Brian Harper, baseball player, 1979-1995

Brian Harper

Born: 10/16/1959 in Los Angeles, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1979-09-29 | Final Game: 1995-04-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Brian David Harper

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Biography

Brian Harper, born in 1959, was a professional baseball player who enjoyed a successful career spanning from 1979 to 1995. Primarily serving as a position player, Harper appeared in 1,001 games across his career, during which he established himself as a reliable hitter and an integral part of the teams he played for. With a career batting average of .295, he demonstrated exceptional hitting prowess, accumulating 931 hits and 63 home runs. In addition to his offensive contributions, he recorded 428 RBIs and stole 8 bases, showcasing his versatility on the field. Throughout his time in Major League Baseball, Harper played in an era that was characterized by a shift towards more offensive gameplay, a transition that began to take shape in the 1980s. His ability to consistently hit for average and drive in runs made him a valuable asset to his teams. Harper's legacy is marked not only by his statistics but also by his work ethic and approach to the game, which influenced the players around him. After his retirement on April 29, 1995, he left behind a commendable record that reflects his dedication to the sport and his impact on the game of baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1001 3151 339 931 186 7 63 428 8 133 188 0.295 0.329 0.419 0.748 2818.5

Career AVG .295 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +13.6% above league average.

Career OBP .329 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .419 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — +6.8% above league average.

Career OPS 0.748 vs. league average 0.718 across their career seasons — near 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
1979 LAA AL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1981 LAA AL 4 11 1 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0.273 — — — — 0.0
1982 PIT NL 20 29 4 8 1 0 2 4 0 1 4 0.276 — — — — 0.0
1983 PIT NL 61 131 16 29 4 1 7 20 0 2 15 0.221 .260 (-15%) .324 (-29%) .389 (+10%) .714 (-8%) -281.6
1984 PIT NL 46 112 4 29 4 0 2 11 0 5 11 0.259 .259 (avg) .322 (-7%) .384 (-9%) .707 (-8%) -162.6
1985 STL NL 43 52 5 13 4 0 0 8 0 2 3 0.250 .257 (-3%) .323 (-16%) .390 (-16%) .714 (-16%) -159.8
1986 DET AL 19 36 2 5 1 0 0 3 0 3 3 0.139 — — — — 0.0
1987 OAK AL 11 17 1 4 1 0 0 3 0 0 4 0.235 — — — — 0.0
1988 MIN AL 60 166 15 49 11 1 3 20 0 10 12 0.295 .254 (+16%) .317 (+8%) .377 (+13%) .695 (+11%) 300.9
1989 MIN AL 126 385 43 125 24 0 8 57 2 13 16 0.325 .254 (+28%) .319 (+10%) .375 (+20%) .694 (+15%) 1038.0
1990 MIN AL 134 479 61 141 42 3 6 54 3 19 27 0.294 .257 (+14%) .324 (+1%) .385 (+12%) .710 (+7%) 492.2
1991 MIN AL 123 441 54 137 28 1 10 69 1 14 22 0.311 .255 (+21%) .323 (+4%) .384 (+16%) .708 (+11%) 741.1
1992 MIN AL 140 502 58 154 25 0 9 73 0 26 22 0.307 .255 (+20%) .322 (+6%) .377 (+9%) .699 (+8%) 665.6
1993 MIN AL 147 530 52 161 26 1 12 73 1 29 29 0.304 .265 (+15%) .332 (+5%) .403 (+5%) .735 (+5%) 519.0
1994 ATL AL 64 251 23 73 15 0 4 32 0 9 18 0.291 .269 (+8%) .338 (-6%) .424 (-6%) .763 (-6%) -334.2
1995 OAK AL 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
17 44 3 14 4 0 0 3 2 5 0.318

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1991 ALCS MIN 5 18 1 5 2 0 0 1 0 2 0.278
1991 WS MIN 7 21 2 8 2 0 0 1 2 2 0.381
1985 NLCS SLN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1985 WS SLN 4 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.250

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 9 3 25 5 0 2
3B 13 3 8 8 0 0
C 688 639 3618 272 58 35
OF 114 79 129 3 3 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1981 CAL OF 2 2 5 0 1 0
1982 PIT OF 8 4 10 0 0 0
1983 PIT 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1983 PIT OF 35 27 40 0 0 0
1984 PIT C 2 1 9 0 0 0
1984 PIT OF 37 32 48 3 1 0
1985 SLN 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1985 SLN 3B 6 3 5 5 0 0
1985 SLN C 2 0 0 0 0 0
1985 SLN OF 13 3 8 0 0 0
1986 DET 1B 2 1 7 2 0 2
1986 DET C 2 0 5 0 0 0
1986 DET OF 11 7 13 0 1 0
1987 OAK OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1988 MIN 3B 2 0 1 0 0 0
1988 MIN C 48 41 207 15 2 0
1989 MIN 1B 2 0 2 0 0 0
1989 MIN 3B 2 0 1 1 0 0
1989 MIN C 101 86 456 35 11 7
1989 MIN OF 3 1 3 0 0 0
1990 MIN 1B 2 2 13 3 0 0
1990 MIN 3B 3 0 1 2 0 0
1990 MIN C 120 115 672 53 11 5
1991 MIN 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1991 MIN C 119 114 642 33 8 7
1991 MIN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1992 MIN C 133 128 744 58 13 8
1993 MIN C 134 129 736 64 10 6
1994 ML4 C 25 24 141 14 3 2
1994 ML4 OF 3 3 2 0 0 0
1995 OAK C 2 1 6 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 688
First Base 9
Third Base 13
Left Field 87
Right Field 29
Designated Hitter 97

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1992 Player of the Week Week of 1992-06-27

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1994 ML4 AL $1,000,000
1993 MIN AL $2,400,000
1992 MIN AL $2,500,000
1991 MIN AL $625,000
1990 MIN AL $500,000
1989 MIN AL $147,500
1987 OAK AL $70,000
1985 SLN NL $135,000
Total Career Earnings $7,377,500