Steve Garvey, baseball player, 272 home runs, 1969-1987

Steve Garvey

Born: 12/22/1948 in Tampa, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1969-09-01 | Final Game: 1987-05-23

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 192 lbs

Full name: Steven Patrick Garvey

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Biography

Steve Garvey, born in 1948, was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball from 1969 until his retirement in 1987. A skilled position player, Garvey played a total of 2,332 games, amassing 2,599 hits and demonstrating consistent offensive prowess with a batting average of .294. Over his career, he hit 272 home runs and drove in 1,308 RBIs, while also showcasing his speed on the basepaths with 83 stolen bases. Garvey's ability to perform in clutch situations earned him recognition as an All-Star Game MVP and a two-time NLCS MVP, highlighting his significant contributions during the postseason. Garvey's career is noted for his durability and exceptional performance, culminating in ten All-Star selections. His playing style was characterized by a combination of power and average, making him a versatile threat in the lineup. He became a beloved figure in Los Angeles, where he spent the majority of his career with the Dodgers, before concluding his time in the league with the San Diego Padres. His legacy was further solidified when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009, a testament to his impact on the game during a competitive era of baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2332 8835 1143 2599 440 43 272 1308 83 479 1003 0.294 0.329 0.446 0.775 14521.3

Career AVG .294 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — +14.2% above league average.

Career OBP .329 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .446 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +16.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.775 vs. league average 0.707 across their career seasons — +9.8% 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 LAD NL 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1970 LAD NL 34 93 8 25 5 0 1 6 1 6 17 0.269 .253 (+6%) .325 (-5%) .385 (-8%) .711 (-7%) -114.8
1971 LAD NL 81 225 27 51 12 1 7 26 1 21 33 0.227 .249 (-9%) .316 (-8%) .365 (+5%) .682 (-1%) -111.1
1972 LAD NL 96 294 36 79 14 2 9 30 4 19 36 0.269 .243 (+10%) .310 (+1%) .353 (+19%) .664 (+10%) 431.7
1973 LAD NL 114 349 37 106 17 3 8 50 0 11 42 0.304 .256 (+18%) .325 (+1%) .378 (+16%) .703 (+9%) 442.2
1974 LAD NL 156 642 95 200 32 3 21 111 5 31 66 0.312 .256 (+21%) .324 (+5%) .369 (+27%) .693 (+17%) 1865.8
1975 LAD NL 160 659 85 210 38 6 18 95 11 33 66 0.319 .257 (+24%) .327 (+7%) .374 (+27%) .701 (+18%) 2087.4
1976 LAD NL 162 631 85 200 37 4 13 80 19 50 69 0.317 .255 (+24%) .320 (+13%) .360 (+25%) .681 (+19%) 2280.9
1977 LAD NL 162 646 91 192 25 3 33 115 9 38 90 0.297 .264 (+12%) .329 (+2%) .401 (+24%) .730 (+14%) 1721.8
1978 LAD NL 162 639 89 202 36 9 21 113 10 40 70 0.316 .257 (+23%) .323 (+9%) .378 (+32%) .702 (+21%) 2471.2
1979 LAD NL 162 648 92 204 32 1 28 110 3 37 59 0.315 .265 (+19%) .329 (+6%) .397 (+25%) .727 (+17%) 2059.6
1980 LAD NL 163 658 78 200 27 1 26 106 6 36 67 0.304 .264 (+15%) .326 (+4%) .387 (+20%) .714 (+13%) 1637.3
1981 LAD NL 110 431 63 122 23 1 10 64 3 25 49 0.283 .255 (+11%) .320 (+1%) .368 (+11%) .688 (+6%) 406.8
1982 LAD NL 162 625 66 176 35 1 16 86 5 20 86 0.282 .261 (+8%) .324 (-7%) .388 (+7%) .712 (+1%) -178.8
1983 SDP NL 100 388 76 114 22 0 14 59 4 29 39 0.294 .260 (+13%) .324 (+6%) .389 (+18%) .714 (+12%) 839.4
1984 SDP NL 161 617 72 175 27 2 8 86 1 24 64 0.284 .259 (+9%) .322 (-5%) .384 (-3%) .707 (-4%) -675.7
1985 SDP NL 162 654 80 184 34 6 17 81 0 35 67 0.281 .257 (+9%) .323 (-2%) .390 (+10%) .714 (+5%) 416.3
1986 SDP NL 155 557 58 142 22 0 21 81 1 23 72 0.255 .257 (-1%) .325 (-13%) .395 (+3%) .720 (-4%) -638.1
1987 SDP NL 27 76 5 16 2 0 1 9 0 1 10 0.211 .262 (-20%) .331 (-30%) .415 (-33%) .746 (-32%) -420.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
55 222 32 75 8 3 11 31 8 32 0.338

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1984 NLCS SDN 5 20 1 8 1 0 1 7 1 2 0.400
1984 WS SDN 5 20 2 4 2 0 0 2 0 2 0.200
1981 NLCS LAN 5 21 2 6 0 0 1 2 0 4 0.286
1981 NWDIV LAN 5 19 4 7 0 1 2 4 0 2 0.368
1981 WS LAN 6 24 3 10 1 0 0 0 2 5 0.417
1978 NLCS LAN 4 18 6 7 1 1 4 7 0 1 0.389
1978 WS LAN 6 24 1 5 1 0 0 0 1 7 0.208
1977 NLCS LAN 4 13 2 4 0 0 0 0 2 1 0.308
1977 WS LAN 6 24 5 9 1 1 1 3 1 4 0.375
1974 NLCS LAN 4 18 4 7 1 0 2 5 1 1 0.389
1974 WS LAN 5 21 2 8 0 0 0 1 0 3 0.381

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2059 2043 18844 1026 81 1498
2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
3B 191 155 147 407 47 33
OF 10 7 13 1 2 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1970 LAN 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1970 LAN 3B 27 22 23 59 5 4
1971 LAN 3B 79 60 53 161 14 11
1972 LAN 1B 3 3 33 2 0 3
1972 LAN 3B 85 73 71 187 28 18
1973 LAN 1B 76 72 718 26 5 58
1973 LAN OF 10 7 13 1 2 0
1974 LAN 1B 156 156 1536 62 8 108
1975 LAN 1B 160 160 1500 77 8 96
1976 LAN 1B 162 162 1583 67 3 138
1977 LAN 1B 160 160 1606 55 8 137
1978 LAN 1B 161 162 1546 74 9 121
1979 LAN 1B 162 162 1402 93 7 101
1980 LAN 1B 162 162 1502 112 6 122
1981 LAN 1B 110 110 1019 55 1 84
1982 LAN 1B 158 156 1539 111 8 102
1983 SDN 1B 100 100 888 49 6 69
1984 SDN 1B 159 159 1232 87 0 117
1985 SDN 1B 162 162 1442 92 5 138
1986 SDN 1B 148 138 1160 53 7 94
1987 SDN 1B 20 19 138 11 0 10

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 2057
Second Base 1
Third Base 191
Shortstop 1
Left Field 8
Right Field 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1984 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1984 NLCS MVP
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-04-15
1981 Roberto Clemente Award
1978 All-Star Game MVP
1978 NLCS MVP
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-08-18
1978 TSN All-Star 1B
1977 Gold Glove 1B
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-06-24
1977 TSN All-Star 1B
1976 Gold Glove 1B
1976 Player of the Month September
1976 Player of the Week Week of 1976-05-21
1975 Gold Glove 1B
1975 TSN All-Star 1B
1974 All-Star Game MVP
1974 Gold Glove 1B
1974 Most Valuable Player
1974 TSN All-Star 1B

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1987 SDN NL $1,450,000
1986 SDN NL $1,250,000
1985 SDN NL $975,000
Total Career Earnings $3,675,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Michigan State University East Lansing MI 1967, 1968

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1984 Most Valuable Player NL 20th 5.0 336 0
1981 Most Valuable Player NL 25th 1.0 336 0
1980 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 131.0 336 0
1979 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 30.0 336 0
1978 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 194.0 336 0
1977 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 98.0 336 0
1976 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 51.0 336 0
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 50.0 336 0
1974 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 270.0 336 13