Lou Piniella, baseball player, 102 home runs, 1964-1984

Lou Piniella

Born: 8/28/1943 in Tampa, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1964-09-04 | Final Game: 1984-06-16

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 182 lbs

Full name: Louis Victor Piniella

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Biography

Lou Piniella, born in 1943, was a prominent Major League Baseball player who enjoyed a successful career from 1964 until his retirement in 1984. Primarily recognized as a position player, Piniella appeared in a total of 1,747 games, demonstrating his longevity and consistency in the league. Over the course of his career, he amassed 1,705 hits, culminating in a commendable batting average of .291. Piniella also contributed offensively with 102 home runs and 766 runs batted in (RBIs), along with 32 stolen bases, showcasing his versatility and ability to impact the game in multiple ways. Piniella's career was marked by his notable achievement as the Rookie of the Year, highlighting his immediate impact upon entering the league. He was selected to the All-Star team once, an honor that underscored his recognition among peers during a competitive era of baseball. His playing style combined a keen eye at the plate with a strong work ethic, making him an essential player for teams throughout his career. After his playing days, Piniella transitioned into a successful managerial role, further solidifying his legacy within the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1747 5867 651 1705 305 41 102 766 32 368 541 0.291 0.333 0.409 0.741 5623.2

Career AVG .291 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — +13.5% above league average.

Career OBP .333 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .409 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — +8.4% above league average.

Career OPS 0.741 vs. league average 0.699 across their career seasons — +6.1% 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 BAL AL 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1968 CLE AL 6 5 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1969 KCR AL 135 493 43 139 21 6 11 68 2 33 56 0.282 .248 (+14%) .320 (+2%) .369 (+13%) .689 (+8%) 511.8
1970 KCR AL 144 542 54 163 24 5 11 88 3 35 42 0.301 .253 (+18%) .325 (+5%) .385 (+10%) .711 (+8%) 727.1
1971 KCR AL 126 448 43 125 21 5 3 51 5 21 43 0.279 .249 (+12%) .316 (-2%) .365 (+1%) .682 (avg) -178.1
1972 KCR AL 151 574 65 179 33 4 11 72 7 34 59 0.312 .243 (+28%) .310 (+15%) .353 (+25%) .664 (+20%) 2061.3
1973 KCR AL 144 513 53 128 28 1 9 69 5 30 65 0.250 .256 (-3%) .325 (-11%) .378 (-5%) .703 (-7%) -899.5
1974 NYY AL 140 518 71 158 26 0 9 70 1 32 58 0.305 .256 (+19%) .324 (+5%) .369 (+10%) .693 (+8%) 654.6
1975 NYY AL 74 199 7 39 4 1 0 22 0 16 22 0.196 .257 (-24%) .327 (-20%) .374 (-40%) .701 (-30%) -1065.2
1976 NYY AL 100 327 36 92 16 6 3 38 0 18 34 0.281 .255 (+10%) .320 (+1%) .360 (+9%) .681 (+5%) 214.8
1977 NYY AL 103 339 47 112 19 3 12 45 2 20 31 0.330 .264 (+25%) .329 (+11%) .401 (+27%) .730 (+20%) 1197.1
1978 NYY AL 130 472 67 148 34 5 6 69 3 34 36 0.314 .257 (+22%) .323 (+12%) .378 (+18%) .702 (+15%) 1295.6
1979 NYY AL 130 461 49 137 22 2 11 69 3 17 31 0.297 .265 (+12%) .329 (-3%) .397 (+7%) .727 (+2%) 53.6
1980 NYY AL 116 321 39 92 18 0 2 27 0 29 20 0.287 .264 (+8%) .326 (+5%) .387 (-7%) .714 (-1%) -38.7
1981 NYY AL 60 159 16 44 9 0 5 18 0 13 9 0.277 .255 (+8%) .320 (+4%) .368 (+16%) .688 (+10%) 264.3
1982 NYY AL 102 261 33 80 17 1 6 37 0 18 18 0.307 .261 (+17%) .324 (+9%) .388 (+15%) .712 (+12%) 579.7
1983 NYY AL 53 148 19 43 9 1 2 16 1 11 12 0.291 .260 (+11%) .324 (+6%) .389 (+4%) .714 (+5%) 130.8
1984 NYY AL 29 86 8 26 4 1 1 6 0 7 5 0.302 .259 (+16%) .322 (+10%) .384 (+6%) .707 (+8%) 114.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
44 141 15 43 7 0 3 19 2 10 0.305

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1981 AEDIV NYA 4 10 1 2 1 0 1 3 0 0 0.200
1981 ALCS NYA 3 5 2 3 0 0 1 3 0 0 0.600
1981 WS NYA 6 16 2 7 1 0 0 3 0 1 0.438
1980 ALCS NYA 2 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 2 1 0.200
1978 ALCS NYA 4 17 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.235
1978 WS NYA 6 25 3 7 0 0 0 4 0 0 0.280
1977 ALCS NYA 5 21 1 7 3 0 0 2 0 1 0.333
1977 WS NYA 6 22 1 6 0 0 0 3 0 3 0.273
1976 ALCS NYA 4 11 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.273
1976 WS NYA 4 9 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.333

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 3 1 17 1 0 0
OF 1401 1318 2529 105 52 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1968 CLE OF 2 1 1 0 0 0
1969 KCA OF 129 125 278 13 7 1
1970 KCA 1B 1 0 3 0 0 0
1970 KCA OF 139 138 247 6 4 2
1971 KCA OF 115 113 201 6 3 2
1972 KCA OF 150 150 275 8 7 2
1973 KCA OF 128 125 196 9 3 3
1974 NYA 1B 1 0 5 0 0 0
1974 NYA OF 130 128 265 16 3 0
1975 NYA OF 46 41 65 5 1 0
1976 NYA OF 49 44 106 4 2 0
1977 NYA 1B 1 1 9 1 0 0
1977 NYA OF 51 47 77 2 2 0
1978 NYA OF 103 101 213 4 7 0
1979 NYA OF 112 102 204 13 4 1
1980 NYA OF 104 77 157 8 5 1
1981 NYA OF 36 30 69 2 1 1
1982 NYA OF 40 33 68 2 0 1
1983 NYA OF 43 40 67 4 3 2
1984 NYA OF 24 23 40 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 3
Left Field 1127
Center Field 4
Right Field 276
Designated Hitter 231

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1969 Rookie of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1978 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 11.0 392 0
1974 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 8.0 336 0
1972 Most Valuable Player AL 32th 1.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 35th 1.0 336 0
1969 Rookie of the Year AL 1st 9.0 24 9