the Chicago White Sox, a span of 12 seasons. In 939 career games, he hit .221 with 574 hits, 96 home runs, and 335 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

AVG .221
HR 96
RBI 335
H 574
OPS .672
PIV -3,882
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 210 lb
Born
8/8/1963 in Union, NJ, USA
MLB Debut
1986-08-17
Last Game
1997-09-26

Full name: Ronald Joseph Karkovice

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Career Batting Statistics

Ron Karkovice — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
939 2,597 336 574 120 6 96 335 24 233 749 .221 .289 .383 .672 -3,882

Career AVG .221 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 15.4% below league average.

Career OBP .289 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 12.2% below league average.

Career SLG .383 vs. league average .400 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .672 vs. league average .729 across their career seasons — 7.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ron Karkovice 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
1986 CHA AL 37 97 13 24 7 0 4 13 1 9 37 .247 .257 (-4%) .325 (-3%) .395 (+12%) .720 (+5%) 65.9
1987 CHA AL 39 85 7 6 0 0 2 7 3 7 40 .071 .262 (-73%) .331 (-52%) .415 (-66%) .746 (-60%) -834.2
1988 CHA AL 46 115 10 20 4 0 3 9 4 7 30 .174 .254 (-32%) .317 (-28%) .377 (-24%) .695 (-26%) -469.8
1989 CHA AL 71 182 21 48 9 2 3 24 0 10 56 .264 .254 (+4%) .319 (-4%) .375 (+3%) .694 (-1%) -56.2
1990 CHA AL 68 183 30 45 10 0 6 20 2 16 52 .246 .257 (-5%) .324 (-5%) .385 (+4%) .710 (avg) -25.5
1991 CHA AL 75 167 25 41 13 0 5 22 0 15 42 .246 .255 (-4%) .323 (-4%) .384 (+7%) .708 (+2%) 34.7
1992 CHA AL 123 342 39 81 12 1 13 50 10 30 89 .237 .255 (-7%) .322 (-6%) .377 (+4%) .699 (-1%) -64.2
1993 CHA AL 128 403 60 92 17 1 20 54 2 29 126 .228 .265 (-14%) .332 (-14%) .403 (+5%) .735 (-3%) -309.6
1994 CHA AL 77 207 33 44 9 1 11 29 0 36 68 .213 .269 (-21%) .338 (-4%) .424 (avg) .763 (-2%) -56.2
1995 CHA AL 113 323 44 70 14 1 13 51 2 39 84 .217 .266 (-19%) .337 (-10%) .417 (-7%) .755 (-8%) -481.4
1996 CHA AL 111 355 44 78 22 0 10 38 0 24 93 .220 .269 (-19%) .340 (-21%) .426 (-14%) .767 (-17%) -1096.6
1997 CHA AL 51 138 10 25 3 0 6 18 0 11 32 .181 .266 (-32%) .336 (-26%) .419 (-20%) .756 (-23%) -588.9
Career · 12 seasons 939 2,597 336 574 120 6 96 335 24 233 749 .221 — — — — -3,882

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

Ron Karkovice — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Ron Karkovice — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1993 ALCS CHA 6 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (939 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ron Karkovice — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home471125314326634141.212
Away468134419330862194.229

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ron Karkovice — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1997-09-26 CHWKCRW 311001301
1997-09-20 CHWBOSW 000000000
1997-09-17 CHWKCRW 200000101
1997-09-08 CHWMILL 000000000
1997-09-06 CHWCLEL 301000001
1997-09-03 CHWSTLL 000000000
1997-08-30 CHWHOUW 411000001
1997-08-28 CHWTORL 400000000
1997-08-22 CHWTEXL 411001102
1997-08-19 CHWTORW 300000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ron Karkovice — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 918 776 4757 404 42 49
OF 2 0 3 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ron Karkovice — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1986 CHA C 37 35 227 19 1 4
1987 CHA C 37 31 147 20 3 3
1988 CHA C 46 37 190 24 1 4
1989 CHA C 68 55 299 47 5 6
1990 CHA C 64 50 296 31 2 4
1991 CHA C 69 49 309 28 4 6
1991 CHA OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1992 CHA C 119 98 533 53 6 8
1992 CHA OF 1 0 3 0 0 0
1993 CHA C 127 118 769 63 5 4
1994 CHA C 76 61 417 19 3 2
1995 CHA C 113 98 629 42 6 2
1996 CHA C 111 99 680 45 5 5
1997 CHA C 51 45 261 13 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ron Karkovice Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 918
Left Field 1
Right Field 1
Designated Hitter 4

Salary History

Ron Karkovice — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1997 CHA AL $1,500,000
1996 CHA AL $2,225,000
1995 CHA AL $1,773,615
1994 CHA AL $1,429,167
1993 CHA AL $1,566,667
1992 CHA AL $650,000
1991 CHA AL $310,000
1990 CHA AL $108,000
1989 CHA AL $106,000
1987 CHA AL $625,000
1986 CHA AL $60,000
Total Career Earnings $10,353,449

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Ron Karkovice (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Henry Blanco
    .223 avg, 72 HR
  2. 97
    Tim Laudner
    .225 avg, 77 HR
  3. 94
    George Mitterwald
    .236 avg, 76 HR
  4. 92
    Dave Duncan
    .214 avg, 109 HR
  5. 90
    Bob Tillman
    .232 avg, 79 HR
  6. 89
    James McCann
    .244 avg, 104 HR

Ron Karkovice: the record in brief

August 17, 1986 and September 26, 1997 bracket Ron Karkovice's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Karkovice's only club in the season tables is the Chicago White Sox. The bio lists Karkovice as a catcher who threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 1 inch and 210 pounds. The birth record reads August 8, 1963, in Union, NJ, USA. On the record, Ron Karkovice was born Ronald Joseph Karkovice.

The batting record for Karkovice: 939 games, 574 hits in 2,597 at bats, and a .221 average, adding 96 home runs, 335 runs batted in, and 24 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .289 and .383 give Karkovice a career OPS of .672. Measured against the leagues Karkovice played in, the .221 career average compares with a .261 league average over the same seasons, 15.4% below the league. No season beat the 20 home runs Karkovice hit in 1993. The highest hit total in a season was 92, in 1993. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .237 in 1992, did not top the league's .255.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ron Karkovice

What years did Ron Karkovice play?
Ron Karkovice played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 1997.
Was Ron Karkovice a pitcher?
No. Ron Karkovice was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Ron Karkovice hit?
Ron Karkovice hit 96 career home runs with 574 hits.
What was Ron Karkovice's career batting average?
Ron Karkovice batted .221 over his career, with 574 hits in 2,597 at bats.
How many RBI did Ron Karkovice have?
Ron Karkovice drove in 335 runs in his career.
Is Ron Karkovice in the Hall of Fame?
No. Ron Karkovice has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.