Sammy Taylor
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1958-1963)
Sammy Taylor was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1958 to 1963 for 4 teams, including the Chicago Cubs, a span of 6 seasons. In 473 career games, he hit .245 with 309 hits, 33 home runs, and 147 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
- 6'2" / 185 lb
- Died
- 10/8/2019 in Woodruff, SC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1958-04-20
- Last Game
- 1963-08-06
Full name: Samuel Douglas Taylor
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 473 | 1,263 | 127 | 309 | 47 | 9 | 33 | 147 | 3 | 122 | 181 | .245 | .313 | .375 | .688 | -546 |
Career AVG .245 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .313 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .375 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .688 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | CHN | NL | 96 | 301 | 30 | 78 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 36 | 2 | 27 | 46 | .259 | .257 (avg) | .324 (-2%) | .394 (-6%) | .719 (-4%) | -178.2 |
| 1959 | CHN | NL | 110 | 353 | 41 | 95 | 13 | 2 | 13 | 43 | 1 | 35 | 47 | .269 | .256 (+5%) | .323 (+4%) | .392 (+9%) | .715 (+7%) | 461.8 |
| 1960 | CHN | NL | 74 | 150 | 14 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 18 | .207 | .255 (-19%) | .323 (-26%) | .387 (-16%) | .711 (-20%) | -519.4 |
| 1961 | CHN | NL | 89 | 235 | 26 | 56 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 23 | 0 | 23 | 39 | .238 | .258 (-8%) | .328 (-4%) | .399 (-2%) | .727 (-3%) | -99.3 |
| 1962 | CHN | NL | 7 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1962 | NYN | NL | 68 | 158 | 12 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 23 | 17 | .222 | .257 (-14%) | .326 (-1%) | .393 (-16%) | .719 (-9%) | 0.0 |
| 1963 | NYN | NL | 22 | 35 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 7 | .257 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | CIN | NL | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | CLE | AL | 4 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .300 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 473 | 1,263 | 127 | 309 | 47 | 9 | 33 | 147 | 3 | 122 | 181 | .245 | — | — | — | — | -335 | ||
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 (473 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 254 | 680 | 72 | 178 | 20 | 79 | .262 |
| Away | 219 | 583 | 54 | 131 | 13 | 69 | .225 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-08-06 | CLE | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-04 | CLE | DET | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963-08-03 | CLE | DET | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-02 | CLE | DET | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963-07-27 | CIN | ATL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963-07-21 | CIN | SFG | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963-07-04 | CIN | HOU | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-06-30 | NYN | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963-06-28 | NYN | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-06-26 | NYN | CHC | W | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | CHN | C | 87 | 81 | 460 | 23 | 6 | 4 |
| 1959 | CHN | C | 109 | 96 | 497 | 37 | 10 | 1 |
| 1960 | CHN | C | 43 | 31 | 152 | 24 | 4 | 2 |
| 1961 | CHN | C | 75 | 61 | 319 | 25 | 4 | 5 |
| 1962 | CHN | C | 6 | 4 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | NYN | C | 50 | 42 | 202 | 25 | 2 | 3 |
| 1963 | NYN | C | 13 | 4 | 55 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963 | CIN | C | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963 | CLE | C | 2 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 385 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Sammy Taylor (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Sammy Taylor: the record in brief
Sammy Taylor played a first major league game on April 20, 1958 and a last one on August 6, 1963. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago Cubs (1958 through 1962), the New York Mets (1962 to 1963), the Cincinnati Reds (1963), and the Cleveland Indians (1963). Taylor played primarily as a catcher and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on February 27, 1933, in Woodruff, SC, USA and a listed size of 6 feet, 2 inches and 185 pounds. The bio records the death on October 8, 2019, in Woodruff, SC, USA. The given name on file is Samuel Douglas Taylor.
Taylor collected 309 hits in 1,263 at bats across 473 games, good for a .245 batting average, adding 33 homers and 147 runs batted in. Taylor's career OPS of .688 combines a .313 on-base mark with .375 slugging. Against a .255 league average for those years, Taylor's .245 average was near the norm. 1959 was Taylor's biggest home run year, with 13. Taylor collected a career-high 95 hits in 1959.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sammy Taylor
- What years did Sammy Taylor play?
- Sammy Taylor played in Major League Baseball from 1958 to 1963.
- Was Sammy Taylor a pitcher?
- No. Sammy Taylor was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Sammy Taylor hit?
- Sammy Taylor hit 33 career home runs with 309 hits.
- What teams did Sammy Taylor play for?
- Sammy Taylor played for 4 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1958–1962), the New York Mets (1962–1963), the Cincinnati Reds (1963), and the Cleveland Indians (1963).
- What were Sammy Taylor's career stats?
- In 473 games, Sammy Taylor had 309 hits, 33 home runs, 147 RBI, 127 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .245 batting average.
- What position did Sammy Taylor play?
- Sammy Taylor played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Sammy Taylor and how much did he weigh?
- Sammy Taylor was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 185 pounds.
- How many home runs did Sammy Taylor hit each season?
- Sammy Taylor's home runs by season: 6 in 1958, 13 in 1959, 3 in 1960, 8 in 1961, 3 in 1962, and 0 in 1963. His most in one season was 13, in 1959.
- What was Sammy Taylor's career batting average?
- Sammy Taylor batted .245 over his career, with 309 hits in 1,263 at bats.
- How many RBI did Sammy Taylor have?
- Sammy Taylor drove in 147 runs in his career.
- Is Sammy Taylor in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sammy Taylor has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.