A. J. Pierzynski

Born: 12/30/1976 in Bridgehampton, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1998-09-09 | Final Game: 2016-09-10

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 250 lbs

Full name: Anthony John Pierzynski

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Biography

A. J. Pierzynski was a professional baseball player who established himself as one of the notable catchers in Major League Baseball during his career from 1998 to 2016. Born in 1976, he played 2,059 games, where he accumulated 2,043 hits, 188 home runs, and 909 RBIs, finishing his career with a batting average of .280. Known for his competitive spirit and strong offensive skills, Pierzynski was a key player for several teams, including the Chicago White Sox, with whom he won the World Series in 2005. His ability to contribute both offensively and defensively solidified his reputation as a reliable catcher during the height of his career. Pierzynski was selected as an All-Star twice, reflecting his impact and recognition within the game. His playing style was characterized by a gritty approach, exemplifying the toughness often associated with catchers. Over his nearly two-decade-long career, he became a veteran presence in the clubhouse and was known for his leadership qualities on the field. As the game evolved through the late 1990s and into the 2010s, Pierzynski's contributions as a player were significant, making him a memorable figure in baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
2059	7290	807	2043	407	24	188	909	15	308	895	0.280	0.319	0.420	0.739	-1569.1

Career AVG .280 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — +7.1% above league average.

Career OBP .319 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .420 vs. league average .416 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.739 vs. league average 0.746 across their career seasons — near 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
1998	MIN	AL	7	10	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	2	0.300	—	—	—	—	0.0
1999	MIN	AL	9	22	3	6	2	0	0	3	0	1	4	0.273	—	—	—	—	0.0
2000	MIN	AL	33	88	12	27	5	1	2	11	1	5	14	0.307	.270 (+13%)	.344 (+3%)	.437 (+4%)	.782 (+3%)	44.9
2001	MIN	AL	114	381	51	110	33	2	7	55	1	16	57	0.289	.263 (+9%)	.332 (-3%)	.426 (+3%)	.758 (+1%)	-67.0
2002	MIN	AL	130	440	54	132	31	6	6	49	1	13	61	0.300	.261 (+15%)	.331 (+1%)	.416 (+5%)	.747 (+3%)	189.9
2003	MIN	AL	137	487	63	152	35	3	11	74	3	24	55	0.312	.264 (+18%)	.332 (+8%)	.422 (+10%)	.754 (+9%)	895.0
2004	SFG	NL	131	471	45	128	28	2	11	77	0	19	27	0.272	.266 (+2%)	.335 (-5%)	.427 (-4%)	.762 (-4%)	-472.9
2005	CHW	AL	128	460	61	118	21	0	18	56	0	23	68	0.257	.264 (-3%)	.330 (-7%)	.418 (avg)	.749 (-3%)	-278.3
2006	CHW	AL	140	509	65	150	24	0	16	64	1	22	72	0.295	.269 (+9%)	.336 (-1%)	.431 (+1%)	.768 (avg)	17.7
2007	CHW	AL	136	472	54	124	24	0	14	50	1	25	66	0.263	.268 (-2%)	.335 (-8%)	.422 (-5%)	.758 (-6%)	-648.3
2008	CHW	AL	134	534	66	150	31	1	13	60	1	19	71	0.281	.263 (+6%)	.333 (-6%)	.416 (avg)	.749 (-3%)	-447.2
2009	CHW	AL	138	504	57	151	22	1	13	49	1	24	52	0.300	.262 (+14%)	.332 (-1%)	.417 (+2%)	.750 (+1%)	3.1
2010	CHW	AL	128	474	43	128	29	0	9	56	3	15	39	0.270	.257 (+5%)	.325 (-8%)	.402 (-4%)	.728 (-6%)	-607.9
2011	CHW	AL	129	464	38	133	29	1	8	48	0	23	33	0.287	.255 (+12%)	.320 (+1%)	.399 (+2%)	.719 (+1%)	30.0
2012	CHW	AL	135	479	68	133	18	4	27	77	0	28	78	0.278	.254 (+9%)	.318 (+2%)	.405 (+24%)	.724 (+14%)	1225.2
2013	TEX	AL	134	503	48	137	24	1	17	70	1	11	76	0.272	.253 (+7%)	.317 (-7%)	.396 (+7%)	.714 (+1%)	-59.1
2014	BOS	AL	72	256	19	65	10	1	4	31	0	9	40	0.254	.251 (+1%)	.313 (-9%)	.386 (-10%)	.700 (-10%)	-474.1
2014	STL	NL	30	82	6	20	2	0	1	6	0	5	14	0.244	.251 (-3%)	.313 (-6%)	.386 (-21%)	.700 (-14%)	-474.1
2015	ATL	NL	113	407	38	122	24	1	9	49	0	19	37	0.300	.254 (+18%)	.316 (+7%)	.404 (+6%)	.721 (+7%)	507.1
2016	ATL	NL	81	247	15	54	15	0	2	23	1	6	29	0.219	.255 (-14%)	.321 (-24%)	.417 (-27%)	.738 (-26%)	-1252.9

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
32	106	16	31	5	1	5	18	11	14	0.292

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
2014	NLCS	SLN	2	6	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	0.167
2008	ALDS2	CHA	4	13	1	5	1	0	0	1	2	1	0.385
2005	ALCS	CHA	5	18	1	3	0	0	1	2	1	6	0.167
2005	ALDS1	CHA	3	9	5	4	2	0	2	4	1	0	0.444
2005	WS	CHA	4	15	3	4	2	0	0	3	2	2	0.267
2003	ALDS1	MIN	4	13	1	3	0	0	1	1	2	0	0.231
2002	ALCS	MIN	5	16	1	4	0	0	0	2	0	2	0.250
2002	ALDS2	MIN	5	16	4	7	0	1	1	4	2	2	0.438

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
C	1936	1832	12600	823	68	101

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1998	MIN	C	6	4	33	2	0	1
1999	MIN	C	9	6	35	2	0	1
2000	MIN	C	32	27	160	10	0	3
2001	MIN	C	110	102	611	44	10	7
2002	MIN	C	124	118	757	41	3	3
2003	MIN	C	135	131	843	45	6	6
2004	SFN	C	118	117	697	56	1	6
2005	CHA	C	128	124	803	48	1	8
2006	CHA	C	132	126	795	62	3	4
2007	CHA	C	130	116	796	46	2	6
2008	CHA	C	131	127	913	54	9	8
2009	CHA	C	131	124	879	50	5	8
2010	CHA	C	127	123	865	61	5	5
2011	CHA	C	120	112	817	65	4	4
2012	CHA	C	126	121	899	71	6	8
2013	TEX	C	119	111	892	65	2	8
2014	BOS	C	64	60	464	28	3	2
2014	SLN	C	23	20	155	6	2	1
2015	ATL	C	107	104	729	44	2	7
2016	ATL	C	64	59	457	23	4	5

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Catcher	1936
Designated Hitter	32

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
2012	Silver Slugger	C
2008	Player of the Week	Week of 2008-04-05

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
2016	ATL	NL	$3,000,000
2015	ATL	NL	$2,000,000
2014	BOS	AL	$8,250,000
2013	TEX	AL	$7,500,000
2012	CHA	AL	$6,000,000
2011	CHA	AL	$2,000,000
2010	CHA	AL	$6,750,000
2009	CHA	AL	$6,250,000
2008	CHA	AL	$5,850,000
2007	CHA	AL	$5,500,000
2006	CHA	AL	$4,000,000
2005	CHA	AL	$2,250,000
2004	SFN	NL	$3,500,000
2003	MIN	AL	$365,000
2002	MIN	AL	$250,000
2001	MIN	AL	$210,000
Total Career Earnings			$63,675,000