He was known to friends and family as "Phil" and was also called "Philibuck", a nickname bestowed by Cubs manager Charlie Grimm.

Cavaretta attended Lane Technical High School on Chicago's North Side (now known as Lane Tech College Prep), where he played baseball and basketball,[2] and signed a professional contract with the Cubs before finishing high school.

Exempted from World War II service because of a perforated eardrum,[4] in 1944 Cavaretta batted .321 with a league-high 197 hits, had career highs with 106 runs, 35 doubles and 15 triples, and earned his first of four straight All-Star selections (reaching base a record five times in the game) though the Cubs suffered their fifth consecutive losing season.

In his 22-year major league career covering 2,030 games, Cavaretta compiled a .293 batting average (1,977-for-6,754) with 990 runs, 347 doubles, 99 triples, 95 home runs, 920 RBI, 65 stolen bases, 820 bases on balls, .372 on-base percentage and .416 slugging percentage.

He later managed in the minor leagues from 1956 to 1958 and again from 1965 to 1972, became a coach and scout with the Tigers, and was a New York Mets organizational hitting instructor.

Cavaretta was the last living player to have played against Babe Ruth in a major league game; he did so on May 12, 1935, against the Boston Braves.