A native of Shickshinny, Pennsylvania, Sawatski grew up in the Mountain View section of Wayne, New Jersey.

[1] A left-handed batter who threw right-handed, Sawatski the player stood 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) (178 cm) tall and weighed 210 pounds (95 kg).

Sawatski helped the Braves win the 1957 National League pennant, appearing in 58 games, 19 as a catcher (third-most among the club's backstops), and contributing six home runs to the Milwaukee cause.

Then, two seasons later, he led the Double-A Southern Association with 45 homers and batted .360, second in the league, while playing for the Nashville Vols..[3] After his playing career ended, Sawatski served as the general manager of the Arkansas Travelers of the Double-A Texas League, a Cardinal affiliate, from 1967 to 1975.

He then was elected president of the Texas League itself and served in the post from 1976 until his 1991 death in Little Rock at the age of 64.