Sammy White
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1951-1962)
Sammy White was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1962 for the Boston Red Sox, the Milwaukee Braves, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,043 career games, he hit .262 with 916 hits, 66 home runs, and 421 RBI. Sammy White was an All-Star.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 195 lb
- Died
- 8/4/1991 in Princeville, HI, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1951-09-26
- Last Game
- 1962-08-23
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Sammy Charles White
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,043 | 3,502 | 324 | 916 | 167 | 20 | 66 | 421 | 14 | 218 | 381 | .262 | .305 | .377 | .682 | -3,443 |
Career AVG .262 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .305 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 7.3% below league average.
Career SLG .377 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .682 vs. league average .721 across their career seasons — 5.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | BOS | AL | 4 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1952 | BOS | AL | 115 | 381 | 35 | 107 | 20 | 2 | 10 | 49 | 2 | 16 | 43 | .281 | .252 (+11%) | .326 (-5%) | .369 (+14%) | .696 (+5%) | 197.6 |
| 1953 | BOS | AL | 136 | 476 | 59 | 130 | 34 | 2 | 13 | 64 | 3 | 29 | 48 | .273 | .264 (+3%) | .335 (-5%) | .397 (+9%) | .733 (+3%) | 88.1 |
| 1954 | BOS | AL | 137 | 493 | 46 | 139 | 25 | 2 | 14 | 75 | 1 | 21 | 50 | .282 | .261 (+8%) | .333 (-8%) | .390 (+9%) | .723 (+1%) | -94.8 |
| 1955 | BOS | AL | 143 | 544 | 65 | 142 | 30 | 4 | 11 | 64 | 1 | 44 | 58 | .261 | .258 (+1%) | .332 (-3%) | .393 (-1%) | .726 (-2%) | -184.8 |
| 1956 | BOS | AL | 114 | 392 | 28 | 96 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 44 | 2 | 35 | 40 | .245 | .258 (-5%) | .331 (-8%) | .397 (-17%) | .728 (-13%) | -822.8 |
| 1957 | BOS | AL | 111 | 340 | 24 | 73 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 31 | 0 | 25 | 38 | .215 | .257 (-17%) | .323 (-18%) | .391 (-29%) | .715 (-24%) | -1286.6 |
| 1958 | BOS | AL | 102 | 328 | 25 | 85 | 15 | 3 | 6 | 35 | 1 | 21 | 37 | .259 | .257 (avg) | .324 (-6%) | .394 (-4%) | .719 (-5%) | -300.0 |
| 1959 | BOS | AL | 119 | 377 | 34 | 107 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 42 | 4 | 23 | 39 | .284 | .256 (+11%) | .323 (avg) | .392 (-11%) | .715 (-6%) | -377.6 |
| 1961 | ML1 | NL | 21 | 63 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 9 | .222 | .258 (-14%) | .328 (-26%) | .399 (-28%) | .727 (-27%) | -289.2 |
| 1962 | PHI | NL | 41 | 97 | 7 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .216 | .257 (-16%) | .326 (-27%) | .393 (-19%) | .719 (-23%) | -373.3 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 1,043 | 3,502 | 324 | 916 | 167 | 20 | 66 | 421 | 14 | 218 | 381 | .262 | — | — | — | — | -3,443 | ||
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 (1043 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 524 | 1798 | 196 | 506 | 36 | 238 | .281 |
| Away | 519 | 1704 | 128 | 411 | 30 | 183 | .241 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-08-23 | PHI | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962-08-19 | PHI | PIT | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-08-10 | PHI | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-08-06 | PHI | SFG | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-08-04 | PHI | ATL | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-07-27 | PHI | PIT | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962-07-23 | PHI | CHC | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-07-22 | PHI | ATL | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962-07-20 | PHI | ATL | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962-07-19 | PHI | HOU | W | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | BOS | C | 4 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1952 | BOS | C | 110 | 0 | 464 | 59 | 9 | 7 |
| 1953 | BOS | C | 131 | 0 | 588 | 68 | 9 | 9 |
| 1954 | BOS | C | 133 | 124 | 677 | 80 | 16 | 11 |
| 1955 | BOS | C | 143 | 142 | 671 | 71 | 12 | 8 |
| 1956 | BOS | C | 114 | 112 | 547 | 60 | 10 | 13 |
| 1957 | BOS | C | 111 | 105 | 489 | 49 | 8 | 13 |
| 1958 | BOS | C | 102 | 91 | 450 | 38 | 6 | 8 |
| 1959 | BOS | C | 119 | 111 | 557 | 56 | 6 | 8 |
| 1961 | ML1 | C | 20 | 18 | 107 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 1962 | PHI | C | 40 | 31 | 173 | 19 | 5 | 4 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1028 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Washington | Seattle | WA | 1947, 1948 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 24th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1952 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 27th | 4.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1952 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 3rd | 7.0 | 24 | 7 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Sammy White (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Sammy White: the record in brief
September 26, 1951 and August 23, 1962 bracket Sammy White's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Boston Red Sox (1951 to 1959), the Milwaukee Braves (1961), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1962). White is listed as a catcher at 6 feet, 3 inches and 195 pounds. White batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is July 7, 1927, in Wenatchee, WA, USA. The bio records the death on August 4, 1991, in Princeville, HI, USA. White's full given name, per the bio, is Sammy Charles White.
White finished with 916 hits from 3,502 at bats in 1,043 games, which works out to .262, along with 66 homers and 421 RBI. The on-base percentage is .305 and the slugging percentage .377, for an OPS of .682. The .262 career average is close to the .258 the league hit across the same seasons. In OPS terms, White's .682 stands 5.3% below the league's .721. The home run peak was 14 in 1954 with the Boston Red Sox.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sammy White
- What years did Sammy White play?
- Sammy White played in Major League Baseball from 1951 to 1962.
- Was Sammy White a pitcher?
- No. Sammy White was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Sammy White hit?
- Sammy White hit 66 career home runs with 916 hits.
- What was Sammy White's career batting average?
- Sammy White batted .262 over his career, with 916 hits in 3,502 at bats.
- How many RBI did Sammy White have?
- Sammy White drove in 421 runs in his career.
- Is Sammy White in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sammy White has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.