Billy Ripken, baseball player, 1987-1998

Billy Ripken

Born: 12/16/1964 in Havre de Grace, MD, USA

MLB Debut: 1987-07-11 | Final Game: 1998-07-13

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: William Oliver Ripken

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Biography

Billy Ripken was a professional baseball player born in 1964, who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 1998. Known primarily for his role as a position player, he appeared in 912 games throughout his career. Ripken accumulated a total of 674 hits, with 20 home runs and 229 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .247. His speed on the basepaths was evident with 25 stolen bases, showcasing a level of agility that complemented his overall playing style. Ripken's career coincided with a transformative era in baseball, marked by the increasing popularity of power hitters and the evolving dynamics of the game. He was the younger brother of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., and while he may not have matched his brother's legendary status, he carved out a respectable career in his own right, contributing to several teams, including the Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers. Billy Ripken's journey through baseball highlighted the importance of perseverance and adaptability within a highly competitive sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
912 2729 287 674 121 6 20 229 25 174 332 0.247 0.294 0.318 0.612 -7847.3

Career AVG .247 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 5.8% below league average.

Career OBP .294 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 10.9% below league average.

Career SLG .318 vs. league average .402 across their career seasons — 21.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.612 vs. league average 0.732 across their career seasons — 16.4% 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
1987 BAL AL 58 234 27 72 9 0 2 20 4 21 23 0.308 .262 (+17%) .331 (+10%) .415 (-10%) .746 (-2%) 3.2
1988 BAL AL 150 512 52 106 18 1 2 34 8 33 63 0.207 .254 (-19%) .317 (-18%) .377 (-32%) .695 (-26%) -2541.3
1989 BAL AL 115 318 31 76 11 2 2 26 1 22 53 0.239 .254 (-6%) .319 (-11%) .375 (-19%) .694 (-15%) -950.0
1990 BAL AL 129 406 48 118 28 1 3 38 5 28 43 0.291 .257 (+13%) .324 (+5%) .385 (avg) .710 (+3%) 218.2
1991 BAL AL 104 287 24 62 11 1 0 14 0 15 31 0.216 .255 (-16%) .323 (-22%) .384 (-32%) .708 (-27%) -1490.0
1992 BAL AL 111 330 35 76 15 0 4 36 2 18 26 0.230 .255 (-10%) .322 (-15%) .377 (-17%) .699 (-16%) -1023.5
1993 TEX AL 50 132 12 25 4 0 0 11 0 11 19 0.189 .265 (-29%) .332 (-19%) .403 (-46%) .735 (-33%) -750.2
1994 TEX AL 32 81 9 25 5 0 0 6 2 3 11 0.309 .269 (+14%) .338 (-2%) .424 (-13%) .763 (-8%) -109.2
1995 CLE AL 8 17 4 7 0 0 2 3 0 0 3 0.412 — — — — 0.0
1996 BAL AL 57 135 19 31 8 0 2 12 0 9 18 0.230 .269 (-15%) .340 (-18%) .426 (-22%) .767 (-20%) -516.5
1997 TEX AL 71 203 18 56 9 1 3 24 0 9 32 0.276 .266 (+3%) .336 (-11%) .419 (-11%) .756 (-11%) -486.4
1998 DET AL 27 74 8 20 3 0 0 5 3 5 10 0.270 .266 (+2%) .335 (-4%) .420 (-26%) .755 (-16%) -201.7

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 13 3 47 4 0 5
2B 769 713 1516 2146 50 526
3B 62 35 19 80 2 8
SS 72 57 88 165 9 38

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1987 BAL 2B 58 58 133 162 3 53
1988 BAL 2B 149 146 309 440 12 110
1988 BAL 3B 2 0 1 0 0 0
1989 BAL 2B 114 100 255 335 9 81
1990 BAL 2B 127 122 250 366 8 84
1991 BAL 2B 103 98 201 284 7 75
1992 BAL 2B 108 108 217 317 4 66
1993 TEX 2B 34 32 52 73 1 16
1993 TEX 3B 1 0 1 1 1 0
1993 TEX SS 18 14 27 49 0 12
1994 TEX 1B 1 0 5 0 0 0
1994 TEX 2B 12 8 16 26 1 6
1994 TEX 3B 18 11 8 24 1 4
1994 TEX SS 2 0 0 0 0 0
1995 CLE 2B 7 2 7 6 0 1
1995 CLE 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1996 BAL 1B 1 0 3 0 0 1
1996 BAL 2B 30 14 34 57 3 15
1996 BAL 3B 25 15 3 38 0 1
1997 TEX 1B 9 3 34 4 0 4
1997 TEX 2B 25 23 40 78 2 18
1997 TEX 3B 13 7 4 12 0 2
1997 TEX SS 31 24 38 64 3 15
1998 DET 1B 2 0 5 0 0 0
1998 DET 2B 2 2 2 2 0 1
1998 DET 3B 2 2 2 5 0 1
1998 DET SS 21 19 23 52 6 11

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 13
Second Base 769
Third Base 62
Shortstop 72
Designated Hitter 5

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1998 DET AL $400,000
1997 TEX AL $275,000
1996 BAL AL $250,000
1994 TEX AL $200,000
1993 TEX AL $200,000
1992 BAL AL $730,000
1991 BAL AL $700,000
1990 BAL AL $215,000
1989 BAL AL $100,000
1988 BAL AL $80,000
1987 BAL AL $62,500
Total Career Earnings $3,212,500