Joe Nolan
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1972-1985)
Joe Nolan was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1985 for 4 teams, including the New York Mets, a span of 14 seasons. In 621 career games, he hit .263 with 382 hits, 27 home runs, and 178 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 808.
- 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
- 5'11" / 175 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1972-09-21
- Last Game
- 1985-06-25
Full name: Joseph William Nolan
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 621 | 1,454 | 156 | 382 | 66 | 10 | 27 | 178 | 7 | 164 | 183 | .263 | .336 | .378 | .714 | 808 |
Career AVG .263 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .336 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .378 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .714 vs. league average .708 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | NYN | NL | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | ATL | NL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | ATL | NL | 62 | 82 | 13 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 12 | .280 | .264 (+6%) | .329 (+14%) | .401 (+6%) | .730 (+10%) | 180.0 |
| 1978 | ATL | NL | 95 | 213 | 22 | 49 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 3 | 34 | 28 | .230 | .257 (-11%) | .323 (+5%) | .378 (-8%) | .702 (-2%) | 7.0 |
| 1979 | ATL | NL | 89 | 230 | 28 | 57 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 21 | 1 | 27 | 28 | .248 | .265 (-7%) | .329 (+1%) | .397 (-8%) | .727 (-4%) | -102.7 |
| 1980 | ATL | NL | 17 | 22 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1980 | CIN | NL | 53 | 154 | 14 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 13 | 8 | .312 | .264 (+18%) | .326 (+8%) | .387 (+7%) | .714 (+8%) | 0.0 |
| 1981 | CIN | NL | 81 | 236 | 25 | 73 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 24 | 19 | .309 | .255 (+21%) | .320 (+16%) | .368 (+10%) | .688 (+13%) | 563.6 |
| 1982 | BAL | AL | 77 | 219 | 24 | 51 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 35 | 1 | 16 | 35 | .233 | .261 (-11%) | .324 (-14%) | .388 (-8%) | .712 (-11%) | -448.6 |
| 1983 | BAL | AL | 73 | 184 | 25 | 51 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 24 | 0 | 16 | 31 | .277 | .260 (+6%) | .324 (+5%) | .389 (+10%) | .714 (+8%) | 270.4 |
| 1984 | BAL | AL | 35 | 62 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 10 | .290 | .259 (+12%) | .322 (+24%) | .384 (+1%) | .707 (+11%) | 164.0 |
| 1985 | BAL | AL | 31 | 38 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | .132 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 621 | 1,454 | 156 | 382 | 66 | 10 | 27 | 178 | 7 | 164 | 183 | .263 | — | — | — | — | 634 | ||
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
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (621 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 310 | 697 | 82 | 178 | 15 | 95 | .255 |
| Away | 311 | 757 | 74 | 204 | 12 | 83 | .269 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-06-25 | BAL | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-06-24 | BAL | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-06-23 | BAL | MIL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-06-21 | BAL | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985-06-18 | BAL | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-06-12 | BAL | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-06-09 | BAL | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-06-08 | BAL | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985-06-07 | BAL | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-06-05 | BAL | LAA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | NYN | C | 3 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975 | ATL | C | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | ATL | C | 19 | 13 | 80 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| 1978 | ATL | C | 61 | 53 | 295 | 24 | 7 | 3 |
| 1979 | ATL | C | 74 | 58 | 328 | 27 | 6 | 2 |
| 1980 | ATL | C | 6 | 3 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980 | CIN | C | 51 | 42 | 251 | 23 | 5 | 6 |
| 1981 | CIN | C | 81 | 62 | 393 | 18 | 2 | 2 |
| 1982 | BAL | C | 72 | 62 | 292 | 22 | 7 | 2 |
| 1983 | BAL | C | 65 | 52 | 223 | 16 | 5 | 2 |
| 1984 | BAL | C | 6 | 5 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | BAL | C | 5 | 4 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 443 |
| Designated Hitter | 15 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | BAL | AL | $341,667 |
| Total Career Earnings | $341,667 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Joe Nolan (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Joe Nolan: the record in brief
According to the bio, Joe Nolan debuted on September 21, 1972 and played a final game on June 25, 1985. The season rows list, in order, the New York Mets (1972), the Atlanta Braves (1975 through 1980), the Cincinnati Reds (1980 to 1981), and the Baltimore Orioles (1982 through 1985). Born on May 12, 1951, in St. Louis, MO, USA, Nolan is listed as a catcher and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Nolan's listed size is 5'11" and 175 pounds. Joe Nolan was the playing name; the full given name is Joseph William.
The batting record for Nolan: 621 games, 382 hits in 1,454 at bats, and a .263 average, adding 27 homers and 178 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .336 and .378 give Nolan a career OPS of .714. Against a .259 league average for those years, Nolan's .263 average was near the norm. Nolan collected a career-high 73 hits in 1981. 1980 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .312 against a league .264, an 18% edge.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Nolan
- What years did Joe Nolan play?
- Joe Nolan played in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1985.
- Was Joe Nolan a pitcher?
- No. Joe Nolan was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Joe Nolan hit?
- Joe Nolan hit 27 career home runs with 382 hits.
- What was Joe Nolan's career batting average?
- Joe Nolan batted .263 over his career, with 382 hits in 1,454 at bats.
- How many RBI did Joe Nolan have?
- Joe Nolan drove in 178 runs in his career.
- Is Joe Nolan in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Joe Nolan has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.