Tim McCarver
Born: 10/16/1941 in Memphis, TN, USA
Died: 2/16/2023 in Memphis, TN, USA
MLB Debut: 1959-09-10 | Final Game: 1980-10-05
Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 183 lbs
Full name: James Timothy McCarver
Biography
Tim McCarver was a professional baseball player born in 1941, whose career spanned from 1959 until his retirement on October 5, 1980. Primarily recognized as a position player, McCarver played in a total of 1,909 games, during which he made a significant impact as both a hitter and a strategic thinker on the field. He compiled 1,501 hits and achieved a batting average of .271, showcasing a consistent ability to contribute offensively. Over his career, he hit 97 home runs and drove in 645 runs, while also demonstrating his speed on the bases with 61 stolen bases. McCarver's prowess earned him two selections to the All-Star Game, underlining his recognition among peers and fans alike.
Playing during a transformative era in baseball from the late 1950s through the 1970s, McCarver was known for his keen understanding of the game and his ability to handle pitchers effectively. He was part of significant moments in baseball history, including his contributions to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he helped the team secure two World Series titles in 1964 and 1967. After his playing career, McCarver became an influential broadcaster, sharing his insights and love for the game with audiences for decades. His legacy is marked not only by his on-field achievements but also by his enduring impact on baseball as a commentator and educator.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | 5529 | 590 | 1501 | 242 | 57 | 97 | 645 | 61 | 548 | 422 | 0.271 | 0.337 | 0.388 | 0.725 | 6435.1 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | STL | NL | 8 | 24 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.167 | 0.0 |
| 1960 | STL | NL | 10 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.200 | 0.0 |
| 1961 | STL | NL | 22 | 67 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.239 | -243.7 |
| 1963 | STL | NL | 127 | 405 | 39 | 117 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 51 | 5 | 27 | 43 | 0.289 | 357.9 |
| 1964 | STL | NL | 143 | 465 | 53 | 134 | 19 | 3 | 9 | 52 | 2 | 40 | 44 | 0.288 | 710.9 |
| 1965 | STL | NL | 113 | 409 | 48 | 113 | 17 | 2 | 11 | 48 | 5 | 31 | 26 | 0.276 | 533.8 |
| 1966 | STL | NL | 150 | 543 | 50 | 149 | 19 | 13 | 12 | 68 | 9 | 36 | 38 | 0.274 | 703.4 |
| 1967 | STL | NL | 138 | 471 | 68 | 139 | 26 | 3 | 14 | 69 | 8 | 54 | 32 | 0.295 | 2155.4 |
| 1968 | STL | NL | 128 | 434 | 35 | 110 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 48 | 4 | 26 | 31 | 0.253 | -40.3 |
| 1969 | STL | NL | 138 | 515 | 46 | 134 | 27 | 3 | 7 | 51 | 4 | 49 | 26 | 0.260 | -58.4 |
| 1970 | PHI | NL | 44 | 164 | 16 | 47 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 10 | 0.287 | 278.7 |
| 1971 | PHI | NL | 134 | 474 | 51 | 132 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 46 | 5 | 43 | 26 | 0.278 | 593.8 |
| 1972 | WSN | NL | 77 | 239 | 19 | 60 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 4 | 19 | 14 | 0.251 | -60.2 |
| 1972 | PHI | NL | 45 | 152 | 14 | 36 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 17 | 15 | 0.237 | -60.2 |
| 1973 | STL | NL | 130 | 331 | 30 | 88 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 49 | 2 | 38 | 31 | 0.266 | -1.8 |
| 1974 | BOS | AL | 11 | 28 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 1974 | STL | NL | 74 | 106 | 13 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 22 | 6 | 0.217 | 0.0 |
| 1975 | BOS | AL | 12 | 21 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.381 | 0.0 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 47 | 59 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0.254 | 0.0 |
| 1976 | PHI | NL | 90 | 155 | 26 | 43 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 29 | 2 | 35 | 14 | 0.277 | 793.3 |
| 1977 | PHI | NL | 93 | 169 | 28 | 54 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 30 | 3 | 28 | 11 | 0.320 | 940.6 |
| 1978 | PHI | NL | 90 | 146 | 18 | 36 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 28 | 24 | 0.247 | 117.0 |
| 1979 | PHI | NL | 79 | 137 | 13 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 19 | 12 | 0.241 | -233.0 |
| 1980 | PHI | NL | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.200 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 88 | 13 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 0.273 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | NLCS | PHI | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 1977 | NLCS | PHI | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.167 |
| 1976 | NLCS | PHI | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 1968 | WS | SLN | 7 | 27 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0.333 |
| 1967 | WS | SLN | 7 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0.125 |
| 1964 | WS | SLN | 7 | 23 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0.478 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 103 | 75 | 656 | 34 | 10 | 54 |
| 3B | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| C | 1387 | 1300 | 8206 | 588 | 91 | 73 |
| OF | 15 | 13 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | SLN | C | 6 | 6 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960 | SLN | C | 5 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | SLN | C | 20 | 17 | 86 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 1963 | SLN | C | 126 | 108 | 722 | 55 | 5 | 7 |
| 1964 | SLN | C | 137 | 126 | 762 | 43 | 11 | 9 |
| 1965 | SLN | C | 111 | 107 | 687 | 43 | 4 | 4 |
| 1966 | SLN | C | 148 | 138 | 841 | 62 | 7 | 7 |
| 1967 | SLN | C | 130 | 126 | 819 | 67 | 3 | 10 |
| 1968 | SLN | C | 109 | 108 | 708 | 54 | 11 | 6 |
| 1969 | SLN | C | 136 | 136 | 925 | 66 | 14 | 10 |
| 1970 | PHI | C | 44 | 44 | 314 | 18 | 3 | 2 |
| 1971 | PHI | C | 125 | 118 | 673 | 51 | 11 | 8 |
| 1972 | MON | C | 45 | 42 | 285 | 24 | 3 | 2 |
| 1972 | MON | 3B | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1972 | MON | OF | 14 | 13 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972 | PHI | C | 40 | 38 | 245 | 20 | 3 | 0 |
| 1973 | SLN | C | 11 | 10 | 63 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1973 | SLN | 1B | 77 | 68 | 545 | 30 | 8 | 47 |
| 1974 | BOS | C | 8 | 6 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | SLN | C | 21 | 16 | 86 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 1974 | SLN | 1B | 6 | 4 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1975 | BOS | C | 7 | 3 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1975 | BOS | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | PHI | C | 10 | 9 | 58 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 1975 | PHI | 1B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | PHI | C | 41 | 37 | 254 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 1976 | PHI | 1B | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | PHI | C | 42 | 39 | 233 | 14 | 3 | 3 |
| 1977 | PHI | 1B | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1978 | PHI | C | 34 | 34 | 175 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 1978 | PHI | 1B | 11 | 2 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 1979 | PHI | C | 31 | 31 | 174 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 1979 | PHI | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | PHI | 1B | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1386 |
| First Base | 103 |
| Third Base | 6 |
| Left Field | 15 |
| Designated Hitter | 2 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | TSN All-Star | C |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 136.0 | 280 | 0 |