Del Rice
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1945-1961)
Del Rice was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1961 for 5 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 17 seasons. In 1,309 career games, he hit .237 with 908 hits, 79 home runs, and 441 RBI. Del Rice was an All-Star.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 190 lb
- Died
- 1/26/1983 in Buena Park, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1945-05-02
- Last Game
- 1961-08-31
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Delbert W. Rice
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,309 | 3,826 | 342 | 908 | 177 | 20 | 79 | 441 | 2 | 382 | 522 | .237 | .312 | .356 | .668 | -4,230 |
Career AVG .237 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 8.6% below league average.
Career OBP .312 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.
Career SLG .356 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 7.5% below league average.
Career OPS .668 vs. league average .717 across their career seasons — 6.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | SLN | NL | 83 | 253 | 27 | 66 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 16 | 33 | .261 | .260 (avg) | .328 (-5%) | .354 (+2%) | .683 (-1%) | -96.5 |
| 1946 | SLN | NL | 55 | 139 | 10 | 38 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 16 | .273 | .256 (+6%) | .328 (-5%) | .358 (+2%) | .687 (-1%) | -58.1 |
| 1947 | SLN | NL | 97 | 261 | 28 | 57 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 44 | 1 | 36 | 40 | .218 | .262 (-17%) | .336 (-6%) | .376 (+8%) | .712 (+1%) | 37.7 |
| 1948 | SLN | NL | 100 | 290 | 24 | 57 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 34 | 1 | 37 | 46 | .197 | .263 (-25%) | .340 (-12%) | .379 (-26%) | .719 (-20%) | -867.3 |
| 1949 | SLN | NL | 92 | 284 | 25 | 67 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 0 | 30 | 40 | .236 | .262 (-10%) | .343 (-7%) | .384 (-11%) | .727 (-9%) | -416.9 |
| 1950 | SLN | NL | 130 | 414 | 39 | 101 | 20 | 3 | 9 | 54 | 0 | 43 | 65 | .244 | .265 (-8%) | .346 (-7%) | .401 (-7%) | .747 (-7%) | -508.2 |
| 1951 | SLN | NL | 122 | 374 | 34 | 94 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 47 | 0 | 34 | 26 | .251 | .260 (-4%) | .336 (-5%) | .385 (-6%) | .721 (-5%) | -333.5 |
| 1952 | SLN | NL | 147 | 495 | 43 | 128 | 27 | 2 | 11 | 65 | 0 | 33 | 38 | .259 | .252 (+2%) | .326 (-4%) | .369 (+5%) | .696 (+1%) | -40.2 |
| 1953 | SLN | NL | 135 | 419 | 32 | 99 | 22 | 1 | 6 | 37 | 0 | 48 | 49 | .236 | .264 (-11%) | .335 (-4%) | .397 (-15%) | .733 (-10%) | -616.1 |
| 1954 | SLN | NL | 56 | 147 | 13 | 37 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 21 | .252 | .261 (-4%) | .333 (-4%) | .390 (-4%) | .723 (-4%) | -107.4 |
| 1955 | SLN | NL | 20 | 59 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 6 | .203 | .258 (-21%) | .332 (-15%) | .393 (-23%) | .726 (-19%) | -185.2 |
| 1955 | ML1 | NL | 27 | 71 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 12 | .197 | .258 (-24%) | .332 (-22%) | .393 (-21%) | .726 (-22%) | -185.2 |
| 1956 | ML1 | NL | 71 | 188 | 15 | 40 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 18 | 34 | .213 | .258 (-18%) | .331 (-15%) | .397 (-20%) | .728 (-18%) | -537.2 |
| 1957 | ML1 | NL | 54 | 144 | 15 | 33 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 17 | 37 | .229 | .257 (-11%) | .323 (-5%) | .391 (+12%) | .715 (+4%) | 99.6 |
| 1958 | ML1 | NL | 43 | 121 | 10 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 30 | .223 | .257 (-13%) | .324 (-16%) | .394 (-22%) | .719 (-20%) | -383.3 |
| 1959 | ML1 | NL | 13 | 29 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .207 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | CHN | NL | 18 | 52 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .231 | .255 (-10%) | .323 (-21%) | .387 (-26%) | .711 (-24%) | -208.2 |
| 1960 | SLN | NL | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | -208.2 |
| 1960 | BAL | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | -208.2 |
| 1961 | LAA | AL | 44 | 83 | 11 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 20 | 19 | .241 | .258 (-7%) | .328 (+17%) | .399 (+9%) | .727 (+12%) | 242.2 |
| Career · 20 seasons | 1,309 | 3,826 | 342 | 908 | 177 | 20 | 79 | 441 | 2 | 382 | 522 | .237 | — | — | — | — | -4,580 | ||
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 (1309 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 664 | 1889 | 164 | 445 | 31 | 227 | .236 |
| Away | 645 | 1937 | 179 | 463 | 48 | 216 | .239 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-08-31 | LAA | KC1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1961-08-29 | LAA | BAL | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-28 | LAA | BAL | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-25 | LAA | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-23 | LAA | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961-08-20 | LAA | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-19 | LAA | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-08-17 | LAA | TEX | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961-08-16 | LAA | TEX | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1961-08-15 | LAA | TEX | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | SLN | C | 77 | 0 | 284 | 39 | 2 | 6 |
| 1946 | SLN | C | 53 | 0 | 196 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| 1947 | SLN | C | 94 | 0 | 380 | 33 | 8 | 7 |
| 1948 | SLN | C | 99 | 0 | 447 | 46 | 2 | 5 |
| 1949 | SLN | C | 92 | 0 | 355 | 29 | 3 | 4 |
| 1950 | SLN | C | 130 | 0 | 572 | 63 | 10 | 12 |
| 1951 | SLN | C | 120 | 0 | 447 | 66 | 8 | 12 |
| 1952 | SLN | C | 147 | 0 | 677 | 81 | 6 | 8 |
| 1953 | SLN | C | 135 | 0 | 627 | 60 | 8 | 6 |
| 1954 | SLN | C | 52 | 45 | 248 | 20 | 4 | 2 |
| 1955 | SLN | C | 18 | 18 | 74 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 1955 | ML1 | C | 22 | 19 | 90 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| 1956 | ML1 | C | 65 | 59 | 271 | 21 | 5 | 2 |
| 1957 | ML1 | C | 48 | 44 | 235 | 14 | 2 | 3 |
| 1958 | ML1 | C | 38 | 33 | 174 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 1959 | ML1 | C | 9 | 8 | 42 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1960 | CHN | C | 18 | 16 | 85 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 1960 | SLN | C | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | BAL | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | LAA | C | 30 | 27 | 144 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1249 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Del Rice (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Del Rice: the record in brief
Del Rice played a first major league game on May 2, 1945 and a last one on August 31, 1961. By club, Rice's seasons break down as the St. Louis Cardinals (1945 through 1960), the Milwaukee Braves (1955 through 1959), the Chicago Cubs (1960), the Baltimore Orioles (1960), and the Los Angeles Angels (1961). Born on October 27, 1922, in Portsmouth, OH, USA, Rice is listed as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 6'2" and 190 pounds. Rice's death is recorded on January 26, 1983, in Buena Park, CA, USA. Del Rice was the playing name; the full given name is Delbert W.
The batting record for Rice: 1,309 games, 908 hits in 3,826 at bats, and a .237 average; the totals also include 79 homers and 441 runs batted in. Rice got on base at a .312 rate and slugged .356 (.668 OPS). Measured against the leagues Rice played in, the .237 career average compares with a .260 league average over the same seasons, 8.6% below the league. In OPS terms, Rice's .668 stands 6.9% below the league's .717.
Frequently Asked Questions about Del Rice
- What years did Del Rice play?
- Del Rice played in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1961.
- Was Del Rice a pitcher?
- No. Del Rice was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Del Rice hit?
- Del Rice hit 79 career home runs with 908 hits.
- What teams did Del Rice play for?
- Del Rice played for 5 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1945–1955, 1960), the Milwaukee Braves (1955–1959), the Chicago Cubs (1960), the Baltimore Orioles (1960), and the Los Angeles Angels (1961).
- Did Del Rice win an MVP award?
- No. Del Rice did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Del Rice win?
- Del Rice was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Del Rice's career stats?
- In 1,309 games, Del Rice had 908 hits, 79 home runs, 441 RBI, 342 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .237 batting average.
- What position did Del Rice play?
- Del Rice played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Del Rice and how much did he weigh?
- Del Rice was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 190 pounds.
- How many home runs did Del Rice hit each season?
- Del Rice's home runs by season: 1 in 1945, 1 in 1946, 12 in 1947, 4 in 1948, 4 in 1949, 9 in 1950, 9 in 1951, 11 in 1952, 6 in 1953, 2 in 1954, 3 in 1955, 3 in 1956, 9 in 1957, 1 in 1958, 0 in 1959, 0 in 1960, and 4 in 1961. His most in one season was 12, in 1947.
- What was Del Rice's career batting average?
- Del Rice batted .237 over his career, with 908 hits in 3,826 at bats.
- How many RBI did Del Rice have?
- Del Rice drove in 441 runs in his career.
- Is Del Rice in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Del Rice has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Del Rice make?
- Del Rice was selected to 1 All-Star Game.