Dick Groat, baseball player, 1952-1967

Dick Groat

Born: 11/4/1930 in Wilkinsburg, PA, USA

Died: 4/27/2023 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA

MLB Debut: 1952-06-18 | Final Game: 1967-10-01

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Richard Morrow Groat

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Biography

Dick Groat was a distinguished Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1952 to 1967. Born in 1930, Groat established himself as a formidable position player, participating in 1,929 games throughout his career. He amassed 2,138 hits, demonstrating consistent offensive prowess, and concluded his time in the league with a commendable batting average of .286. Groat's contributions to his teams were significant, as he recorded 39 home runs and 707 RBIs, while also showcasing his speed on the bases with 14 stolen bases. An eight-time All-Star, Groat was known for his exceptional defensive skills as well as his offensive capabilities, playing primarily as a shortstop. His era was marked by a transition in baseball styles, moving from the more traditional approaches of the early 1950s toward a more dynamic and athletic game. Groat's versatility and talent made him a key figure in the league during his active years, and he is remembered not only for his statistics but also for his impact on the teams he played for, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he won the World Series in 1960. His legacy endures as a celebrated figure in baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1929 7484 829 2138 352 67 39 707 14 490 512 0.286 0.330 0.366 0.696 -2255.9

Career AVG .286 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +13.0% above league average.

Career OBP .330 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .366 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.696 vs. league average 0.703 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1952 PIT NL 95 384 38 109 6 1 1 29 2 19 27 0.284 .252 (+12%) .326 (-2%) .369 (-15%) .696 (-9%) -645.9
1955 PIT NL 151 521 45 139 28 2 4 51 0 38 26 0.267 .258 (+3%) .332 (-4%) .393 (-11%) .726 (-8%) -871.8
1956 PIT NL 142 520 40 142 19 3 0 37 0 35 25 0.273 .258 (+6%) .331 (-4%) .397 (-19%) .728 (-12%) -1306.9
1957 PIT NL 125 501 58 158 30 5 7 54 0 27 28 0.315 .257 (+22%) .323 (+8%) .391 (+12%) .715 (+10%) 871.1
1958 PIT NL 151 584 67 175 36 9 3 66 2 23 32 0.300 .257 (+16%) .324 (+1%) .394 (+3%) .719 (+2%) 80.4
1959 PIT NL 147 593 74 163 22 7 5 51 0 32 35 0.275 .256 (+7%) .323 (-4%) .392 (-8%) .715 (-6%) -808.1
1960 PIT NL 138 573 85 186 26 4 2 50 0 39 35 0.325 .255 (+27%) .323 (+15%) .387 (+2%) .711 (+8%) 962.3
1961 PIT NL 148 596 71 164 25 6 6 55 0 40 44 0.275 .258 (+7%) .328 (-3%) .399 (-8%) .727 (-6%) -730.1
1962 PIT NL 161 678 76 199 34 3 2 61 2 31 61 0.294 .257 (+14%) .326 (avg) .393 (-8%) .719 (-5%) -735.3
1963 STL NL 158 631 85 201 43 11 6 73 3 56 58 0.319 .246 (+29%) .308 (+22%) .371 (+21%) .680 (+22%) 2672.7
1964 STL NL 161 636 70 186 35 6 1 70 2 44 42 0.292 .250 (+17%) .312 (+7%) .377 (-2%) .690 (+2%) 231.0
1965 STL NL 153 587 55 149 26 5 0 52 1 56 50 0.254 .245 (+3%) .310 (+2%) .371 (-15%) .682 (-7%) -792.8
1966 PHI NL 155 584 58 152 21 4 2 53 2 40 38 0.260 .248 (+5%) .309 (+1%) .376 (-15%) .685 (-8%) -835.5
1967 PHI NL 10 26 3 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 4 0.115 — — — — 0.0
1967 SFG NL 34 70 4 12 1 1 0 4 0 6 7 0.171 .242 (-29%) .306 (-23%) .357 (-40%) .663 (-32%) 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
14 54 6 11 3 1 0 3 4 4 0.204

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1964 WS SLN 7 26 3 5 1 1 0 1 4 3 0.192
1960 WS PIT 7 28 3 6 2 0 0 2 0 1 0.214

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
2B 1 0 0 1 0 0
3B 27 27 21 52 2 4
SS 1877 1754 3505 5811 374 1237

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1952 PIT SS 94 0 229 272 25 61
1955 PIT SS 149 148 330 450 32 107
1956 PIT 3B 2 2 1 4 0 1
1956 PIT SS 141 136 287 420 34 74
1957 PIT 3B 2 2 0 5 1 0
1957 PIT SS 123 122 226 380 20 74
1958 PIT SS 149 149 307 461 20 127
1959 PIT SS 145 145 301 473 29 97
1960 PIT SS 136 136 237 443 24 92
1961 PIT 3B 1 1 2 1 0 0
1961 PIT SS 144 143 235 473 32 117
1962 PIT SS 161 161 314 521 38 126
1963 SLN SS 158 157 257 448 26 91
1964 SLN SS 160 160 249 499 40 91
1965 SLN 3B 2 3 0 5 0 1
1965 SLN SS 148 144 242 450 27 86
1966 PHI 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1966 PHI 3B 20 19 18 37 1 2
1966 PHI SS 139 133 260 454 19 79
1967 PHI SS 6 6 13 23 2 5
1967 SFN 2B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1967 SFN SS 24 14 18 44 6 10

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1
Second Base 1
Third Base 28
Shortstop 1877

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1964 TSN All-Star SS
1963 TSN All-Star SS
1960 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1960 Most Valuable Player
1960 TSN Player of the Year

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Duke University Durham NC 1951, 1952

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1963 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 190.0 280 4
1962 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 7.0 280 0
1960 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 276.0 336 16
1957 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 13.0 336 0
1952 Rookie of the Year NL 3rd 1.0 24 1