Ken Rudolph
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1969-1977)
Ken Rudolph was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1977 for 4 teams, including the Chicago Cubs, a span of 9 seasons. In 328 career games, he hit .213 with 158 hits, 6 home runs, and 64 RBI.
- 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
- 6'1" / 180 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1969-04-20
- Last Game
- 1977-09-07
Full name: Kenneth Victor Rudolph
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 328 | 743 | 55 | 158 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 64 | 2 | 52 | 121 | .213 | .267 | .273 | .540 | -1,958 |
Career AVG .213 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 16.3% below league average.
Career OBP .267 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 17.1% below league average.
Career SLG .273 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 26.8% below league average.
Career OPS .540 vs. league average .696 across their career seasons — 22.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | CHN | NL | 27 | 34 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 11 | .206 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1970 | CHN | NL | 20 | 40 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .100 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | CHN | NL | 25 | 76 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 20 | .197 | .249 (-21%) | .316 (-16%) | .365 (-35%) | .682 (-26%) | -293.0 |
| 1972 | CHN | NL | 42 | 106 | 10 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 14 | .236 | .243 (-3%) | .310 (-9%) | .353 (-9%) | .664 (-9%) | -146.5 |
| 1973 | CHN | NL | 64 | 170 | 12 | 35 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 25 | .206 | .256 (-20%) | .325 (-27%) | .378 (-21%) | .703 (-23%) | -675.2 |
| 1974 | SFN | NL | 57 | 158 | 11 | 41 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 15 | .259 | .256 (+1%) | .324 (+8%) | .369 (-25%) | .693 (-9%) | -136.2 |
| 1975 | SLN | NL | 44 | 80 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 10 | .200 | .257 (-22%) | .327 (-30%) | .374 (-30%) | .701 (-30%) | -380.5 |
| 1976 | SLN | NL | 27 | 50 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .160 | .255 (-37%) | .320 (-45%) | .360 (-39%) | .681 (-42%) | -326.2 |
| 1977 | SFN | NL | 11 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | BAL | AL | 11 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 328 | 743 | 55 | 158 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 64 | 2 | 52 | 121 | .213 | — | — | — | — | -1,958 | ||
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 (328 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 170 | 367 | 27 | 72 | 4 | 31 | .196 |
| Away | 158 | 376 | 28 | 86 | 2 | 33 | .229 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-09-07 | BAL | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-09-05 | BAL | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-08-28 | BAL | KCR | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-08-25 | BAL | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-08-21 | BAL | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-08-16 | BAL | MIN | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977-08-09 | BAL | CLE | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-08-08 | BAL | CLE | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1977-08-07 | BAL | LAA | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-08-03 | BAL | OAK | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 280 | 208 | 1169 | 124 | 27 | 18 |
| OF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | CHN | C | 11 | 6 | 39 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969 | CHN | OF | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | CHN | C | 16 | 9 | 67 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1971 | CHN | C | 25 | 24 | 153 | 16 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972 | CHN | C | 41 | 32 | 178 | 23 | 7 | 2 |
| 1973 | CHN | C | 64 | 52 | 259 | 28 | 9 | 4 |
| 1974 | SFN | C | 56 | 53 | 253 | 25 | 1 | 4 |
| 1975 | SLN | C | 31 | 15 | 93 | 11 | 3 | 1 |
| 1976 | SLN | C | 14 | 8 | 61 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 1977 | SFN | C | 11 | 5 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| 1977 | BAL | C | 11 | 4 | 36 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 281 |
| Left Field | 3 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles City College | Los Angeles | CA | 1965 |
Ken Rudolph: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 20, 1969 and the final game on September 7, 1977, Ken Rudolph built the record summarized on this page. By club, Rudolph's seasons break down as the Chicago Cubs (1969 through 1973), the San Francisco Giants (1974 through 1977), the St. Louis Cardinals (1975 through 1976), and the Baltimore Orioles (1977). Rudolph, a catcher by primary position, threw and hit right-handed. Rudolph is listed at 180 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The birth record reads December 29, 1946, in Rockford, IL, USA. Rudolph's full given name, per the bio, is Kenneth Victor Rudolph.
In 328 games and 743 at bats, Rudolph batted .213 with 158 hits; the totals also include 6 homers and 64 RBI. Rudolph got on base at a .267 rate and slugged .273 (.540 OPS). Over the seasons Rudolph played, league hitters batted .254; the .213 career figure is 16.3% below that. The highest hit total in a season was 41, in 1974. Among the seasons with the heaviest workload, the best average was .259 in 1974, 1% above that year's league mark of .256.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Rudolph
- What years did Ken Rudolph play?
- Ken Rudolph played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1977.
- Was Ken Rudolph a pitcher?
- No. Ken Rudolph was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Ken Rudolph hit?
- Ken Rudolph hit 6 career home runs with 158 hits.
- What teams did Ken Rudolph play for?
- Ken Rudolph played for 4 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1969–1973), the San Francisco Giants (1974, 1977), the St. Louis Cardinals (1975–1976), and the Baltimore Orioles (1977).
- What were Ken Rudolph's career stats?
- In 328 games, Ken Rudolph had 158 hits, 6 home runs, 64 RBI, 55 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .213 batting average.
- What position did Ken Rudolph play?
- Ken Rudolph played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ken Rudolph and how much did he weigh?
- Ken Rudolph was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Ken Rudolph hit each season?
- Ken Rudolph's home runs by season: 1 in 1969, 0 in 1970, 0 in 1971, 2 in 1972, 2 in 1973, 0 in 1974, 1 in 1975, 0 in 1976, and 0 in 1977. His most in one season was 2, in 1972 and 1973.
- What was Ken Rudolph's career batting average?
- Ken Rudolph batted .213 over his career, with 158 hits in 743 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ken Rudolph have?
- Ken Rudolph drove in 64 runs in his career.
- Is Ken Rudolph in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ken Rudolph has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.