Graig Nettles, baseball player, 390 home runs, 1967-1988

Graig Nettles

Born: 8/20/1944 in San Diego, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1967-09-06 | Final Game: 1988-10-01

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

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Biography

Graig Nettles, born in 1944, was a distinguished Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1967 to 1988. Known primarily for his exceptional defensive skills at third base, Nettles played a pivotal role during a transformative era in baseball that saw the game evolve in terms of athleticism and strategy. He participated in 2,700 games, accumulating 2,225 hits, 390 home runs, and 1,314 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .248. Nettles was not only a formidable hitter but also a base runner, finishing his career with 32 stolen bases. Nettles earned recognition as a six-time All-Star and was named the Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series, underscoring his impact in high-stakes games. His legacy is particularly tied to his time with the New York Yankees, where he was a key contributor during their championship runs in the late 1970s. Nettles' blend of power, defensive prowess, and clutch performances made him a significant figure in the game, and his contributions helped define the role of the modern third baseman. His career remains a testament to the skills required to excel in baseball during a competitive era.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2700 8986 1193 2225 328 28 390 1314 32 1088 1209 0.248 0.329 0.421 0.750 12240.3

Career AVG .248 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .329 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .421 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — +10.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.750 vs. league average 0.702 across their career seasons — +6.8% 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
1967 MIN AL 3 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1968 MIN AL 22 76 13 17 2 1 5 8 0 7 20 0.224 .236 (-5%) .298 (avg) .340 (+39%) .638 (+21%) 215.4
1969 MIN AL 96 225 27 50 9 2 7 26 1 32 47 0.222 .248 (-10%) .320 (avg) .369 (+1%) .689 (avg) 34.8
1970 CLE AL 157 549 81 129 13 1 26 62 3 81 77 0.235 .253 (-7%) .325 (+3%) .385 (+5%) .711 (+4%) 645.6
1971 CLE AL 158 598 78 156 18 1 28 86 7 82 56 0.261 .249 (+5%) .316 (+10%) .365 (+19%) .682 (+15%) 1889.9
1972 CLE AL 150 557 65 141 28 0 17 70 2 57 50 0.253 .243 (+4%) .310 (+5%) .353 (+12%) .664 (+8%) 904.2
1973 NYY AL 160 552 65 129 18 0 22 81 0 78 76 0.234 .256 (-9%) .325 (+3%) .378 (+2%) .703 (+2%) 421.4
1974 NYY AL 155 566 74 139 21 1 22 75 1 59 75 0.246 .256 (-4%) .324 (-3%) .369 (+9%) .693 (+4%) 312.6
1975 NYY AL 157 581 71 155 24 4 21 91 1 51 88 0.267 .257 (+4%) .327 (-1%) .374 (+15%) .701 (+7%) 647.4
1976 NYY AL 158 583 88 148 29 2 32 93 11 62 94 0.254 .255 (-1%) .320 (+2%) .360 (+32%) .681 (+18%) 1903.8
1977 NYY AL 158 589 99 150 23 4 37 107 2 68 79 0.255 .264 (-4%) .329 (+1%) .401 (+24%) .730 (+13%) 1577.9
1978 NYY AL 159 587 81 162 23 2 27 93 1 59 69 0.276 .257 (+7%) .323 (+6%) .378 (+21%) .702 (+14%) 1658.3
1979 NYY AL 145 521 71 132 15 1 20 73 1 59 53 0.253 .265 (-5%) .329 (-2%) .397 (+1%) .727 (avg) -14.5
1980 NYY AL 89 324 52 79 14 0 16 45 0 42 42 0.244 .264 (-8%) .326 (+1%) .387 (+12%) .714 (+7%) 463.9
1981 NYY AL 103 349 46 85 7 1 15 46 0 47 49 0.244 .255 (-5%) .320 (+4%) .368 (+8%) .688 (+6%) 465.5
1982 NYY AL 122 405 47 94 11 2 18 55 1 51 49 0.232 .261 (-11%) .324 (-2%) .388 (+4%) .712 (+1%) 93.6
1983 NYY AL 129 462 56 123 17 3 20 75 0 51 65 0.266 .260 (+2%) .324 (+5%) .389 (+15%) .714 (+10%) 946.4
1984 SDP NL 124 395 56 90 11 1 20 65 0 58 55 0.228 .259 (-12%) .322 (+2%) .384 (+7%) .707 (+5%) 438.4
1985 SDP NL 137 440 66 115 23 1 15 61 0 72 59 0.261 .257 (+2%) .323 (+12%) .390 (+8%) .714 (+10%) 1040.1
1986 SDP NL 126 354 36 77 9 0 16 55 0 41 62 0.218 .257 (-16%) .325 (-8%) .395 (-4%) .720 (-6%) -400.8
1987 ATL NL 112 177 16 37 8 1 5 33 1 22 25 0.209 .262 (-21%) .331 (-11%) .415 (-16%) .746 (-14%) -495.4
1988 WSN NL 80 93 5 16 4 0 1 14 0 9 19 0.172 .254 (-32%) .317 (-24%) .377 (-35%) .695 (-30%) -508.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
53 182 17 41 5 1 5 27 19 21 0.225

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1984 NLCS SDN 4 14 1 2 0 0 0 2 1 1 0.143
1984 WS SDN 5 12 2 3 0 0 0 2 5 0 0.250
1981 AEDIV NYA 5 17 1 1 0 0 0 1 3 1 0.059
1981 ALCS NYA 3 12 2 6 2 0 1 9 1 0 0.500
1981 WS NYA 3 10 1 4 1 0 0 0 1 1 0.400
1980 ALCS NYA 2 6 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0.167
1978 ALCS NYA 4 15 3 5 0 1 1 2 0 1 0.333
1978 WS NYA 6 25 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 6 0.160
1977 ALCS NYA 5 20 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 0.150
1977 WS NYA 6 21 1 4 1 0 0 2 2 3 0.190
1976 ALCS NYA 5 17 2 4 1 0 2 4 3 3 0.235
1976 WS NYA 4 12 0 3 0 0 0 2 3 1 0.250
1969 ALCS MIN 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 14 11 93 11 1 10
3B 2412 2324 1898 5279 295 470
OF 73 59 105 4 2 0
SS 5 0 2 1 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1968 MIN 1B 3 3 17 0 0 1
1968 MIN 3B 5 4 5 7 1 1
1968 MIN OF 16 15 28 2 1 0
1969 MIN 3B 21 16 12 42 1 3
1969 MIN OF 54 44 76 2 1 0
1970 CLE 3B 154 146 134 358 17 40
1970 CLE OF 3 0 1 0 0 0
1971 CLE 3B 158 158 159 412 16 54
1972 CLE 3B 150 150 114 338 21 27
1973 NYA 3B 157 157 117 410 26 39
1974 NYA 3B 154 154 147 377 21 29
1974 NYA SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1975 NYA 3B 157 157 135 379 19 31
1976 NYA 3B 158 156 137 383 19 30
1976 NYA SS 1 0 0 1 0 0
1977 NYA 3B 156 155 132 321 12 31
1978 NYA 3B 159 159 109 326 11 30
1978 NYA SS 2 0 1 0 0 0
1979 NYA 3B 144 142 110 339 16 30
1980 NYA 3B 88 85 58 182 10 18
1980 NYA SS 1 0 1 0 0 0
1981 NYA 3B 97 96 63 214 8 14
1982 NYA 3B 113 109 73 255 23 23
1983 NYA 3B 126 120 78 273 16 18
1984 SDN 3B 119 109 93 201 20 14
1985 SDN 3B 130 123 122 229 15 16
1986 SDN 3B 114 99 83 174 16 14
1987 ATL 1B 6 5 49 10 0 7
1987 ATL 3B 40 20 12 46 3 6
1988 MON 1B 5 3 27 1 1 2
1988 MON 3B 12 9 5 13 4 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 14
Third Base 2413
Shortstop 5
Left Field 58
Center Field 2
Right Field 13
Designated Hitter 11

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1981 ALCS MVP
1978 Gold Glove 3B
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-08-25
1978 TSN All-Star 3B
1977 Gold Glove 3B
1977 Player of the Month August
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-08-19
1977 TSN All-Star 3B
1976 Player of the Week Week of 1976-10-02
1975 TSN All-Star 3B
1974 Player of the Month April
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-04-12
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-04-19

Featured In Rankings

#14
Top 20 Third Basemen in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 14 of 20
→

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1988 MON NL $200,000
1987 ATL NL $219,500
1986 SDN NL $912,247
1985 SDN NL $900,000
Total Career Earnings $2,231,747

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
San Diego State University San Diego CA 1964, 1965

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1978 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 86.0 392 0
1977 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 112.0 392 2
1976 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 17.0 336 0
1971 Most Valuable Player AL 28th 1.0 336 0