Charlie Lau

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1956-1967)

Charlie Lau was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1967 for 5 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 12 seasons. In 527 career games, he hit .255 with 298 hits, 16 home runs, and 140 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 299.

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 .255
HR 16
RBI 140
H 298
OPS .683
PIV 299
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 190 lb
Born
4/12/1933 in Romulus, MI, USA
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

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Career Batting Statistics

Charlie 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

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Charlie Lau 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
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

Charlie Lau — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home26258054146872.252
Away26559051152868.258

Last 10 Games — Batting

Charlie Lau — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1967-09-29 ATLSTLL 100000000
1967-09-28 ATLCINL 100000000
1967-09-28 ATLCINL 100000001
1967-09-22 ATLSTLL 100000000
1967-09-21 ATLSTLW 000000000
1967-09-20 ATLCINL 100000000
1967-09-19 ATLCINL 100000000
1967-09-17 ATLCHCL 111001200
1967-09-15 ATLCHCL 100000000
1967-09-10 ATLPHIL 101000200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Charlie Lau — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 321 276 1608 104 21 17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Charlie Lau — 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

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Charlie Lau Stats, Bio & Career Records
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%.

Career Spans

Charlie Lau (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bob Scheffing
    .263 avg, 20 HR
  2. 94
    Jason Phillips
    .249 avg, 30 HR
  3. 90
    Austin Nola
    .247 avg, 24 HR
  4. 89
    Lenny Webster
    .254 avg, 33 HR
  5. 88
    Bill Sarni
    .263 avg, 22 HR
  6. 88
    Sammy Taylor
    .245 avg, 33 HR

Charlie Lau: the record in brief

Between the debut on September 12, 1956 and the final game on September 29, 1967, Charlie Lau built the record summarized on this page. By club, Lau's seasons break down as the Detroit Tigers (1956 through 1959), the Milwaukee Braves (1960 to 1961), the Baltimore Orioles (1961 to 1967), the Kansas City Athletics (1963 through 1964), and the Atlanta Braves (1967). Lau, a catcher by primary position, batted left-handed and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds. Lau was born on April 12, 1933, in Romulus, MI, USA. Lau's death is recorded on March 18, 1984, in Key Colony Beach, FL, USA. Charlie Lau was the playing name; the full given name is Charles Richard.

Across 527 games at the plate, Lau's career line reads 298 hits in 1,170 at bats for a .255 average, adding 16 home runs and 140 RBI. Lau got on base at a .318 rate and slugged .365 (.683 OPS). Against a .252 league average for those years, Lau's .255 average was near the norm.

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.
What teams did Charlie Lau play for?
Charlie Lau played for 4 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1956, 1958–1959), the Atlanta Braves (1960–1961, 1967), the Baltimore Orioles (1961–1967), and the Kansas City Athletics (1963–1964).
What were Charlie Lau's career stats?
In 527 games, Charlie Lau had 298 hits, 16 home runs, 140 RBI, 105 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .255 batting average.
What position did Charlie Lau play?
Charlie Lau played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Charlie Lau and how much did he weigh?
Charlie Lau was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Charlie Lau hit each season?
Charlie Lau's home runs by season: 0 in 1956, 0 in 1958, 0 in 1959, 0 in 1960, 1 in 1961, 6 in 1962, 3 in 1963, 3 in 1964, 2 in 1965, 0 in 1966, and 1 in 1967. His most in one season was 6, in 1962.
What was Charlie Lau's career batting average?
Charlie Lau batted .255 over his career, with 298 hits in 1,170 at bats.
How many RBI did Charlie Lau have?
Charlie Lau drove in 140 runs in his career.
Is Charlie Lau in the Hall of Fame?
No. Charlie Lau has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.