Don Padgett
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1937-1948)
Don Padgett was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1948 for 4 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 12 seasons. In 699 career games, he hit .288 with 573 hits, 37 home runs, and 338 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,387.
- 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" / 190 lb
- Died
- 12/2/1980 in High Point, NC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1937-04-23
- Last Game
- 1948-09-12
Full name: Don Wilson Padgett
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 699 | 1,991 | 247 | 573 | 111 | 16 | 37 | 338 | 6 | 141 | 130 | .288 | .336 | .415 | .752 | 1,387 |
Career AVG .288 vs. league average .267 across their career seasons — +7.8% above league average.
Career OBP .336 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .415 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — +8.6% above league average.
Career OPS .752 vs. league average .720 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | SLN | NL | 123 | 446 | 62 | 140 | 22 | 6 | 10 | 74 | 4 | 30 | 43 | .314 | .276 (+14%) | .342 (+4%) | .398 (+15%) | .740 (+10%) | 810.4 |
| 1938 | SLN | NL | 110 | 388 | 59 | 105 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 65 | 0 | 18 | 28 | .271 | .272 (-1%) | .341 (-11%) | .392 (+8%) | .734 (-1%) | -203.3 |
| 1939 | SLN | NL | 92 | 233 | 38 | 93 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 53 | 1 | 18 | 11 | .399 | .274 (+46%) | .342 (+30%) | .393 (+41%) | .735 (+36%) | 1585.6 |
| 1940 | SLN | NL | 93 | 240 | 24 | 58 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 41 | 1 | 26 | 14 | .242 | .267 (-10%) | .335 (-4%) | .387 (avg) | .722 (-2%) | -80.8 |
| 1941 | SLN | NL | 107 | 324 | 39 | 80 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 44 | 0 | 21 | 16 | .247 | .262 (-6%) | .332 (-12%) | .373 (-7%) | .705 (-9%) | -513.3 |
| 1946 | BRO | NL | 19 | 30 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | BSN | NL | 44 | 98 | 6 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 7 | .255 | .256 (-1%) | .328 (-11%) | .358 (-3%) | .687 (-7%) | 0.0 |
| 1947 | PHI | NL | 75 | 158 | 14 | 50 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 16 | 5 | .316 | .262 (+21%) | .336 (+14%) | .376 (+1%) | .712 (+7%) | 234.5 |
| 1948 | PHI | NL | 36 | 74 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .230 | .263 (-13%) | .340 (-24%) | .379 (-29%) | .719 (-26%) | -320.4 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 699 | 1,991 | 247 | 573 | 111 | 16 | 37 | 338 | 6 | 141 | 130 | .288 | — | — | — | — | 1,512 | ||
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 (699 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 361 | 974 | 152 | 310 | 27 | 194 | .318 |
| Away | 338 | 1017 | 95 | 263 | 10 | 143 | .259 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948-09-12 | PHI | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-07 | PHI | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-07 | PHI | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-04 | PHI | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-09-03 | PHI | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1948-09-01 | PHI | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-31 | PHI | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-08-29 | PHI | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-07-31 | PHI | CIN | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1948-07-25 | PHI | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 26 | 0 | 178 | 12 | 1 | 14 |
| C | 251 | 0 | 835 | 92 | 37 | 13 |
| OF | 242 | 0 | 480 | 24 | 22 | 8 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | SLN | OF | 109 | 0 | 225 | 9 | 11 | 5 |
| 1938 | SLN | 1B | 16 | 0 | 138 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
| 1938 | SLN | C | 6 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1938 | SLN | OF | 71 | 0 | 140 | 14 | 6 | 3 |
| 1939 | SLN | 1B | 6 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1939 | SLN | C | 61 | 0 | 249 | 18 | 6 | 5 |
| 1940 | SLN | 1B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | SLN | C | 72 | 0 | 243 | 34 | 11 | 5 |
| 1941 | SLN | 1B | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1941 | SLN | C | 18 | 0 | 62 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 1941 | SLN | OF | 62 | 0 | 115 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 1946 | BRO | C | 10 | 0 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1946 | BSN | C | 26 | 0 | 65 | 12 | 5 | 1 |
| 1947 | PHI | C | 39 | 0 | 111 | 16 | 5 | 1 |
| 1948 | PHI | C | 19 | 0 | 64 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 250 |
| First Base | 26 |
| Left Field | 67 |
| Center Field | 11 |
| Right Field | 164 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenoir-Rhyne College | Hickory | NC | 1934 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Don Padgett (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Don Padgett: the record in brief
April 23, 1937 and September 12, 1948 bracket Don Padgett's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the St. Louis Cardinals (1937 through 1941), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1946), the Boston Braves (1946), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1947 to 1948). Padgett is listed as a catcher at 6 feet, 0 inches and 190 pounds. The bio says Padgett hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. The recorded birth is December 5, 1911, in Caroleen, NC, USA. Padgett's death is recorded on December 2, 1980, in High Point, NC, USA. Don Padgett was the playing name; the full given name is Don Wilson.
In 699 games and 1,991 at bats, Padgett batted .288 with 573 hits; the totals also include 37 home runs and 338 runs batted in. Padgett's career OPS of .752 combines a .336 on-base mark with .415 slugging. The league as a whole hit .267 across Padgett's seasons, which puts the .288 career mark 7.8% above average. 1937 was Padgett's biggest home run year, with 10.
Frequently Asked Questions about Don Padgett
- What years did Don Padgett play?
- Don Padgett played in Major League Baseball from 1937 to 1948.
- Was Don Padgett a pitcher?
- No. Don Padgett was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Don Padgett hit?
- Don Padgett hit 37 career home runs with 573 hits.
- What was Don Padgett's career batting average?
- Don Padgett batted .288 over his career, with 573 hits in 1,991 at bats.
- How many RBI did Don Padgett have?
- Don Padgett drove in 338 runs in his career.
- Is Don Padgett in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Don Padgett has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.