Rico Petrocelli

Born: 6/27/1943 in Brooklyn, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1963-09-21 | Final Game: 1976-09-14

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Americo Peter Petrocelli

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Biography

Rico Petrocelli, born in 1943, was a prominent infielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Boston Red Sox from 1963 to 1976. Known for his powerful bat and reliable defense, Petrocelli became a key figure in the Red Sox lineup during a transformative era in baseball. He participated in 1,553 games, accumulating 1,352 hits, 210 home runs, and 773 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .251. His ability to hit for power was particularly noteworthy, as he was one of the leading home run hitters for the Red Sox during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Petrocelli was selected to the All-Star Game twice during his career, a testament to his skill and impact on the field. He played a significant role in the Red Sox's success during a competitive period in the American League, displaying versatility as both a shortstop and third baseman. His ten stolen bases reflected his speed and base-running acumen, complementing his offensive contributions. Rico Petrocelli remains a memorable figure in the history of the Red Sox, celebrated for his contributions to the team and the game itself during a pivotal time in baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1553	5390	653	1352	237	22	210	773	10	661	926	0.251	0.332	0.420	0.752	10713.4

Career AVG .251 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .332 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .420 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — +14.2% above league average.

Career OPS 0.752 vs. league average 0.684 across their career seasons — +10.0% above 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
1963	BOS	AL	1	4	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1965	BOS	AL	103	323	38	75	15	2	13	33	0	36	71	0.232	.245 (-5%)	.310 (-1%)	.371 (+11%)	.682 (+6%)	306.9
1966	BOS	AL	139	522	58	124	20	1	18	59	1	41	99	0.238	.248 (-4%)	.309 (-5%)	.376 (+2%)	.685 (-1%)	-163.6
1967	BOS	AL	142	491	53	127	24	2	17	66	2	49	93	0.259	.242 (+7%)	.306 (+8%)	.357 (+17%)	.663 (+13%)	1200.3
1968	BOS	AL	123	406	41	95	17	2	12	46	0	31	73	0.234	.236 (-1%)	.298 (-2%)	.340 (+10%)	.638 (+4%)	234.4
1969	BOS	AL	154	535	92	159	32	2	40	97	3	98	68	0.297	.248 (+20%)	.320 (+26%)	.369 (+59%)	.689 (+44%)	4765.7
1970	BOS	AL	157	583	82	152	31	3	29	103	1	67	82	0.261	.253 (+3%)	.325 (+2%)	.385 (+23%)	.711 (+14%)	1434.5
1971	BOS	AL	158	553	82	139	24	4	28	89	2	91	108	0.251	.249 (+1%)	.316 (+12%)	.365 (+26%)	.682 (+20%)	2211.2
1972	BOS	AL	147	521	62	125	15	2	15	75	0	78	91	0.240	.243 (-2%)	.310 (+9%)	.353 (+2%)	.664 (+6%)	770.2
1973	BOS	AL	100	356	44	87	13	1	13	45	0	47	64	0.244	.256 (-5%)	.325 (+2%)	.378 (+5%)	.703 (+4%)	283.2
1974	BOS	AL	129	454	53	121	23	1	15	76	1	48	74	0.267	.256 (+4%)	.324 (+4%)	.369 (+14%)	.693 (+9%)	756.1
1975	BOS	AL	115	402	31	96	15	1	7	59	0	41	66	0.239	.257 (-7%)	.327 (-5%)	.374 (-11%)	.701 (-8%)	-614.1
1976	BOS	AL	85	240	17	51	7	1	3	24	0	34	36	0.212	.255 (-17%)	.320 (-4%)	.360 (-20%)	.681 (-13%)	-471.5

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
17	58	7	14	2	0	3	9	6	17	0.241

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1975	ALCS	BOS	3	12	1	2	0	1	2	0	3	0.167
1975	WS	BOS	7	26	3	8	1	0	4	3	6	0.308
1967	WS	BOS	7	20	3	4	1	2	3	3	8	0.200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	2	1	13	1	0	2
2B	5	5	9	13	0	4
3B	727	716	581	1453	63	150
SS	774	762	1283	2283	113	433

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1963	BOS	SS	1	1	3	2	1	0
1965	BOS	SS	93	93	151	278	19	45
1966	BOS	3B	5	5	5	9	0	3
1966	BOS	SS	127	125	206	381	28	69
1967	BOS	SS	141	137	223	402	19	73
1968	BOS	1B	1	1	9	1	0	2
1968	BOS	SS	117	115	169	360	12	66
1969	BOS	3B	1	1	0	3	1	0
1969	BOS	SS	153	153	269	466	14	103
1970	BOS	3B	18	18	14	37	1	3
1970	BOS	SS	141	138	262	393	20	77
1971	BOS	3B	156	156	118	334	11	37
1972	BOS	3B	146	146	146	278	13	38
1973	BOS	3B	99	99	73	224	6	22
1974	BOS	3B	116	115	83	219	12	23
1975	BOS	3B	113	111	85	229	13	13
1976	BOS	1B	1	0	4	0	0	0
1976	BOS	2B	5	5	9	13	0	4
1976	BOS	3B	73	65	57	120	6	11
1976	BOS	SS	1	0	0	1	0	0