Ken Silvestri
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1939-1951)
Ken Silvestri was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1951 for the Chicago White Sox, the New York Yankees, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 13 seasons. In 102 career games, he hit .217 with 44 hits, 5 home runs, and 25 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
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 200 lb
- Died
- 3/31/1992 in Tallahassee, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1939-04-18
- Last Game
- 1951-07-31
Full name: Kenneth Joseph Silvestri
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | 203 | 26 | 44 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 31 | 41 | .217 | .326 | .355 | .681 | -337 |
Career AVG .217 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 17.9% below league average.
Career OBP .326 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .355 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 7.1% below league average.
Career OPS .681 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — 5.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | CHA | AL | 22 | 75 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 13 | .173 | .274 (-37%) | .342 (-29%) | .393 (-25%) | .735 (-27%) | -337.4 |
| 1940 | CHA | AL | 28 | 24 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 7 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | NYA | AL | 17 | 40 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 6 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | NYA | AL | 13 | 21 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | NYA | AL | 3 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1949 | PHI | NL | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | PHI | NL | 11 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | PHI | NL | 4 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 102 | 203 | 26 | 44 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 31 | 41 | .217 | — | — | — | — | -337 | ||
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 (102 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 41 | 87 | 11 | 19 | 3 | 12 | .218 |
| Away | 61 | 116 | 15 | 25 | 2 | 13 | .216 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-07-31 | PHI | CIN | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1951-05-13 | PHI | NY1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1951-05-12 | PHI | NY1 | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1951-05-10 | PHI | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1950-09-24 | PHI | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1950-09-15 | PHI | CIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1950-08-26 | PHI | PIT | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1950-07-29 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1950-07-02 | PHI | BRO | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1950-05-17 | PHI | CIN | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 62 | 0 | 200 | 29 | 6 | 6 |
| SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | CHA | C | 20 | 0 | 74 | 15 | 5 | 3 |
| 1940 | CHA | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941 | NYA | C | 13 | 0 | 43 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 1946 | NYA | C | 12 | 0 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1947 | NYA | C | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949 | PHI | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949 | PHI | C | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949 | PHI | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1950 | PHI | C | 9 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951 | PHI | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951 | PHI | C | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 62 |
| Second Base | 2 |
| Shortstop | 1 |
Ken Silvestri: the record in brief
Ken Silvestri played a first major league game on April 18, 1939 and a last one on July 31, 1951. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago White Sox (1939 to 1940), the New York Yankees (1941 through 1947), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1949 through 1951). Silvestri is listed as a catcher at 6 feet, 1 inch and 200 pounds. The bio says Silvestri switch-hit and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is May 3, 1916, in Chicago, IL, USA. Silvestri's death is recorded on March 31, 1992, in Tallahassee, FL, USA. Silvestri's full given name, per the bio, is Kenneth Joseph Silvestri.
Across 102 games at the plate, Silvestri's career line reads 44 hits in 203 at bats for a .217 average, along with 5 home runs and 25 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .326 and the slugging percentage .355, for an OPS of .681. Silvestri's .217 average ran 17.9% below the .264 that the league posted over the same seasons. No season topped the 13 hits of 1939.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Silvestri
- What years did Ken Silvestri play?
- Ken Silvestri played in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1951.
- Was Ken Silvestri a pitcher?
- No. Ken Silvestri was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Ken Silvestri hit?
- Ken Silvestri hit 5 career home runs with 44 hits.
- What teams did Ken Silvestri play for?
- Ken Silvestri played for 3 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1939–1940), the New York Yankees (1941, 1946–1947), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1949–1951).
- What were Ken Silvestri's career stats?
- In 102 games, Ken Silvestri had 44 hits, 5 home runs, 25 RBI, and 26 runs, with a .217 batting average.
- What position did Ken Silvestri play?
- Ken Silvestri played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ken Silvestri and how much did he weigh?
- Ken Silvestri was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds.
- How many home runs did Ken Silvestri hit each season?
- Ken Silvestri's home runs by season: 2 in 1939, 2 in 1940, 1 in 1941, 0 in 1946, 0 in 1947, 0 in 1949, 0 in 1950, and 0 in 1951. His most in one season was 2, in 1939 and 1940.
- What was Ken Silvestri's career batting average?
- Ken Silvestri batted .217 over his career, with 44 hits in 203 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ken Silvestri have?
- Ken Silvestri drove in 25 runs in his career.
- Is Ken Silvestri in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ken Silvestri has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.