Sam Vico
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1949)
Sam Vico was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1949 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 2 seasons. In 211 career games, he hit .250 with 166 hits, 12 home runs, and 76 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'4" / 200 lb
- Died
- 1/14/1994 in Redondo Beach, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1948-04-20
- Last Game
- 1949-10-01
Full name: George Steve Vico
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 211 | 663 | 65 | 166 | 28 | 11 | 12 | 76 | 2 | 60 | 56 | .250 | .323 | .380 | .703 | -351 |
Career AVG .250 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .323 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 5.5% below league average.
Career SLG .380 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .703 vs. league average .723 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | DET | AL | 144 | 521 | 50 | 139 | 23 | 9 | 8 | 58 | 2 | 39 | 39 | .267 | .263 (+1%) | .340 (-4%) | .379 (+3%) | .719 (avg) | -113.8 |
| 1949 | DET | AL | 67 | 142 | 15 | 27 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 21 | 17 | .190 | .262 (-28%) | .343 (-9%) | .384 (-12%) | .727 (-11%) | -237.3 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 211 | 663 | 65 | 166 | 28 | 11 | 12 | 76 | 2 | 60 | 56 | .250 | — | — | — | — | -351 | ||
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 (211 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 103 | 320 | 32 | 78 | 7 | 33 | .244 |
| Away | 108 | 343 | 33 | 88 | 5 | 42 | .257 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-10-01 | DET | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949-09-30 | DET | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949-09-25 | DET | CLE | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949-09-24 | DET | CLE | W | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1949-09-23 | DET | CLE | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949-09-21 | DET | PHA | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949-09-20 | DET | PHA | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1949-09-18 | DET | MIN | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-18 | DET | MIN | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-09-17 | DET | NYY | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 195 |
Sam Vico: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 20, 1948 and the final game on October 1, 1949, Sam Vico built the record summarized on this page. Vico's only club in the season tables is the Detroit Tigers. Vico, a first baseman by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Height and weight on file: 6'4" and 200 pounds. The birth record reads August 9, 1923, in San Fernando, CA, USA. Vico died on January 14, 1994, in Redondo Beach, CA, USA. On the record, Sam Vico was born George Steve Vico.
The batting record for Vico: 211 games, 166 hits in 663 at bats, and a .250 average, plus 12 home runs and 76 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .323 and the slugging percentage .380, for an OPS of .703. Vico hit .250 while the league hit .263 over the same span, a figure close to average. 1948 produced Vico's most hits, 139 of them for the Detroit Tigers. 1948 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .267 against a league .263, a 1% edge.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Vico
- What years did Sam Vico play?
- Sam Vico played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1949.
- Was Sam Vico a pitcher?
- No. Sam Vico was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Sam Vico hit?
- Sam Vico hit 12 career home runs with 166 hits.
- What was Sam Vico's career batting average?
- Sam Vico batted .250 over his career, with 166 hits in 663 at bats.
- How many RBI did Sam Vico have?
- Sam Vico drove in 76 runs in his career.
- Is Sam Vico in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sam Vico has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.