R. A. Dickey, baseball player, 2001-2017

R. A. Dickey

Born: 10/29/1974 in Nashville, TN, USA

MLB Debut: 2001-04-22 | Final Game: 2017-09-26

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: Robert Allen Dickey

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Biography

R. A. Dickey, born in 1974, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball from 2001 until his retirement in 2017. Known for his unique knuckleball pitching style, Dickey's career was marked by both resilience and transformation, as he evolved from a conventional pitcher into one of the most effective knuckleballers of his era. Over his 16 seasons in the league, he achieved a career record of 120-118 and posted an earned run average (ERA) of 4.04. He recorded 1,477 strikeouts and notched 2 saves, showcasing his ability to dominate hitters despite the challenges that came with his unconventional approach. Dickey's career reached its pinnacle in 2012 when he was awarded the prestigious Cy Young Award, recognizing him as the best pitcher in the National League. In addition to this accolade, he was selected as an All-Star once during his career, solidifying his status among the top pitchers of his time. His journey through the majors included stints with several teams, but he is perhaps best remembered for his time with the New York Mets, where he captivated fans with his remarkable performances. R. A. Dickey's legacy as a knuckleball pitcher in an era dominated by power pitching left a lasting impact on the game, inspiring future generations to embrace the art of the knuckleball.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
120 118 400 300 15 6 2 2073.7 2033 930 264 663 1477 4.04 0

Career ERA 4.04 vs. league average 4.19 across their career seasons — near 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
2001 TEX AL 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 12.0 13 9 7 4 6.75 4.42 (-53%) -891.7
2003 TEX AL 9 8 38 13 1 1 1 116.7 135 66 38 94 5.09 4.40 (-16%) 271.9
2004 TEX AL 6 7 25 15 0 0 1 104.3 136 65 33 57 5.61 4.46 (-26%) -1795.9
2005 TEX AL 1 2 9 4 0 0 0 29.7 29 22 17 15 6.67 4.29 (-56%) -1038.7
2006 TEX AL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 3.3 8 7 1 1 18.90 — 0.0
2008 SEA AL 5 8 32 14 0 0 0 112.3 124 65 51 58 5.21 4.32 (-20%) -2663.2
2009 MIN AL 1 1 35 1 0 0 0 64.3 74 33 30 42 4.62 4.32 (-7%) -1094.6
2010 NYN NL 11 9 27 26 2 1 0 174.3 165 55 42 104 2.84 4.08 (+30%) 1954.3
2011 NYN NL 8 13 33 32 1 0 0 208.7 202 76 54 134 3.28 3.94 (+17%) 947.9
2012 NYN NL 20 6 34 33 5 3 0 233.7 192 71 54 230 2.73 4.01 (+32%) 4557.9
2013 TOR AL 14 13 34 34 3 1 0 224.7 207 105 71 177 4.21 3.87 (-9%) -4192.9
2014 TOR AL 14 13 34 34 1 0 0 215.7 191 89 74 173 3.71 3.74 (+1%) -3258.2
2015 TOR AL 11 11 33 33 2 0 0 214.3 195 93 61 126 3.91 3.96 (+1%) -2911.8
2016 TOR AL 10 15 30 29 0 0 0 169.7 169 84 63 126 4.46 4.19 (-6%) -3673.4
2017 ATL NL 10 10 31 31 0 0 0 190.0 193 90 67 136 4.26 4.36 (+2%) -1790.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
402 267 13 45 3 0 0 16 0 4 49 0.169 0.184 0.180 0.364 -2057.4

Career AVG .169 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 35.0% below league average.

Career OBP .184 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 43.6% below league average.

Career SLG .180 vs. league average .413 across their career seasons — 56.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.364 vs. league average 0.739 across their career seasons — 50.8% 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
2001 TEX AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2003 TEX AL 38 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
2004 TEX AL 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2005 TEX AL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2006 TEX AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 SEA AL 32 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.250 — — — — 0.0
2009 MIN AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2010 NYN NL 27 51 7 13 2 0 0 5 0 3 8 0.255 .257 (-1%) .325 (-9%) .402 (-27%) .728 (-19%) -156.3
2011 NYN NL 33 59 0 8 0 0 0 2 0 1 11 0.136 .255 (-47%) .320 (-53%) .399 (-66%) .719 (-60%) -591.8
2012 NYN NL 34 72 3 11 0 0 0 3 0 0 14 0.153 .254 (-40%) .318 (-48%) .405 (-62%) .724 (-56%) -674.1
2013 TOR AL 34 6 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.333 — — — — 0.0
2014 TOR AL 35 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2015 TOR AL 33 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2016 TOR AL 31 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2017 ATL NL 31 61 0 9 0 0 0 5 0 0 12 0.148 .254 (-42%) .324 (-55%) .425 (-65%) .750 (-61%) -635.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2015 ALCS TOR 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2015 ALDS2 TOR 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 2 2 0 6.3 9 5 2 4 7.11

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2015 ALCS TOR 0 1 1 1 0 1.7 4 4 2 1 21.60
2015 ALDS2 TOR 0 0 1 1 0 4.7 5 1 0 3 1.93

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 400 300 119 386 16 27

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2001 TEX P 4 0 1 1 0 0
2003 TEX P 38 13 5 14 0 1
2004 TEX P 25 15 7 22 2 0
2005 TEX P 9 4 1 9 0 1
2006 TEX P 1 1 0 0 0 0
2008 SEA P 32 14 6 23 0 1
2009 MIN P 35 1 6 8 1 0
2010 NYN P 27 26 17 44 0 4
2011 NYN P 33 32 7 58 2 5
2012 NYN P 34 33 12 44 4 6
2013 TOR P 34 34 11 40 2 1
2014 TOR P 34 34 17 23 2 4
2015 TOR P 33 33 11 25 0 1
2016 TOR P 30 29 3 31 1 2
2017 ATL P 31 31 15 44 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 400

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2013 Gold Glove P
2012 Branch Rickey Award
2012 Cy Young Award
2012 MLB Players Choice Outstanding Pitcher
2012 Pitcher of the Month June
2012 Player of the Week Week of 2012-05-28
2012 This Year in Baseball Breakout Pitcher of the Year MLB.com GIBBY
2012 This Year in Baseball Starter of the Year MLB.com GIBBY
2012 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2016 TOR AL $12,000,000
2015 TOR AL $12,000,000
2014 TOR AL $12,000,000
2013 TOR AL $5,000,000
2012 NYN NL $4,750,000
2011 NYN NL $2,750,000
2009 MIN AL $525,000
2006 TEX AL $380,000
2005 TEX AL $372,500
2004 TEX AL $337,500
Total Career Earnings $50,115,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Tennessee Knoxville TN 1994, 1995, 1996

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2012 Cy Young Award NL 1st 209.0 224 27
2012 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 16.0 448 0