Al Nipper, baseball player, 1983-1990

Al Nipper

Born: 4/2/1959 in San Diego, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1983-09-06 | Final Game: 1990-07-16

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 188 lbs

Full name: Albert Samuel Nipper

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Biography

Al Nipper, born in 1959, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1983 to 1990. He played in an era characterized by a transition in pitching styles and offensive strategies, as teams began to prioritize power hitting alongside traditional pitching prowess. Nipper made a name for himself with a career record of 46-50 and an earned run average (ERA) of 4.52, demonstrating his capability as a consistent, if not dominant, presence on the mound. During his career, Nipper accumulated a total of 381 strikeouts, showcasing his ability to miss bats and contribute to his team's defensive efforts. Although he recorded only one save, his role as a starting pitcher allowed him to impact games in a more traditional sense, often providing length and stability in the rotation. Nipper’s contributions to the teams he played for reflected the evolving nature of Major League Baseball during the late 1980s, a time when pitchers were beginning to adapt to more aggressive offensive lineups. His journey through the league remains a testament to the skill and versatility required to compete at the highest level of the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
46 50 144 124 21 0 1 797.7 846 401 97 303 381 4.52 0

Career ERA 4.52 vs. league average 3.92 across their career seasons — 15.4% worse 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
1983 BOS AL 1 1 3 2 1 0 0 16.0 17 4 7 5 2.25 3.87 (+42%) 97.2
1984 BOS AL 11 6 29 24 6 0 0 182.7 183 79 52 84 3.89 3.81 (-2%) -1362.3
1985 BOS AL 9 12 25 25 5 0 0 162.0 157 73 82 85 4.06 3.89 (-4%) -2302.2
1986 BOS AL 10 12 26 26 3 0 0 159.0 186 95 47 79 5.38 3.97 (-35%) -2994.0
1987 BOS AL 11 12 30 30 6 0 0 174.0 196 105 62 89 5.43 4.29 (-26%) -4440.7
1988 CHC NL 2 4 22 12 0 0 1 80.0 72 27 34 27 3.04 3.73 (+19%) -
1990 CLE AL 2 3 9 5 0 0 0 24.0 35 18 19 12 6.75 3.86 (-75%) -998.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
144 23 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.087 0.087 0.130 0.217 0.0

Career AVG .087 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 66.4% below league average.

Career OBP .087 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 73.2% below league average.

Career SLG .130 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 66.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.217 vs. league average 0.716 across their career seasons — 69.6% 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
1983 BOS AL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 BOS AL 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 BOS AL 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 BOS AL 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 BOS AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 CHC NL 22 23 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0.087 — — — — 0.0
1990 CLE AL 9 0 0 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
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1986 WS BOS 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 1 2 1 0 6.3 10 5 2 2 7.11

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1986 WS BOS 0 1 2 1 0 6.3 10 5 2 2 7.11

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 144 124 106 124 10 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1983 BOS P 3 2 1 2 0 0
1984 BOS P 29 24 28 31 1 0
1985 BOS P 25 25 24 28 5 4
1986 BOS P 26 26 28 28 1 4
1987 BOS P 30 30 20 27 2 2
1988 CHN P 22 12 4 7 1 1
1990 CLE P 9 5 1 1 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 144

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1984 Player of the Week Week of 1984-09-07

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1988 CHN NL $397,000
1986 BOS AL $265,000
1985 BOS AL $165,000
Total Career Earnings $827,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Truman State University Kirksville MO 1978, 1979, 1980

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1984 Rookie of the Year AL 7th 1.0 140 0