Rick Dempsey, baseball player, 1969-1992

Rick Dempsey

Born: 9/13/1949 in Fayetteville, TN, USA

MLB Debut: 1969-09-23 | Final Game: 1992-09-27

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: John Rikard Dempsey

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Biography

Rick Dempsey, born in 1949, was a versatile position player whose Major League Baseball career spanned from 1969 to 1992. Over his 23 seasons, Dempsey played in 1,766 games, accumulating 1,093 hits and 96 home runs while driving in 471 runs. Known for his exceptional defensive skills behind the plate, he was a key contributor to the success of several teams, most notably the Baltimore Orioles, where he became a fan favorite. His career batting average settled at .233, and he showcased a surprising speed for a catcher with 20 stolen bases. Dempsey's most notable achievement came during the 1983 World Series, where he was named the Most Valuable Player, solidifying his place in baseball history. His ability to handle pitchers and call games made him an invaluable asset during an era that emphasized strong defensive play and pitching. As a player who thrived in the competitive landscape of the early '80s, Dempsey left a lasting impact on the teams he played for and remains a respected figure in the annals of baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1766 4692 525 1093 223 12 96 471 20 592 736 0.233 0.319 0.347 0.666 -3922.4

Career AVG .233 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 9.4% below league average.

Career OBP .319 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .347 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 9.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.666 vs. league average 0.705 across their career seasons — 5.6% 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
1969 MIN AL 5 6 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1970 MIN AL 5 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1971 MIN AL 6 13 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.308 — — — — 0.0
1972 MIN AL 25 40 0 8 1 0 0 0 0 6 8 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1973 NYY AL 6 11 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.182 — — — — 0.0
1974 NYY AL 43 109 12 26 3 0 2 12 1 8 7 0.239 .256 (-7%) .324 (-11%) .369 (-13%) .693 (-12%) -228.7
1975 NYY AL 71 145 18 38 8 0 1 11 0 21 15 0.262 .257 (+2%) .327 (+8%) .374 (-10%) .701 (-1%) 19.3
1976 NYY AL 21 42 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 5 4 0.119 — — — — 0.0
1976 BAL AL 59 174 11 37 2 0 0 10 1 13 17 0.213 .255 (-17%) .320 (-14%) .360 (-38%) .681 (-27%) 0.0
1977 BAL AL 91 270 27 61 7 4 3 34 2 34 34 0.226 .264 (-14%) .329 (-5%) .401 (-22%) .730 (-14%) -658.3
1978 BAL AL 136 441 41 114 25 0 6 32 7 48 54 0.259 .257 (avg) .323 (+1%) .378 (-6%) .702 (-3%) -196.2
1979 BAL AL 124 368 48 88 23 0 6 41 0 38 37 0.239 .265 (-10%) .329 (-7%) .397 (-12%) .727 (-10%) -699.4
1980 BAL AL 119 362 51 95 26 3 9 40 3 36 45 0.262 .264 (-1%) .326 (+2%) .387 (+10%) .714 (+6%) 425.6
1981 BAL AL 92 251 24 54 10 1 6 15 0 32 36 0.215 .255 (-16%) .320 (-4%) .368 (-9%) .688 (-7%) -254.2
1982 BAL AL 125 344 35 88 15 1 5 36 0 46 37 0.256 .261 (-2%) .324 (+5%) .388 (-10%) .712 (-3%) -132.0
1983 BAL AL 128 347 33 80 16 2 4 32 1 40 54 0.231 .260 (-12%) .324 (-4%) .389 (-17%) .714 (-11%) -715.9
1984 BAL AL 109 330 37 76 11 0 11 34 1 40 58 0.230 .259 (-11%) .322 (-3%) .384 (-5%) .707 (-5%) -242.4
1985 BAL AL 132 362 54 92 19 0 12 52 0 50 87 0.254 .257 (-1%) .323 (+7%) .390 (+4%) .714 (+5%) 465.6
1986 BAL AL 122 327 42 68 15 1 13 29 1 45 78 0.208 .257 (-19%) .325 (-5%) .395 (-4%) .720 (-4%) -232.8
1987 CLE AL 60 141 16 25 10 0 1 9 0 23 29 0.177 .262 (-33%) .331 (-11%) .415 (-35%) .746 (-24%) -595.0
1988 LAD NL 77 167 25 42 13 0 7 30 1 25 44 0.251 .254 (-1%) .317 (+6%) .377 (+20%) .695 (+14%) 387.6
1989 LAD NL 79 151 16 27 7 0 4 16 1 30 37 0.179 .254 (-30%) .319 (avg) .375 (-19%) .694 (-10%) -179.1
1990 LAD NL 62 128 13 25 5 0 2 15 1 23 29 0.195 .257 (-24%) .324 (-2%) .385 (-27%) .710 (-16%) -279.3
1991 ATL AL 61 147 15 34 5 0 4 21 0 23 20 0.231 .255 (-10%) .323 (+2%) .384 (-10%) .708 (-4%) -78.4
1992 BAL AL 8 9 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0.111 — — — — 0.0

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 1 0 1 0 4.50 0

Career ERA 4.50 vs. league average 3.91 across their career seasons — 15.1% worse 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
1991 ATL AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 1 1 0 4.50 — -

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
25 66 11 20 11 0 1 7 7 8 0.303

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1988 NLCS LAN 4 5 1 2 2 0 0 2 1 0 0.400
1988 WS LAN 2 5 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 2 0.200
1983 ALCS BAL 4 12 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.167
1983 WS BAL 5 13 3 5 4 0 1 2 2 2 0.385
1979 ALCS BAL 3 10 3 4 2 0 0 2 1 0 0.400
1979 WS BAL 7 21 3 6 2 0 0 0 1 3 0.286

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 3 0 10 1 0 2
3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
C 1633 1343 7367 768 99 111
OF 23 10 25 2 1 1
P 2 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1969 MIN C 3 0 5 0 1 0
1970 MIN C 3 1 12 0 1 0
1971 MIN C 6 4 30 4 2 0
1972 MIN C 23 8 67 5 1 0
1973 NYA C 5 3 9 0 2 0
1974 NYA C 31 25 152 22 4 0
1974 NYA OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1975 NYA 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1975 NYA C 19 12 76 8 2 0
1975 NYA OF 8 7 16 1 1 1
1976 NYA C 9 7 39 5 0 0
1976 NYA OF 4 2 6 1 0 0
1976 BAL C 58 53 263 34 4 8
1976 BAL OF 3 1 0 0 0 0
1977 BAL C 91 84 416 52 11 10
1978 BAL C 135 130 636 79 11 14
1979 BAL C 124 112 615 81 7 13
1980 BAL 1B 2 0 10 1 0 2
1980 BAL C 112 95 531 54 8 8
1980 BAL OF 6 0 3 0 0 0
1981 BAL C 90 71 384 35 1 6
1982 BAL C 124 101 491 46 5 8
1983 BAL C 128 109 591 65 2 7
1984 BAL C 108 104 453 43 4 5
1985 BAL C 131 113 575 49 8 5
1986 BAL C 121 101 659 53 7 9
1987 CLE C 59 48 293 18 5 3
1988 LAN C 74 46 333 29 4 4
1989 LAN C 62 38 265 35 5 4
1990 LAN C 53 33 213 27 2 3
1991 ML4 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1991 ML4 C 56 44 246 23 2 4
1991 ML4 P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1992 BAL C 8 1 13 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 2
Catcher 1634
First Base 3
Third Base 1
Left Field 6
Right Field 17
Designated Hitter 21

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1983 Babe Ruth Award C
1983 World Series MVP

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1992 BAL AL $450,000
1991 ML4 AL $150,000
1990 LAN NL $500,000
1989 LAN NL $420,000
1988 LAN NL $250,000
1987 CLE AL $400,000
1986 BAL AL $442,066
1985 BAL AL $512,500
Total Career Earnings $3,124,566