Craig Lefferts

Born: 9/29/1957 in Munich, Bavaria, West Germany

MLB Debut: 1983-04-07 | Final Game: 1994-07-03

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Craig Lindsay Lefferts

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Biography

Craig Lefferts, born in 1957, was a prominent pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1983 until his retirement in 1994. Over the course of his career, which spanned more than a decade, Lefferts established himself as a reliable reliever and a key component of several pitching staffs. With a career record of 58-72, he posted an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.43, demonstrating his effectiveness on the mound. Lefferts struck out 719 batters and recorded 101 saves, showcasing his ability to close out games and contribute to his teams' successes. Lefferts played during a transformative era in baseball, characterized by an increasing emphasis on specialized relief pitching and the evolving role of closers. His versatility allowed him to serve both as a starter and a reliever, adapting to the needs of his teams. Throughout his career, he was known for his strong left-handed pitching and ability to handle high-pressure situations, making him a valuable asset in the bullpen. Lefferts left a lasting impact on the game, remembered not only for his statistics but also for his contributions to the teams he represented, including the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs, among others.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
58	72	696	45	1	0	101	1145.7	1108	436	120	322	719	3.43	0

Career ERA 3.43 vs. league average 3.95 across their career seasons — 13.3% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1983	CHC	NL	3	4	56	5	0	1	89.0	80	31	29	60	3.13	3.87 (+19%)	-
1984	SDP	NL	3	4	62	0	0	10	105.7	88	25	24	56	2.13	3.81 (+44%)	-
1985	SDP	NL	7	6	60	0	0	2	83.3	75	31	30	48	3.35	3.89 (+14%)	-
1986	SDP	NL	9	8	83	0	0	4	107.7	98	37	44	72	3.09	3.97 (+22%)	-
1987	SDP	NL	2	2	33	0	0	2	51.3	56	25	15	39	4.38	4.29 (-2%)	-
1987	SFG	NL	3	3	44	0	0	4	47.3	36	17	18	18	3.23	4.29 (+25%)	-
1988	SFG	NL	3	8	64	0	0	11	92.3	74	30	23	58	2.92	3.73 (+22%)	-
1989	SFG	NL	2	4	70	0	0	20	107.0	93	32	22	71	2.69	3.71 (+27%)	-
1990	SDP	NL	7	5	56	0	0	23	78.7	68	22	22	60	2.52	3.86 (+35%)	-
1991	SDP	NL	1	6	54	0	0	23	69.0	74	30	14	48	3.91	3.91 (avg)	-
1992	SDP	NL	13	9	27	27	0	0	163.3	180	67	35	81	3.69	3.75 (+1%)	-
1992	BAL	AL	1	3	5	5	1	0	33.0	34	15	6	23	4.09	3.75 (-9%)	522.4
1993	TEX	AL	3	9	52	8	0	0	83.3	102	56	28	58	6.05	4.19 (-44%)	-2334.7
1994	LAA	AL	1	1	30	0	0	1	34.7	50	18	12	27	4.67	4.51 (-4%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
697	132	4	16	2	0	1	3	0	1	64	0.121	0.128	0.159	0.287	-655.4

Career AVG .121 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 53.2% below league average.

Career OBP .128 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 60.7% below league average.

Career SLG .159 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 59.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.287 vs. league average 0.717 across their career seasons — 60.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1983	CHC	NL	56	18	1	2	0	0	0	1	9	0.111	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	SDP	NL	62	17	1	5	1	0	0	0	6	0.294	—	—	—	—	0.0
1985	SDP	NL	60	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1986	SDP	NL	84	8	1	1	0	1	1	0	4	0.125	—	—	—	—	0.0
1987	SDP	NL	33	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
1987	SFG	NL	44	4	0	1	1	0	1	0	2	0.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1988	SFG	NL	64	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1989	SFG	NL	70	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1990	SDP	NL	56	4	1	1	0	0	1	0	2	0.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1991	SDP	NL	54	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1992	SDP	NL	27	52	0	4	0	0	0	0	21	0.077	.255 (-70%)	.322 (-76%)	.377 (-80%)	.699 (-78%)	-655.4
1992	BAL	AL	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	-655.4
1993	TEX	AL	52	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1994	LAA	AL	30	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
14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AVG
1989	NLCS	SFN	2	.000
1989	WS	SFN	3	.000
1987	NLCS	SFN	3	.000
1984	NLCS	SDN	3	.000
1984	WS	SDN	3	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2	0	14	0	1	15.7	9	2	7	10	1.15

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	G	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1989	NLCS	SFN	0	2	0	1.0	1	1	2	1	9.00
1989	WS	SFN	0	3	0	2.7	2	1	2	1	3.38
1987	NLCS	SFN	0	3	0	2.0	3	0	1	0	0.00
1984	NLCS	SDN	2	3	0	4.0	1	0	1	1	0.00
1984	WS	SDN	0	3	1	6.0	2	0	1	7	0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	696	45	56	154	8	12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1983	CHN	P	56	5	8	13	1	0
1984	SDN	P	62	0	5	10	1	2
1985	SDN	P	60	0	4	11	0	1
1986	SDN	P	83	0	3	24	0	3
1987	SDN	P	33	0	2	5	1	1
1987	SFN	P	44	0	3	6	1	0
1988	SFN	P	64	0	2	11	0	0
1989	SFN	P	70	0	5	9	0	2
1990	SDN	P	56	0	6	10	0	2
1991	SDN	P	54	0	3	12	0	1
1992	SDN	P	27	27	7	26	1	0
1992	BAL	P	5	5	1	2	1	0
1993	TEX	P	52	8	6	12	1	0
1994	CAL	P	30	0	1	3	1	0

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Pitcher	696

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
1994	CAL	AL	$400,000
1993	TEX	AL	$1,100,000
1992	SDN	NL	$2,041,667
1991	SDN	NL	$2,641,667
1990	SDN	NL	$1,266,667
1989	SFN	NL	$600,000
1988	SFN	NL	$575,000
1987	SDN	NL	$500,000
1986	SDN	NL	$390,000
1985	SDN	NL	$270,000
Total Career Earnings			$9,785,001