Johnny Lipon
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1942-1954)
Johnny Lipon was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1954 for 4 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 13 seasons. In 758 career games, he hit .259 with 690 hits, 10 home runs, and 266 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 175 lb
- Died
- 8/17/1998 in Houston, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1942-08-16
- Last Game
- 1954-04-25
Full name: John Joseph Lipon
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 758 | 2,661 | 351 | 690 | 95 | 24 | 10 | 266 | 28 | 347 | 152 | .259 | .346 | .324 | .671 | -2,252 |
Career AVG .259 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .346 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .324 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — 14.3% below league average.
Career OPS .671 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 6.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | DET | AL | 34 | 131 | 5 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 7 | .191 | .253 (-25%) | .323 (-28%) | .349 (-41%) | .672 (-35%) | -687.0 |
| 1946 | DET | AL | 14 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | .300 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1948 | DET | AL | 121 | 458 | 65 | 133 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 52 | 4 | 68 | 22 | .290 | .263 (+10%) | .340 (+13%) | .379 (+5%) | .719 (+9%) | 938.7 |
| 1949 | DET | AL | 127 | 439 | 57 | 110 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 59 | 2 | 75 | 24 | .251 | .262 (-5%) | .343 (+5%) | .384 (-14%) | .727 (-5%) | -181.8 |
| 1950 | DET | AL | 147 | 601 | 104 | 176 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 63 | 9 | 81 | 26 | .293 | .265 (+10%) | .346 (+9%) | .401 (-8%) | .747 (avg) | 158.1 |
| 1951 | DET | AL | 129 | 487 | 56 | 129 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 7 | 49 | 27 | .265 | .260 (+2%) | .336 (-1%) | .385 (-22%) | .721 (-12%) | -842.5 |
| 1952 | DET | AL | 39 | 136 | 17 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 16 | 6 | .221 | .252 (-13%) | .326 (-7%) | .369 (-24%) | .696 (-16%) | -333.7 |
| 1952 | BOS | AL | 79 | 234 | 25 | 48 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 32 | 20 | .205 | .252 (-19%) | .326 (-8%) | .369 (-33%) | .696 (-21%) | -333.7 |
| 1953 | BOS | AL | 60 | 145 | 18 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 16 | .214 | .264 (-19%) | .335 (-16%) | .397 (-34%) | .733 (-26%) | -593.2 |
| 1953 | SLA | AL | 7 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .222 | — | — | — | — | -593.2 |
| 1954 | CIN | NL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 758 | 2,661 | 351 | 690 | 95 | 24 | 10 | 266 | 28 | 347 | 152 | .259 | — | — | — | — | -2,468 | ||
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 (758 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 371 | 1293 | 171 | 332 | 5 | 120 | .257 |
| Away | 387 | 1368 | 179 | 358 | 5 | 146 | .262 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-04-25 | CIN | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-25 | SLA | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-22 | SLA | DET | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-17 | SLA | NYY | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1953-09-16 | SLA | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-13 | SLA | PHA | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-12 | SLA | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-11 | SLA | BOS | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-06 | BOS | PHA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-03 | BOS | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 15 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 2 |
| SS | 717 | 0 | 1350 | 2143 | 140 | 481 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | DET | SS | 34 | 0 | 85 | 103 | 11 | 24 |
| 1946 | DET | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946 | DET | SS | 8 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 5 |
| 1948 | DET | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948 | DET | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948 | DET | SS | 117 | 0 | 211 | 346 | 17 | 63 |
| 1949 | DET | SS | 120 | 0 | 240 | 364 | 22 | 92 |
| 1950 | DET | SS | 147 | 0 | 273 | 483 | 33 | 126 |
| 1951 | DET | SS | 125 | 0 | 244 | 364 | 33 | 80 |
| 1952 | DET | SS | 39 | 0 | 80 | 101 | 4 | 12 |
| 1952 | BOS | 3B | 7 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| 1952 | BOS | SS | 69 | 0 | 118 | 218 | 6 | 53 |
| 1953 | BOS | SS | 58 | 0 | 85 | 150 | 12 | 26 |
| 1953 | SLA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953 | SLA | 3B | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 2 |
| Third Base | 15 |
| Shortstop | 717 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Johnny Lipon (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Johnny Lipon: the record in brief
August 16, 1942 and April 25, 1954 bracket Johnny Lipon's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Detroit Tigers (1942 through 1952), the Boston Red Sox (1952 through 1953), the St. Louis Browns (1953), and the Cincinnati Redlegs (1954). Listed as a shortstop, Lipon batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 175 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. The birth record reads November 10, 1922, in Martins Ferry, OH, USA. The bio records the death on August 17, 1998, in Houston, TX, USA. Lipon's full given name, per the bio, is John Joseph Lipon.
Lipon collected 690 hits in 2,661 at bats across 758 games, good for a .259 batting average, adding 10 home runs, 266 runs batted in, and 28 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .346 and .324 give Lipon a career OPS of .671. The .259 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. In OPS terms, Lipon's .671 stands 6.0% below the league's .713. No season topped the 176 hits of 1950.
Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Lipon
- What years did Johnny Lipon play?
- Johnny Lipon played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1954.
- Was Johnny Lipon a pitcher?
- No. Johnny Lipon was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Johnny Lipon hit?
- Johnny Lipon hit 10 career home runs with 690 hits.
- What was Johnny Lipon's career batting average?
- Johnny Lipon batted .259 over his career, with 690 hits in 2,661 at bats.
- How many RBI did Johnny Lipon have?
- Johnny Lipon drove in 266 runs in his career.
- Is Johnny Lipon in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Johnny Lipon has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.