John Stephenson
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1964-1973)
John Stephenson was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1973 for 4 teams, including the New York Mets, a span of 10 seasons. In 451 career games, he hit .216 with 214 hits, 12 home runs, and 93 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
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 180 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1964-04-14
- Last Game
- 1973-09-29
Full name: John Herman Stephenson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 451 | 989 | 83 | 214 | 37 | 3 | 12 | 93 | 0 | 63 | 118 | .216 | .271 | .296 | .567 | -1,915 |
Career AVG .216 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — 12.7% below league average.
Career OBP .271 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — 13.9% below league average.
Career SLG .296 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 19.5% below league average.
Career OPS .567 vs. league average .682 across their career seasons — 16.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | NYN | NL | 37 | 57 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 18 | .158 | .250 (-37%) | .312 (-28%) | .377 (-44%) | .690 (-37%) | -310.2 |
| 1965 | NYN | NL | 62 | 121 | 9 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 19 | .215 | .245 (-13%) | .310 (-15%) | .371 (-4%) | .682 (-9%) | -187.9 |
| 1966 | NYN | NL | 63 | 143 | 17 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 28 | .196 | .248 (-21%) | .309 (-20%) | .376 (-37%) | .685 (-29%) | -611.7 |
| 1967 | CHN | NL | 18 | 49 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .224 | — | — | — | — | -104.6 |
| 1968 | CHN | NL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1969 | SFN | NL | 22 | 27 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1970 | SFN | NL | 23 | 43 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .070 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | CAL | AL | 98 | 279 | 24 | 61 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 22 | 21 | .219 | .249 (-12%) | .316 (-11%) | .365 (-15%) | .682 (-13%) | -571.6 |
| 1972 | CAL | AL | 66 | 146 | 14 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 8 | .274 | .243 (+12%) | .310 (+10%) | .353 (-1%) | .664 (+4%) | 139.4 |
| 1973 | CAL | AL | 60 | 122 | 9 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 7 | .246 | .256 (-4%) | .325 (-10%) | .378 (-18%) | .703 (-14%) | -268.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 451 | 989 | 83 | 214 | 37 | 3 | 12 | 93 | 0 | 63 | 118 | .216 | — | — | — | — | -1,915 | ||
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 (451 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 234 | 493 | 42 | 108 | 7 | 54 | .219 |
| Away | 217 | 496 | 41 | 106 | 5 | 39 | .214 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-09-29 | LAA | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1973-09-26 | LAA | TEX | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-09-22 | LAA | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-09-21 | LAA | TEX | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-09-20 | LAA | TEX | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-09-20 | LAA | TEX | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-09-19 | LAA | TEX | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-09-18 | LAA | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1973-09-17 | LAA | OAK | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973-09-01 | LAA | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 15 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 8 | 1 |
| C | 330 | 217 | 1406 | 116 | 21 | 14 |
| OF | 12 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | NYN | 3B | 14 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 6 | 1 |
| 1964 | NYN | OF | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | NYN | C | 47 | 23 | 146 | 13 | 3 | 1 |
| 1965 | NYN | OF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966 | NYN | C | 52 | 31 | 187 | 30 | 6 | 4 |
| 1966 | NYN | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967 | CHN | C | 13 | 12 | 67 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| 1969 | SFN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1969 | SFN | C | 9 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1970 | SFN | C | 9 | 7 | 52 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1970 | SFN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | CAL | C | 88 | 74 | 434 | 33 | 4 | 3 |
| 1972 | CAL | C | 56 | 37 | 273 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| 1973 | CAL | C | 56 | 32 | 232 | 11 | 5 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 329 |
| Third Base | 15 |
| Left Field | 7 |
| Center Field | 3 |
| Right Field | 2 |
John Stephenson: the record in brief
According to the bio, John Stephenson debuted on April 14, 1964 and played a final game on September 29, 1973. The season rows list, in order, the New York Mets (1964 to 1966), the Chicago Cubs (1967 through 1968), the San Francisco Giants (1969 to 1970), and the California Angels (1971 through 1973). Stephenson is listed as a catcher at 180 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Stephenson hit left-handed while throwing right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is April 13, 1941, in South Portsmouth, KY, USA. John Stephenson was the playing name; the full given name is John Herman.
The batting record for Stephenson: 451 games, 214 hits in 989 at bats, and a .216 average, adding 12 home runs and 93 RBI. Reaching base at a .271 clip and slugging .296, Stephenson finished with a .567 OPS. The league as a whole hit .248 across Stephenson's seasons, which puts the .216 career mark 12.7% below average. By OPS the gap is 16.9% below league average (.567 against .682). 1971 produced Stephenson's most hits, 61 of them for the California Angels. Stephenson drove in a season-high 25 runs in 1971.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Stephenson
- What years did John Stephenson play?
- John Stephenson played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1973.
- Was John Stephenson a pitcher?
- No. John Stephenson was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did John Stephenson hit?
- John Stephenson hit 12 career home runs with 214 hits.
- What was John Stephenson's career batting average?
- John Stephenson batted .216 over his career, with 214 hits in 989 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Stephenson have?
- John Stephenson drove in 93 runs in his career.
- Is John Stephenson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Stephenson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.