Chuck Knoblauch, baseball player, 1991-2002

Chuck Knoblauch

Born: 7/7/1968 in Houston, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1991-04-09 | Final Game: 2002-09-27

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Edward Charles Knoblauch

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Biography

Chuck Knoblauch was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1991 to 2002. Born in 1968, he quickly made a name for himself as a dynamic and versatile athlete, showcasing his talents primarily with the Minnesota Twins and later with the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals. Over the course of his career, Knoblauch played in 1,632 games, amassing 1,839 hits and finishing with a batting average of .289. His offensive prowess was complemented by his speed on the base paths, as he recorded 407 stolen bases, making him one of the more dangerous players on the field during his era. Knoblauch's contributions were recognized with several accolades, including winning the Rookie of the Year and TSN Rookie Player of the Year awards early in his career, as well as being selected as an All-Star four times. His ability to adapt to different roles, whether as a second baseman or an outfielder, highlighted his versatility and made him an invaluable asset to his teams. Playing during a time of significant change in baseball, Knoblauch's career coincided with the transition to a more offensive-minded game in the 1990s, and he left a lasting impact on the sport through his contributions both at the plate and in the field.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1632 6366 1132 1839 322 64 98 615 407 804 730 0.289 0.378 0.406 0.783 8939.8

Career AVG .289 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — +8.9% above league average.

Career OBP .378 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +12.7% above league average.

Career SLG .406 vs. league average .416 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.783 vs. league average 0.751 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
1991 MIN AL 151 565 78 159 24 6 1 50 25 59 40 0.281 .255 (+10%) .323 (+8%) .384 (-9%) .708 (-1%) 37.1
1992 MIN AL 155 600 104 178 19 6 2 56 34 88 60 0.297 .255 (+16%) .322 (+19%) .377 (-5%) .699 (+6%) 1113.9
1993 MIN AL 153 602 82 167 27 4 2 41 29 65 44 0.277 .265 (+5%) .332 (+7%) .403 (-14%) .735 (-5%) -390.6
1994 MIN AL 109 445 85 139 45 3 5 51 35 41 56 0.312 .269 (+16%) .338 (+12%) .424 (+9%) .763 (+10%) 968.4
1995 MIN AL 136 538 107 179 34 8 11 63 46 78 95 0.333 .266 (+25%) .337 (+26%) .417 (+17%) .755 (+21%) 2622.9
1996 MIN AL 153 578 140 197 35 14 13 72 45 98 74 0.341 .269 (+26%) .340 (+32%) .426 (+21%) .767 (+26%) 3715.8
1997 MIN AL 156 611 117 178 26 10 9 58 62 84 84 0.291 .266 (+9%) .336 (+16%) .419 (-2%) .756 (+6%) 1129.5
1998 NYY AL 150 603 117 160 25 4 17 64 31 76 70 0.265 .266 (avg) .335 (+8%) .420 (-4%) .755 (+1%) 404.0
1999 NYY AL 150 603 120 176 36 4 18 68 28 83 57 0.292 .271 (+8%) .344 (+14%) .433 (+5%) .778 (+9%) 1474.7
2000 NYY AL 102 400 75 113 22 2 5 26 15 46 45 0.282 .270 (+4%) .344 (+6%) .437 (-12%) .782 (-4%) -180.2
2001 NYY AL 137 521 66 130 20 3 9 44 38 58 73 0.250 .263 (-5%) .332 (+2%) .426 (-18%) .758 (-9%) -753.8
2002 KCR AL 80 300 41 63 9 0 6 22 19 28 32 0.210 .261 (-20%) .331 (-14%) .416 (-28%) .747 (-22%) -1202.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
66 244 31 63 10 0 2 20 27 31 0.258

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2001 ALCS NYA 5 18 0 6 1 0 0 3 2 3 0.333
2001 ALDS2 NYA 5 22 1 6 1 0 0 1 0 0 0.273
2001 WS NYA 6 18 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.056
2000 ALCS NYA 6 23 3 6 2 0 0 2 3 4 0.261
2000 ALDS1 NYA 3 9 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 0.333
2000 WS NYA 4 10 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 1 0.100
1999 ALCS NYA 5 18 3 6 1 0 0 1 3 0 0.333
1999 ALDS2 NYA 3 12 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.167
1999 WS NYA 4 16 5 5 1 0 1 3 1 3 0.312
1998 ALCS NYA 6 25 4 5 1 0 0 0 4 2 0.200
1998 ALDS2 NYA 3 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.091
1998 WS NYA 4 16 3 6 0 0 1 3 3 2 0.375
1991 ALCS MIN 5 20 5 7 2 0 0 3 3 3 0.350
1991 WS MIN 7 26 3 8 1 0 0 2 4 2 0.308

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1381 1367 2529 3821 119 834
OF 183 177 318 13 5 4
SS 13 2 5 10 1 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1991 MIN 2B 148 141 249 460 18 94
1991 MIN SS 2 0 0 0 0 0
1992 MIN 2B 154 150 306 415 6 104
1992 MIN SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1993 MIN 2B 148 147 298 425 9 98
1993 MIN OF 1 0 2 0 0 0
1993 MIN SS 6 1 2 6 0 1
1994 MIN 2B 109 108 191 284 3 61
1994 MIN SS 1 0 0 1 0 0
1995 MIN 2B 136 136 253 400 10 88
1995 MIN SS 2 0 1 0 0 0
1996 MIN 2B 151 150 271 390 8 93
1997 MIN 2B 154 154 283 424 11 101
1997 MIN SS 1 1 2 3 1 1
1998 NYA 2B 149 149 275 408 13 86
1999 NYA 2B 150 150 254 425 26 67
2000 NYA 2B 82 82 149 190 15 42
2001 NYA OF 108 104 171 8 2 4
2002 KCA OF 74 73 145 5 3 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 1380
Shortstop 13
Left Field 182
Center Field 1
Designated Hitter 51

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1997 Gold Glove 2B
1997 Silver Slugger 2B
1997 TSN All-Star 2B
1996 Player of the Week Week of 1996-07-06
1995 Player of the Week Week of 1995-09-02
1995 Silver Slugger 2B
1994 TSN All-Star 2B
1991 Rookie of the Year
1991 TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2002 KCA AL $2,000,000
2001 NYA AL $6,000,000
2000 NYA AL $6,000,000
1999 NYA AL $6,000,000
1998 NYA AL $6,000,000
1997 MIN AL $6,150,000
1996 MIN AL $4,670,000
1995 MIN AL $2,987,500
1994 MIN AL $1,625,000
1993 MIN AL $510,000
1992 MIN AL $325,000
Total Career Earnings $42,267,500

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Texas A&M University College Station TX 1987, 1988, 1989

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1996 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 8.0 392 0
1995 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 5.0 392 0
1994 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 8.0 392 0
1991 Rookie of the Year AL 1st 136.0 140 26