Joe Presko
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1951-1958)
Joe Presko was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1958 for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 8 seasons. Across 128 career appearances, he went 25-37 with a 4.61 ERA and 202 strikeouts.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 165 lb
- Died
- 2/5/2019 in Kansas City, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1951-05-03
- Last Game
- 1958-05-07
Full name: Joseph Edward Presko
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | SLN | NL | 7 | 4 | 15 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 88.2 | 86 | 34 | 20 | 38 | 3.45 | 4.04 (+15%) | 799.4 |
| 1952 | SLN | NL | 7 | 10 | 28 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 146.2 | 140 | 66 | 57 | 63 | 4.05 | 3.70 (-9%) | -1264.2 |
| 1953 | SLN | NL | 6 | 13 | 34 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 161.2 | 165 | 90 | 65 | 56 | 5.01 | 4.14 (-21%) | -2375.9 |
| 1954 | SLN | NL | 4 | 9 | 37 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 71.2 | 97 | 55 | 41 | 36 | 6.91 | 3.90 (-77%) | -3513.9 |
| 1957 | DET | AL | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1.64 | 3.83 (+57%) | 153.9 |
| 1958 | DET | AL | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10.2 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3.38 | 3.86 (+13%) | 595.7 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 25 | 37 | 128 | 61 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 490.1 | 511 | 251 | 188 | 202 | 4.61 | — | -5,605 | ||
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.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 130 | 156 | 9 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 26 | .173 | .209 | .186 | .394 | -289 |
Career AVG .173 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 33.2% below league average.
Career OBP .209 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 36.8% below league average.
Career SLG .186 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 52.1% below league average.
Career OPS .394 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — 45.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | SLN | NL | 15 | 37 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .162 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1952 | SLN | NL | 28 | 43 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14 | .093 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1953 | SLN | NL | 35 | 59 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | .220 | .264 (-17%) | .335 (-20%) | .397 (-40%) | .733 (-31%) | -288.8 |
| 1954 | SLN | NL | 38 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1957 | DET | AL | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1958 | DET | AL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 130 | 156 | 9 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 26 | .173 | — | — | — | — | -289 | ||
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 (258 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 62 | 79 | 6 | 17 | 0 | 2 | .215 |
| Away | 68 | 77 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 3 | .130 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 61 | 258.1 | 252 | 120 | 101 | 109 | 4.18 |
| Away | 67 | 232.0 | 259 | 132 | 87 | 95 | 5.12 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-05-07 | DET | MIN | — | 3.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1958-05-04 | DET | BAL | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-04-27 | DET | CLE | SV | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-04-25 | DET | CLE | — | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1958-04-24 | DET | KC1 | — | 2.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1958-04-17 | DET | CHW | — | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1958-04-16 | DET | CHW | SV | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-27 | DET | KC1 | — | 2.0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-23 | DET | CLE | L | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-22 | DET | KC1 | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 128 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Joe Presko (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Joe Presko: the record in brief
The profile opens with Joe Presko's first major league game on May 3, 1951; the last one listed came on May 7, 1958. Presko played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1951 to 1954) and the Detroit Tigers (1957 through 1958). Listed as a pitcher, Presko batted and threw right-handed. Presko is listed at 165 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. Presko was born on October 7, 1928, in Kansas City, MO, USA. The bio records the death on February 5, 2019, in Kansas City, MO, USA. Presko's full given name, per the bio, is Joseph Edward Presko.
Presko's career pitching line is 25 wins, 37 losses and a 4.61 ERA over 128 appearances. The totals include 202 strikeouts and 15 complete games. The league ERA over Presko's seasons was 3.91, so the 4.61 figure ran 17.8% worse than average. Presko won 7 games in 1951, the most of any season listed. Presko struck out 63 batters in 1952, a career high. 1952 was Presko's sharpest full season, a 4.05 ERA against the league's 3.70.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Presko
- What years did Joe Presko play?
- Joe Presko played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1958.
- Was Joe Presko a pitcher?
- Yes. Joe Presko pitched in the major leagues, recording 25 wins and 202 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Joe Presko hit?
- Joe Presko hit 0 career home runs with 27 hits.
- What teams did Joe Presko play for?
- Joe Presko played for 2 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1951–1954) and the Detroit Tigers (1957–1958).
- What were Joe Presko's career stats?
- In 128 games, Joe Presko went 25-37 with a 4.61 ERA, 202 strikeouts, 490.1 innings pitched, and 5 saves.
- What position did Joe Presko play?
- Joe Presko played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Joe Presko and how much did he weigh?
- Joe Presko was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds.
- What was Joe Presko's career ERA?
- Joe Presko finished with a 4.61 career ERA, going 25-37 with 202 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Joe Presko have?
- Joe Presko recorded 202 career strikeouts.
- Is Joe Presko in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Joe Presko has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.