Walter Schmidt
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1916-1925)
Walter Schmidt was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1925 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 10 seasons. In 766 career games, he hit .257 with 619 hits, 3 home runs, and 234 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
- 5'9" / 159 lb
- Died
- 7/4/1973 in Modesto, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1916-04-13
- Last Game
- 1925-09-07
Full name: Walter Joseph Schmidt
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 766 | 2,411 | 216 | 619 | 63 | 20 | 3 | 234 | 57 | 137 | 105 | .257 | .301 | .303 | .604 | -4,997 |
Career AVG .257 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 6.1% below league average.
Career OBP .301 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 10.2% below league average.
Career SLG .303 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 18.3% below league average.
Career OPS .604 vs. league average .706 across their career seasons — 14.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | PIT | NL | 64 | 184 | 16 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 13 | .190 | .248 (-23%) | .314 (-25%) | .326 (-23%) | .640 (-24%) | -658.5 |
| 1917 | PIT | NL | 72 | 183 | 9 | 45 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 11 | 11 | .246 | .248 (-1%) | .312 (-5%) | .323 (-12%) | .635 (-9%) | -221.5 |
| 1918 | PIT | NL | 105 | 323 | 31 | 77 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 7 | 17 | 19 | .238 | .255 (-7%) | .318 (-12%) | .326 (-16%) | .645 (-14%) | -666.3 |
| 1919 | PIT | NL | 85 | 267 | 23 | 67 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 5 | 23 | 9 | .251 | .262 (-4%) | .322 (-4%) | .347 (-14%) | .670 (-9%) | -336.8 |
| 1920 | PIT | NL | 94 | 310 | 22 | 86 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 24 | 15 | .277 | .271 (+2%) | .331 (+2%) | .363 (-9%) | .694 (-4%) | -150.8 |
| 1921 | PIT | NL | 114 | 393 | 30 | 111 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 10 | 12 | 13 | .282 | .286 (-1%) | .344 (-11%) | .395 (-19%) | .739 (-15%) | -968.6 |
| 1922 | PIT | NL | 40 | 152 | 21 | 50 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 5 | .329 | .285 (+15%) | .345 (-4%) | .397 (+4%) | .743 (+1%) | -29.1 |
| 1923 | PIT | NL | 97 | 335 | 39 | 83 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 10 | 22 | 12 | .248 | .282 (-12%) | .344 (-13%) | .390 (-28%) | .734 (-21%) | -1103.4 |
| 1924 | PIT | NL | 58 | 177 | 16 | 43 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 6 | 13 | 5 | .243 | .283 (-14%) | .345 (-15%) | .389 (-23%) | .734 (-19%) | -548.3 |
| 1925 | SLN | NL | 37 | 87 | 9 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 3 | .253 | .288 (-12%) | .349 (-16%) | .407 (-27%) | .756 (-22%) | -313.2 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 766 | 2,411 | 216 | 619 | 63 | 20 | 3 | 234 | 57 | 137 | 105 | .257 | — | — | — | — | -4,997 | ||
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 (766 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 377 | 1154 | 110 | 294 | 2 | 108 | .255 |
| Away | 389 | 1257 | 104 | 325 | 1 | 130 | .259 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925-09-07 | STL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-08-22 | STL | PHI | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-08-18 | STL | BSN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-08-12 | STL | PHI | W | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1925-07-27 | STL | CIN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-07-27 | STL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-07-16 | STL | NY1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1925-07-14 | STL | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-07-11 | STL | PHI | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1925-07-10 | STL | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | PIT | C | 57 | 0 | 232 | 88 | 8 | 6 |
| 1917 | PIT | C | 61 | 0 | 229 | 84 | 7 | 9 |
| 1918 | PIT | C | 104 | 0 | 373 | 153 | 10 | 19 |
| 1919 | PIT | C | 85 | 0 | 315 | 110 | 8 | 8 |
| 1920 | PIT | C | 92 | 0 | 323 | 109 | 13 | 10 |
| 1921 | PIT | C | 111 | 0 | 438 | 120 | 8 | 15 |
| 1922 | PIT | C | 40 | 0 | 159 | 22 | 1 | 1 |
| 1923 | PIT | C | 96 | 0 | 279 | 88 | 7 | 10 |
| 1924 | PIT | C | 57 | 0 | 166 | 51 | 3 | 6 |
| 1925 | SLN | C | 31 | 0 | 84 | 33 | 4 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 733 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C |
| 1920 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Walter Schmidt (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Walter Schmidt: the record in brief
April 13, 1916 and September 7, 1925 bracket Walter Schmidt's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Pittsburgh Pirates (1916 through 1924) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1925). Schmidt is listed as a catcher at 5-foot-9 and 159 pounds. Schmidt batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is March 20, 1887, in London, AR, USA. Schmidt's death is recorded on July 4, 1973, in Modesto, CA, USA. Walter Schmidt was the playing name; the full given name is Walter Joseph.
In 766 games and 2,411 at bats, Schmidt batted .257 with 619 hits, along with 3 homers, 234 runs batted in, and 57 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .301 and the slugging percentage .303, for an OPS of .604. Schmidt's .257 average ran 6.1% below the .273 that the league posted over the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 14.4% below league average (.604 against .706). 1921 produced Schmidt's most hits, 111 of them for the Pittsburgh Pirates. 1921 brought the most runs batted in, 38.
Frequently Asked Questions about Walter Schmidt
- What years did Walter Schmidt play?
- Walter Schmidt played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1925.
- Was Walter Schmidt a pitcher?
- No. Walter Schmidt was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Walter Schmidt hit?
- Walter Schmidt hit 3 career home runs with 619 hits.
- What was Walter Schmidt's career batting average?
- Walter Schmidt batted .257 over his career, with 619 hits in 2,411 at bats.
- How many RBI did Walter Schmidt have?
- Walter Schmidt drove in 234 runs in his career.
- Is Walter Schmidt in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Walter Schmidt has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.