Tony Perez, baseball player, 379 home runs, 1964-1986

Tony Perez

⭐ Hall of Fame 2000

Born: 5/14/1942 in Camagüey, Camagüey, Cuba

MLB Debut: 1964-07-26 | Final Game: 1986-10-05

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Atanacio Perez

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Biography

Tony Perez, born in 1942, was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball, known for his powerful bat and significant contributions to the Cincinnati Reds during the 1970s. His career spanned from 1964 until 1986, during which he played a total of 2,777 games. Perez accumulated 2,732 hits, 379 home runs, and 1,652 RBIs, showcasing his ability to drive in runs and impact games consistently. With a batting average of .279 and 49 stolen bases, he demonstrated versatility and skill, making him a formidable presence at the plate and on the bases. A seven-time All-Star, Perez was recognized for his excellence on the field, earning the All-Star Game MVP award during his illustrious career. He played a crucial role in the "Big Red Machine," a dominant Reds team that captured multiple National League pennants and two World Series titles in 1975 and 1976. His legacy in baseball was solidified when he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000, marking him as one of the game's greats. Perez's impact extended beyond his impressive statistics; he was a key leader and a beloved figure in the sport, leaving an indelible mark on baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2777 9778 1272 2732 505 79 379 1652 49 925 1867 0.279 0.341 0.463 0.804 28814.7

Career AVG .279 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.

Career OBP .341 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.

Career SLG .463 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — +22.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.804 vs. league average 0.698 across their career seasons — +15.2% 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
1964 CIN NL 12 25 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 3 9 0.080 — — — — 0.0
1965 CIN NL 104 281 40 73 14 4 12 47 0 21 67 0.260 .245 (+6%) .310 (+1%) .371 (+25%) .682 (+14%) 637.5
1966 CIN NL 99 257 25 68 10 4 4 39 1 14 44 0.265 .248 (+6%) .309 (-2%) .376 (+1%) .685 (avg) -62.5
1967 CIN NL 156 600 78 174 28 7 26 102 0 33 102 0.290 .242 (+20%) .306 (+7%) .357 (+37%) .663 (+23%) 2327.8
1968 CIN NL 160 625 93 176 25 7 18 92 3 51 92 0.282 .236 (+19%) .298 (+13%) .340 (+26%) .638 (+20%) 2253.6
1969 CIN NL 160 629 103 185 31 2 37 122 4 63 131 0.294 .248 (+19%) .320 (+11%) .369 (+43%) .689 (+28%) 3310.1
1970 CIN NL 158 587 107 186 28 6 40 129 8 83 134 0.317 .253 (+25%) .325 (+23%) .385 (+53%) .711 (+39%) 4707.6
1971 CIN NL 158 609 72 164 22 3 25 91 4 51 120 0.269 .249 (+8%) .316 (+3%) .365 (+20%) .682 (+12%) 1304.4
1972 CIN NL 136 515 64 146 33 7 21 90 4 55 121 0.283 .243 (+16%) .310 (+12%) .353 (+40%) .664 (+27%) 2434.0
1973 CIN NL 151 564 73 177 33 3 27 101 3 74 117 0.314 .256 (+22%) .325 (+21%) .378 (+39%) .703 (+31%) 3498.5
1974 CIN NL 158 596 81 158 28 2 28 101 1 61 112 0.265 .256 (+3%) .324 (+2%) .369 (+25%) .693 (+14%) 1515.9
1975 CIN NL 137 511 74 144 28 3 20 109 1 54 101 0.282 .257 (+9%) .327 (+7%) .374 (+25%) .701 (+16%) 1546.4
1976 CIN NL 139 527 77 137 32 6 19 91 10 50 88 0.260 .255 (+2%) .320 (+2%) .360 (+25%) .681 (+14%) 1311.6
1977 WSN NL 154 559 71 158 32 6 19 91 4 63 111 0.283 .264 (+7%) .329 (+7%) .401 (+16%) .730 (+12%) 1297.1
1978 WSN NL 148 544 63 158 38 3 14 78 2 38 104 0.290 .257 (+13%) .323 (+4%) .378 (+18%) .702 (+12%) 1110.5
1979 WSN NL 132 489 58 132 29 4 13 73 2 38 82 0.270 .265 (+2%) .329 (-2%) .397 (+7%) .727 (+3%) 146.6
1980 BOS AL 151 585 73 161 31 3 25 105 1 41 93 0.275 .264 (+4%) .326 (-2%) .387 (+20%) .714 (+10%) 968.5
1981 BOS AL 84 306 35 77 11 3 9 39 0 27 66 0.252 .255 (-2%) .320 (-3%) .368 (+7%) .688 (+2%) 73.5
1982 BOS AL 69 196 18 51 14 2 6 31 0 19 48 0.260 .261 (avg) .324 (avg) .388 (+14%) .712 (+8%) 249.3
1983 PHI NL 91 253 18 61 11 2 6 43 1 28 57 0.241 .260 (-8%) .324 (-3%) .389 (-5%) .714 (-4%) -174.0
1984 CIN NL 71 137 9 33 6 1 2 15 0 11 21 0.241 .259 (-7%) .322 (-9%) .384 (-11%) .707 (-10%) -247.6
1985 CIN NL 72 183 25 60 8 0 6 33 0 22 22 0.328 .257 (+28%) .323 (+23%) .390 (+20%) .714 (+21%) 750.7
1986 CIN NL 77 200 14 51 12 1 2 29 0 25 25 0.255 .257 (-1%) .325 (+2%) .395 (-10%) .720 (-5%) -144.8

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
47 172 16 41 6 0 6 25 14 37 0.238

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1983 NLCS PHI 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
1983 WS PHI 4 10 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.200
1976 NLCS CIN 3 10 1 2 0 0 0 4 1 2 0.200
1976 WS CIN 4 16 1 5 1 0 0 2 1 2 0.312
1975 NLCS CIN 3 12 3 5 0 0 1 4 1 2 0.417
1975 WS CIN 7 28 4 5 0 0 3 7 3 9 0.179
1973 NLCS CIN 5 22 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 4 0.091
1972 NLCS CIN 5 20 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 7 0.200
1972 WS CIN 7 23 3 10 2 0 0 2 4 4 0.435
1970 NLCS CIN 3 12 1 4 2 0 1 2 1 1 0.333
1970 WS CIN 5 18 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 4 0.056

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1778 1658 14481 936 117 1342
2B 1 1 2 8 0 1
3B 760 759 644 1496 123 141

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1964 CIN 1B 6 6 51 0 1 2
1965 CIN 1B 93 66 525 40 6 55
1966 CIN 1B 75 62 530 23 6 46
1967 CIN 1B 18 17 134 5 0 12
1967 CIN 2B 1 1 2 8 0 1
1967 CIN 3B 139 138 113 221 13 13
1968 CIN 3B 160 160 151 343 25 33
1969 CIN 3B 160 160 136 342 32 35
1970 CIN 1B 8 4 36 6 0 4
1970 CIN 3B 153 153 131 286 35 34
1971 CIN 1B 44 9 168 4 2 16
1971 CIN 3B 148 148 113 304 18 26
1972 CIN 1B 136 134 1207 68 9 111
1973 CIN 1B 151 150 1318 85 13 131
1974 CIN 1B 157 157 1292 75 6 111
1975 CIN 1B 132 130 1192 72 9 113
1976 CIN 1B 136 130 1158 73 5 110
1977 MON 1B 148 148 1312 110 11 88
1978 MON 1B 145 144 1181 82 11 116
1979 MON 1B 129 128 1114 65 11 81
1980 BOS 1B 137 136 1301 87 10 150
1981 BOS 1B 56 55 519 37 4 63
1982 BOS 1B 2 1 5 1 1 0
1983 PHI 1B 69 63 514 40 1 36
1984 CIN 1B 31 24 186 12 2 17
1985 CIN 1B 50 45 340 22 2 34
1986 CIN 1B 55 49 398 29 7 46

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1776
Second Base 1
Third Base 761
Designated Hitter 82

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1986 Player of the Week Week of 1986-10-03
1980 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1975 Player of the Month August
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-08-29
1973 TSN All-Star 1B
1970 TSN All-Star 3B
1967 All-Star Game MVP

Featured In Rankings

#19
Top 20 First Basemen in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 19 of 20
→

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1986 CIN NL $275,000
1985 CIN NL $225,000
Total Career Earnings $500,000

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1980 Most Valuable Player AL 22th 2.0 392 0
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 18.0 336 0
1973 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 59.0 336 0
1970 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 149.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 28.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 5.0 280 0
1967 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 43.0 280 0