What years did John Wockenfuss play?

John Wockenfuss played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1985.

Was John Wockenfuss a pitcher?

No. John Wockenfuss was a position player (Catcher).

How many home runs did John Wockenfuss hit?

John Wockenfuss hit 86 career home runs with 543 hits.

What teams did John Wockenfuss play for?

John Wockenfuss played for 2 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1974–1983) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1984–1985).

What were John Wockenfuss's career stats?

In 795 games, John Wockenfuss had 543 hits, 86 home runs, 310 RBI, 267 runs, and 5 stolen bases, with a .262 batting average.

What position did John Wockenfuss play?

John Wockenfuss played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was John Wockenfuss and how much did he weigh?

John Wockenfuss was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.

How many home runs did John Wockenfuss hit each season?

John Wockenfuss's home runs by season: 0 in 1974, 4 in 1975, 3 in 1976, 9 in 1977, 7 in 1978, 15 in 1979, 16 in 1980, 9 in 1981, 8 in 1982, 9 in 1983, 6 in 1984, and 0 in 1985. His most in one season was 16, in 1980.

What was John Wockenfuss's career batting average?

John Wockenfuss batted .262 over his career, with 543 hits in 2,072 at bats.

How many RBI did John Wockenfuss have?

John Wockenfuss drove in 310 runs in his career.

Is John Wockenfuss in the Hall of Fame?

No. John Wockenfuss has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

John Wockenfuss

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1985)

John Wockenfuss was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1985 for the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 12 seasons. In 795 career games, he hit .262 with 543 hits, 86 home runs, and 310 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,742.

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 October 15, 2026

AVG .262

HR 86

RBI 310

H 543

OPS .782

PIV 4,742

Position: Catcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 6'0" / 190 lb
Born: 2/27/1949 in Welch, WV, USA
Died: 8/19/2022 in Wilmington, DE, USA
MLB Debut: 1974-08-11
Last Game: 1985-08-15

Full name: Johnny Bilton Wockenfuss

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Career Batting Statistics

John Wockenfuss — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
795	2,072	267	543	73	11	86	310	5	277	278	.262	.349	.432	.782	4,742

Career AVG .262 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .349 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +7.5% above league average.

Career SLG .432 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +12.8% above league average.

Career OPS .782 vs. league average .708 across their career seasons — +10.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Wockenfuss Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1974	DET	AL	13	29	1	4	1	0	0	2	0	3	2	.138	—	—	—	—	0.0
1975	DET	AL	35	118	15	27	6	3	4	13	0	10	15	.229	.257 (-11%)	.327 (-12%)	.374 (+16%)	.701 (+3%)	-12.6
1976	DET	AL	60	144	18	32	7	2	3	10	0	17	14	.222	.255 (-13%)	.320 (-4%)	.360 (avg)	.681 (-2%)	-31.0
1977	DET	AL	53	164	26	45	8	1	9	25	0	14	18	.274	.264 (+4%)	.329 (+1%)	.401 (+25%)	.730 (+14%)	371.8
1978	DET	AL	71	187	23	53	5	0	7	22	0	21	14	.283	.257 (+10%)	.323 (+10%)	.378 (+12%)	.702 (+11%)	409.4
1979	DET	AL	87	231	27	61	9	1	15	46	2	18	40	.264	.265 (-1%)	.329 (-3%)	.397 (+27%)	.727 (+14%)	518.0
1980	DET	AL	126	372	56	102	13	2	16	65	1	68	64	.274	.264 (+4%)	.326 (+19%)	.387 (+16%)	.714 (+17%)	1548.5
1981	DET	AL	70	172	20	37	4	0	9	25	0	28	22	.215	.255 (-16%)	.320 (+1%)	.368 (+7%)	.688 (+4%)	160.9
1982	DET	AL	70	193	28	58	9	0	8	32	0	29	21	.301	.261 (+15%)	.324 (+20%)	.388 (+21%)	.712 (+21%)	785.6
1983	DET	AL	92	245	32	66	8	1	9	44	1	31	37	.269	.260 (+3%)	.324 (+7%)	.389 (+8%)	.714 (+8%)	398.1
1984	PHI	NL	86	180	20	52	3	1	6	24	1	30	24	.289	.259 (+11%)	.322 (+21%)	.384 (+8%)	.707 (+14%)	593.5
1985	PHI	NL	32	37	1	6	0	0	0	2	0	8	7	.162	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 12 seasons			795	2,072	267	543	73	11	86	310	5	277	278	.262	—	—	—	—	4,742

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 (795 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

John Wockenfuss — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	423	1036	138	263	47	157	.254
Away	372	1036	129	280	39	153	.270

Last 10 Games — Batting

John Wockenfuss — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	H	RBI	BB	SO
1985-08-15	PHI	NYN	L	1	0	0	0	0
1985-08-02	PHI	STL	L	1	0	0	0	1
1985-07-22	PHI	HOU	W	1	0	0	0	1
1985-07-19	PHI	CIN	L	1	1	0	0	0
1985-07-14	PHI	ATL	L	1	0	0	0	0
1985-07-10	PHI	HOU	L	1	0	0	0	0
1985-07-06	PHI	CIN	L	1	1	0	0	0
1985-07-05	PHI	CIN	W	0	0	0	0	0
1985-06-21	PHI	PIT	W	3	0	1	1	1
1985-06-18	PHI	STL	L	1	0	0	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

John Wockenfuss — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	184	159	1275	85	15	132
3B	4	0	0	0	0	0
C	269	216	1212	119	39	17
OF	110	90	154	5	2	1

Season-by-Season Fielding

John Wockenfuss — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1974	DET	C	13	10	45	10	4	1
1975	DET	C	34	32	195	23	4	4
1976	DET	C	59	43	221	19	15	5
1977	DET	C	37	33	175	20	3	2
1977	DET	OF	9	7	6	0	0	0
1978	DET	OF	60	49	89	2	2	0
1979	DET	1B	31	25	205	18	1	22
1979	DET	C	20	18	109	8	2	0
1979	DET	OF	6	6	4	0	0	0
1980	DET	1B	52	45	415	35	8	41
1980	DET	C	25	23	123	10	3	2
1980	DET	OF	23	20	37	2	0	1
1981	DET	1B	25	23	179	5	3	27
1981	DET	C	5	2	15	1	0	0
1981	DET	OF	1	0	3	0	0	0
1982	DET	1B	17	14	122	3	0	9
1982	DET	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1982	DET	C	24	18	91	10	2	0
1982	DET	OF	10	8	15	1	0	0
1983	DET	1B	13	16	84	10	2	8
1983	DET	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1983	DET	C	29	22	141	11	0	2
1983	DET	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1984	PHI	1B	39	32	231	13	1	20
1984	PHI	3B	2	0	0	0	0	0
1984	PHI	C	21	15	92	7	6	1
1985	PHI	1B	7	4	39	1	0	5
1985	PHI	C	2	0	5	0	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

John Wockenfuss Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Catcher	268
First Base	187
Third Base	5
Left Field	42
Right Field	69
Designated Hitter	145

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

John Wockenfuss (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

John Wockenfuss: the record in brief

The profile opens with John Wockenfuss's first major league game on August 11, 1974; the last one listed came on August 15, 1985. The team column moves through the Detroit Tigers (1974 through 1983) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1984 through 1985). Listed as a catcher, Wockenfuss threw and hit right-handed. The recorded size is 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds. Wockenfuss was born on February 27, 1949, in Welch, WV, USA. Wockenfuss's death is recorded on August 19, 2022, in Wilmington, DE, USA. John Wockenfuss was the playing name; the full given name is Johnny Bilton.

In 795 games and 2,072 at bats, Wockenfuss batted .262 with 543 hits, along with 86 home runs and 310 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .349 and the slugging percentage .432, for an OPS of .782. Against a .260 league average for those years, Wockenfuss's .262 average was near the norm. By OPS the gap is 10.4% above league average (.782 against .708). The home run peak was 16 in 1980 with the Detroit Tigers.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Wockenfuss

What years did John Wockenfuss play?: John Wockenfuss played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1985.
Was John Wockenfuss a pitcher?: No. John Wockenfuss was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did John Wockenfuss hit?: John Wockenfuss hit 86 career home runs with 543 hits.
What teams did John Wockenfuss play for?: John Wockenfuss played for 2 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1974–1983) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1984–1985).
What were John Wockenfuss's career stats?: In 795 games, John Wockenfuss had 543 hits, 86 home runs, 310 RBI, 267 runs, and 5 stolen bases, with a .262 batting average.
What position did John Wockenfuss play?: John Wockenfuss played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was John Wockenfuss and how much did he weigh?: John Wockenfuss was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did John Wockenfuss hit each season?: John Wockenfuss's home runs by season: 0 in 1974, 4 in 1975, 3 in 1976, 9 in 1977, 7 in 1978, 15 in 1979, 16 in 1980, 9 in 1981, 8 in 1982, 9 in 1983, 6 in 1984, and 0 in 1985. His most in one season was 16, in 1980.
What was John Wockenfuss's career batting average?: John Wockenfuss batted .262 over his career, with 543 hits in 2,072 at bats.
How many RBI did John Wockenfuss have?: John Wockenfuss drove in 310 runs in his career.
Is John Wockenfuss in the Hall of Fame?: No. John Wockenfuss has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.