Ron Cey, baseball player, 316 home runs, 1971-1987

Ron Cey

Born: 2/15/1948 in Tacoma, WA, USA

MLB Debut: 1971-09-03 | Final Game: 1987-07-12

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Ronald Charles Cey

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Biography

Ron Cey, born in 1948, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball who enjoyed a successful career from 1971 until his retirement in 1987. Known for his powerful bat and solid defensive skills, Cey played a total of 2,073 games, accumulating 1,868 hits and 316 home runs. He demonstrated his ability to drive in runs throughout his career, finishing with 1,139 RBIs and maintaining a batting average of .261. Cey also showcased his speed on the bases, stealing 24 bases during his time in the league. Cey was a key figure during the late 1970s and early 1980s, particularly noted for his contributions to the Los Angeles Dodgers during their championship runs. He earned six All-Star selections and was named the World Series MVP, highlighting his impact on the game during critical moments. His career coincided with a transformative era in baseball, where offensive power became increasingly valued, and he solidified his legacy as one of the standout third basemen of his generation. Cey's blend of power and consistency remains celebrated among fans and historians of the game.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2073 7162 977 1868 328 21 316 1139 24 1012 1235 0.261 0.354 0.445 0.799 19506.1

Career AVG .261 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .354 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — +9.1% above league average.

Career SLG .445 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +16.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.799 vs. league average 0.707 across their career seasons — +12.9% above 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
1971 LAD NL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1972 LAD NL 11 37 3 10 1 0 1 3 0 7 10 0.270 — — — — 0.0
1973 LAD NL 152 507 60 124 18 4 15 80 1 74 77 0.245 .256 (-5%) .325 (+4%) .378 (+2%) .703 (+3%) 356.6
1974 LAD NL 159 577 88 151 20 2 18 97 1 76 68 0.262 .256 (+2%) .324 (+8%) .369 (+8%) .693 (+8%) 999.7
1975 LAD NL 158 566 72 160 29 2 25 101 5 78 74 0.283 .257 (+10%) .327 (+14%) .374 (+27%) .701 (+21%) 2428.2
1976 LAD NL 145 502 69 139 18 3 23 80 0 89 74 0.277 .255 (+8%) .320 (+21%) .360 (+28%) .681 (+25%) 2676.8
1977 LAD NL 153 564 77 136 22 3 30 110 3 93 106 0.241 .264 (-9%) .329 (+5%) .401 (+12%) .730 (+9%) 1190.0
1978 LAD NL 159 555 84 150 32 0 23 84 2 96 96 0.270 .257 (+5%) .323 (+18%) .378 (+19%) .702 (+19%) 2404.9
1979 LAD NL 150 487 77 137 20 1 28 81 3 86 85 0.281 .265 (+6%) .329 (+18%) .397 (+26%) .727 (+22%) 2460.1
1980 LAD NL 157 551 81 140 25 0 28 77 2 69 92 0.254 .264 (-4%) .326 (+5%) .387 (+17%) .714 (+11%) 1360.1
1981 LAD NL 85 312 42 90 15 2 13 50 0 40 55 0.288 .255 (+13%) .320 (+16%) .368 (+29%) .688 (+23%) 1315.3
1982 LAD NL 150 556 62 141 23 1 24 79 3 57 99 0.254 .261 (-3%) .324 (avg) .388 (+10%) .712 (+5%) 561.7
1983 CHC NL 159 581 73 160 33 1 24 90 0 62 85 0.275 .260 (+6%) .324 (+6%) .389 (+18%) .714 (+13%) 1480.0
1984 CHC NL 146 505 71 121 27 0 25 97 3 61 108 0.240 .259 (-8%) .322 (avg) .384 (+15%) .707 (+8%) 799.5
1985 CHC NL 145 500 64 116 18 2 22 63 1 58 106 0.232 .257 (-10%) .323 (-2%) .390 (+4%) .714 (+1%) 166.8
1986 CHC NL 97 256 42 70 21 0 13 36 0 44 66 0.273 .257 (+6%) .325 (+18%) .395 (+29%) .720 (+24%) 1231.4
1987 OAK AL 45 104 12 23 6 0 4 11 0 22 32 0.221 .262 (-16%) .331 (+9%) .415 (-5%) .746 (+1%) 75.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
45 161 22 42 8 0 7 27 25 29 0.261

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1984 NLCS CHN 5 19 3 3 1 0 1 3 3 3 0.158
1981 NLCS LAN 5 18 1 5 1 0 0 3 3 2 0.278
1981 WS LAN 6 20 3 7 0 0 1 6 3 3 0.350
1978 NLCS LAN 4 16 4 5 1 0 1 3 2 4 0.312
1978 WS LAN 6 21 2 6 0 0 1 4 3 3 0.286
1977 NLCS LAN 4 13 4 4 1 0 1 4 2 4 0.308
1977 WS LAN 6 21 2 4 1 0 1 3 3 5 0.190
1974 NLCS LAN 4 16 2 5 3 0 1 1 3 2 0.312
1974 WS LAN 5 17 1 3 0 0 0 0 3 3 0.176

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 7 5 55 1 1 3
3B 1989 1974 1500 4018 223 315

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1972 LAN 3B 11 11 7 20 3 1
1973 LAN 3B 146 142 111 328 18 39
1974 LAN 3B 158 158 155 365 22 25
1975 LAN 3B 158 158 144 309 19 23
1976 LAN 3B 144 143 111 334 16 22
1977 LAN 3B 153 153 138 346 18 29
1978 LAN 3B 158 158 116 336 16 26
1979 LAN 3B 150 148 123 265 9 25
1980 LAN 3B 157 156 127 317 13 24
1981 LAN 3B 84 84 71 184 16 15
1982 LAN 3B 149 148 93 320 16 23
1983 CHN 3B 157 157 90 270 17 12
1984 CHN 3B 144 142 97 230 11 22
1985 CHN 3B 140 138 75 273 21 21
1986 CHN 3B 77 75 41 118 8 7
1987 OAK 1B 7 5 55 1 1 3
1987 OAK 3B 3 3 1 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 7
Third Base 1990
Designated Hitter 30

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-05-20
1982 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1981 Babe Ruth Award 3B
1981 Player of the Week Week of 1981-05-15
1981 World Series MVP
1977 Player of the Month April
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-04-22
1973 Player of the Week Week of 1973-05-18

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1987 CHN NL $1,050,000
1986 CHN NL $1,400,000
1985 CHN NL $1,450,000
Total Career Earnings $3,900,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Washington State University Pullman WA 1968

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1984 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 6.0 336 0
1977 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 60.0 336 0
1976 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 6.0 336 0
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 11.0 336 0
1974 Most Valuable Player NL 25th 1.0 336 0
1973 Rookie of the Year NL 6th 1.0 24 1