John Sullivan
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1942-1949)
John Sullivan was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1949 for the Washington Senators and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 8 seasons. In 605 career games, he hit .230 with 422 hits, 1 home runs, and 162 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
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 170 lb
- Died
- 9/20/2007 in Homewood, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1942-06-07
- Last Game
- 1949-10-02
Full name: John Paul Sullivan
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 605 | 1,833 | 203 | 422 | 52 | 9 | 1 | 162 | 18 | 216 | 206 | .230 | .312 | .270 | .582 | -4,031 |
Career AVG .230 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 11.4% below league average.
Career OBP .312 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 6.1% below league average.
Career SLG .270 vs. league average .365 across their career seasons — 26.0% below league average.
Career OPS .582 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — 16.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | WS1 | AL | 94 | 357 | 38 | 84 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 25 | 30 | .235 | .253 (-7%) | .323 (-12%) | .349 (-18%) | .672 (-15%) | -834.3 |
| 1943 | WS1 | AL | 134 | 456 | 49 | 95 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 55 | 6 | 57 | 59 | .208 | .255 (-19%) | .324 (-8%) | .346 (-28%) | .671 (-18%) | -1149.9 |
| 1944 | WS1 | AL | 138 | 471 | 49 | 118 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 52 | 43 | .251 | .261 (-4%) | .325 (avg) | .357 (-22%) | .683 (-11%) | -681.7 |
| 1947 | WS1 | AL | 49 | 133 | 13 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 14 | .256 | .262 (-3%) | .336 (+7%) | .376 (-28%) | .712 (-11%) | -156.8 |
| 1948 | WS1 | AL | 85 | 173 | 25 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 22 | 25 | .208 | .263 (-21%) | .340 (-13%) | .379 (-36%) | .719 (-25%) | -655.6 |
| 1949 | SLA | AL | 105 | 243 | 29 | 55 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 38 | 35 | .226 | .262 (-14%) | .343 (-4%) | .384 (-26%) | .727 (-15%) | -552.4 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 605 | 1,833 | 203 | 422 | 52 | 9 | 1 | 162 | 18 | 216 | 206 | .230 | — | — | — | — | -4,031 | ||
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 (605 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 305 | 887 | 103 | 208 | 0 | 94 | .234 |
| Away | 300 | 946 | 99 | 212 | 1 | 68 | .224 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-10-02 | SLA | CHW | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1949-10-02 | SLA | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1949-10-01 | SLA | CHW | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-25 | SLA | CHW | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-23 | SLA | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1949-09-21 | SLA | MIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-20 | SLA | MIN | W | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1949-09-19 | SLA | PHA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-18 | SLA | PHA | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-18 | SLA | PHA | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 11 | 0 | 20 | 31 | 2 | 5 |
| 3B | 23 | 0 | 22 | 32 | 4 | 5 |
| SS | 531 | 0 | 1063 | 1516 | 158 | 324 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | WS1 | SS | 92 | 0 | 217 | 235 | 31 | 51 |
| 1943 | WS1 | SS | 133 | 0 | 276 | 445 | 41 | 89 |
| 1944 | WS1 | SS | 138 | 0 | 276 | 426 | 50 | 89 |
| 1947 | WS1 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 1947 | WS1 | SS | 40 | 0 | 83 | 128 | 8 | 27 |
| 1948 | WS1 | 2B | 4 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| 1948 | WS1 | SS | 57 | 0 | 94 | 138 | 12 | 33 |
| 1949 | SLA | 2B | 6 | 0 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 1949 | SLA | 3B | 23 | 0 | 22 | 32 | 4 | 5 |
| 1949 | SLA | SS | 71 | 0 | 117 | 144 | 16 | 35 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 11 |
| Third Base | 23 |
| Shortstop | 532 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
John Sullivan (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
John Sullivan: the record in brief
John Sullivan's major league career runs from a debut on June 7, 1942 to a final game on October 2, 1949. The season rows list, in order, the Washington Senators (1942 through 1948) and the St. Louis Browns (1949). At 170 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame, Sullivan is listed as a shortstop. Sullivan threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is November 2, 1920, in Chicago, IL, USA. The bio records the death on September 20, 2007, in Homewood, IL, USA. The given name on file is John Paul Sullivan.
Sullivan finished with 422 hits from 1,833 at bats in 605 games, which works out to .230; the totals also include 1 home run and 162 RBI. Sullivan got on base at a .312 rate and slugged .270 (.582 OPS). The league as a whole hit .260 across Sullivan's seasons, which puts the .230 career mark 11.4% below average. In OPS terms, Sullivan's .582 stands 16.5% below the league's .697. No season topped the 118 hits of 1944. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .251 in 1944, did not top the league's .261.
Frequently Asked Questions about John Sullivan
- What years did John Sullivan play?
- John Sullivan played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1949.
- Was John Sullivan a pitcher?
- No. John Sullivan was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did John Sullivan hit?
- John Sullivan hit 1 career home runs with 422 hits.
- What was John Sullivan's career batting average?
- John Sullivan batted .230 over his career, with 422 hits in 1,833 at bats.
- How many RBI did John Sullivan have?
- John Sullivan drove in 162 runs in his career.
- Is John Sullivan in the Hall of Fame?
- No. John Sullivan has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.