Rick Langford, baseball player, 1976-1986

Rick Langford

Born: 3/20/1952 in Farmville, VA, USA

MLB Debut: 1976-06-13 | Final Game: 1986-07-13

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: James Rick Langford

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Biography

Rick Langford was a professional baseball pitcher born in 1952, who played in Major League Baseball from 1976 until 1986. Known for his durability and versatility on the mound, Langford was a notable figure in an era where pitching depth was increasingly valued. He spent a significant portion of his career with the Oakland Athletics, contributing to a pitching staff that supported the team's competitive efforts in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Langford finished his career with a win-loss record of 73-106 and an earned run average (ERA) of 4.01, showcasing his ability to compete in a challenging environment. Over the course of his career, he recorded 671 strikeouts, demonstrating his capacity to miss bats despite not being known for overpowering velocity. Notably, Langford did not register any saves, reflecting his role primarily as a starter rather than a closer. His contributions to the game were marked by a relentless work ethic and a commitment to his teams during a transformative period in baseball history, which included shifts in pitching strategies and player utilization.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
73 106 260 196 85 10 0 1491.0 1570 664 160 416 671 4.01 0

Career ERA 4.01 vs. league average 3.83 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1976 PIT NL 0 1 12 1 0 0 0 23.0 27 16 14 17 6.26 3.51 (-78%) -344.7
1977 OAK AL 8 19 37 31 6 1 0 208.3 223 93 73 141 4.02 4.00 (avg) 2231.7
1978 OAK AL 7 13 37 24 4 2 0 175.7 169 67 56 92 3.43 3.69 (+7%) 145.2
1979 OAK AL 12 16 34 29 14 1 0 218.7 233 104 57 101 4.28 4.00 (-7%) 278.9
1980 OAK AL 19 12 35 33 28 2 0 290.0 276 105 64 102 3.26 3.84 (+15%) -1379.2
1981 OAK AL 12 10 24 24 18 2 0 195.3 190 65 58 84 2.99 3.58 (+16%) -128.4
1982 OAK AL 11 16 32 31 15 2 0 237.3 265 111 49 79 4.21 3.86 (-9%) -3983.8
1983 OAK AL 0 4 7 7 0 0 0 20.0 43 27 10 2 12.15 3.87 (-214%) -1547.7
1984 OAK AL 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 8.7 15 8 2 2 8.31 — 0.0
1985 OAK AL 3 5 23 3 0 0 0 59.0 60 23 15 21 3.51 3.89 (+10%) -902.3
1986 OAK AL 1 10 16 11 0 0 0 55.0 69 45 18 30 7.36 3.97 (-85%) -2526.2

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
265 6 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.167 0.167 0.333 0.500 0.0

Career AVG .167 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 35.9% below league average.

Career OBP .167 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 48.7% below league average.

Career SLG .333 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — 13.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.500 vs. league average 0.711 across their career seasons — 29.7% below 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
1976 PIT NL 12 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1977 OAK AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 OAK AL 40 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 OAK AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 OAK AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 OAK AL 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 OAK AL 33 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1983 OAK AL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 OAK AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 OAK AL 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 OAK AL 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1981 AWDIV OAK 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 0 1 1 0 7.3 10 1 0 3 1.23

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1981 AWDIV OAK 1 0 1 1 0 7.3 10 1 0 3 1.23

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
P 260 196 145 211 6 17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1976 PIT P 12 1 2 4 0 1
1977 OAK P 37 31 23 29 0 3
1978 OAK P 37 24 27 23 0 2
1979 OAK P 34 29 26 36 0 3
1980 OAK P 35 33 28 45 1 1
1981 OAK P 24 24 16 23 3 3
1982 OAK OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1982 OAK P 32 31 15 39 2 3
1983 OAK P 7 7 1 2 0 0
1984 OAK P 3 2 0 0 0 0
1985 OAK P 23 3 2 9 0 1
1986 OAK P 16 11 5 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 260
Left Field 1
Center Field 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1979 Pitcher of the Month August

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1986 OAK AL $500,000
1985 OAK AL $608,333
Total Career Earnings $1,108,333

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
State College of Florida - Manatee-Sarasota Bradenton FL 1971, 1972
Florida State University Tallahassee FL 1973