Joe Astroth

Joseph Henry Astroth (September 1, 1922 – May 3, 2013) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and remained with the team when they moved west and became the Kansas City Athletics in 1955. He batted and threw right-handed, stood tall and weighed .

Early life Astroth was born in East Alton, Illinois, and attended Wood River High School in Wood River, Illinois. Astroth joined the United States Coast Guard in 1942 where, he served during World War II until his Honorable Discharge in 1945.

After two more seasons spent in the minor leagues, Astroth rejoined the Athletics in 1949 where he served as reserve catcher behind Mike Guerra. On September 23, 1950 Astroth had 6 runs batted in during the 6th inning of a game against the Washington Senators when, he hit a grand slam home run then followed with a two-run single later in the inning.

In 1951, Astroth had a career-high 30 runs scored in 64 games played. The following season, he posted his highest RBI total with 36 and in addition his high in home runs was five in the 1955 season. Astroth led the American League catchers in 1953 with a 72.1% caught stealing percentage and 13 double plays.

On May 16, 1956, Astroth's contract was purchased from the Kansas City Athletics by the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. After one season in San Diego, he played two more seasons in the minor leagues for the Buffalo Bisons of the International League. He played in his final professional baseball game in 1958 at the age of 35.

Career statistics In a ten-year major league career, Astroth played in 544 games, accumulating 401 hits in 1,579 at bats for a .254 career batting average along with 13 home runs, 156 runs batted in and a .334 on-base percentage. He ended his career with a .987 fielding percentage. Astroth played in more than 100 games in two seasons, 1952 and 1955.

Personal life and death After his baseball career, Astroth ran two family businesses—a bowling alley and a dairy bar—before working for General Copper and Brass in Collingdale, Pennsylvania. He died on May 3, 2013, in Boca Raton, Florida, at the age of 90.