Paul Popovich
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1964-1975)
Paul Popovich was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1975 for the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 12 seasons. In 682 career games, he hit .233 with 403 hits, 14 home runs, and 134 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 175 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1964-04-19
- Last Game
- 1975-07-21
Full name: Paul Edward Popovich
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 682 | 1,732 | 176 | 403 | 42 | 9 | 14 | 134 | 4 | 127 | 151 | .233 | .286 | .292 | .577 | -3,607 |
Career AVG .233 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 6.9% below league average.
Career OBP .286 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — 9.9% below league average.
Career SLG .292 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 20.9% below league average.
Career OPS .577 vs. league average .685 across their career seasons — 15.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | CHN | NL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1966 | CHN | NL | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1967 | CHN | NL | 49 | 159 | 18 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 12 | .214 | .242 (-12%) | .306 (-14%) | .357 (-33%) | .663 (-24%) | -540.0 |
| 1968 | LAN | NL | 134 | 418 | 35 | 97 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 29 | 37 | .232 | .236 (-2%) | .298 (-6%) | .340 (-21%) | .638 (-14%) | -807.2 |
| 1969 | LAN | NL | 28 | 50 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .200 | .248 (-19%) | .320 (-34%) | .369 (-46%) | .689 (-40%) | -317.6 |
| 1969 | CHN | NL | 60 | 154 | 26 | 48 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 18 | 14 | .312 | .248 (+26%) | .320 (+21%) | .369 (avg) | .689 (+10%) | -317.6 |
| 1970 | CHN | NL | 78 | 186 | 22 | 47 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 18 | 18 | .253 | .253 (avg) | .325 (-1%) | .385 (-8%) | .711 (-5%) | -114.5 |
| 1971 | CHN | NL | 89 | 226 | 24 | 49 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 28 | 0 | 14 | 17 | .217 | .249 (-13%) | .316 (-18%) | .365 (-15%) | .682 (-16%) | -605.7 |
| 1972 | CHN | NL | 58 | 129 | 8 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 8 | .194 | .243 (-21%) | .310 (-16%) | .353 (-23%) | .664 (-20%) | -391.9 |
| 1973 | CHN | NL | 99 | 280 | 24 | 66 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 24 | 3 | 18 | 27 | .236 | .256 (-8%) | .325 (-14%) | .378 (-21%) | .703 (-18%) | -822.2 |
| 1974 | PIT | NL | 59 | 83 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 10 | .217 | .256 (-16%) | .324 (-21%) | .369 (-28%) | .693 (-25%) | -342.9 |
| 1975 | PIT | NL | 25 | 40 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 682 | 1,732 | 176 | 403 | 42 | 9 | 14 | 134 | 4 | 127 | 151 | .233 | — | — | — | — | -4,260 | ||
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 (682 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 336 | 808 | 97 | 195 | 6 | 66 | .241 |
| Away | 346 | 924 | 79 | 208 | 8 | 68 | .225 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-07-21 | PIT | SFG | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-07-13 | PIT | SDP | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-07-05 | PIT | CHC | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-07-04 | PIT | CHC | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-07-04 | PIT | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-06-29 | PIT | CHC | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-06-22 | PIT | NYN | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-06-21 | PIT | NYN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-06-17 | PIT | STL | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-06-08 | PIT | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 358 | 277 | 663 | 939 | 30 | 208 |
| 3B | 49 | 27 | 16 | 50 | 3 | 3 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 139 | 89 | 166 | 306 | 13 | 64 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | CHN | 2B | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1967 | CHN | 2B | 17 | 9 | 26 | 39 | 1 | 11 |
| 1967 | CHN | 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967 | CHN | SS | 31 | 26 | 40 | 77 | 4 | 12 |
| 1968 | LAN | 2B | 89 | 80 | 172 | 229 | 7 | 48 |
| 1968 | LAN | 3B | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968 | LAN | SS | 45 | 35 | 59 | 119 | 4 | 20 |
| 1969 | LAN | 2B | 23 | 12 | 27 | 38 | 1 | 9 |
| 1969 | LAN | SS | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969 | CHN | 2B | 25 | 23 | 50 | 64 | 3 | 13 |
| 1969 | CHN | 3B | 6 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 1969 | CHN | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969 | CHN | SS | 7 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 0 | 7 |
| 1970 | CHN | 2B | 22 | 17 | 42 | 58 | 1 | 18 |
| 1970 | CHN | 3B | 16 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
| 1970 | CHN | SS | 17 | 9 | 24 | 27 | 2 | 7 |
| 1971 | CHN | 2B | 40 | 31 | 74 | 119 | 3 | 26 |
| 1971 | CHN | 3B | 16 | 12 | 4 | 27 | 1 | 1 |
| 1971 | CHN | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | CHN | 2B | 36 | 22 | 59 | 98 | 3 | 22 |
| 1972 | CHN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | CHN | SS | 8 | 8 | 18 | 29 | 1 | 8 |
| 1973 | CHN | 2B | 84 | 68 | 171 | 247 | 8 | 53 |
| 1973 | CHN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | CHN | SS | 9 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 5 |
| 1974 | PIT | 2B | 12 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 2 | 5 |
| 1974 | PIT | SS | 10 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
| 1975 | PIT | 2B | 8 | 5 | 16 | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| 1975 | PIT | SS | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 359 |
| Third Base | 50 |
| Shortstop | 137 |
| Center Field | 1 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia University | Morgantown | WV | 1960 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Paul Popovich (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Paul Popovich: the record in brief
April 19, 1964 and July 21, 1975 bracket Paul Popovich's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Popovich played for the Chicago Cubs (1964 through 1973), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1968 to 1969), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1974 to 1975). At 175 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame, Popovich is listed as a second baseman. Popovich batted from both sides and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is August 18, 1940, in Flemington, WV, USA. Popovich's full given name, per the bio, is Paul Edward Popovich.
The batting record for Popovich: 682 games, 403 hits in 1,732 at bats, and a .233 average; the totals also include 14 home runs and 134 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .286 and .292 give Popovich a career OPS of .577. Set against a .250 league average for the same years, Popovich's .233 average sits 6.9% below it. Popovich collected a career-high 97 hits in 1968. 1971 brought the most runs batted in, 28. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .236 in 1973, did not top the league's .256.
Frequently Asked Questions about Paul Popovich
- What years did Paul Popovich play?
- Paul Popovich played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1975.
- Was Paul Popovich a pitcher?
- No. Paul Popovich was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Paul Popovich hit?
- Paul Popovich hit 14 career home runs with 403 hits.
- What teams did Paul Popovich play for?
- Paul Popovich played for 3 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1964, 1966–1967, 1969–1973), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1968–1969), and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1974–1975).
- What were Paul Popovich's career stats?
- In 682 games, Paul Popovich had 403 hits, 14 home runs, 134 RBI, 176 runs, and 4 stolen bases, with a .233 batting average.
- What position did Paul Popovich play?
- Paul Popovich played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Paul Popovich and how much did he weigh?
- Paul Popovich was listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds.
- How many home runs did Paul Popovich hit each season?
- Paul Popovich's home runs by season: 0 in 1964, 0 in 1966, 0 in 1967, 2 in 1968, 1 in 1969, 4 in 1970, 4 in 1971, 1 in 1972, 2 in 1973, 0 in 1974, and 0 in 1975. His most in one season was 4, in 1970 and 1971.
- What was Paul Popovich's career batting average?
- Paul Popovich batted .233 over his career, with 403 hits in 1,732 at bats.
- How many RBI did Paul Popovich have?
- Paul Popovich drove in 134 runs in his career.
- Is Paul Popovich in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Paul Popovich has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.