Joe Tipton

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1954)

Joe Tipton was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1954 for 4 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 7 seasons. In 417 career games, he hit .236 with 264 hits, 29 home runs, and 125 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 31.

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

AVG .236
HR 29
RBI 125
H 264
OPS .706
PIV 31
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 185 lb
Born
2/18/1922 in McCaysville, GA, USA
Died
3/1/1994 in Birmingham, AL, USA
MLB Debut
1948-05-02
Last Game
1954-09-26

Full name: Joe Hicks Tipton

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Career Batting Statistics

Joe Tipton — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
417 1,117 116 264 36 5 29 125 3 186 142 .236 .351 .355 .706 31

Career AVG .236 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 9.7% below league average.

Career OBP .351 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .355 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 8.1% below league average.

Career OPS .706 vs. league average .724 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Tipton — 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
1948 CLE AL 47 90 11 26 3 0 1 13 0 4 10 .289 .263 (+10%) .340 (-2%) .379 (-6%) .719 (-4%) -60.4
1949 CHA AL 67 191 20 39 5 3 3 19 1 27 17 .204 .262 (-22%) .343 (-11%) .384 (-20%) .727 (-16%) -474.5
1950 PHA AL 64 184 15 49 5 1 6 20 0 19 16 .266 .265 (avg) .346 (-3%) .401 (avg) .747 (-1%) -51.7
1951 PHA AL 72 213 23 51 9 0 3 20 1 51 25 .239 .260 (-8%) .336 (+16%) .385 (-16%) .721 (-1%) 174.2
1952 PHA AL 23 68 6 13 4 0 3 8 0 15 10 .191 .252 (-24%) .326 (+3%) .369 (+3%) .696 (+3%) 63.4
1952 CLE AL 43 105 15 26 2 0 6 22 1 21 21 .248 .252 (-2%) .326 (+17%) .369 (+19%) .696 (+18%) 63.4
1953 CLE AL 47 109 17 25 2 0 6 13 0 19 13 .229 .264 (-13%) .335 (+7%) .397 (+4%) .733 (+5%) 158.5
1954 WS1 AL 54 157 9 35 6 1 1 10 0 30 30 .223 .261 (-15%) .333 (+6%) .390 (-25%) .723 (-11%) -169.6
Career · 8 seasons 417 1,117 116 264 36 5 29 125 3 186 142 .236 — — — — -297

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Joe Tipton — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Joe Tipton — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1948 WS CLE 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (417 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Joe Tipton — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home196517501261252.244
Away221600661381773.230

Last 10 Games — Batting

Joe Tipton — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1954-09-26 MINBOSL 100000030
1954-09-12 MINDETL 201000010
1954-08-30 MINBALL 200000020
1954-08-29 MINBALL 200000000
1954-08-28 MINCLEL 400000001
1954-08-27 MINCLEW 300000010
1954-08-24 MINCHWL 201100021
1954-08-23 MINPHAW 501000201
1954-08-22 MINPHAL 301000012
1954-08-18 MINBOSL 501000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Joe Tipton — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 380 51 1250 208 24 32

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Tipton — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1948 CLE C 40 0 84 18 3 4
1949 CHA C 53 0 203 32 2 4
1950 PHA C 59 0 201 24 3 3
1951 PHA C 72 0 230 52 9 12
1952 PHA C 23 0 80 16 1 1
1952 CLE C 35 0 118 18 4 1
1953 CLE C 46 0 114 18 0 1
1954 WS1 C 52 51 220 30 2 6

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joe Tipton — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 379

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Joe Tipton (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Lou Berberet
    .230 avg, 31 HR
  2. 80
    Bob Stinson
    .250 avg, 33 HR
  3. 74
    John Baker
    .247 avg, 14 HR
  4. 73
    Ron Hodges
    .240 avg, 19 HR
  5. 73
    Biff Pocoroba
    .257 avg, 21 HR
  6. 72
    Austin Nola
    .247 avg, 24 HR

Joe Tipton: the record in brief

Joe Tipton played a first major league game on May 2, 1948 and a last one on September 26, 1954. The season rows list, in order, the Cleveland Indians (1948 to 1953), the Chicago White Sox (1949), the Philadelphia Athletics (1950 through 1952), and the Washington Senators (1954). Tipton played primarily as a catcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on February 18, 1922, in McCaysville, GA, USA, Tipton was listed at 185 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Tipton's death is recorded on March 1, 1994, in Birmingham, AL, USA. Tipton's full given name, per the bio, is Joe Hicks Tipton.

The batting record for Tipton: 417 games, 264 hits in 1,117 at bats, and a .236 average; the totals also include 29 home runs and 125 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .351 clip and slugging .355, Tipton finished with a .706 OPS. Measured against the leagues Tipton played in, the .236 career average compares with a .262 league average over the same seasons, 9.7% below the league.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Tipton

What years did Joe Tipton play?
Joe Tipton played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1954.
Was Joe Tipton a pitcher?
No. Joe Tipton was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Joe Tipton hit?
Joe Tipton hit 29 career home runs with 264 hits.
What teams did Joe Tipton play for?
Joe Tipton played for 4 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1948, 1952–1953), the Chicago White Sox (1949), the Philadelphia Athletics (1950–1952), and the Washington Senators (1954).
What were Joe Tipton's career stats?
In 417 games, Joe Tipton had 264 hits, 29 home runs, 125 RBI, 116 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .236 batting average.
What position did Joe Tipton play?
Joe Tipton played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joe Tipton and how much did he weigh?
Joe Tipton was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did Joe Tipton hit each season?
Joe Tipton's home runs by season: 1 in 1948, 3 in 1949, 6 in 1950, 3 in 1951, 9 in 1952, 6 in 1953, and 1 in 1954. His most in one season was 9, in 1952.
What was Joe Tipton's career batting average?
Joe Tipton batted .236 over his career, with 264 hits in 1,117 at bats.
How many RBI did Joe Tipton have?
Joe Tipton drove in 125 runs in his career.
Is Joe Tipton in the Hall of Fame?
No. Joe Tipton has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.