Rudy Law

Born: 10/7/1956 in Waco, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1978-09-12 | Final Game: 1986-10-04

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Rudy Karl Law

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Biography

Rudy Law was a professional baseball player who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 1978 until his retirement in 1986. Born in 1956, Law played primarily as an outfielder and was known for his exceptional speed and base-running ability, traits that defined his style of play during a time when the game began to embrace the importance of stolen bases. Over the course of his career, he appeared in 749 games, accumulating 656 hits and achieving a batting average of .271. Law's offensive contributions included 18 home runs and 199 RBIs, but it was his prowess on the bases that truly set him apart, as he successfully stole 228 bases. Law played in an era that saw a transition in baseball strategies, with an increasing emphasis on speed and small ball tactics. He was a key contributor to the teams he played for, including the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and left a lasting impact on the game with his ability to disrupt opposing defenses. His combination of hitting and base-running established him as a valuable asset, and his legacy remains as a notable player who exemplified the aggressive approach to the game that characterized the late 1970s and early 1980s in Major League Baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
749	2421	379	656	101	37	18	199	228	184	210	0.271	0.325	0.366	0.691	-1474.2

Career AVG .271 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .325 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .366 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 5.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.691 vs. league average 0.712 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
1978	LAD	NL	11	12	2	3	0	0	0	1	3	1	2	0.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1980	LAD	NL	128	388	55	101	5	4	1	23	40	23	27	0.260	.264 (-2%)	.326 (-6%)	.387 (-22%)	.714 (-15%)	-1067.8
1982	CHW	AL	121	336	55	107	15	8	3	32	36	23	41	0.318	.261 (+22%)	.324 (+11%)	.388 (+13%)	.712 (+12%)	734.5
1983	CHW	AL	141	501	95	142	20	7	3	34	77	42	36	0.283	.260 (+9%)	.324 (+5%)	.389 (-5%)	.714 (-1%)	-18.8
1984	CHW	AL	136	487	68	122	14	7	6	37	29	39	42	0.251	.259 (-4%)	.322 (-4%)	.384 (-10%)	.707 (-8%)	-693.1
1985	CHW	AL	125	390	62	101	21	6	4	36	29	27	40	0.259	.257 (+1%)	.323 (-4%)	.390 (-4%)	.714 (-4%)	-351.4
1986	KCR	AL	87	307	42	80	26	5	1	36	14	29	22	0.261	.257 (+1%)	.325 (avg)	.395 (-2%)	.720 (-1%)	-77.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
4	18	1	7	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.389

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1983	ALCS	CHA	4	18	1	7	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.389

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	665	564	1446	27	21	10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1978	LAN	OF	6	1	3	0	0	0
1980	LAN	OF	106	87	233	6	3	3
1982	CHA	OF	94	74	215	2	6	0
1983	CHA	OF	132	118	302	5	2	2
1984	CHA	OF	130	116	322	5	5	2
1985	CHA	OF	120	95	226	7	3	3
1986	KCA	OF	77	73	145	2	2	0

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Left Field	179
Center Field	483
Right Field	36
Designated Hitter	14

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
1987	KCA	AL	$300,000
1986	KCA	AL	$360,000
1985	CHA	AL	$565,000
Total Career Earnings			$1,225,000

Award Voting History

Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1983	Most Valuable Player	AL	21th	2.0	392	0