Buddy Rosar

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1939-1951)

Buddy Rosar was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1951 for 4 teams, including the New York Yankees, a span of 13 seasons. In 988 career games, he hit .261 with 836 hits, 18 home runs, and 367 RBI. Buddy Rosar was a 5-time 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

AVG .261
HR 18
RBI 367
H 836
OPS .663
PIV -2,254
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 190 lb
Born
7/3/1914 in Buffalo, NY, USA
Died
3/13/1994 in Rochester, NY, USA
MLB Debut
1939-04-29
Last Game
1951-09-19
Awards
5× All-Star

Full name: Warren Vincent Rosar

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Career Batting Statistics

Buddy Rosar — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
988 3,198 335 836 147 15 18 367 17 315 161 .261 .330 .334 .663 -2,254

Career AVG .261 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .330 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .334 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 10.4% below league average.

Career OPS .663 vs. league average .706 across their career seasons — 6.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Buddy Rosar 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
1939 NYA AL 43 105 18 29 5 1 0 12 4 13 10 .276 .274 (+1%) .342 (+4%) .393 (-13%) .735 (-5%) -60.3
1940 NYA AL 73 228 34 68 11 3 4 37 7 19 11 .298 .267 (+12%) .335 (+7%) .387 (+10%) .722 (+8%) 338.2
1941 NYA AL 67 209 25 60 17 2 1 36 0 22 10 .287 .262 (+9%) .332 (+7%) .373 (+8%) .705 (+7%) 259.5
1942 NYA AL 69 209 18 48 10 0 2 34 1 17 20 .230 .253 (-9%) .323 (-11%) .349 (-12%) .672 (-12%) -382.5
1943 CLE AL 115 382 53 108 17 1 1 41 0 33 12 .283 .255 (+10%) .324 (+5%) .346 (-2%) .671 (+1%) 113.4
1944 CLE AL 99 331 29 87 9 3 0 30 1 34 17 .263 .261 (+1%) .325 (+4%) .357 (-14%) .683 (-5%) -177.3
1945 PHA AL 92 300 23 63 12 1 1 25 2 20 16 .210 .260 (-20%) .328 (-20%) .354 (-25%) .683 (-23%) -1064.3
1946 PHA AL 121 424 34 120 22 2 2 47 1 36 17 .283 .256 (+10%) .328 (+3%) .358 (avg) .687 (+1%) 103.3
1947 PHA AL 102 359 40 93 20 2 1 33 1 40 13 .259 .262 (-1%) .336 (-1%) .376 (-11%) .712 (-6%) -315.8
1948 PHA AL 90 302 30 77 13 0 4 41 0 39 12 .255 .263 (-3%) .340 (+1%) .379 (-11%) .719 (-5%) -181.4
1949 PHA AL 32 95 7 19 2 0 0 6 0 16 5 .200 .262 (-24%) .343 (-8%) .384 (-42%) .727 (-26%) -365.2
1950 BOS AL 27 84 13 25 2 0 1 12 0 7 4 .298 .265 (+12%) .346 (+2%) .401 (-11%) .747 (-5%) -63.0
1951 BOS AL 58 170 11 39 7 0 1 13 0 19 14 .229 .260 (-12%) .336 (-9%) .385 (-25%) .721 (-18%) -458.4
Career · 13 seasons 988 3,198 335 836 147 15 18 367 17 315 161 .261 — — — — -2,254

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

Playoff Career Batting

Buddy Rosar — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Buddy Rosar — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1942 WS NYA 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
1941 WS NYA 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (988 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Buddy Rosar — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home483154314740810184.264
Away50516561884288182.258

Last 10 Games — Batting

Buddy Rosar — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1951-09-19 BOSCLEL 201000000
1951-09-18 BOSCLEL 300000001
1951-09-17 BOSCHWW 300000110
1951-09-16 BOSCHWW 323101300
1951-09-11 BOSDETW 100000010
1951-09-09 BOSPHAL 300000000
1951-09-07 BOSPHAW 310000021
1951-09-05 BOSNYYW 402000000
1951-09-03 BOSMINW 100000000
1951-09-03 BOSMINW 402100001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Buddy Rosar — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 934 0 3845 511 36 92

Season-by-Season Fielding

Buddy Rosar — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1939 NYA C 35 0 137 10 3 1
1940 NYA C 63 0 258 30 5 8
1941 NYA C 60 0 246 24 1 6
1942 NYA C 58 0 249 26 1 7
1943 CLE C 114 0 480 91 10 11
1944 CLE C 98 0 409 59 5 13
1945 PHA C 85 0 338 54 5 6
1946 PHA C 117 0 532 73 0 9
1947 PHA C 102 0 406 70 2 12
1948 PHA C 90 0 335 39 1 10
1949 PHA C 31 0 112 9 1 2
1950 BOS C 25 0 108 6 1 1
1951 BOS C 56 0 235 20 1 6

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Buddy Rosar Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 933

Award Voting History

Buddy Rosar — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1947 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 6.0 336 0
1946 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 4.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Buddy Rosar (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Mickey Owen
    .255 avg, 14 HR
  2. 94
    Cy Perkins
    .259 avg, 30 HR
  3. 94
    Dave Rader
    .257 avg, 30 HR
  4. 92
    Val Picinich
    .258 avg, 26 HR
  5. 87
    Clint Courtney
    .268 avg, 38 HR
  6. 87
    Mike Gonzalez
    .253 avg, 13 HR

Buddy Rosar: the record in brief

Buddy Rosar played a first major league game on April 29, 1939 and a last one on September 19, 1951. Club by club, the record runs the New York Yankees (1939 through 1942), the Cleveland Indians (1943 through 1944), the Philadelphia Athletics (1945 to 1949), and the Boston Red Sox (1950 to 1951). Rosar, born on July 3, 1914, in Buffalo, NY, USA, is listed as a catcher and batted and threw right-handed. Rosar's listed size is 190 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. The bio records the death on March 13, 1994, in Rochester, NY, USA. On the record, Buddy Rosar was born Warren Vincent Rosar.

The batting record for Rosar: 988 games, 836 hits in 3,198 at bats, and a .261 average; the totals also include 18 homers and 367 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .330 clip and slugging .334, Rosar finished with a .663 OPS. Rosar hit .261 while the league hit .262 over the same span, a figure close to average. In OPS terms, Rosar's .663 stands 6.1% below the league's .706.

Frequently Asked Questions about Buddy Rosar

What years did Buddy Rosar play?
Buddy Rosar played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1951.
Was Buddy Rosar a pitcher?
No. Buddy Rosar was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Buddy Rosar hit?
Buddy Rosar hit 18 career home runs with 836 hits.
What was Buddy Rosar's career batting average?
Buddy Rosar batted .261 over his career, with 836 hits in 3,198 at bats.
How many RBI did Buddy Rosar have?
Buddy Rosar drove in 367 runs in his career.
Is Buddy Rosar in the Hall of Fame?
No. Buddy Rosar has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.