Tim McCarver
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1959-1980)
Tim McCarver was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1980 for 4 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 22 seasons. In 1,909 career games, he hit .271 with 1,501 hits, 97 home runs, and 645 RBI. Tim McCarver was a 2-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 6,528.
- 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 183 lb
- Died
- 2/16/2023 in Memphis, TN, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1959-09-10
- Last Game
- 1980-10-05
- Awards
- 2× All-Star
Full name: James Timothy McCarver
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,909 | 5,529 | 590 | 1,501 | 242 | 57 | 97 | 645 | 61 | 548 | 422 | .271 | .337 | .388 | .725 | 6,528 |
Career AVG .271 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — +7.1% above league average.
Career OBP .337 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +5.4% above league average.
Career SLG .388 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .725 vs. league average .696 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | SLN | NL | 8 | 24 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | SLN | NL | 10 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1961 | SLN | NL | 22 | 67 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .239 | .258 (-8%) | .328 (-27%) | .399 (-14%) | .727 (-20%) | -234.1 |
| 1963 | SLN | NL | 127 | 405 | 39 | 117 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 51 | 5 | 27 | 43 | .289 | .246 (+17%) | .308 (+8%) | .371 (+3%) | .680 (+5%) | 357.9 |
| 1964 | SLN | NL | 143 | 465 | 53 | 134 | 19 | 3 | 9 | 52 | 2 | 40 | 44 | .288 | .250 (+15%) | .312 (+10%) | .377 (+6%) | .690 (+8%) | 710.9 |
| 1965 | SLN | NL | 113 | 409 | 48 | 113 | 17 | 2 | 11 | 48 | 5 | 31 | 26 | .276 | .245 (+12%) | .310 (+5%) | .371 (+10%) | .682 (+8%) | 533.8 |
| 1966 | SLN | NL | 150 | 543 | 50 | 149 | 19 | 13 | 12 | 68 | 9 | 36 | 38 | .274 | .248 (+10%) | .309 (+3%) | .376 (+13%) | .685 (+8%) | 703.4 |
| 1967 | SLN | NL | 138 | 471 | 68 | 139 | 26 | 3 | 14 | 69 | 8 | 54 | 32 | .295 | .242 (+22%) | .306 (+21%) | .357 (+27%) | .663 (+24%) | 2155.4 |
| 1968 | SLN | NL | 128 | 434 | 35 | 110 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 48 | 4 | 26 | 31 | .253 | .236 (+7%) | .298 (-1%) | .340 (+3%) | .638 (+1%) | -32.5 |
| 1969 | SLN | NL | 138 | 515 | 46 | 134 | 27 | 3 | 7 | 51 | 4 | 49 | 26 | .260 | .248 (+5%) | .320 (+1%) | .369 (-1%) | .689 (avg) | -46.5 |
| 1970 | PHI | NL | 44 | 164 | 16 | 47 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 10 | .287 | .253 (+13%) | .325 (+6%) | .385 (+14%) | .711 (+10%) | 278.7 |
| 1971 | PHI | NL | 134 | 474 | 51 | 132 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 46 | 5 | 43 | 26 | .278 | .249 (+12%) | .316 (+6%) | .365 (+7%) | .682 (+7%) | 593.8 |
| 1972 | PHI | NL | 45 | 152 | 14 | 36 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 17 | 15 | .237 | .243 (-3%) | .310 (+2%) | .353 (-7%) | .664 (-3%) | -37.2 |
| 1972 | MON | NL | 77 | 239 | 19 | 60 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 4 | 19 | 14 | .251 | .243 (+3%) | .310 (-1%) | .353 (-3%) | .664 (-2%) | -37.2 |
| 1973 | SLN | NL | 130 | 331 | 30 | 88 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 49 | 2 | 38 | 31 | .266 | .256 (+3%) | .325 (+4%) | .378 (-3%) | .703 (avg) | -1.4 |
| 1974 | SLN | NL | 74 | 106 | 13 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 22 | 6 | .217 | .256 (-16%) | .324 (+9%) | .369 (-36%) | .693 (-15%) | -168.3 |
| 1974 | BOS | AL | 11 | 28 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | .250 | — | — | — | — | -168.3 |
| 1975 | BOS | AL | 12 | 21 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .381 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 47 | 59 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | .254 | .257 (-1%) | .327 (+21%) | .374 (-9%) | .701 (+5%) | 0.0 |
| 1976 | PHI | NL | 90 | 155 | 26 | 43 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 29 | 2 | 35 | 14 | .277 | .255 (+9%) | .320 (+28%) | .360 (+20%) | .681 (+24%) | 793.3 |
| 1977 | PHI | NL | 93 | 169 | 28 | 54 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 30 | 3 | 28 | 11 | .320 | .264 (+21%) | .329 (+24%) | .401 (+31%) | .730 (+28%) | 940.6 |
| 1978 | PHI | NL | 90 | 146 | 18 | 36 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 28 | 24 | .247 | .257 (-4%) | .323 (+13%) | .378 (-10%) | .702 (+1%) | 117.0 |
| 1979 | PHI | NL | 79 | 137 | 13 | 33 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 19 | 12 | .241 | .265 (-9%) | .329 (+1%) | .397 (-21%) | .727 (-11%) | -203.2 |
| 1980 | PHI | NL | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 24 seasons | 1,909 | 5,529 | 590 | 1,501 | 242 | 57 | 97 | 645 | 61 | 548 | 422 | .271 | — | — | — | — | 6,256 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 88 | 13 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 9 | .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 | .000 |
| 1977 | NLCS | PHI | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .167 |
| 1976 | NLCS | PHI | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| 1968 | WS | SLN | 7 | 27 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | .333 |
| 1967 | WS | SLN | 7 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .125 |
| 1964 | WS | SLN | 7 | 23 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | .478 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1909 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 967 | 2669 | 299 | 789 | 59 | 345 | .296 |
| Away | 942 | 2860 | 291 | 712 | 38 | 300 | .249 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-10-05 | PHI | WSN | L | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-09-30 | PHI | CHC | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-09-29 | PHI | CHC | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-09-24 | PHI | NYN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-09-12 | PHI | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-09-07 | PHI | LAD | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979-09-30 | PHI | WSN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979-09-29 | PHI | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979-09-26 | PHI | STL | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979-09-24 | PHI | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
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 | PHI | C | 40 | 38 | 245 | 20 | 3 | 0 |
| 1972 | MON | 3B | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1972 | MON | C | 45 | 42 | 285 | 24 | 3 | 2 |
| 1972 | MON | OF | 14 | 13 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1973 | SLN | 1B | 77 | 68 | 545 | 30 | 8 | 47 |
| 1973 | SLN | C | 11 | 10 | 63 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1974 | SLN | 1B | 6 | 4 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1974 | SLN | C | 21 | 16 | 86 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| 1974 | BOS | C | 8 | 6 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | BOS | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | BOS | C | 7 | 3 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1975 | PHI | 1B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | PHI | C | 10 | 9 | 58 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 1976 | PHI | 1B | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | PHI | C | 41 | 37 | 254 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977 | PHI | 1B | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1977 | PHI | C | 42 | 39 | 233 | 14 | 3 | 3 |
| 1978 | PHI | 1B | 11 | 2 | 40 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 1978 | PHI | C | 34 | 34 | 175 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 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
Circle size = games played at each 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 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Tim McCarver (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Tim McCarver: the record in brief
According to the bio, Tim McCarver debuted on September 10, 1959 and played a final game on October 5, 1980. McCarver played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959 to 1974), the Philadelphia Phillies (1970 through 1980), the Montreal Expos (1972), and the Boston Red Sox (1974 through 1975). McCarver, born on October 16, 1941, in Memphis, TN, USA, is listed as a catcher and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. McCarver's listed size is 6-foot-0 and 183 pounds. McCarver died on February 16, 2023, in Memphis, TN, USA. The bio lists the given name James Timothy.
The batting record for McCarver: 1,909 games, 1,501 hits in 5,529 at bats, and a .271 average, plus 97 home runs, 645 RBI, and 61 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .337 clip and slugging .388, McCarver finished with a .725 OPS. Over the seasons McCarver played, league hitters batted .254; the .271 career figure is 7.1% above that. No season beat the 14 home runs McCarver hit in 1967.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tim McCarver
- What years did Tim McCarver play?
- Tim McCarver played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1980.
- Was Tim McCarver a pitcher?
- No. Tim McCarver was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Tim McCarver hit?
- Tim McCarver hit 97 career home runs with 1,501 hits.
- What teams did Tim McCarver play for?
- Tim McCarver played for 4 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1961, 1963–1969, 1973–1974), the Philadelphia Phillies (1970–1972, 1975–1980), the Montreal Expos (1972), and the Boston Red Sox (1974–1975).
- Did Tim McCarver win an MVP award?
- No. Tim McCarver did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Tim McCarver win?
- Tim McCarver was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were Tim McCarver's career stats?
- In 1,909 games, Tim McCarver had 1,501 hits, 97 home runs, 645 RBI, 590 runs, and 61 stolen bases, with a .271 batting average.
- What position did Tim McCarver play?
- Tim McCarver played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Tim McCarver and how much did he weigh?
- Tim McCarver was listed at 6 feet and 183 pounds.
- How many home runs did Tim McCarver hit each season?
- Tim McCarver's home runs by season: 0 in 1959, 0 in 1960, 1 in 1961, 4 in 1963, 9 in 1964, 11 in 1965, 12 in 1966, 14 in 1967, 5 in 1968, 7 in 1969, 4 in 1970, 8 in 1971, 7 in 1972, 3 in 1973, 0 in 1974, 1 in 1975, 3 in 1976, 6 in 1977, 1 in 1978, 1 in 1979, and 0 in 1980. His most in one season was 14, in 1967.
- What was Tim McCarver's career batting average?
- Tim McCarver batted .271 over his career, with 1,501 hits in 5,529 at bats.
- How many RBI did Tim McCarver have?
- Tim McCarver drove in 645 runs in his career.
- Is Tim McCarver in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Tim McCarver has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Tim McCarver make?
- Tim McCarver was selected to 2 All-Star Games.