John Roseboro
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1957-1970)
John Roseboro was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1970 for 4 teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,585 career games, he hit .249 with 1,206 hits, 104 home runs, and 548 RBI. John Roseboro was a 4-time All-Star and a 2-time Gold Glove. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,348.
- 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
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 190 lb
- Died
- 8/16/2002 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1957-06-14
- Last Game
- 1970-08-11
- Awards
- 4× All-Star · 2× Gold Glove
Full name: John Junior Roseboro
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,585 | 4,847 | 512 | 1,206 | 190 | 44 | 104 | 548 | 67 | 547 | 677 | .249 | .326 | .371 | .697 | 1,348 |
Career AVG .249 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .326 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .371 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .697 vs. league average .695 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | BRO | NL | 35 | 69 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 20 | .145 | .257 (-44%) | .323 (-22%) | .391 (-33%) | .715 (-28%) | -297.8 |
| 1958 | LAN | NL | 114 | 384 | 52 | 104 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 43 | 11 | 36 | 56 | .271 | .257 (+5%) | .324 (+2%) | .394 (+16%) | .719 (+10%) | 615.5 |
| 1959 | LAN | NL | 118 | 397 | 39 | 92 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 38 | 7 | 52 | 69 | .232 | .256 (-10%) | .323 (avg) | .392 (-4%) | .715 (-2%) | -121.8 |
| 1960 | LAN | NL | 103 | 287 | 22 | 61 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 42 | 7 | 44 | 53 | .213 | .255 (-17%) | .323 (avg) | .387 (-5%) | .711 (-3%) | -66.8 |
| 1961 | LAN | NL | 128 | 394 | 59 | 99 | 16 | 6 | 18 | 59 | 6 | 56 | 62 | .251 | .258 (-3%) | .328 (+5%) | .399 (+15%) | .727 (+11%) | 829.5 |
| 1962 | LAN | NL | 128 | 389 | 45 | 97 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 55 | 12 | 50 | 60 | .249 | .257 (-3%) | .326 (+5%) | .393 (-3%) | .719 (avg) | 88.8 |
| 1963 | LAN | NL | 135 | 470 | 50 | 111 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 49 | 7 | 36 | 50 | .236 | .246 (-4%) | .308 (-6%) | .371 (-6%) | .680 (-6%) | -477.2 |
| 1964 | LAN | NL | 134 | 414 | 42 | 119 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 45 | 3 | 44 | 61 | .287 | .250 (+15%) | .312 (+14%) | .377 (-2%) | .690 (+6%) | 557.9 |
| 1965 | LAN | NL | 136 | 437 | 42 | 102 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 57 | 1 | 34 | 51 | .233 | .245 (-5%) | .310 (-7%) | .371 (-16%) | .682 (-12%) | -772.8 |
| 1966 | LAN | NL | 142 | 445 | 47 | 123 | 23 | 2 | 9 | 53 | 3 | 44 | 51 | .276 | .248 (+11%) | .309 (+11%) | .376 (+6%) | .685 (+8%) | 747.2 |
| 1967 | LAN | NL | 116 | 334 | 37 | 91 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 24 | 2 | 38 | 33 | .272 | .242 (+12%) | .306 (+14%) | .357 (+5%) | .663 (+9%) | 620.4 |
| 1968 | MIN | AL | 135 | 380 | 31 | 82 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 39 | 2 | 46 | 57 | .216 | .236 (-9%) | .298 (avg) | .340 (-9%) | .638 (-4%) | -163.8 |
| 1969 | MIN | AL | 115 | 361 | 33 | 95 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 5 | 39 | 44 | .263 | .248 (+6%) | .320 (+4%) | .369 (-13%) | .689 (-5%) | -217.2 |
| 1970 | WS2 | AL | 46 | 86 | 7 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 10 | .233 | .253 (-8%) | .325 (+12%) | .385 (-19%) | .711 (-4%) | 5.9 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 1,585 | 4,847 | 512 | 1,206 | 190 | 44 | 104 | 548 | 67 | 547 | 677 | .249 | — | — | — | — | 1,348 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1580 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 785 | 2297 | 249 | 559 | 42 | 253 | .243 |
| Away | 795 | 2535 | 263 | 646 | 61 | 294 | .255 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-08-11 | TEX | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970-08-09 | TEX | CLE | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1970-08-08 | TEX | CLE | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970-08-04 | TEX | DET | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1970-08-02 | TEX | OAK | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1970-08-01 | TEX | OAK | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1970-07-30 | TEX | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970-07-29 | TEX | MIL | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1970-07-26 | TEX | LAA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970-07-24 | TEX | LAA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 6 | 4 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 1476 | 1349 | 9291 | 675 | 107 | 111 |
| OF | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | BRO | 1B | 5 | 4 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 1957 | BRO | C | 19 | 15 | 99 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 1958 | LAN | C | 104 | 97 | 594 | 36 | 8 | 5 |
| 1958 | LAN | OF | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | LAN | C | 117 | 114 | 848 | 54 | 8 | 10 |
| 1960 | LAN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | LAN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | LAN | C | 87 | 84 | 640 | 48 | 5 | 10 |
| 1961 | LAN | C | 125 | 117 | 877 | 56 | 13 | 16 |
| 1962 | LAN | C | 128 | 117 | 842 | 57 | 14 | 10 |
| 1963 | LAN | C | 134 | 128 | 908 | 66 | 8 | 6 |
| 1964 | LAN | C | 128 | 116 | 809 | 64 | 6 | 8 |
| 1965 | LAN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | LAN | C | 131 | 117 | 824 | 55 | 5 | 7 |
| 1966 | LAN | C | 138 | 125 | 904 | 65 | 7 | 11 |
| 1967 | LAN | C | 107 | 90 | 550 | 60 | 10 | 6 |
| 1968 | MIN | C | 117 | 105 | 689 | 52 | 7 | 5 |
| 1969 | MIN | C | 111 | 102 | 585 | 52 | 13 | 16 |
| 1970 | WS2 | C | 30 | 22 | 122 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1475 |
| First Base | 6 |
| Third Base | 2 |
| Left Field | 4 |
| Center Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Gold Glove | C |
| 1961 | Gold Glove | C |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 13th | 22.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1965 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 26th | 5.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1961 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 4.0 | 224 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Roseboro (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare John Roseboro
John Roseboro: the record in brief
According to the bio, John Roseboro debuted on June 14, 1957 and played a final game on August 11, 1970. The team column moves through the Brooklyn Dodgers (1957), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1958 through 1967), the Minnesota Twins (1968 through 1969), and the Washington Senators (1970). Roseboro played primarily as a catcher and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Born on May 13, 1933, in Ashland, OH, USA, Roseboro was listed at 5'11" and 190 pounds. Roseboro died on August 16, 2002, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. John Roseboro was the playing name; the full given name is John Junior.
Roseboro collected 1,206 hits in 4,847 at bats across 1,585 games, good for a .249 batting average, plus 104 homers, 548 runs batted in, and 67 stolen bases. Roseboro got on base at a .326 rate and slugged .371 (.697 OPS). Roseboro hit .249 while the league hit .251 over the same span, a figure close to average. No season beat the 18 home runs Roseboro hit in 1961.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Roseboro
- What years did John Roseboro play?
- John Roseboro played in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1970.
- Was John Roseboro a pitcher?
- No. John Roseboro was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did John Roseboro hit?
- John Roseboro hit 104 career home runs with 1,206 hits.
- What teams did John Roseboro play for?
- John Roseboro played for 3 teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers (1957–1967), the Minnesota Twins (1968–1969), and the Washington Senators (1970).
- Did John Roseboro win an MVP award?
- No. John Roseboro did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did John Roseboro win?
- John Roseboro won 2 Gold Gloves (1961 and 1966). He was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
- What were John Roseboro's career stats?
- In 1,585 games, John Roseboro had 1,206 hits, 104 home runs, 548 RBI, 512 runs, and 67 stolen bases, with a .249 batting average.
- What position did John Roseboro play?
- John Roseboro played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was John Roseboro and how much did he weigh?
- John Roseboro was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 190 pounds.
- How many home runs did John Roseboro hit each season?
- John Roseboro's home runs by season: 2 in 1957, 14 in 1958, 10 in 1959, 8 in 1960, 18 in 1961, 7 in 1962, 9 in 1963, 3 in 1964, 8 in 1965, 9 in 1966, 4 in 1967, 8 in 1968, 3 in 1969, and 1 in 1970. His most in one season was 18, in 1961.
- What was John Roseboro's career batting average?
- John Roseboro batted .249 over his career, with 1,206 hits in 4,847 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Roseboro have?
- John Roseboro drove in 548 runs in his career.
- Is John Roseboro in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Roseboro has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did John Roseboro make?
- John Roseboro was selected to 4 All-Star Games.