Scott Sanderson, baseball player, 1978-1996

Scott Sanderson

Born: 7/22/1956 in Dearborn, MI, USA

Died: 4/11/2019 in Lake Forest, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1978-08-06 | Final Game: 1996-05-15

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Scott Douglas Sanderson

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Biography

Scott Sanderson was a professional baseball pitcher who had a notable career spanning from 1978 until his retirement in 1996. Born in 1956, Sanderson made a significant impact on the mound with a career record of 163 wins and 143 losses, complemented by an earned run average (ERA) of 3.84. Over his 18-year tenure in Major League Baseball, he amassed 1,611 strikeouts and recorded 5 saves, showcasing his versatility and durability as a starting pitcher. Sanderson's contributions to the game were recognized with an All-Star selection during his career, highlighting his status as one of the prominent pitchers of his era. Throughout his career, Sanderson played for several teams, including the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, and Oakland Athletics, among others. His pitching style was characterized by a strong fastball and effective breaking pitches, enabling him to navigate through some of the toughest lineups in the league. Sanderson's longevity in the game was a testament to his skill and work ethic, as he maintained competitiveness in an era that included both the rise of power hitters and the integration of advanced analytics in player evaluation. His career achievements and contributions to the teams he played for have solidified his legacy in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
163 143 472 407 43 14 5 2561.7 2590 1093 297 625 1611 3.84 0

Career ERA 3.84 vs. league average 3.98 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1978 WSN NL 4 2 10 9 1 1 0 61.0 52 17 21 50 2.51 3.69 (+32%) -
1979 WSN NL 9 8 34 24 5 3 1 168.0 148 64 54 138 3.43 4.00 (+14%) -
1980 WSN NL 16 11 33 33 7 3 0 211.3 206 73 56 125 3.11 3.84 (+19%) -
1981 WSN NL 9 7 22 22 4 1 0 137.3 122 45 31 77 2.95 3.58 (+18%) -
1982 WSN NL 12 12 32 32 7 0 0 224.0 212 86 58 158 3.46 3.86 (+11%) -
1983 WSN NL 6 7 18 16 0 0 1 81.3 98 42 20 55 4.65 3.87 (-20%) -
1984 CHC NL 8 5 24 24 3 0 0 140.7 140 49 24 76 3.14 3.81 (+18%) -
1985 CHC NL 5 6 19 19 2 0 0 121.0 100 42 27 80 3.12 3.89 (+20%) -
1986 CHC NL 9 11 37 28 1 1 1 169.7 165 79 37 124 4.19 3.97 (-5%) -
1987 CHC NL 8 9 32 22 0 0 2 144.7 156 69 50 106 4.29 4.29 (avg) -
1988 CHC NL 1 2 11 0 0 0 0 15.3 13 9 3 6 5.28 3.73 (-41%) -
1989 CHC NL 11 9 37 23 2 0 0 146.3 155 64 31 86 3.94 3.71 (-6%) -
1990 OAK AL 17 11 34 34 2 1 0 206.3 205 89 66 128 3.88 3.86 (-1%) -2286.5
1991 NYY AL 16 10 34 34 2 2 0 208.0 200 88 29 130 3.81 3.91 (+3%) -
1992 NYY AL 12 11 33 33 2 1 0 193.3 220 106 64 104 4.93 3.75 (-32%) -
1993 LAA AL 7 11 21 21 4 1 0 135.3 153 67 27 66 4.46 4.19 (-6%) -
1993 SFG NL 4 2 11 8 0 0 0 48.7 48 19 7 36 3.51 4.19 (+16%) -
1994 CHW AL 8 4 18 14 1 0 0 92.0 110 52 12 36 5.09 4.51 (-13%) -
1995 LAA AL 1 3 7 7 0 0 0 39.3 48 18 4 23 4.12 4.45 (+7%) -
1996 LAA AL 0 2 5 4 0 0 0 18.0 39 15 4 7 7.50 4.61 (-63%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
473 474 20 46 13 0 2 26 0 26 224 0.097 0.150 0.137 0.288 -2234.0

Career AVG .097 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 62.8% below league average.

Career OBP .150 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 54.0% below league average.

Career SLG .137 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — 65.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.288 vs. league average 0.720 across their career seasons — 60.1% 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
1978 WSN NL 10 19 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0.105 — — — — 0.0
1979 WSN NL 34 50 0 8 2 0 0 1 0 0 23 0.160 .265 (-40%) .329 (-51%) .397 (-50%) .727 (-51%) -433.5
1980 WSN NL 33 64 3 5 3 0 0 1 0 2 33 0.078 .264 (-70%) .326 (-68%) .387 (-68%) .714 (-68%) -732.0
1981 WSN NL 22 35 2 4 2 0 0 6 0 9 18 0.114 — — — — 0.0
1982 WSN NL 32 57 5 8 3 0 1 6 0 2 20 0.140 .261 (-46%) .324 (-43%) .388 (-37%) .712 (-40%) -387.9
1983 WSN NL 18 28 1 4 2 0 0 1 0 0 8 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1984 CHC NL 24 42 3 5 0 0 0 5 0 3 18 0.119 — — — — 0.0
1985 CHC NL 19 31 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 17 0.065 — — — — 0.0
1986 CHC NL 38 51 1 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 23 0.059 .257 (-77%) .325 (-76%) .395 (-80%) .720 (-78%) -680.5
1987 CHC NL 32 40 2 3 0 0 1 2 0 3 20 0.075 — — — — 0.0
1988 CHC NL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 CHC NL 37 43 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 5 22 0.047 — — — — 0.0
1990 OAK AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 NYY AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 NYY AL 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 LAA AL 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 SFG NL 11 14 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 11 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1994 CHW AL 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 LAA AL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 LAA AL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1990 WS OAK 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1989 NLCS CHN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1984 NLCS CHN 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1981 NEDIV MON 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 5 2 0 11.0 16 7 4 5 5.73

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1990 WS OAK 0 0 2 0 0 1.7 4 2 1 0 10.80
1989 NLCS CHN 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 2 0 0 1 0.00
1984 NLCS CHN 0 0 1 1 0 4.7 6 3 1 2 5.79
1981 NEDIV MON 0 0 1 1 0 2.7 4 2 2 2 6.75

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 472 407 153 264 18 14

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1978 MON P 10 9 2 6 1 0
1979 MON P 34 24 9 13 1 1
1980 MON P 33 33 14 21 1 0
1981 MON P 22 22 6 14 0 0
1982 MON P 32 32 13 16 1 1
1983 MON P 18 16 4 6 2 0
1984 CHN P 24 24 11 24 1 0
1985 CHN P 19 19 11 21 0 2
1986 CHN P 37 28 11 20 2 0
1987 CHN P 32 22 10 14 2 3
1988 CHN P 11 0 0 1 0 0
1989 CHN P 37 23 10 12 0 1
1990 OAK P 34 34 11 18 2 2
1991 NYA P 34 34 15 13 1 0
1992 NYA P 33 33 4 18 2 1
1993 CAL P 21 21 11 15 2 1
1993 SFN P 11 8 2 8 0 0
1994 CHA P 18 14 4 17 0 1
1995 CAL P 7 7 3 4 0 1
1996 CAL P 5 4 2 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 472

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1996 CAL AL $200,000
1995 CAL AL $250,000
1994 CHA AL $350,000
1993 CAL AL $800,000
1993 NYA AL $250,000
1992 NYA AL $2,125,000
1991 NYA AL $2,125,000
1990 OAK AL $750,000
1989 CHN NL $800,000
1988 CHN NL $950,000
1987 CHN NL $850,000
1986 CHN NL $800,000
1985 CHN NL $500,000
Total Career Earnings $10,750,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Vanderbilt University Nashville TN 1976, 1977