Tom Niedenfuer, baseball player, 1981-1990

Tom Niedenfuer

Born: 8/13/1959 in St. Louis Park, MN, USA

MLB Debut: 1981-08-15 | Final Game: 1990-09-20

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 225 lbs

Full name: Thomas Edward Niedenfuer

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Biography

Tom Niedenfuer, born in 1959, was a professional baseball pitcher who had a notable career spanning from 1981 until his retirement in 1990. Known for his effective pitching style and ability to close games, Niedenfuer carved out a niche for himself in the major leagues, primarily playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Seattle Mariners. Over the course of his career, he finished with a record of 36 wins and 46 losses, coupled with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.29. His impressive strikeout total of 474 and 97 saves underscored his role as a reliable arm in the bullpen during an era that saw the rise of specialized relief pitchers. Niedenfuer's contributions were particularly significant in the late 1980s, a period marked by fierce competition and evolving pitching strategies in Major League Baseball. He played in an era that began to emphasize the importance of closers and late-inning specialists, and his performance reflected that shift. Niedenfuer’s ability to handle high-pressure situations made him a valuable asset to his teams, and his legacy in the game is remembered through his impactful performances on the mound.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
36 46 484 0 0 0 97 653.0 601 239 60 226 474 3.29 0

Career ERA 3.29 vs. league average 3.87 across their career seasons — 14.9% better than 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
1981 LAD NL 3 1 17 0 0 0 2 26.0 25 11 6 12 3.81 3.58 (-6%) -
1982 LAD NL 3 4 55 0 0 0 9 69.7 71 21 25 60 2.71 3.86 (+30%) -
1983 LAD NL 8 3 66 0 0 0 11 94.7 55 20 29 66 1.90 3.87 (+51%) -
1984 LAD NL 2 5 33 0 0 0 11 47.3 39 13 23 45 2.47 3.81 (+35%) -
1985 LAD NL 7 9 64 0 0 0 19 106.3 86 32 24 102 2.71 3.89 (+30%) -
1986 LAD NL 6 6 60 0 0 0 11 80.0 86 33 29 55 3.71 3.97 (+7%) -
1987 LAD NL 1 0 15 0 0 0 1 16.3 13 5 9 10 2.76 4.29 (+36%) -
1987 BAL AL 3 5 45 0 0 0 13 52.3 55 29 22 37 4.99 4.29 (-16%) -1606.0
1988 BAL AL 3 4 52 0 0 0 18 59.0 59 23 19 40 3.51 3.73 (+6%) -761.3
1989 SEA AL 0 3 25 0 0 0 0 36.3 46 27 15 15 6.69 3.71 (-80%) -1878.3
1990 STL NL 0 6 52 0 0 0 2 65.0 66 25 25 32 3.46 3.86 (+10%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
484 26 2 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 9 0.115 0.148 0.115 0.264 0.0

Career AVG .115 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 55.3% below league average.

Career OBP .148 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 54.2% below league average.

Career SLG .115 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 70.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.264 vs. league average 0.711 across their career seasons — 63.0% 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
1981 LAD NL 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 LAD NL 55 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1983 LAD NL 66 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1984 LAD NL 33 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1985 LAD NL 64 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1986 LAD NL 60 4 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1987 LAD NL 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 BAL AL 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 BAL AL 52 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 SEA AL 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 STL NL 52 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1985 NLCS LAN 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1983 NLCS LAN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 NLCS LAN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 NWDIV LAN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1981 WS LAN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 2 9 0 2 13.3 11 4 5 9 2.70

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1985 NLCS LAN 0 2 3 0 1 5.7 5 4 2 5 6.35
1983 NLCS LAN 0 0 2 0 1 2.0 0 0 1 3 0.00
1981 NLCS LAN 0 0 1 0 0 0.3 2 0 0 0 0.00
1981 NWDIV LAN 0 0 1 0 0 0.3 1 0 1 1 0.00
1981 WS LAN 0 0 2 0 0 5.0 3 0 1 0 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 484 0 50 62 9 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1981 LAN P 17 0 4 2 0 0
1982 LAN P 55 0 1 7 0 0
1983 LAN P 66 0 8 8 1 0
1984 LAN P 33 0 1 5 1 0
1985 LAN P 64 0 8 7 0 0
1986 LAN P 60 0 9 10 1 1
1987 LAN P 15 0 2 3 0 1
1987 BAL P 45 0 5 3 1 1
1988 BAL P 52 0 3 5 1 1
1989 SEA P 25 0 6 5 2 0
1990 SLN P 52 0 3 7 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 484

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1990 SEA AL $800,000
1989 SEA AL $800,000
1988 BAL AL $850,000
1987 LAN NL $731,250
1986 LAN NL $531,250
1985 LAN NL $370,000
Total Career Earnings $4,082,500

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Washington State University Pullman WA 1979, 1980