Bill Sarni

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1951-1956)

Bill Sarni was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1956 for the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Giants, a span of 6 seasons. In 390 career games, he hit .263 with 311 hits, 22 home runs, and 151 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

AVG .263
HR 22
RBI 151
H 311
OPS .693
PIV -954
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 180 lb
Born
9/19/1927 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
Died
4/15/1983 in Creve Coeur, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1951-05-09
Last Game
1956-09-18

Full name: William Florine Sarni

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Career Batting Statistics

Bill Sarni — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
390 1,182 107 311 50 11 22 151 6 89 135 .263 .313 .380 .693 -954

Career AVG .263 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .313 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.

Career SLG .380 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .693 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Sarni — 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
1951 SLN NL 36 86 7 15 1 0 0 2 1 9 13 .174 .260 (-33%) .336 (-25%) .385 (-52%) .721 (-39%) -527.5
1952 SLN NL 3 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .200 — — — — 0.0
1954 SLN NL 123 380 40 114 18 4 9 70 3 25 42 .300 .261 (+15%) .333 (+1%) .390 (+13%) .723 (+7%) 392.9
1955 SLN NL 107 325 32 83 15 2 3 34 1 27 33 .255 .258 (-1%) .332 (-6%) .393 (-13%) .726 (-10%) -525.2
1956 SLN NL 43 148 12 43 7 2 5 22 1 8 15 .291 .258 (+13%) .331 (-1%) .397 (+17%) .728 (+9%) 185.7
1956 NY1 NL 78 238 16 55 9 3 5 23 0 20 31 .231 .258 (-11%) .331 (-12%) .397 (-10%) .728 (-11%) 185.7
Career · 6 seasons 390 1,182 107 311 50 11 22 151 6 89 135 .263 — — — — -288

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 (390 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Sarni — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home202610591711385.280
Away18857248140966.245

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Sarni — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1956-09-18 NY1CHCL 000000000
1956-09-17 NY1ATLL 200000000
1956-09-17 NY1ATLW 322000111
1956-09-13 NY1STLL 300000001
1956-09-12 NY1CINW 300000010
1956-09-11 NY1CINL 412001301
1956-09-09 NY1BROL 300000000
1956-09-08 NY1BROL 401000003
1956-09-07 NY1BROL 400000000
1956-09-07 NY1BROW 402100011

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Sarni — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 374 290 1680 154 16 33

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Sarni — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1951 SLN C 35 0 107 13 2 3
1952 SLN C 3 0 19 0 0 0
1954 SLN C 118 96 486 41 2 12
1955 SLN C 99 84 482 39 7 8
1956 SLN C 41 40 219 25 2 1
1956 NY1 C 78 70 367 36 3 9

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Sarni — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 374

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bill Sarni (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bob Scheffing
    .263 avg, 20 HR
  2. 95
    Charlie Lau
    .255 avg, 16 HR
  3. 93
    Dave Engle
    .262 avg, 31 HR
  4. 92
    Frank Gibson
    .274 avg, 8 HR
  5. 90
    Ted Radcliffe
    .270 avg, 21 HR
  6. 86
    Mackey Sasser
    .267 avg, 16 HR

Bill Sarni: the record in brief

Between the debut on May 9, 1951 and the final game on September 18, 1956, Bill Sarni built the record summarized on this page. By club, Sarni's seasons break down as the St. Louis Cardinals (1951 through 1956) and the New York Giants (1956). Sarni is listed as a catcher at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds. Sarni batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Sarni was born on September 19, 1927, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Sarni died on April 15, 1983, in Creve Coeur, MO, USA. The bio lists the given name William Florine.

Sarni finished with 311 hits from 1,182 at bats in 390 games, which works out to .263, plus 22 home runs and 151 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .313 and .380 give Sarni a career OPS of .693. Sarni hit .263 while the league hit .258 over the same span, a figure close to average. No season topped the 114 hits of 1954. The Lg AVG column puts Sarni's 1954 at .300 against .261, the widest margin among the busiest seasons at 15%.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Sarni

What years did Bill Sarni play?
Bill Sarni played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1956.
Was Bill Sarni a pitcher?
No. Bill Sarni was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Bill Sarni hit?
Bill Sarni hit 22 career home runs with 311 hits.
What teams did Bill Sarni play for?
Bill Sarni played for 2 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1951–1952, 1954–1956) and the New York Giants (1956).
What were Bill Sarni's career stats?
In 390 games, Bill Sarni had 311 hits, 22 home runs, 151 RBI, 107 runs, and 6 stolen bases, with a .263 batting average.
What position did Bill Sarni play?
Bill Sarni played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Sarni and how much did he weigh?
Bill Sarni was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 180 pounds.
How many home runs did Bill Sarni hit each season?
Bill Sarni's home runs by season: 0 in 1951, 0 in 1952, 9 in 1954, 3 in 1955, and 10 in 1956. His most in one season was 10, in 1956.
What was Bill Sarni's career batting average?
Bill Sarni batted .263 over his career, with 311 hits in 1,182 at bats.
How many RBI did Bill Sarni have?
Bill Sarni drove in 151 runs in his career.
Is Bill Sarni in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Sarni has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.