Johnny Wyrostek
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1942-1954)
Johnny Wyrostek was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1954 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,221 career games, he hit .271 with 1,149 hits, 58 home runs, and 481 RBI. Johnny Wyrostek was a 2-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,624.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 180 lb
- Died
- 12/12/1986 in St. Louis, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1942-09-10
- Last Game
- 1954-09-26
- Awards
- 2× All-Star
Full name: John Barney Wyrostek
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,221 | 4,240 | 525 | 1,149 | 209 | 45 | 58 | 481 | 33 | 482 | 437 | .271 | .349 | .383 | .731 | 2,624 |
Career AVG .271 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .349 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .383 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .731 vs. league average .709 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | PIT | NL | 9 | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .114 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1943 | PIT | NL | 51 | 79 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 15 | .152 | .255 (-41%) | .324 (-44%) | .346 (-45%) | .671 (-44%) | -539.1 |
| 1946 | PHI | NL | 145 | 545 | 73 | 153 | 30 | 4 | 6 | 45 | 7 | 70 | 42 | .281 | .256 (+9%) | .328 (+11%) | .358 (+7%) | .687 (+9%) | 1098.6 |
| 1947 | PHI | NL | 128 | 454 | 68 | 124 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 51 | 7 | 61 | 45 | .273 | .262 (+4%) | .336 (+8%) | .376 (+4%) | .712 (+6%) | 605.8 |
| 1948 | CIN | NL | 136 | 512 | 74 | 140 | 24 | 9 | 17 | 76 | 7 | 52 | 63 | .273 | .263 (+4%) | .340 (+1%) | .379 (+20%) | .719 (+11%) | 1002.7 |
| 1949 | CIN | NL | 134 | 474 | 54 | 118 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 46 | 7 | 58 | 63 | .249 | .262 (-5%) | .343 (-3%) | .384 (-5%) | .727 (-4%) | -306.4 |
| 1950 | CIN | NL | 131 | 509 | 70 | 145 | 34 | 5 | 8 | 76 | 1 | 52 | 38 | .285 | .265 (+7%) | .346 (+3%) | .401 (+4%) | .747 (+4%) | 355.9 |
| 1951 | CIN | NL | 142 | 537 | 52 | 167 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 61 | 2 | 54 | 54 | .311 | .260 (+19%) | .336 (+12%) | .385 (+1%) | .721 (+6%) | 766.4 |
| 1952 | CIN | NL | 30 | 106 | 12 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 18 | 7 | .236 | .252 (-7%) | .326 (+6%) | .369 (-11%) | .696 (-3%) | -12.6 |
| 1952 | PHI | NL | 98 | 321 | 45 | 88 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 37 | 1 | 44 | 26 | .274 | .252 (+9%) | .326 (+11%) | .369 (-5%) | .696 (+3%) | -12.6 |
| 1953 | PHI | NL | 125 | 409 | 42 | 111 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 47 | 0 | 38 | 43 | .271 | .264 (+3%) | .335 (+1%) | .397 (-10%) | .733 (-5%) | -260.1 |
| 1954 | PHI | NL | 92 | 259 | 28 | 62 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 29 | 39 | .239 | .261 (-8%) | .333 (-6%) | .390 (-10%) | .723 (-8%) | -358.5 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 1,221 | 4,240 | 525 | 1,149 | 209 | 45 | 58 | 481 | 33 | 482 | 437 | .271 | — | — | — | — | 2,340 | ||
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 (1221 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 600 | 2063 | 276 | 567 | 29 | 248 | .275 |
| Away | 621 | 2177 | 249 | 582 | 29 | 234 | .267 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-09-26 | PHI | NY1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1954-09-25 | PHI | NY1 | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1954-09-24 | PHI | NY1 | W | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1954-09-24 | PHI | NY1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-09-23 | PHI | PIT | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-09-22 | PHI | PIT | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1954-09-22 | PHI | PIT | W | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1954-09-18 | PHI | NY1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1954-09-17 | PHI | NY1 | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1954-09-15 | PHI | STL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 28 | 21 | 215 | 11 | 3 | 25 |
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| OF | 1105 | 48 | 2372 | 96 | 64 | 15 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | PIT | OF | 8 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1943 | PIT | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1943 | PIT | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943 | PIT | 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1943 | PIT | OF | 20 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1946 | PHI | OF | 142 | 0 | 388 | 18 | 8 | 4 |
| 1947 | PHI | OF | 126 | 0 | 261 | 11 | 8 | 2 |
| 1948 | CIN | OF | 130 | 0 | 331 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
| 1949 | CIN | OF | 129 | 0 | 293 | 10 | 9 | 1 |
| 1950 | CIN | 1B | 4 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 1950 | CIN | OF | 129 | 0 | 238 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| 1951 | CIN | OF | 139 | 0 | 255 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
| 1952 | CIN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1952 | CIN | OF | 29 | 0 | 70 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952 | PHI | OF | 88 | 0 | 202 | 10 | 6 | 1 |
| 1953 | PHI | OF | 110 | 0 | 192 | 11 | 8 | 2 |
| 1954 | PHI | 1B | 22 | 21 | 187 | 9 | 3 | 20 |
| 1954 | PHI | OF | 55 | 48 | 90 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 28 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 2 |
| Left Field | 51 |
| Center Field | 402 |
| Right Field | 688 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1948 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 20th | 9.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Johnny Wyrostek (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Johnny Wyrostek: the record in brief
The profile opens with Johnny Wyrostek's first major league game on September 10, 1942; the last one listed came on September 26, 1954. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1942 through 1943), the Philadelphia Phillies (1946 through 1954), and the Cincinnati Reds (1948 to 1952). Listed as an outfielder, Wyrostek threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Height and weight on file: 6'2" and 180 pounds. The birth record reads July 12, 1919, in Fairmont City, IL, USA. Wyrostek's death is recorded on December 12, 1986, in St. Louis, MO, USA. The given name on file is John Barney Wyrostek.
The batting record for Wyrostek: 1,221 games, 1,149 hits in 4,240 at bats, and a .271 average, along with 58 homers, 481 RBI, and 33 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .349 clip and slugging .383, Wyrostek finished with a .731 OPS. Against a .260 league average for those years, Wyrostek's .271 average was near the norm. 1948 was Wyrostek's biggest home run year, with 17.
Frequently Asked Questions about Johnny Wyrostek
- What years did Johnny Wyrostek play?
- Johnny Wyrostek played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1954.
- Was Johnny Wyrostek a pitcher?
- No. Johnny Wyrostek was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Johnny Wyrostek hit?
- Johnny Wyrostek hit 58 career home runs with 1,149 hits.
- What teams did Johnny Wyrostek play for?
- Johnny Wyrostek played for 3 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1942–1943), the Philadelphia Phillies (1946–1947, 1952–1954), and the Cincinnati Reds (1948–1952).
- Did Johnny Wyrostek win an MVP award?
- No. Johnny Wyrostek did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Johnny Wyrostek win?
- Johnny Wyrostek was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were Johnny Wyrostek's career stats?
- In 1,221 games, Johnny Wyrostek had 1,149 hits, 58 home runs, 481 RBI, 525 runs, and 33 stolen bases, with a .271 batting average.
- What position did Johnny Wyrostek play?
- Johnny Wyrostek played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Johnny Wyrostek and how much did he weigh?
- Johnny Wyrostek was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Johnny Wyrostek hit each season?
- Johnny Wyrostek's home runs by season: 0 in 1942, 0 in 1943, 6 in 1946, 5 in 1947, 17 in 1948, 9 in 1949, 8 in 1950, 2 in 1951, 2 in 1952, 6 in 1953, and 3 in 1954. His most in one season was 17, in 1948.
- What was Johnny Wyrostek's career batting average?
- Johnny Wyrostek batted .271 over his career, with 1,149 hits in 4,240 at bats.
- How many RBI did Johnny Wyrostek have?
- Johnny Wyrostek drove in 481 runs in his career.
- Is Johnny Wyrostek in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Johnny Wyrostek has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Johnny Wyrostek make?
- Johnny Wyrostek was selected to 2 All-Star Games.