George Foster, baseball player, 348 home runs, 1969-1986

George Foster

Born: 12/1/1948 in Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1969-09-10 | Final Game: 1986-09-06

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: George Arthur Foster

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Biography

George Foster was an influential position player in Major League Baseball, renowned for his powerful hitting and consistent performance during his career from 1969 to 1986. Born in 1948, Foster emerged as a formidable presence in the outfield, playing a total of 1,977 games. He recorded 1,925 hits, including 348 home runs, and drove in 1,239 RBIs, culminating in a respectable career batting average of .274. His impressive blend of power and run production solidified his reputation as one of the premier hitters of his era. Foster was a five-time All-Star and showcased his talents on the biggest stage, earning the All-Star Game MVP award during his illustrious career. He was known for his ability to change the course of a game with a single swing, making him a key figure in the offensive lineup of the teams he played for. Additionally, he demonstrated speed on the base paths, accumulating 51 stolen bases. Foster's career spanned a transformative period in baseball, and his achievements contributed significantly to the offensive explosion that characterized the late 1970s and early 1980s. His legacy remains a testament to the power-hitting prowess that defined an era in the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1977 7023 986 1925 307 47 348 1239 51 666 1419 0.274 0.338 0.480 0.818 20351.8

Career AVG .274 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — +6.5% above league average.

Career OBP .338 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .480 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — +26.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.818 vs. league average 0.704 across their career seasons — +16.2% 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
1969 SFG NL 9 5 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.400 — — — — 0.0
1970 SFG NL 9 19 2 6 1 1 1 4 0 2 5 0.316 — — — — 0.0
1971 SFG NL 36 105 11 28 5 0 3 8 0 6 27 0.267 .249 (+7%) .316 (-4%) .365 (+10%) .682 (+3%) 23.7
1971 CIN NL 104 368 39 86 18 4 10 50 7 23 93 0.234 .249 (-6%) .316 (-9%) .365 (+6%) .682 (-1%) 23.7
1972 CIN NL 59 145 15 29 4 1 2 12 2 5 44 0.200 .243 (-18%) .310 (-26%) .353 (-20%) .664 (-23%) -581.7
1973 CIN NL 17 39 6 11 3 0 4 9 0 4 7 0.282 — — — — 0.0
1974 CIN NL 106 276 31 73 18 0 7 41 3 30 52 0.264 .256 (+3%) .324 (+6%) .369 (+10%) .693 (+8%) 430.9
1975 CIN NL 134 463 71 139 24 4 23 78 2 40 73 0.300 .257 (+17%) .327 (+9%) .374 (+39%) .701 (+25%) 2055.7
1976 CIN NL 144 562 86 172 21 9 29 121 17 52 89 0.306 .255 (+20%) .320 (+14%) .360 (+47%) .681 (+31%) 3171.4
1977 CIN NL 158 615 124 197 31 2 52 149 6 61 107 0.320 .264 (+21%) .329 (+16%) .401 (+57%) .730 (+39%) 4777.4
1978 CIN NL 158 604 97 170 26 7 40 120 4 70 138 0.281 .257 (+9%) .323 (+11%) .378 (+44%) .702 (+29%) 3427.1
1979 CIN NL 121 440 68 133 18 3 30 98 0 59 105 0.302 .265 (+14%) .329 (+17%) .397 (+41%) .727 (+30%) 2672.9
1980 CIN NL 144 528 79 144 21 5 25 93 1 75 99 0.273 .264 (+3%) .326 (+11%) .387 (+22%) .714 (+17%) 1890.4
1981 CIN NL 108 414 64 122 23 2 22 90 4 51 75 0.295 .255 (+15%) .320 (+16%) .368 (+41%) .688 (+30%) 2254.8
1982 NYN NL 151 550 64 136 23 2 13 70 1 50 123 0.247 .261 (-5%) .324 (-5%) .388 (-6%) .712 (-5%) -581.4
1983 NYN NL 157 601 74 145 19 2 28 90 1 38 111 0.241 .260 (-8%) .324 (-11%) .389 (+8%) .714 (-1%) -260.9
1984 NYN NL 146 553 67 149 22 1 24 86 2 30 122 0.269 .259 (+4%) .322 (-4%) .384 (+15%) .707 (+7%) 562.9
1985 NYN NL 129 452 57 119 24 1 21 77 0 46 87 0.263 .257 (+2%) .323 (+3%) .390 (+18%) .714 (+11%) 905.4
1986 NYN NL 72 233 28 53 6 1 13 38 1 21 53 0.227 .257 (-12%) .325 (-11%) .395 (+9%) .720 (avg) -76.2
1986 CHW AL 15 51 2 11 0 2 1 4 0 3 8 0.216 .257 (-16%) .325 (-20%) .395 (-11%) .720 (-15%) -76.2

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
23 76 11 22 2 0 3 12 8 13 0.289

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1979 NLCS CIN 3 10 1 2 0 0 1 2 4 3 0.200
1976 NLCS CIN 3 12 2 2 0 0 2 4 0 4 0.167
1976 WS CIN 4 14 3 6 1 0 0 4 2 3 0.429
1975 NLCS CIN 3 11 3 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.364
1975 WS CIN 7 29 1 8 1 0 0 2 1 1 0.276
1972 NLCS CIN 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1972 WS CIN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 0 0 0 0 0
OF 1880 1789 3809 119 62 28

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1969 SFN OF 8 0 3 0 0 0
1970 SFN OF 7 5 10 0 0 0
1971 SFN OF 30 24 48 1 1 0
1971 CIN OF 102 100 267 8 4 3
1972 CIN OF 47 31 71 1 2 1
1973 CIN OF 13 9 19 1 0 1
1974 CIN OF 98 65 172 2 2 1
1975 CIN 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1975 CIN OF 125 117 299 11 3 3
1976 CIN 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1976 CIN OF 142 137 322 9 2 3
1977 CIN OF 158 158 352 12 3 1
1978 CIN OF 157 157 319 10 10 1
1979 CIN OF 116 116 214 7 4 1
1980 CIN OF 141 141 295 6 1 1
1981 CIN OF 108 108 224 8 2 1
1982 NYN OF 138 138 289 12 8 4
1983 NYN OF 153 151 314 12 4 3
1984 NYN OF 141 140 278 6 7 1
1985 NYN OF 123 119 198 7 5 2
1986 NYN OF 62 62 96 4 4 1
1986 CHA OF 11 11 19 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 2
Left Field 1549
Center Field 274
Right Field 169
Designated Hitter 3

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1986 Player of the Week Week of 1986-06-06
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-05-06
1981 Silver Slugger OF
1981 TSN All-Star OF
1980 Player of the Week Week of 1980-08-29
1979 Player of the Month April
1979 Player of the Month June
1978 TSN All-Star OF
1977 Most Valuable Player
1977 Player of the Month August
1977 Player of the Month June
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-05-28
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-09-23
1977 TSN All-Star OF
1977 TSN Player of the Year
1976 All-Star Game MVP
1976 Player of the Month July
1976 Player of the Month May
1976 TSN All-Star OF
1976 TSN Player of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1986 CHA AL $60,000
1986 NYN NL $2,800,000
1985 NYN NL $1,942,857
Total Career Earnings $4,802,857

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
El Camino College Torrance CA 1968

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1981 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 146.0 336 0
1979 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 34.0 336 0
1978 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 104.0 336 0
1977 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 291.0 336 15
1976 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 221.0 336 5