Frankie Pytlak

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1932-1946)

Frankie Pytlak was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1946 for the Cleveland Guardians and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 15 seasons. In 795 career games, he hit .282 with 677 hits, 7 home runs, and 272 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 366.

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

AVG .282
HR 7
RBI 272
H 677
OPS .718
PIV 366
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'7" / 160 lb
Born
7/30/1908 in Buffalo, NY, USA
Died
5/8/1977 in Buffalo, NY, USA
MLB Debut
1932-04-22
Last Game
1946-04-25

Full name: Frank Anthony Pytlak

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Frankie Pytlak — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
795 2,399 316 677 100 36 7 272 56 247 97 .282 .355 .363 .718 366

Career AVG .282 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .355 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — +5.2% above league average.

Career SLG .363 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 5.9% below league average.

Career OPS .718 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Frankie Pytlak Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1932 CLE AL 12 29 5 7 1 1 0 4 0 3 2 .241 — — — — 0.0
1933 CLE AL 80 248 36 77 10 6 2 33 3 17 10 .310 .270 (+15%) .329 (+8%) .377 (+12%) .707 (+10%) 410.2
1934 CLE AL 91 289 46 75 12 4 0 35 11 36 11 .260 .278 (-7%) .340 (+3%) .392 (-16%) .733 (-7%) -243.3
1935 CLE AL 55 149 14 44 6 1 1 12 3 11 4 .295 .279 (+6%) .342 (+1%) .399 (-8%) .742 (-3%) -68.7
1936 CLE AL 75 224 35 72 15 4 0 31 5 24 11 .321 .283 (+13%) .349 (+13%) .404 (+5%) .753 (+9%) 407.8
1937 CLE AL 125 397 60 125 15 6 1 44 16 52 15 .315 .276 (+14%) .342 (+18%) .398 (-2%) .740 (+7%) 825.7
1938 CLE AL 113 364 46 112 14 7 1 43 9 36 15 .308 .272 (+13%) .341 (+10%) .392 (avg) .734 (+5%) 407.5
1939 CLE AL 63 183 20 49 2 5 0 14 4 20 5 .268 .274 (-2%) .342 (avg) .393 (-15%) .735 (-8%) -211.9
1940 CLE AL 62 149 16 21 2 1 0 16 0 17 5 .141 .267 (-47%) .335 (-30%) .387 (-57%) .722 (-44%) -1041.7
1941 BOS AL 106 336 36 91 23 1 2 39 5 28 19 .271 .262 (+3%) .332 (-1%) .373 (-3%) .705 (-2%) -119.8
1945 BOS AL 9 17 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 .118 — — — — 0.0
1946 BOS AL 4 14 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .143 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 795 2,399 316 677 100 36 7 272 56 247 97 .282 — — — — 366

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 (796 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Frankie Pytlak — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home40211891593471140.292
Away39412131583316135.273

Last 10 Games — Batting

Frankie Pytlak — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1946-04-25 BOSNYYW 500000100
1946-04-22 BOSMINW 301000000
1946-04-21 BOSPHAW 200000000
1946-04-18 BOSMINW 411000000
1945-09-30 BOSNYYL 100000000
1945-09-22 BOSNYYL 300000000
1945-09-19 BOSPHAW 110000020
1945-09-16 BOSCHWL 301000000
1945-09-14 BOSSLAL 301000000
1945-09-13 BOSSLAL 300000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Frankie Pytlak — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 699 0 2958 395 29 64
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Frankie Pytlak — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1932 CLE C 12 0 40 7 0 0
1933 CLE C 69 0 246 57 0 11
1934 CLE C 88 0 325 38 4 4
1935 CLE C 48 0 166 20 3 2
1936 CLE C 58 0 224 35 1 6
1937 CLE C 115 0 559 80 9 13
1938 CLE C 99 0 475 56 7 11
1939 CLE C 51 0 227 24 0 5
1940 CLE C 58 0 235 30 1 5
1940 CLE OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1941 BOS C 91 0 416 41 4 7
1945 BOS C 6 0 17 6 0 0
1946 BOS C 4 0 28 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Frankie Pytlak Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 699
Right Field 1

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Frankie Pytlak (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jim Brown
    .275 avg, 16 HR
  2. 93
    Hank Gowdy
    .270 avg, 21 HR
  3. 90
    Jack Meyers
    .291 avg, 14 HR
  4. 89
    Johnny Gooch
    .280 avg, 7 HR
  5. 88
    Tommy Clarke
    .265 avg, 6 HR
  6. 84
    Ed McFarland
    .275 avg, 13 HR

Frankie Pytlak: the record in brief

The profile opens with Frankie Pytlak's first major league game on April 22, 1932; the last one listed came on April 25, 1946. By club, Pytlak's seasons break down as the Cleveland Indians (1932 to 1940) and the Boston Red Sox (1941 to 1946). Born on July 30, 1908, in Buffalo, NY, USA, Pytlak is listed as a catcher and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5'7" and 160 pounds. The bio records the death on May 8, 1977, in Buffalo, NY, USA. Pytlak's full given name, per the bio, is Frank Anthony Pytlak.

Pytlak collected 677 hits in 2,399 at bats across 795 games, good for a .282 batting average, plus 7 homers, 272 runs batted in, and 56 stolen bases. Pytlak got on base at a .355 rate and slugged .363 (.718 OPS). Pytlak hit .282 while the league hit .271 over the same span, a figure close to average. 1937 produced Pytlak's most hits, 125 of them for the Cleveland Indians. Pytlak drove in a season-high 44 runs in 1937.

Frequently Asked Questions about Frankie Pytlak

What years did Frankie Pytlak play?
Frankie Pytlak played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1946.
Was Frankie Pytlak a pitcher?
No. Frankie Pytlak was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Frankie Pytlak hit?
Frankie Pytlak hit 7 career home runs with 677 hits.
What teams did Frankie Pytlak play for?
Frankie Pytlak played for 2 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1932–1940) and the Boston Red Sox (1941, 1945–1946).
What were Frankie Pytlak's career stats?
In 795 games, Frankie Pytlak had 677 hits, 7 home runs, 272 RBI, 316 runs, and 56 stolen bases, with a .282 batting average.
What position did Frankie Pytlak play?
Frankie Pytlak played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Frankie Pytlak and how much did he weigh?
Frankie Pytlak was listed at 5 feet 7 inches and 160 pounds.
How many home runs did Frankie Pytlak hit each season?
Frankie Pytlak's home runs by season: 0 in 1932, 2 in 1933, 0 in 1934, 1 in 1935, 0 in 1936, 1 in 1937, 1 in 1938, 0 in 1939, 0 in 1940, 2 in 1941, 0 in 1945, and 0 in 1946. His most in one season was 2, in 1933 and 1941.
What was Frankie Pytlak's career batting average?
Frankie Pytlak batted .282 over his career, with 677 hits in 2,399 at bats.
How many RBI did Frankie Pytlak have?
Frankie Pytlak drove in 272 runs in his career.
Is Frankie Pytlak in the Hall of Fame?
No. Frankie Pytlak has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.