Neal Watlington
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1953)
Neal Watlington was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball in 1953 for the Philadelphia Athletics. In 21 career games, he hit .159 with 7 hits and 3 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
- 6'0" / 195 lb
- Died
- 12/29/2019 in Yanceyville, NC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1953-07-12
- Last Game
- 1953-09-17
Full name: Julius Neal Watlington
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 44 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .159 | .213 | .182 | .395 | 0 |
Career AVG .159 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 39.8% below league average.
Career OBP .213 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 36.7% below league average.
Career SLG .182 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 54.2% below league average.
Career OPS .395 vs. league average .733 across their career seasons — 46.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | PHA | AL | 21 | 44 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .159 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 21 | 44 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .159 | — | — | — | — | 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 (21 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 11 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | .211 |
| Away | 10 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | .120 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-09-17 | PHA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-16 | PHA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-13 | PHA | SLA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-12 | PHA | CHW | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-09 | PHA | DET | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1953-09-07 | PHA | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-03 | PHA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-02 | PHA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-01 | PHA | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-08-23 | PHA | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 9 |
Neal Watlington: the record in brief
Between the debut on July 12, 1953 and the final game on September 17, 1953, Neal Watlington built the record summarized on this page. Watlington spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Philadelphia Athletics. Watlington played primarily as a catcher and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on December 25, 1922, in Yanceyville, NC, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-0 and 195 pounds. Watlington died on December 29, 2019, in Yanceyville, NC, USA. Neal Watlington was the playing name; the full given name is Julius Neal.
Across 21 games at the plate, Watlington's career line reads 7 hits in 44 at bats for a .159 average, along with 3 RBI. Watlington got on base at a .213 rate and slugged .182 (.395 OPS). The league as a whole hit .264 across Watlington's seasons, which puts the .159 career mark 39.8% below average. Only one season appears, 1953 for the Philadelphia Athletics, when Watlington played 21 games and went 7 for 44.
The game-log section draws on 21 games of Retrosheet box scores for Watlington.
Every defensive appearance on record for Watlington, 9 games, came at catcher.
Frequently Asked Questions about Neal Watlington
- Was Neal Watlington a pitcher?
- No. Neal Watlington was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Neal Watlington hit?
- Neal Watlington hit 0 career home runs with 7 hits.
- What teams did Neal Watlington play for?
- Neal Watlington played for one team, the Philadelphia Athletics (1953).
- What were Neal Watlington's career stats?
- In 21 games, Neal Watlington had 7 hits, 3 RBI, and 4 runs, with a .159 batting average.
- What position did Neal Watlington play?
- Neal Watlington played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Neal Watlington and how much did he weigh?
- Neal Watlington was listed at 6 feet and 195 pounds.
- What was Neal Watlington's career batting average?
- Neal Watlington batted .159 over his career, with 7 hits in 44 at bats.
- How many RBI did Neal Watlington have?
- Neal Watlington drove in 3 runs in his career.
- Is Neal Watlington in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Neal Watlington has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.