Sibby Sisti Stats

Sibby Sisti was born on Monday, July 26, 1920, in Buffalo, New York. Sisti was 18 years old when he broke into the big leagues on July 21, 1939, with the Boston Bees. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Sibby Sisti baseball stats page.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"The first four men inducted into the Boston Braves Hall of Fame after its formation by fans of the long-defunct National League club were Warren Spahn, John Sain, Tommy Holmes, and Sebastian "Sibby" Sisti. In order, that's one Hall of Famer, two All-Stars, and one .244 hitter who lasted for 14-plus years in the majors by playing wherever and whenever he was asked. Nobody questioned the selection. Sisti didn't belong in the class of Spahn, Sain, and Holmes as a ballplayer, yet for the many Braves fans who both watched him perform and attended reunions of the team during the last two decades he was the Boston Braves. The sad-eyed, gravel-voiced athlete-turned-truck driver symbolized the team's working-class demeanor better than perhaps any other individual, and delighted in returning to town and greeting old diehards who remembered the days of Earl Torgeson, Sam Jethroe, and fried clams at Braves Field." - Nowlin, Bill. Author. Spahn, Sain, and Teddy Ballgame: Boston's (almost) Perfect Baseball Summer of 1948. Rounder Books. 11 September 2008.

Sibby Sisti

Sibby Sisti Autograph on a 1991 Topps Archives Baseball Card (#124 | <a href='../baseball_cards/baseball_cards_oneset.php?s=1991top05' title='1991 Topps Archives Baseball Card Checklist'>Checklist</a>)

Sibby Sisti Autograph on a 1991 Topps Archives Baseball Card (#124 | Checklist)

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Birth Name:   Sebastian Daniel Sisti
Nickname:   Sibby
Born On:   07-26-1920  (Leo)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Buffalo, New York
Year of Death Data Died On:   04-24-2006 (500 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Amherst, New York
Cemetery:   Mount Calvary Cemetery, Cheektowaga, New York
High School:   Canisius High School (Buffalo, NY)
College:   None Attended
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Right   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   5-11   Player Weight Chart Weight:   175
First Game:   07-21-1939 (Age 18)
Last Game:   06-06-1954
Draft:   Not Applicable

Sibby Sisti

Sibby Sisti Pitching Stats

- - Did Not Pitch - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sibby Sisti

Sibby Sisti Hitting Stats

1939 19 Bees 63 215 19 49 7 1 1 0 11 12 0 38 5 - 0 5 .228 .269 .284
1940 20 Bees 123 459 73 115 19 5 6 0 34 36 0 64 8 - 4 4 .251 .311 .353
1941 21 Braves 140 541 72 140 24 3 1 0 45 38 1 76 8 - 1 8 .259 .309 .320
1942 22 Braves 129 407 50 86 11 4 4 0 35 45 0 55 13 - 4 10 .211 .296 .287
1946 26 Braves 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
1947 27 Braves 56 153 22 43 8 0 2 0 15 20 1 17 6 - 2 4 .281 .371 .373
1948 28 Braves 83 221 30 54 6 2 0 0 21 31 4 34 8 - 1 4 .244 .340 .290
1949 29 Braves 101 268 39 69 12 0 5 0 22 34 0 42 8 - 1 9 .257 .343 .358
1950 30 Braves 69 105 21 18 3 1 2 1 11 16 0 19 1 - 1 3 .171 .287 .276
1951 31 Braves 114 362 46 101 20 2 2 0 38 32 0 50 3 - 2 5 .279 .341 .362
1952 32 Braves 90 245 19 52 10 1 4 0 24 14 1 43 10 - 0 9 .212 .255 .310
1953 33 Braves 38 23 8 5 1 0 0 0 4 5 0 2 0 - 0 1 .217 .357 .261
1954 34 Braves 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000
13 Years 1,016 2,999 401 732 121 19 27 1 260 283 7 440 70 0 16 62 .244 .313 .324

Sibby Sisti

Sibby Sisti Fielding Stats

1939 Bees 2B 34 31 771 175 5.1 174 91 83 1 24 n/a n/a n/a .994 6.09
1939 Bees 3B 17 15 387 62 3.6 58 21 37 4 3 n/a n/a n/a .935 4.05
1939 Bees SS 10 7 183 59 5.9 56 24 32 3 5 n/a n/a n/a .949 8.26
1940 Bees 2B 16 11 255 59 3.7 58 25 33 1 7 n/a n/a n/a .983 6.14
1940 Bees 3B 102 101 2,610 330 3.2 309 117 192 21 21 n/a n/a n/a .936 3.20
1941 Braves 2B 2 1 27 8 4.0 7 4 3 1 1 n/a n/a n/a .875 7.00
1941 Braves 3B 137 136 3,282 490 3.6 449 162 287 41 28 n/a n/a n/a .916 3.69
1941 Braves SS 2 0 3 6 3.0 4 3 1 2 0 n/a n/a n/a .667 36.00
1942 Braves 2B 124 118 2,862 675 5.4 655 304 351 20 66 n/a n/a n/a .970 6.18
1942 Braves CF 1 0 1 2 2.0 2 2 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 54.00
1946 Braves 3B 1 0 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1947 Braves 2B 1 0 6 1 1.0 1 0 1 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 4.50
1947 Braves SS 51 44 1,143 226 4.4 214 93 121 12 24 n/a n/a n/a .947 5.06
1948 Braves 2B 44 41 1,077 217 4.9 211 104 107 6 19 n/a n/a n/a .972 5.29
1948 Braves SS 26 24 534 110 4.2 102 36 66 8 13 n/a n/a n/a .927 5.16
1949 Braves 2B 21 13 405 74 3.5 73 38 35 1 7 n/a n/a n/a .986 4.87
1949 Braves 3B 1 0 6 2 2.0 2 1 1 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.00
1949 Braves CF 13 13 303 26 2.0 25 25 0 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .962 2.23
1949 Braves LF 23 17 318 138 6.0 137 135 2 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .993 11.63
1949 Braves RF 13 10 279 226 17.4 226 226 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 21.87
1949 Braves SS 18 18 477 79 4.4 74 32 42 5 3 n/a n/a n/a .937 4.19
1950 Braves 1B 1 1 3 2 2.0 2 2 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 18.00
1950 Braves 2B 19 17 423 88 4.6 83 42 41 5 8 n/a n/a n/a .943 5.30
1950 Braves 3B 13 6 201 31 2.4 29 14 15 2 0 n/a n/a n/a .935 3.90
1950 Braves RF 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1950 Braves SS 23 0 156 29 1.3 27 14 13 2 3 n/a n/a n/a .931 4.67
1951 Braves 1B 1 0 24 8 8.0 8 8 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.00
1951 Braves 2B 52 47 1,269 249 4.8 243 129 114 6 23 n/a n/a n/a .976 5.17
1951 Braves 3B 6 0 54 6 1.0 6 3 3 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 3.00
1951 Braves RF 1 0 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1951 Braves SS 55 44 1,176 216 3.9 204 91 113 12 24 n/a n/a n/a .944 4.68
1952 Braves 2B 33 26 705 148 4.5 143 73 70 5 14 n/a n/a n/a .966 5.48
1952 Braves 3B 9 8 234 33 3.7 29 10 19 4 2 n/a n/a n/a .879 3.35
1952 Braves LF 6 2 102 10 1.7 10 10 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.65
1952 Braves RF 18 18 408 28 1.6 26 26 0 2 0 n/a n/a n/a .929 1.72
1952 Braves SS 18 12 327 70 3.9 65 25 40 5 6 n/a n/a n/a .929 5.37
1953 Braves 2B 13 6 186 19 1.5 19 10 9 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.76
1953 Braves 3B 4 0 36 9 2.3 7 2 5 2 0 n/a n/a n/a .778 5.25
1953 Braves SS 6 0 33 5 0.8 5 1 4 0 2 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 4.09
2B Totals 359 311 7,986 1,713 4.8 1,667 820 847 46 170 n/a n/a n/a .973 5.64
3B Totals 290 266 6,813 963 3.3 889 330 559 74 55 n/a n/a n/a .923 3.52
SS Totals 209 149 4,032 800 3.8 751 319 432 49 80 n/a n/a n/a .939 5.03
RF Totals 33 28 690 254 7.7 252 252 0 2 0 n/a n/a n/a .992 9.86
LF Totals 29 19 420 148 5.1 147 145 2 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .993 9.45
CF Totals 14 13 304 28 2.0 27 27 0 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .964 2.40
1B Totals 2 1 27 10 5.0 10 10 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 10.00
12 Years 936 787 20,272 3,916 4.2 3,743 1,903 1,840 173 305 n/a n/a n/a .956 4.99

Sibby Sisti

Sibby Sisti Miscellaneous Stats

1939 Bees 4 2 .667 1 1 n/a 215.0 5.7 19.5 - - -
1940 Bees 4 2 .667 2 3 n/a 76.5 7.2 13.5 - - -
1941 Braves 7 1 .875 1 0 n/a 541.0 7.1 12.0 - - -
1942 Braves 5 2 .714 3 1 n/a 101.8 7.4 11.6 - - -
1946 Braves 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 0.0 0.0 - - -
1947 Braves 2 0 1.000 3 1 n/a 76.5 9.0 10.2 - - -
1948 Braves 0 0 .000 4 9 n/a 0.0 6.5 10.5 - - -
1949 Braves 1 4 .200 9 12 n/a 53.6 6.4 12.2 - - -
1950 Braves 1 2 .333 8 13 n/a 52.5 5.5 9.5 - - -
1951 Braves 4 5 .444 5 6 n/a 181.0 7.2 9.5 - - -
1952 Braves 2 0 1.000 17 2 n/a 61.3 5.7 10.2 - - -
1953 Braves 0 0 .000 3 18 n/a 0.0 11.5 5.8 - - -
1954 Braves 0 0 .000 0 9 n/a 0.0 0.0 0.0 - - -
13 Years 30 18 .625 56 75 n/a 111.1 6.8 11.5 - - -

Sibby Sisti

Sibby Sisti Miscellaneous Items of Interest

1939 Boston Bees 5, 25 $2,400.00 - -
1940 Boston Bees 1 $2,700.00 - -
1941 Boston Braves 1 $3,600.00 - -
1942 Boston Braves 2 $4,800.00 - -
1946 Boston Braves 2 $4,800.00 - -
1947 Boston Braves 7 $6,000.00 - -
1948 Boston Braves 7 $8,000.00 - Stats
1949 Boston Braves 7 $10,000.00 - -
1950 Boston Braves 7 $12,000.00 - -
1951 Boston Braves 13 $11,000.00 - -
1952 Boston Braves 13 $12,000.00 - -
1953 Milwaukee Braves 13 $11,000.00 - -
1954 Milwaukee Braves 13 $11,000.00 - -

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Sebastian Daniel Sisti was a Major League Baseball player with the Boston Bees (1939-1940), Boston Braves (1941-1952), and Milwaukee Braves (1953-1954). Did you know that Sibby, his nickname, was enshrined into the Boston Braves Hall of Fame, the Canisius High Hall of Fame, the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame — which has this superb biography on his page:

SIBBY SISTI ROOKIE CARD

Sibby Sisti Rookie Card | 1949 Bowman Baseball Card (#201 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library

SIBBY SISTI BIOGRAPHY

While power hitters and over-powering pitchers normally grab headlines in Major League Baseball, the contributions of role players are just as critical to a ballclub’s success. Few examples in major league history drive home that point more emphatically than the case of Buffalo’s Sibby Sisti.

A Canisius High graduate, Sisti joined the National League’s Boston Braves at the tender age of 18 in 1939. With the exception of time spent in the military (1943-1945), and a year at Indianapolis in which a .343 batting average won him Minor League Player of the Year honors from the Sporting News, Sisti spent the next fifteen years in a Braves uniform. His hustle and perseverance in the face of numerous injuries made him a fan favorite, and his mastery of the subtle nuances of the game and constant state of readiness won him the confidence of managers Casey Stengel and Billy Southworth.

One of the first true utility players, Sibby played every position on the diamond except catcher. His most notable contribution as a substitute came in 1948, when he took over the second-base duties for injured star Eddie Stanky in June, and helped spark the Braves to their first pennant since 1914.

Sisti’s career statistics are not eye-catching. His highest batting average for a season was .281, and his career high in doubles and runs batted in were a modest 24 and 45, respectively (in 1941). However, in a game where every position on the field demands specialized skills, Sisti crafted a career from the ability to play any position at any time, often on short notice. Baseball’s offensive stars rest secure in the familiarity of a single defensive position; Sisti played with the pressure and anxiety borne of the fact that speed and multi-faceted defense skill was the key to his survival in the big leagues. In that perspective, Sisti’s .244 career batting average is respectable, and the longevity which produced 1,016 major league games and 2,999 major league at-bats is testament to the value of his versatility. Speed was the key for Sisti, offensively and defensively (he was also a shrewd and skillful bunter).

After retiring as a player, Sisti managed and coached in six different cities, including Buffalo. Although his active life in baseball ended in the 1970s, Sibby has maintained ties to his former colleagues, frequenting the golf tournaments at which former big-leaguers gather to reminisce and spin tall tales.

Sisti achieved great popularity with the fans during his days in Boston (he is a member of the Braves Hall of Fame), and has also achieved notoriety in his hometown with his selection to the Canisius High Hall of Fame and the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2001, his selection to the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame adds a fitting exclamation point to his baseball career.

Source: Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame (link).

Sibby Sisti and Robert Redford

Sibby Sisti and Robert Redford | The Natural (1984) | IMDB.com

The Internet Movie Database (Source) has a brief entry for Sibby Sisti also, it reads, "Sibby Sisti was born on July 26, 1920 in Buffalo, New York, USA as Sebasitan Daniel Sisti. He was an actor, known for The Natural (1984) and 1948 World Series (1948). He died on April 24, 2006 in Amherst, New York." Sibby actually did serve as a consultant on the the film and played the role of the Pittsburgh manager (photo above).

The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year was once awarded annually to the best minor leaguer. First awarded in 1936, discontinued in 2005, making Sibby Sisti — who won in 1946 — one of six shortstops to ever receive the honor, joining Phil Rizzuto (1940), Bobby Grich (1971), Jose Offerman (1990), Derek Jeter (1994) and Brandon Wood (2005).