Cal Ripken, baseball player, 431 home runs, 1981-2001

Cal Ripken

⭐ Hall of Fame 2007

Born: 8/24/1960 in Havre de Grace, MD, USA

MLB Debut: 1981-08-10 | Final Game: 2001-10-06

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: Calvin Edwin Ripken

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Biography

Cal Ripken, born in 1960, was a legendary position player who played his entire Major League Baseball career with the Baltimore Orioles from August 10, 1981, until his retirement on October 6, 2001. Known for his ironman durability and exceptional skills, Ripken set a remarkable standard in baseball history, culminating in a record 3,001 games played. His career accomplishments include 3,184 hits, 431 home runs, and 1,695 RBIs, all of which contributed to his .276 batting average. Additionally, he showcased his speed on the bases with 36 stolen bases over his career. Ripken's influence extended beyond his impressive statistics; he was a two-time All-Star Game MVP and a 19-time All-Star selection, highlighting his consistent excellence and popularity throughout his career. His contributions to the game earned him numerous accolades, including the Rookie of the Year and TSN Rookie Player of the Year awards. In 2007, Ripken was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, solidifying his legacy as one of the sport's all-time greats. His career spanned a transformative era in baseball, where his commitment to the game and community set a benchmark for future generations, reinforcing the values of perseverance and sportsmanship in America's pastime.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
3001 11551 1647 3184 603 44 431 1695 36 1129 1305 0.276 0.340 0.447 0.788 18529.2

Career AVG .276 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — +5.1% above league average.

Career OBP .340 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .447 vs. league average .403 across their career seasons — +10.9% above league average.

Career OPS 0.788 vs. league average 0.733 across their career seasons — +7.4% 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
1981 BAL AL 23 39 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 0.128 — — — — 0.0
1982 BAL AL 160 598 90 158 32 5 28 93 3 46 95 0.264 .261 (+1%) .324 (-2%) .388 (+22%) .712 (+11%) 1131.3
1983 BAL AL 162 663 121 211 47 2 27 102 0 58 97 0.318 .260 (+22%) .324 (+14%) .389 (+33%) .714 (+24%) 3191.9
1984 BAL AL 162 641 103 195 37 7 27 86 2 71 89 0.304 .259 (+17%) .322 (+16%) .384 (+33%) .707 (+25%) 3267.8
1985 BAL AL 161 642 116 181 32 5 26 110 2 67 68 0.282 .257 (+10%) .323 (+7%) .390 (+20%) .714 (+14%) 1787.7
1986 BAL AL 162 627 98 177 35 1 25 81 4 70 60 0.282 .257 (+10%) .325 (+9%) .395 (+17%) .720 (+13%) 1739.2
1987 BAL AL 162 624 97 157 28 3 27 98 3 81 77 0.252 .262 (-4%) .331 (+1%) .415 (+5%) .746 (+3%) 365.1
1988 BAL AL 161 575 87 152 25 1 23 81 2 102 69 0.264 .254 (+4%) .317 (+17%) .377 (+14%) .695 (+15%) 2097.5
1989 BAL AL 162 646 80 166 30 0 21 93 3 57 72 0.257 .254 (+1%) .319 (-1%) .375 (+7%) .694 (+3%) 387.4
1990 BAL AL 161 600 78 150 28 4 21 84 3 82 66 0.250 .257 (-3%) .324 (+5%) .385 (+8%) .710 (+7%) 895.4
1991 BAL AL 162 650 99 210 46 5 34 114 6 53 46 0.323 .255 (+26%) .323 (+16%) .384 (+47%) .708 (+33%) 4079.2
1992 BAL AL 162 637 73 160 29 1 14 72 4 64 50 0.251 .255 (-2%) .322 (avg) .377 (-3%) .699 (-2%) -138.3
1993 BAL AL 162 641 87 165 26 3 24 90 1 65 58 0.257 .265 (-3%) .332 (-1%) .403 (+4%) .735 (+2%) 223.8
1994 BAL AL 112 444 71 140 19 3 13 75 1 32 41 0.315 .269 (+17%) .338 (+7%) .424 (+8%) .763 (+8%) 706.0
1995 BAL AL 144 550 71 144 33 2 17 88 0 52 59 0.262 .266 (-2%) .337 (-4%) .417 (+1%) .755 (-1%) -267.7
1996 BAL AL 163 640 94 178 40 1 26 102 1 59 78 0.278 .269 (+3%) .340 (avg) .426 (+9%) .767 (+5%) 652.0
1997 BAL AL 162 615 79 166 30 0 17 84 1 56 73 0.270 .266 (+1%) .336 (-2%) .419 (-4%) .756 (-3%) -445.5
1998 BAL AL 161 601 65 163 27 1 14 61 0 51 68 0.271 .266 (+2%) .335 (-1%) .420 (-7%) .755 (-5%) -527.5
1999 BAL AL 86 332 51 113 27 0 18 57 0 13 31 0.340 .271 (+26%) .344 (+7%) .433 (+35%) .778 (+22%) 1324.5
2000 BAL AL 83 309 43 79 16 0 15 56 0 23 37 0.256 .270 (-5%) .344 (-10%) .437 (+4%) .782 (-2%) -236.9
2001 BAL AL 128 477 43 114 16 0 14 68 0 26 63 0.239 .263 (-9%) .332 (-17%) .426 (-15%) .758 (-16%) -1703.8

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
28 110 14 37 10 0 1 8 12 22 0.336

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1997 ALCS BAL 6 23 3 8 2 0 1 3 4 6 0.348
1997 ALDS2 BAL 4 16 1 7 2 0 0 1 2 2 0.438
1996 ALCS BAL 5 20 1 5 1 0 0 0 1 4 0.250
1996 ALDS1 BAL 4 18 2 8 3 0 0 2 0 3 0.444
1983 ALCS BAL 4 15 5 6 2 0 0 1 2 3 0.400
1983 WS BAL 5 18 2 3 0 0 0 1 3 4 0.167

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 675 667 461 1237 69 117
SS 2302 2291 3651 6977 225 1565

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1981 BAL 3B 6 1 2 6 1 1
1981 BAL SS 12 8 11 24 2 5
1982 BAL 3B 71 68 66 151 6 17
1982 BAL SS 94 91 155 289 13 47
1983 BAL SS 162 162 272 534 25 113
1984 BAL SS 162 162 297 583 26 122
1985 BAL SS 161 161 286 474 26 123
1986 BAL SS 162 162 240 482 13 105
1987 BAL SS 162 162 240 480 20 103
1988 BAL SS 161 161 284 480 21 119
1989 BAL SS 162 162 276 531 8 119
1990 BAL SS 161 161 242 435 3 94
1991 BAL SS 162 162 267 528 11 114
1992 BAL SS 162 162 287 445 12 119
1993 BAL SS 162 162 226 495 17 101
1994 BAL SS 112 112 132 321 7 72
1995 BAL SS 144 144 206 409 7 100
1996 BAL 3B 6 6 5 16 0 1
1996 BAL SS 158 157 228 467 14 109
1997 BAL 3B 162 162 98 314 22 25
1997 BAL SS 3 0 2 0 0 0
1998 BAL 3B 161 161 101 265 8 22
1999 BAL 3B 85 85 36 142 13 11
2000 BAL 3B 73 73 56 134 5 17
2001 BAL 3B 111 111 97 209 14 23

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Third Base 674
Shortstop 2302
Designated Hitter 25

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2001 All-Star Game MVP
1996 Player of the Week Week of 1996-06-01
1995 Player of the Week Week of 1995-09-09
1995 TSN All-Star SS
1994 Silver Slugger SS
1994 TSN All-Star SS
1993 Silver Slugger SS
1993 TSN All-Star SS
1992 Gold Glove SS
1992 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1992 Player of the Week Week of 1992-09-19
1992 Roberto Clemente Award
1991 All-Star Game MVP
1991 Gold Glove SS
1991 Most Valuable Player
1991 Player of the Month September
1991 Player of the Week Week of 1991-09-28
1991 Silver Slugger SS
1991 TSN All-Star SS
1991 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1991 TSN Player of the Year
1989 Silver Slugger SS
1989 TSN All-Star SS
1987 Player of the Week Week of 1987-05-02
1986 Silver Slugger SS
1985 Player of the Week Week of 1985-05-03
1985 Silver Slugger SS
1985 TSN All-Star SS
1984 Player of the Week Week of 1984-07-13
1984 Player of the Week Week of 1984-08-31
1984 Silver Slugger SS
1984 TSN All-Star SS
1983 Most Valuable Player
1983 Player of the Month September
1983 Silver Slugger SS
1983 TSN All-Star SS
1983 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1983 TSN Player of the Year
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-06-25
1982 Rookie of the Year
1982 TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Featured In Rankings

#3
Top 20 Shortstops in MLB Baseball History
Ranked 3 of 20
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Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2001 BAL AL $6,300,000
2000 BAL AL $6,300,000
1999 BAL AL $6,500,000
1998 BAL AL $6,400,000
1997 BAL AL $6,850,000
1996 BAL AL $6,650,000
1995 BAL AL $6,700,000
1994 BAL AL $5,500,000
1993 BAL AL $5,200,000
1992 BAL AL $2,100,000
1991 BAL AL $2,566,667
1990 BAL AL $1,316,667
1989 BAL AL $2,466,667
1988 BAL AL $1,700,000
1987 BAL AL $1,350,000
1986 BAL AL $1,150,000
1985 BAL AL $800,000
Total Career Earnings $69,850,001

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1995 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 3.0 392 0
1994 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 24.0 392 0
1993 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 7.0 392 0
1991 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 318.0 392 15
1990 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 2.0 392 0
1989 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 216.0 392 6
1985 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 9.0 392 0
1984 Most Valuable Player AL 27th 1.0 392 0
1983 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 322.0 392 15
1982 Most Valuable Player AL 30th 3.0 392 0
1982 Rookie of the Year AL 1st 132.0 140 24