Carl Sawatski

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1963)

Carl Sawatski was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1963 for 5 teams, including the Chicago Cubs, a span of 16 seasons. In 633 career games, he hit .242 with 351 hits, 58 home runs, and 213 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,023.

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 .242
HR 58
RBI 213
H 351
OPS .731
PIV 1,023
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 210 lb
Born
11/4/1927 in Shickshinny, PA, USA
Died
11/24/1991 in Little Rock, AR, USA
MLB Debut
1948-09-29
Last Game
1963-09-29

Full name: Carl Ernest Sawatski

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Career Batting Statistics

Carl Sawatski — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
633 1,449 133 351 46 5 58 213 2 191 251 .242 .330 .401 .731 1,023

Career AVG .242 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.

Career OBP .330 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .401 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .731 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.

Carl Sawatski 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
1948 CHN NL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1950 CHN NL 38 103 4 18 1 0 1 7 0 11 19 .175 .265 (-34%) .346 (-26%) .401 (-47%) .747 (-37%) -630.2
1953 CHN NL 43 59 5 13 3 0 1 5 0 7 7 .220 .264 (-17%) .335 (-10%) .397 (-19%) .733 (-15%) -137.7
1954 CHA AL 43 109 6 20 3 3 1 12 0 15 20 .183 .261 (-30%) .333 (-17%) .390 (-25%) .723 (-21%) -404.2
1957 ML1 NL 58 105 13 25 4 0 6 17 0 10 15 .238 .257 (-8%) .323 (-2%) .391 (+14%) .715 (+7%) 127.2
1958 ML1 NL 10 10 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 5 .100 — — — — 0.0
1958 PHI NL 60 183 12 42 4 1 5 12 0 16 42 .230 .257 (-11%) .324 (-8%) .394 (-13%) .719 (-10%) 0.0
1959 PHI NL 74 198 15 58 10 0 9 43 0 32 36 .293 .256 (+14%) .323 (+21%) .392 (+22%) .715 (+22%) 879.1
1960 SLN NL 78 179 16 41 4 0 6 27 0 22 24 .229 .255 (-10%) .323 (-4%) .387 (-9%) .711 (-7%) -176.4
1961 SLN NL 86 174 23 52 8 0 10 33 0 25 17 .299 .258 (+16%) .328 (+17%) .399 (+30%) .727 (+24%) 818.5
1962 SLN NL 85 222 26 56 9 1 13 42 0 36 38 .252 .257 (-2%) .326 (+8%) .393 (+21%) .719 (+15%) 632.2
1963 SLN NL 56 105 12 25 0 0 6 14 2 15 28 .238 .246 (-3%) .308 (+8%) .371 (+10%) .680 (+9%) 200.2
Career · 12 seasons 633 1,449 133 351 46 5 58 213 2 191 251 .242 — — — — 1,309

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

Carl Sawatski — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Carl Sawatski — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1957 WS ML1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (633 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Carl Sawatski — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home3227117819535120.274
Away311738551562393.211

Last 10 Games — Batting

Carl Sawatski — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1963-09-29 STLCINW 100000001
1963-09-03 STLPITW 101000000
1963-08-26 STLSFGW 000000010
1963-08-25 STLHOUL 300000002
1963-08-24 STLHOUL 100000000
1963-08-17 STLSFGW 100000000
1963-08-15 STLHOUL 100000000
1963-08-07 STLNYNL 100000000
1963-08-04 STLPHIL 100000001
1963-08-04 STLPHIL 412001200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Carl Sawatski — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 457 319 1960 180 26 30
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Carl Sawatski — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1950 CHN C 32 0 100 19 2 6
1953 CHN C 15 0 45 5 3 0
1954 CHA C 33 27 133 14 2 4
1957 ML1 C 28 19 121 20 2 2
1958 ML1 C 3 1 8 3 0 0
1958 PHI C 53 47 271 17 4 2
1959 PHI C 69 61 306 23 7 4
1960 SLN C 67 42 279 25 2 5
1961 SLN C 60 39 218 19 1 3
1961 SLN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1962 SLN C 70 61 354 24 1 4
1963 SLN C 27 22 125 11 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Carl Sawatski Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 456
Center Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Carl Sawatski (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Hank Foiles
    .243 avg, 46 HR
  2. 84
    Don Pavletich
    .254 avg, 46 HR
  3. 84
    Ryan Jeffers
    .242 avg, 82 HR
  4. 83
    Doug Mirabelli
    .231 avg, 58 HR
  5. 82
    Todd Pratt
    .251 avg, 49 HR
  6. 81
    Earl Averill
    .242 avg, 44 HR

Carl Sawatski: the record in brief

According to the bio, Carl Sawatski debuted on September 29, 1948 and played a final game on September 29, 1963. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago Cubs (1948 to 1953), the Chicago White Sox (1954), the Milwaukee Braves (1957 through 1958), the Philadelphia Phillies (1958 through 1959), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1960 to 1963). Born on November 4, 1927, in Shickshinny, PA, USA, Sawatski is listed as a catcher and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Sawatski's listed size is 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds. The bio records the death on November 24, 1991, in Little Rock, AR, USA. The given name on file is Carl Ernest Sawatski.

Across 633 games at the plate, Sawatski's career line reads 351 hits in 1,449 at bats for a .242 average, adding 58 home runs and 213 RBI. Sawatski's career OPS of .731 combines a .330 on-base mark with .401 slugging. Set against a .258 league average for the same years, Sawatski's .242 average sits 6.2% below it. No season beat the 13 home runs Sawatski hit in 1962.

Frequently Asked Questions about Carl Sawatski

What years did Carl Sawatski play?
Carl Sawatski played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1963.
Was Carl Sawatski a pitcher?
No. Carl Sawatski was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Carl Sawatski hit?
Carl Sawatski hit 58 career home runs with 351 hits.
What teams did Carl Sawatski play for?
Carl Sawatski played for 5 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1948, 1950, 1953), the Chicago White Sox (1954), the Milwaukee Braves (1957–1958), the Philadelphia Phillies (1958–1959), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1960–1963).
What were Carl Sawatski's career stats?
In 633 games, Carl Sawatski had 351 hits, 58 home runs, 213 RBI, 133 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .242 batting average.
What position did Carl Sawatski play?
Carl Sawatski played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Carl Sawatski and how much did he weigh?
Carl Sawatski was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 210 pounds.
How many home runs did Carl Sawatski hit each season?
Carl Sawatski's home runs by season: 0 in 1948, 1 in 1950, 1 in 1953, 1 in 1954, 6 in 1957, 5 in 1958, 9 in 1959, 6 in 1960, 10 in 1961, 13 in 1962, and 6 in 1963. His most in one season was 13, in 1962.
What was Carl Sawatski's career batting average?
Carl Sawatski batted .242 over his career, with 351 hits in 1,449 at bats.
How many RBI did Carl Sawatski have?
Carl Sawatski drove in 213 runs in his career.
Is Carl Sawatski in the Hall of Fame?
No. Carl Sawatski has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.