Mickey Rivers, baseball player, 1970-1984

Mickey Rivers

Born: 10/30/1948 in Miami, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1970-08-04 | Final Game: 1984-09-30

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: John Milton Rivers

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Biography

Mickey Rivers, born in 1948, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball who enjoyed a successful career from 1970 until his retirement in 1984. Known for his exceptional speed and contact hitting, Rivers played a total of 1,468 games, where he accumulated 1,660 hits and a batting average of .295. A key figure in the league during the 1970s and early 1980s, Rivers' playing style combined a potent offensive presence with an ability to steal bases, evidenced by his impressive total of 267 stolen bases. He contributed significantly to his teams' successes, finishing his career with 61 home runs and 499 RBIs. Rivers was selected to the All-Star Game once, highlighting his recognition among peers and fans alike. His career coincided with an era of evolving baseball dynamics, where speed and batting average were highly valued, particularly in the context of the offensive strategies of the time. Rivers’ legacy is marked not only by his impressive statistics but also by his ability to electrify the game with his base-running prowess and consistent hitting, 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
1468 5629 785 1660 247 71 61 499 267 266 471 0.295 0.327 0.397 0.724 1807.9

Career AVG .295 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — +14.4% above league average.

Career OBP .327 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .397 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.724 vs. league average 0.703 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
1970 LAA AL 17 25 6 8 2 0 0 3 1 3 5 0.320 — — — — 0.0
1971 LAA AL 79 268 31 71 12 2 1 12 13 19 38 0.265 .249 (+6%) .316 (avg) .365 (-8%) .682 (-4%) -204.1
1972 LAA AL 58 159 18 34 6 2 0 7 4 8 26 0.214 .243 (-12%) .310 (-18%) .353 (-22%) .664 (-20%) -538.4
1973 LAA AL 30 129 26 45 6 4 0 16 8 8 11 0.349 .256 (+36%) .325 (+20%) .378 (+21%) .703 (+21%) 418.5
1974 LAA AL 118 466 69 133 19 11 3 31 30 39 47 0.285 .256 (+11%) .324 (+5%) .369 (+6%) .693 (+6%) 451.3
1975 LAA AL 155 616 70 175 17 13 1 53 70 43 42 0.284 .257 (+10%) .327 (+1%) .374 (-4%) .701 (-2%) -288.0
1976 NYY AL 137 590 95 184 31 8 8 67 43 13 51 0.312 .255 (+22%) .320 (+2%) .360 (+20%) .681 (+12%) 973.9
1977 NYY AL 138 565 79 184 18 5 12 69 22 18 45 0.326 .264 (+23%) .329 (+6%) .401 (+9%) .730 (+8%) 840.5
1978 NYY AL 141 559 78 148 25 8 11 48 25 29 51 0.265 .257 (+3%) .323 (-7%) .378 (+5%) .702 (avg) -265.2
1979 NYY AL 74 286 37 82 18 5 3 25 3 13 21 0.287 .265 (+8%) .329 (-5%) .397 (+5%) .727 (avg) -100.1
1979 TEX AL 58 247 35 74 9 3 6 25 7 9 18 0.300 .265 (+13%) .329 (-2%) .397 (+9%) .727 (+4%) -100.1
1980 TEX AL 147 630 96 210 32 6 7 60 18 20 34 0.333 .264 (+26%) .326 (+8%) .387 (+13%) .714 (+11%) 1164.6
1981 TEX AL 99 399 62 114 21 2 3 26 9 24 31 0.286 .255 (+12%) .320 (+2%) .368 (+1%) .688 (+1%) 71.4
1982 TEX AL 19 68 6 16 1 1 1 4 0 0 7 0.235 .261 (-10%) .324 (-28%) .388 (-17%) .712 (-22%) -271.0
1983 TEX AL 96 309 37 88 17 0 1 20 9 11 21 0.285 .260 (+9%) .324 (-5%) .389 (-10%) .714 (-8%) -492.2
1984 TEX AL 102 313 40 94 13 1 4 33 5 9 23 0.300 .259 (+16%) .322 (-1%) .384 (avg) .707 (avg) -50.8

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
29 120 14 37 4 1 0 4 4 9 0.308

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1978 ALCS NYA 4 11 0 5 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.455
1978 WS NYA 5 18 2 6 0 0 0 1 0 2 0.333
1977 ALCS NYA 5 23 5 9 2 0 0 2 0 2 0.391
1977 WS NYA 6 27 1 6 2 0 0 1 0 2 0.222
1976 ALCS NYA 5 23 5 8 0 1 0 0 1 1 0.348
1976 WS NYA 4 18 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.167

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1253 1196 3150 95 61 21

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1970 CAL OF 5 4 10 0 0 0
1971 CAL OF 76 67 160 5 4 2
1972 CAL OF 48 38 105 0 2 0
1973 CAL OF 29 29 60 0 6 0
1974 CAL OF 116 114 309 9 2 3
1975 CAL OF 152 150 371 13 9 3
1976 NYA OF 136 131 407 6 6 0
1977 NYA OF 136 129 380 11 7 1
1978 NYA OF 138 135 384 8 8 2
1979 NYA OF 69 68 147 4 4 0
1979 TEX OF 57 55 153 4 3 1
1980 TEX OF 141 138 342 19 8 4
1981 TEX OF 97 94 225 12 1 3
1983 TEX OF 23 20 48 1 1 0
1984 TEX OF 30 24 49 3 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Left Field 81
Center Field 1144
Right Field 42
Designated Hitter 128

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1976 TSN All-Star OF

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Miami-Dade College - North Campus Miami FL 1968, 1969

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1980 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 7.0 392 0
1978 Most Valuable Player AL 25th 6.0 392 0
1977 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 59.0 392 0
1976 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 179.0 336 1