Johnny Rizzo

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1938-1942)

Johnny Rizzo was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1942 for 4 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 5 seasons. In 557 career games, he hit .270 with 497 hits, 61 home runs, and 289 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,220.

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 .270
HR 61
RBI 289
H 497
OPS .781
PIV 3,220
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 190 lb
Born
7/30/1912 in Houston, TX, USA
Died
12/4/1977 in Houston, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1938-04-19
Last Game
1942-09-25

Full name: John Costa Rizzo

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Career Batting Statistics

Johnny Rizzo — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
557 1,842 268 497 90 16 61 289 7 200 197 .270 .345 .435 .781 3,220

Career AVG .270 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .345 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .435 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — +14.8% above league average.

Career OPS .781 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — +9.3% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Johnny Rizzo — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1938 PIT NL 143 555 97 167 31 9 23 111 1 54 61 .301 .272 (+10%) .341 (+8%) .392 (+31%) .734 (+20%) 2187.2
1939 PIT NL 94 330 49 86 23 3 6 55 0 42 27 .261 .274 (-5%) .342 (+2%) .393 (+3%) .735 (+2%) 178.6
1940 PIT NL 9 28 1 5 1 0 0 2 0 5 5 .179 — — — — 0.0
1940 CIN NL 31 110 17 31 6 0 4 17 1 14 14 .282 .267 (+5%) .335 (+8%) .387 (+15%) .722 (+12%) 0.0
1940 PHI NL 103 367 53 107 12 2 20 53 2 37 31 .292 .267 (+9%) .335 (+7%) .387 (+29%) .722 (+18%) 0.0
1941 PHI NL 99 235 20 51 9 2 4 24 1 24 34 .217 .262 (-17%) .332 (-11%) .373 (-13%) .705 (-12%) -457.5
1942 BRO NL 78 217 31 50 8 0 4 27 2 24 25 .230 .253 (-9%) .323 (-5%) .349 (-8%) .672 (-6%) -193.4
Career · 7 seasons 557 1,842 268 497 90 16 61 289 7 200 197 .270 — — — — 1,715

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 (557 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Johnny Rizzo — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home26280911521421128.265
Away295103315328240162.273

Last 10 Games — Batting

Johnny Rizzo — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1942-09-25 BROBSNW 200000000
1942-09-20 BROPHIL 100000000
1942-09-12 BROSTLL 400000000
1942-09-06 BRONY1L 400000000
1942-09-03 BROCINW 301000011
1942-09-02 BROCINW 100000000
1942-08-30 BROPITW 302000010
1942-08-28 BROCHCW 000000000
1942-08-27 BROSTLW 400000000
1942-08-24 BROSTLL 300000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Johnny Rizzo — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 9 0 7 28 5 2
OF 486 0 992 33 38 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Johnny Rizzo — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 PIT OF 140 0 284 5 15 1
1939 PIT OF 86 0 186 2 5 0
1940 PIT OF 7 0 9 0 2 0
1940 CIN OF 30 0 68 6 2 2
1940 PHI 3B 7 0 6 26 3 2
1940 PHI OF 91 0 207 6 7 4
1941 PHI 3B 2 0 1 2 2 0
1941 PHI OF 62 0 114 8 4 2
1942 BRO OF 70 0 124 6 3 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Johnny Rizzo — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Third Base 10
Left Field 330
Center Field 33
Right Field 129

Award Voting History

Johnny Rizzo — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1940 Most Valuable Player NL 29th 3.0 336 0
1938 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 96.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Johnny Rizzo (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ryan Spilborghs
    .272 avg, 42 HR
  2. 91
    Harry Anderson
    .264 avg, 60 HR
  3. 90
    Jim Greengrass
    .269 avg, 69 HR
  4. 85
    Ryan Church
    .264 avg, 56 HR
  5. 85
    Allen Craig
    .276 avg, 59 HR
  6. 85
    Armando Rios
    .269 avg, 36 HR

Johnny Rizzo: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 19, 1938 and the final game on September 25, 1942, Johnny Rizzo built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1938 to 1940), the Cincinnati Reds (1940), the Philadelphia Phillies (1940 through 1941), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1942). The bio lists Rizzo as an outfielder who both batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 190 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. The birth record reads July 30, 1912, in Houston, TX, USA. Rizzo's death is recorded on December 4, 1977, in Houston, TX, USA. Rizzo's full given name, per the bio, is John Costa Rizzo.

The batting record for Rizzo: 557 games, 497 hits in 1,842 at bats, and a .270 average; the totals also include 61 home runs and 289 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .345 and .435 give Rizzo a career OPS of .781. Against a .266 league average for those years, Rizzo's .270 average was near the norm. No season beat the 23 home runs Rizzo hit in 1938.

Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Rizzo

What years did Johnny Rizzo play?
Johnny Rizzo played in Major League Baseball from 1938 to 1942.
Was Johnny Rizzo a pitcher?
No. Johnny Rizzo was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Johnny Rizzo hit?
Johnny Rizzo hit 61 career home runs with 497 hits.
What teams did Johnny Rizzo play for?
Johnny Rizzo played for 4 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1938–1940), the Cincinnati Reds (1940), the Philadelphia Phillies (1940–1941), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1942).
What were Johnny Rizzo's career stats?
In 557 games, Johnny Rizzo had 497 hits, 61 home runs, 289 RBI, 268 runs, and 7 stolen bases, with a .270 batting average.
What position did Johnny Rizzo play?
Johnny Rizzo played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Johnny Rizzo and how much did he weigh?
Johnny Rizzo was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Johnny Rizzo hit each season?
Johnny Rizzo's home runs by season: 23 in 1938, 6 in 1939, 24 in 1940, 4 in 1941, and 4 in 1942. His most in one season was 24, in 1940.
What was Johnny Rizzo's career batting average?
Johnny Rizzo batted .270 over his career, with 497 hits in 1,842 at bats.
How many RBI did Johnny Rizzo have?
Johnny Rizzo drove in 289 runs in his career.
Is Johnny Rizzo in the Hall of Fame?
No. Johnny Rizzo has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.