Richard Hidalgo

Born: 6/28/1975 in Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela

MLB Debut: 1997-09-01 | Final Game: 2005-08-04

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 220 lbs

Full name: Richard Jose Hidalgo

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Biography

Richard Hidalgo was a professional baseball player who made significant contributions to Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2005. Born in 1975, Hidalgo played primarily as a position player and accumulated a total of 987 games over his career. He was known for his powerful hitting, finishing his time in the league with 929 hits, 171 home runs, and 560 RBIs. His career batting average stood at .269, and he demonstrated speed on the bases with 48 stolen bases, showcasing a well-rounded skill set that made him a valuable asset to his teams. Hidalgo's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, marked by the emergence of numerous power hitters and increased offensive production. He played for several teams, but is perhaps best remembered for his time with the Houston Astros, where he developed a reputation for his strong offensive performances. His ability to hit for power combined with a respectable batting average placed him among notable contemporaries of his era, making his mark in a league that was rapidly evolving. Richard Hidalgo's contributions to the game remain a testament to his talent and the era in which he played.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
987	3459	531	929	214	19	171	560	48	358	737	0.269	0.345	0.490	0.835	6608.9

Career AVG .269 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .345 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .490 vs. league average .425 across their career seasons — +15.3% above league average.

Career OPS 0.835 vs. league average 0.761 across their career seasons — +9.7% 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
1997	HOU	NL	19	62	8	19	5	0	2	6	1	4	18	0.306	.266 (+15%)	.336 (+6%)	.419 (+15%)	.756 (+11%)	118.6
1998	HOU	NL	74	211	31	64	15	0	7	35	3	17	37	0.303	.266 (+14%)	.335 (+6%)	.420 (+13%)	.755 (+10%)	351.2
1999	HOU	NL	108	383	49	87	25	2	15	56	8	56	73	0.227	.271 (-16%)	.344 (-5%)	.433 (-3%)	.778 (-4%)	-329.7
2000	HOU	NL	153	558	118	175	42	3	44	122	13	56	110	0.314	.270 (+16%)	.344 (+13%)	.437 (+46%)	.782 (+31%)	3751.3
2001	HOU	NL	146	512	70	141	29	3	19	80	3	54	107	0.275	.263 (+4%)	.332 (+7%)	.426 (+7%)	.758 (+7%)	777.2
2002	HOU	NL	114	388	54	91	17	4	15	48	6	43	85	0.235	.261 (-10%)	.331 (-4%)	.416 (avg)	.747 (-2%)	-144.1
2003	HOU	NL	141	514	91	159	43	4	28	88	9	58	104	0.309	.264 (+17%)	.332 (+16%)	.422 (+36%)	.754 (+27%)	2840.8
2004	HOU	NL	58	199	21	51	15	2	4	30	1	17	53	0.256	.266 (-4%)	.335 (-8%)	.427 (-4%)	.762 (-5%)	-273.1
2004	NYN	NL	86	324	46	74	11	1	21	52	3	27	76	0.228	.266 (-14%)	.335 (-12%)	.427 (+8%)	.762 (-1%)	-273.1
2005	TEX	AL	88	308	43	68	12	0	16	43	1	26	74	0.221	.264 (-17%)	.330 (-12%)	.418 (-1%)	.749 (-6%)	-380.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
6	17	2	2	0	0	0	0	4	5	0.118

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	BB	SO	AVG
2001	NLDS1	HOU	3	8	1	1	3	2	0.125
1998	NLDS2	HOU	1	4	0	1	0	1	0.250
1997	NLDS2	HOU	2	5	1	0	1	2	0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	967	909	2062	81	28	21

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1997	HOU	OF	19	14	28	0	0	0
1998	HOU	OF	72	52	131	3	3	1
1999	HOU	OF	108	103	214	15	2	3
2000	HOU	OF	150	149	425	7	7	2
2001	HOU	OF	144	137	332	11	3	4
2002	HOU	OF	110	101	210	6	1	3
2003	HOU	OF	137	136	277	22	4	5
2004	HOU	OF	56	51	107	4	2	0
2004	NYN	OF	86	86	159	10	4	3
2005	TEX	OF	85	80	179	3	2	0

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Left Field	171
Center Field	361
Right Field	561
Designated Hitter	2

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
2004	Player of the Week	Week of 2004-04-10
2000	Player of the Month	September
2000	Player of the Week	Week of 2000-09-09

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
2005	TEX	AL	$5,000,000
2004	HOU	NL	$12,500,000
2003	HOU	NL	$8,500,000
2002	HOU	NL	$5,500,000
2001	HOU	NL	$3,500,000
2000	HOU	NL	$330,000
1999	HOU	NL	$260,000
1998	HOU	NL	$170,000
1997	HOU	NL	$150,000
Total Career Earnings			$35,910,000