Benny Ayala

Born: 2/7/1951 in Yauco, P.R.

MLB Debut: 1974-08-27 | Final Game: 1985-10-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Benigno Ayala

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Biography

Benny Ayala, born in 1951, was a versatile position player who left his mark on Major League Baseball during his career from 1974 to 1985. With a playing style characterized by his power at the plate and solid defensive skills, Ayala played a total of 425 games across multiple teams, including the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Mets. He concluded his career with 217 hits, 38 home runs, and 145 RBIs, finishing with a batting average of .251. Ayala's era was marked by a transition in baseball, as the game began to evolve into a more power-driven sport in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While known for his ability to hit for power, Ayala also showcased speed on the basepaths, contributing 2 stolen bases during his career. His contributions were significant during a time when the game was increasingly embracing home run hitters, and he remains a notable figure for fans of the teams he represented.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
425	865	114	217	42	1	38	145	2	71	136	0.251	0.305	0.434	0.739	593.8

Career AVG .251 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .305 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 6.0% below league average.

Career SLG .434 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — +12.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.739 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — near 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
1974	NYN	NL	23	68	9	16	1	0	2	8	0	7	17	0.235	.256 (-8%)	.324 (-5%)	.369 (-8%)	.693 (-7%)	-77.4
1976	NYN	NL	22	26	2	3	0	0	1	2	0	2	6	0.115	—	—	—	—	0.0
1977	STL	NL	1	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
1979	BAL	AL	42	86	15	22	5	0	6	13	0	6	9	0.256	.265 (-4%)	.329 (-10%)	.397 (+32%)	.727 (+13%)	138.9
1980	BAL	AL	76	170	28	45	8	1	10	33	0	19	21	0.265	.264 (avg)	.326 (+3%)	.387 (+29%)	.714 (+17%)	484.1
1981	BAL	AL	44	86	12	24	2	0	3	13	0	11	9	0.279	.255 (+9%)	.320 (+14%)	.368 (+10%)	.688 (+12%)	201.2
1982	BAL	AL	64	128	17	39	6	0	6	24	1	5	14	0.305	.261 (+17%)	.324 (+2%)	.388 (+27%)	.712 (+15%)	312.0
1983	BAL	AL	47	104	12	23	7	0	4	13	0	9	18	0.221	.260 (-15%)	.324 (-14%)	.389 (+4%)	.714 (-4%)	-121.2
1984	BAL	AL	60	118	9	25	6	0	4	24	1	8	24	0.212	.259 (-18%)	.322 (-20%)	.384 (-5%)	.707 (-12%)	-291.6
1985	CLE	AL	46	76	10	19	7	0	2	15	0	4	17	0.250	.257 (-3%)	.323 (-12%)	.390 (+8%)	.714 (-1%)	-52.2

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
6	7	2	3	0	0	1	4	1	0	0.429

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	BB	AVG
1983	ALCS	BAL	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
1983	WS	BAL	1	1	1	1	0	1	0	1.000
1979	WS	BAL	4	6	1	2	1	2	1	0.333

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	3	2	24	0	0	2
OF	157	131	218	8	10	3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1974	NYN	OF	20	18	37	1	3	1
1976	NYN	OF	7	4	7	1	1	0
1977	SLN	OF	1	1	6	1	0	1
1979	BAL	OF	24	21	38	0	1	0
1980	BAL	OF	19	15	20	2	0	1
1981	BAL	OF	4	3	3	2	0	0
1982	BAL	1B	3	2	24	0	0	2
1982	BAL	OF	25	22	35	0	1	0
1983	BAL	OF	24	21	41	0	2	0
1984	BAL	OF	13	7	10	0	0	0
1985	CLE	OF	20	19	21	1	2	0