Ken Tatum

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1969-1974)

Ken Tatum was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1974 for the California Angels, the Boston Red Sox, and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 6 seasons. Across 176 career appearances, he went 16-12 with a 2.93 ERA, 156 strikeouts, and 52 saves.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 16–12
ERA 2.93
WHIP 1.23
SO 156
Pitcher PIV -1597.8
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 205 lb
Born
4/25/1944 in Alexandria, LA, USA
MLB Debut
1969-05-28
Last Game
1974-07-01

Full name: Kenneth Ray Tatum

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Career Pitching Statistics

Ken Tatum — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
16 12 176 2 0 0 52 282.2 230 92 24 117 156 2.93 -1597.8

Career ERA 2.93 vs. league average 3.60 across their career seasons — 18.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ken Tatum — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1969 CAL AL 7 2 45 0 0 0 22 86.1 51 13 39 65 1.36 3.61 (+62%) 2120.3
1970 CAL AL 7 4 62 0 0 0 17 88.2 68 29 26 50 2.94 3.89 (+24%) -959.8
1971 BOS AL 2 4 36 1 0 0 9 53.2 50 25 25 21 4.19 3.47 (-21%) -1034.8
1972 BOS AL 0 2 22 0 0 0 4 29.1 32 10 15 15 3.07 3.26 (+6%) -865.7
1973 BOS AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 6 4 3 0 9.00 — 0.0
1974 CHA AL 0 0 10 1 0 0 0 20.2 23 11 9 5 4.79 3.63 (-32%) -858.0
Career · 6 seasons 16 12 176 2 0 0 52 282.2 230 92 117 156 2.93 — -1,598

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Ken Tatum — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
176 45 7 11 1 0 4 6 0 3 17 .244 .306 .533 .839 0

Career AVG .244 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .306 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .533 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — +44.0% above league average.

Career OPS .839 vs. league average .691 across their career seasons — +21.5% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ken Tatum — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1969 CAL AL 45 21 3 6 1 0 2 2 0 0 8 .286 — — — — 0.0
1970 CAL AL 62 11 2 2 0 0 1 3 0 0 5 .182 — — — — 0.0
1971 BOS AL 36 10 2 3 0 0 1 1 0 2 4 .300 — — — — 0.0
1972 BOS AL 22 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1973 BOS AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 CHA AL 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 176 45 7 11 1 0 4 6 0 3 17 .244 — — — — 0

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 (352 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ken Tatum — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home93213311.143
Away83244835.333

Pitching — Home / Away

Ken Tatum — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home93153.11254356702.52
Away83129.11054961863.41

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ken Tatum — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1974-07-01 CHWKCRL 000000000
1974-06-27 CHWMINL 000000000
1974-06-21 CHWMINW 000000000
1974-06-12 CHWCLEL 000000000
1974-06-11 CHWCLEL 000000000
1974-06-02 CHWBOSL 000000000
1974-05-23 CHWTEXW 100000000
1974-05-19 CHWOAKL 000000000
1974-05-17 CHWOAKL 000000000
1974-05-13 CHWMINL 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Ken Tatum — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1974-07-01 CHWKCR — 0.2222101
1974-06-27 CHWMIN — 3.1100200
1974-06-21 CHWMIN — 2.2633120
1974-06-12 CHWCLE — 2.0100010
1974-06-11 CHWCLE — 1.0200100
1974-06-02 CHWBOS — 1.1344202
1974-05-23 CHWTEX — 0.1211100
1974-05-19 CHWOAK — 4.0311110
1974-05-17 CHWOAK — 5.0310010
1974-05-13 CHWMIN — 0.1000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ken Tatum — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 176 2 10 47 2 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ken Tatum — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1969 CAL P 45 0 1 12 0 0
1970 CAL P 62 0 4 15 1 0
1971 BOS P 36 1 2 11 0 2
1972 BOS P 22 0 1 4 1 0
1973 BOS P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1974 CHA P 10 1 2 5 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ken Tatum — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 176

College History

Ken Tatum — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS 1964, 1965, 1966

Award Voting History

Ken Tatum — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 29th 2.0 336 0
1969 Rookie of the Year AL 4th 4.0 24 4

Ken Tatum: the record in brief

The profile opens with Ken Tatum's first major league game on May 28, 1969; the last one listed came on July 1, 1974. The team column moves through the California Angels (1969 to 1970), the Boston Red Sox (1971 through 1973), and the Chicago White Sox (1974). Tatum is listed as a pitcher at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds. Tatum both batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is April 25, 1944, in Alexandria, LA, USA. The given name on file is Kenneth Ray Tatum.

Across 176 games (2 starts), Tatum recorded 16 wins against 12 losses with a 2.93 ERA. The same table counts 156 strikeouts and 52 saves. That 2.93 ERA compares with a 3.60 league average across the same seasons, 18.7% better. No season topped the 7 wins of 1969. The most saves in one season was 22, in 1969. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 1.36 in 1969, when the league's was 3.61.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Tatum

What years did Ken Tatum play?
Ken Tatum played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1974.
Was Ken Tatum a pitcher?
Yes. Ken Tatum pitched in the major leagues, recording 16 wins and 156 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Ken Tatum hit?
Ken Tatum hit 4 career home runs with 11 hits.
What teams did Ken Tatum play for?
Ken Tatum played for 3 teams: the California Angels (1969–1970), the Boston Red Sox (1971–1973), and the Chicago White Sox (1974).
What were Ken Tatum's career stats?
In 176 games, Ken Tatum went 16-12 with a 2.93 ERA, 156 strikeouts, 282.2 innings pitched, and 52 saves.
What position did Ken Tatum play?
Ken Tatum played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Ken Tatum and how much did he weigh?
Ken Tatum was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 205 pounds.
What was Ken Tatum's career ERA?
Ken Tatum finished with a 2.93 career ERA, going 16-12 with 156 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Ken Tatum have?
Ken Tatum recorded 156 career strikeouts.
Is Ken Tatum in the Hall of Fame?
No. Ken Tatum has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.