Paul Molitor, baseball player, 234 home runs, 1978-1998

Paul Molitor

⭐ Hall of Fame 2004

Born: 8/22/1956 in St. Paul, MN, USA

MLB Debut: 1978-04-07 | Final Game: 1998-09-27

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Paul Leo Molitor

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Biography

Paul Molitor, born in 1956, was a distinguished Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1978 to 1998. Renowned for his combination of speed, hitting prowess, and versatility, Molitor played a pivotal role in the evolution of the game during an era characterized by offensive explosion and the increasing importance of athleticism on the diamond. Over his two-decade career, he appeared in 2,683 games, amassing an impressive 3,319 hits and achieving a batting average of .306. His offensive contributions included 234 home runs and 1,307 RBIs, complemented by 504 stolen bases, showcasing his ability to impact the game in multiple ways. Molitor's accolades included being named the TSN Rookie Player of the Year and earning the World Series MVP award, underlining his clutch performances on the biggest stages. He was selected as an All-Star seven times throughout his career, reflecting his standing among the elite players of his time. His contributions to the game culminated in his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, solidifying his legacy as one of the premier position players in baseball history. Molitor's blend of power, speed, and consistent hitting made him a key figure in the game, influencing future generations of players.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2683 10835 1782 3319 605 114 234 1307 504 1094 1244 0.306 0.369 0.448 0.817 28856.8

Career AVG .306 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +17.2% above league average.

Career OBP .369 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — +12.6% above league average.

Career SLG .448 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — +13.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.817 vs. league average 0.724 across their career seasons — +12.8% 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
1978 ATL AL 125 521 73 142 26 4 6 45 30 19 54 0.273 .257 (+6%) .323 (-7%) .378 (-2%) .702 (-4%) -567.2
1979 ATL AL 140 584 88 188 27 16 9 62 33 48 48 0.322 .265 (+21%) .329 (+13%) .397 (+18%) .727 (+16%) 1762.1
1980 ATL AL 111 450 81 137 29 2 9 37 34 48 48 0.304 .264 (+15%) .326 (+14%) .387 (+13%) .714 (+13%) 1209.4
1981 ATL AL 64 251 45 67 11 0 2 19 10 25 29 0.267 .255 (+4%) .320 (+6%) .368 (-9%) .688 (-2%) 5.7
1982 ATL AL 160 666 136 201 26 8 19 71 41 69 93 0.302 .261 (+16%) .324 (+13%) .388 (+16%) .712 (+15%) 2029.5
1983 ATL AL 152 608 95 164 28 6 15 47 41 59 74 0.270 .260 (+3%) .324 (+3%) .389 (+5%) .714 (+4%) 469.2
1984 ATL AL 13 46 3 10 1 0 0 6 1 2 8 0.217 — — — — 0.0
1985 ATL AL 140 576 93 171 28 3 10 48 21 54 80 0.297 .257 (+15%) .323 (+10%) .390 (+4%) .714 (+7%) 866.3
1986 ATL AL 105 437 62 123 24 6 9 55 20 40 81 0.281 .257 (+9%) .325 (+4%) .395 (+8%) .720 (+6%) 456.6
1987 ATL AL 118 465 114 164 41 5 16 75 45 69 67 0.353 .262 (+34%) .331 (+32%) .415 (+36%) .746 (+34%) 3394.8
1988 ATL AL 154 609 115 190 34 6 13 60 41 71 54 0.312 .254 (+23%) .317 (+21%) .377 (+20%) .695 (+20%) 2585.0
1989 ATL AL 155 615 84 194 35 4 11 56 27 64 67 0.315 .254 (+24%) .319 (+18%) .375 (+17%) .694 (+18%) 2238.3
1990 ATL AL 103 418 64 119 27 6 12 45 18 37 51 0.285 .257 (+10%) .324 (+6%) .385 (+20%) .710 (+14%) 974.5
1991 ATL AL 158 665 133 216 32 13 17 75 19 77 62 0.325 .255 (+27%) .323 (+23%) .384 (+27%) .708 (+25%) 3578.3
1992 ATL AL 158 609 89 195 36 7 12 89 31 73 66 0.320 .255 (+25%) .322 (+21%) .377 (+22%) .699 (+22%) 2717.7
1993 TOR AL 160 636 121 211 37 5 22 111 22 77 71 0.332 .265 (+25%) .332 (+21%) .403 (+26%) .735 (+24%) 3307.6
1994 TOR AL 115 454 86 155 30 4 14 75 20 55 48 0.341 .269 (+27%) .338 (+21%) .424 (+22%) .763 (+22%) 2070.2
1995 TOR AL 130 525 63 142 31 2 15 60 12 61 57 0.270 .266 (+1%) .337 (+3%) .417 (+1%) .755 (+2%) 302.2
1996 MIN AL 161 660 99 225 41 8 9 113 18 56 72 0.341 .269 (+26%) .340 (+15%) .426 (+10%) .767 (+12%) 1706.9
1997 MIN AL 135 538 63 164 32 4 10 89 11 45 73 0.305 .266 (+14%) .336 (+4%) .419 (+4%) .756 (+4%) 329.1
1998 MIN AL 126 502 75 141 29 5 4 69 9 45 41 0.281 .266 (+6%) .335 (avg) .420 (-9%) .755 (-5%) -579.2

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
29 117 28 43 5 3 6 22 12 15 0.368

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1993 ALCS TOR 6 23 7 9 2 1 1 5 3 3 0.391
1993 WS TOR 6 24 10 12 2 2 2 8 3 0 0.500
1982 ALCS ML4 5 19 4 6 1 0 2 5 2 3 0.316
1982 WS ML4 7 31 5 11 0 0 0 3 2 4 0.355
1981 AEDIV ML4 5 20 2 5 0 0 1 1 2 5 0.250

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 197 196 1716 127 18 169
2B 400 392 926 1274 48 279
3B 791 788 642 1639 121 185
OF 50 51 123 5 3 1
SS 57 54 99 196 18 30

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1978 ML4 2B 91 87 197 283 12 57
1978 ML4 3B 1 1 2 0 0 0
1978 ML4 SS 31 31 54 118 10 17
1979 ML4 2B 122 121 289 413 15 81
1979 ML4 SS 10 9 20 27 1 3
1980 ML4 2B 91 90 240 294 16 80
1980 ML4 3B 1 1 1 1 0 0
1980 ML4 SS 12 11 19 41 4 10
1981 ML4 OF 46 47 119 4 3 1
1982 ML4 3B 150 150 128 340 29 48
1982 ML4 SS 4 3 6 10 3 0
1983 ML4 3B 146 147 105 343 16 37
1984 ML4 3B 7 7 7 21 2 3
1985 ML4 3B 135 133 126 263 19 30
1986 ML4 3B 91 91 82 170 15 25
1986 ML4 OF 4 4 4 1 0 0
1987 ML4 2B 19 18 35 49 0 16
1987 ML4 3B 41 40 25 64 5 8
1988 ML4 2B 1 1 1 1 0 0
1988 ML4 3B 105 104 86 187 17 15
1989 ML4 2B 16 15 28 44 1 9
1989 ML4 3B 112 112 78 243 17 18
1990 ML4 1B 37 36 325 25 5 28
1990 ML4 2B 60 60 136 190 4 36
1990 ML4 3B 2 2 2 7 1 1
1991 ML4 1B 46 46 389 32 6 52
1992 ML4 1B 48 48 461 26 2 44
1993 TOR 1B 23 23 178 14 3 16
1994 TOR 1B 5 5 47 3 0 6
1996 MIN 1B 17 17 138 13 1 13
1997 MIN 1B 12 12 99 7 1 6
1998 MIN 1B 9 9 79 7 0 4

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 197
Second Base 400
Third Base 792
Shortstop 57
Left Field 4
Center Field 42
Right Field 4
Designated Hitter 1174

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1998 Branch Rickey Award
1998 MLB Players Choice Man of the Year
1997 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1996 Outstanding DH Award
1996 Silver Slugger DH
1996 TSN All-Star DH
1994 Player of the Week Week of 1994-07-23
1994 TSN All-Star DH
1993 Babe Ruth Award DH
1993 Outstanding DH Award
1993 Player of the Month May
1993 Silver Slugger DH
1993 TSN All-Star DH
1993 World Series MVP
1992 Player of the Week Week of 1992-08-29
1989 Player of the Month September
1988 Silver Slugger DH
1987 Hutch Award
1987 Player of the Week Week of 1987-08-15
1987 Player of the Week Week of 1987-08-22
1987 Silver Slugger DH
1987 TSN All-Star DH
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-09-17
1978 TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1998 MIN AL $4,250,000
1997 MIN AL $3,500,000
1996 MIN AL $2,025,000
1995 TOR AL $4,500,000
1994 TOR AL $4,025,000
1993 TOR AL $3,650,000
1992 ML4 AL $3,453,333
1991 ML4 AL $3,243,333
1990 ML4 AL $2,600,000
1989 ML4 AL $2,100,000
1988 ML4 AL $1,400,000
1987 ML4 AL $1,260,000
1986 ML4 AL $1,160,000
1985 ML4 AL $950,000
Total Career Earnings $38,116,666

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN 1975, 1976, 1977

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1996 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 19.0 392 0
1994 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 9.0 392 0
1993 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 209.0 392 0
1992 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 63.0 392 0
1991 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 51.0 392 0
1988 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 50.0 392 0
1987 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 125.0 392 0
1982 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 29.0 392 0
1979 Most Valuable Player AL 20th 8.0 392 0
1978 Rookie of the Year AL 2nd 3.0 28 3