Charlie Lau
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1956-1967)
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 190 lb
- Died
- 3/18/1984 in Key Colony Beach, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1956-09-12
- Last Game
- 1967-09-29
Full name: Charles Richard Lau
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 527 | 1,170 | 105 | 298 | 63 | 9 | 16 | 140 | 3 | 109 | 150 | .255 | .318 | .365 | .683 | 299 |
Career AVG .255 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .318 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .365 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .683 vs. league average .701 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | DET | AL | 3 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1958 | DET | AL | 30 | 68 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 15 | .147 | .257 (-43%) | .324 (-10%) | .394 (-44%) | .719 (-29%) | -280.5 |
| 1959 | DET | AL | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | ML1 | NL | 21 | 53 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 10 | .189 | .255 (-26%) | .323 (-16%) | .387 (-42%) | .711 (-30%) | -238.7 |
| 1961 | ML1 | NL | 28 | 82 | 3 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 11 | .207 | .258 (-20%) | .328 (-2%) | .399 (-33%) | .727 (-19%) | -221.3 |
| 1961 | BAL | AL | 17 | 47 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .170 | — | — | — | — | -221.3 |
| 1962 | BAL | AL | 81 | 197 | 21 | 58 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 37 | 1 | 7 | 11 | .294 | .257 (+14%) | .326 (-2%) | .393 (+17%) | .719 (+9%) | 216.1 |
| 1963 | BAL | AL | 29 | 48 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .188 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | KC1 | AL | 62 | 187 | 15 | 55 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 1 | 14 | 17 | .294 | .246 (+19%) | .308 (+10%) | .371 (+8%) | .680 (+9%) | 0.0 |
| 1964 | KC1 | AL | 43 | 118 | 11 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 18 | .271 | .250 (+8%) | .312 (+4%) | .377 (+5%) | .690 (+5%) | 82.9 |
| 1964 | BAL | AL | 62 | 158 | 16 | 41 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 27 | .259 | .250 (+4%) | .312 (+7%) | .377 (+2%) | .690 (+4%) | 82.9 |
| 1965 | BAL | AL | 68 | 132 | 15 | 39 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 17 | 18 | .295 | .245 (+20%) | .310 (+19%) | .371 (+10%) | .682 (+14%) | 351.4 |
| 1966 | BAL | AL | 18 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1967 | BAL | AL | 11 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1967 | ATL | NL | 52 | 45 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 9 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 527 | 1,170 | 105 | 298 | 63 | 9 | 16 | 140 | 3 | 109 | 150 | .255 | — | — | — | — | -229 | ||
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 (527 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 262 | 580 | 54 | 146 | 8 | 72 | .252 |
| Away | 265 | 590 | 51 | 152 | 8 | 68 | .258 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-09-29 | ATL | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-09-28 | ATL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-09-28 | ATL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1967-09-22 | ATL | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-09-21 | ATL | STL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-09-20 | ATL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-09-19 | ATL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-09-17 | ATL | CHC | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-09-15 | ATL | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967-09-10 | ATL | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 321 | 276 | 1608 | 104 | 21 | 17 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | DET | C | 3 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958 | DET | C | 27 | 19 | 120 | 10 | 2 | 3 |
| 1959 | DET | C | 2 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1960 | ML1 | C | 16 | 13 | 94 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 1961 | ML1 | C | 25 | 24 | 114 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| 1961 | BAL | C | 17 | 13 | 90 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| 1962 | BAL | C | 56 | 40 | 269 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| 1963 | BAL | C | 8 | 8 | 48 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1963 | KC1 | C | 50 | 49 | 258 | 15 | 5 | 2 |
| 1964 | KC1 | C | 35 | 32 | 179 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 1964 | BAL | C | 47 | 42 | 243 | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| 1965 | BAL | C | 35 | 32 | 165 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 321 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Charlie Lau (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Charlie Lau
- What years did Charlie Lau play?
- Charlie Lau played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1967.
- Was Charlie Lau a pitcher?
- No. Charlie Lau was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Charlie Lau hit?
- Charlie Lau hit 16 career home runs with 298 hits.