Rick Aguilera, baseball player, 1985-2000

Rick Aguilera

Born: 12/31/1961 in San Gabriel, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1985-06-12 | Final Game: 2000-09-06

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Richard Warren Aguilera

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Biography

Rick Aguilera, born in 1961, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1985 until his retirement in 2000. Over the course of his career, Aguilera established himself as a reliable and effective reliever, finishing with a record of 86-81 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.57. He recorded 1,030 strikeouts and notched an impressive 318 saves, showcasing his ability to perform under pressure and secure victories for his teams. Aguilera's pitching style was characterized by a powerful fastball and a sharp slider, making him a formidable opponent for hitters throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Aguilera was selected as an All-Star three times, reflecting his status as one of the top closers of his era. He played for several teams during his career, including the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, and New York Mets, but is perhaps best remembered for his contributions to the Twins, where he was part of the organization during their 1991 World Series championship run. His longevity and consistent performance in the bullpen contributed significantly to the teams he played for, and he remains a respected figure in baseball history, particularly among fans of the teams he represented.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
86 81 732 89 10 0 318 1291.3 1233 512 138 351 1030 3.57 0

Career ERA 3.57 vs. league average 4.21 across their career seasons — 15.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1985 NYN NL 10 7 21 19 2 0 0 122.3 118 44 37 74 3.24 3.89 (+17%) 1920.1
1986 NYN NL 10 7 28 20 2 0 0 141.7 145 61 36 104 3.88 3.97 (+2%) 1394.8
1987 NYN NL 11 3 18 17 1 0 0 115.0 124 46 33 77 3.60 4.29 (+16%) 1371.3
1988 NYN NL 0 4 11 3 0 0 0 24.7 29 19 10 16 6.93 3.73 (-86%) -80.5
1989 NYN NL 6 6 36 0 0 0 7 69.3 59 18 21 80 2.34 3.71 (+37%) 2984.3
1989 MIN AL 3 5 11 11 3 0 0 75.7 71 27 17 57 3.21 3.71 (+13%) 1693.3
1990 MIN AL 5 3 56 0 0 0 32 65.3 55 20 19 61 2.76 3.86 (+29%) 1439.0
1991 MIN AL 4 5 63 0 0 0 42 69.0 44 18 30 61 2.35 3.91 (+40%) 1593.0
1992 MIN AL 2 6 64 0 0 0 41 66.7 60 21 17 52 2.83 3.75 (+24%) 586.8
1993 MIN AL 4 3 65 0 0 0 34 72.3 60 25 14 59 3.11 4.19 (+26%) 1090.1
1994 MIN AL 1 4 44 0 0 0 23 44.7 57 18 10 46 3.63 4.51 (+20%) 824.2
1995 MIN AL 1 1 22 0 0 0 12 25.0 20 7 6 29 2.52 4.45 (+43%) 1123.1
1995 BOS AL 2 2 30 0 0 0 20 30.3 26 9 7 23 2.67 4.45 (+40%) 349.2
1996 MIN AL 8 6 19 19 2 0 0 111.3 124 67 27 83 5.42 4.61 (-17%) -607.4
1997 MIN AL 5 4 61 0 0 0 26 68.3 65 29 22 68 3.82 4.39 (+13%) 874.2
1998 MIN AL 4 9 68 0 0 0 38 74.3 75 35 15 57 4.24 4.43 (+4%) 1474.1
1999 MIN AL 3 1 17 0 0 0 6 21.3 10 3 2 13 1.27 4.71 (+73%) 692.8
1999 CHC NL 6 3 44 0 0 0 8 46.3 44 19 10 32 3.69 4.71 (+22%) -
2000 CHC NL 1 2 54 0 0 0 29 47.7 47 26 18 38 4.91 4.77 (-3%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
737 139 12 28 3 0 3 11 0 6 37 0.201 0.234 0.288 0.522 -294.4

Career AVG .201 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — 23.3% below league average.

Career OBP .234 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 29.3% below league average.

Career SLG .288 vs. league average .406 across their career seasons — 29.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.522 vs. league average 0.737 across their career seasons — 29.2% below 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
1985 NYN NL 22 36 1 10 2 0 0 2 0 1 5 0.278 — — — — 0.0
1986 NYN NL 32 51 4 8 0 0 2 6 0 3 12 0.157 .257 (-39%) .325 (-37%) .395 (-31%) .720 (-34%) -294.4
1987 NYN NL 18 40 5 9 1 0 1 3 0 1 17 0.225 — — — — 0.0
1988 NYN NL 11 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1989 NYN NL 36 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1989 MIN AL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 MIN AL 56 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 MIN AL 63 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 MIN AL 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 MIN AL 65 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1994 MIN AL 44 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 MIN AL 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 BOS AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 MIN AL 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1997 MIN AL 61 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1998 MIN AL 68 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1999 MIN AL 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1999 CHC NL 44 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2000 CHC NL 54 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
15 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1995 ALDS1 BOS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1991 ALCS MIN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1991 WS MIN 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1988 NLCS NYN 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1986 NLCS NYN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1986 WS NYN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2 1 15 0 5 24.0 23 7 6 17 2.62

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1995 ALDS1 BOS 0 0 1 0 0 0.7 3 1 0 1 13.50
1991 ALCS MIN 0 0 3 0 3 3.3 1 0 0 3 0.00
1991 WS MIN 1 1 4 0 2 5.0 6 1 1 3 1.80
1988 NLCS NYN 0 0 3 0 0 7.0 3 1 2 4 1.29
1986 NLCS NYN 0 0 2 0 0 5.0 2 0 2 2 0.00
1986 WS NYN 1 0 2 0 0 3.0 8 4 1 4 12.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 732 89 99 177 5 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1985 NYN P 21 19 8 16 0 1
1986 NYN P 28 20 13 26 0 1
1987 NYN P 18 17 7 29 2 1
1988 NYN P 11 3 3 5 0 0
1989 NYN P 36 0 2 8 1 0
1989 MIN P 11 11 4 13 0 2
1990 MIN P 56 0 2 4 0 0
1991 MIN P 63 0 7 5 0 0
1992 MIN P 64 0 2 5 0 0
1993 MIN P 65 0 12 8 0 0
1994 MIN P 44 0 4 9 0 0
1995 MIN P 22 0 2 2 0 0
1995 BOS P 30 0 0 6 0 0
1996 MIN P 19 19 13 5 2 0
1997 MIN P 61 0 5 13 0 1
1998 MIN P 68 0 3 9 0 2
1999 MIN P 17 0 2 1 0 0
1999 CHN P 44 0 4 6 0 1
2000 CHN P 54 0 6 7 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 732

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1993 Pitcher of the Month June

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2000 CHN NL $3,500,000
1999 MIN AL $4,300,000
1998 MIN AL $2,750,000
1997 MIN AL $3,075,000
1996 MIN AL $3,500,000
1995 MIN AL $4,350,000
1994 MIN AL $3,260,000
1993 MIN AL $2,433,333
1992 MIN AL $2,308,333
1991 MIN AL $1,533,333
1990 MIN AL $648,000
1989 NYN NL $310,000
1988 NYN NL $295,000
1987 NYN NL $195,000
1986 NYN NL $130,000
Total Career Earnings $32,587,999

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Brigham Young University Provo UT 1981, 1982, 1983

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1991 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 11.0 392 0