Todd Van Poppel, baseball player, 1991-2004

Todd Van Poppel

Born: 12/9/1971 in Hinsdale, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1991-09-11 | Final Game: 2004-10-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 210 lbs

Full name: Todd Matthew Van Poppel

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Biography

Todd Van Poppel was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1991 to 2004. Born in 1971, he was hailed as one of the top pitching prospects of his generation, making his debut with the Oakland Athletics after being selected fourth overall in the 1990 MLB Draft. Van Poppel’s career spanned over a decade, during which he played for several teams, including the Athletics, the Detroit Tigers, and the Texas Rangers, among others. Known for his powerful arm, he accumulated a career record of 40-52, with an earned run average (ERA) of 5.58 and a total of 711 strikeouts, showcasing his ability to miss bats despite struggling with consistency at times. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Van Poppel's playing style was characterized by his fastball and a developing repertoire of secondary pitches. However, he faced challenges adapting to the rigors of Major League hitting, which impacted his overall performance. His time in the league coincided with a transitional period in baseball history, marked by the rise of power hitting and a shift in pitching strategies. After retiring from professional baseball in 2004, Van Poppel's legacy remained tied to his early promise and the high expectations placed upon him as a top draft pick, serving as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of player development in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
40 52 359 98 2 1 4 907.0 944 562 143 461 711 5.58 0

Career ERA 5.58 vs. league average 4.41 across their career seasons — 26.6% worse than 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
1991 OAK AL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 4.7 7 5 2 6 9.64 — 0.0
1993 OAK AL 6 6 16 16 0 0 0 84.0 76 47 62 47 5.04 4.19 (-20%) -3230.1
1994 OAK AL 7 10 23 23 0 0 0 116.7 108 79 89 83 6.09 4.51 (-35%) -5348.6
1995 OAK AL 4 8 36 14 1 0 0 138.3 125 75 56 122 4.88 4.45 (-10%) 1091.3
1996 OAK AL 1 5 28 6 0 0 1 63.0 86 54 33 37 7.71 4.61 (-67%) -2768.4
1996 DET AL 2 4 9 9 1 1 0 36.3 53 46 29 16 11.39 4.61 (-147%) -3745.4
1998 TEX AL 1 2 4 4 0 0 0 19.3 26 19 10 10 8.84 4.43 (-100%) -1330.6
1998 PIT NL 1 2 18 7 0 0 0 47.0 53 28 18 32 5.36 4.43 (-21%) 473.2
2000 CHC NL 4 5 51 2 0 0 2 86.3 80 36 48 77 3.75 4.77 (+21%) -
2001 CHC NL 4 1 59 0 0 0 0 75.0 63 21 38 90 2.52 4.42 (+43%) -
2002 TEX AL 3 2 50 0 0 0 1 72.7 80 44 29 85 5.45 4.28 (-27%) -313.9
2003 TEX AL 1 0 7 1 0 0 0 12.7 20 12 9 9 8.53 4.40 (-94%) -117.0
2003 CIN NL 2 1 9 4 0 0 0 35.7 31 18 6 25 4.54 4.40 (-3%) -332.4
2004 CIN NL 4 6 48 11 0 0 0 115.3 136 78 32 72 6.09 4.46 (-36%) -2143.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
359 57 5 9 1 0 0 2 0 2 22 0.158 0.186 0.175 0.362 0.0

Career AVG .158 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 40.5% below league average.

Career OBP .186 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 44.3% below league average.

Career SLG .175 vs. league average .419 across their career seasons — 58.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.362 vs. league average 0.754 across their career seasons — 52.0% 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
1991 OAK AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 OAK AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1994 OAK AL 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 OAK AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 OAK AL 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 DET AL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1998 TEX AL 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1998 PIT NL 18 12 2 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 4 0.250 — — — — 0.0
2000 CHC NL 51 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2001 CHC NL 59 7 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.286 — — — — 0.0
2002 TEX AL 50 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2003 TEX AL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2003 CIN NL 9 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.111 — — — — 0.0
2004 CIN NL 48 17 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 0.176 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 359 98 38 76 8 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1991 OAK P 1 1 0 1 0 0
1993 OAK P 16 16 6 4 0 1
1994 OAK P 23 23 1 11 0 1
1995 OAK P 36 14 4 11 1 0
1996 OAK P 28 6 1 4 1 0
1996 DET P 9 9 2 6 0 1
1998 TEX P 4 4 0 1 0 0
1998 PIT P 18 7 1 2 0 0
2000 CHN P 51 2 9 11 0 1
2001 CHN P 59 0 2 8 4 2
2002 TEX P 50 0 4 4 0 0
2003 TEX P 7 1 2 1 0 0
2003 CIN P 9 4 1 2 1 0
2004 CIN P 48 11 5 10 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 359

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2004 CIN NL $300,000
2003 TEX AL $2,500,000
2002 TEX AL $2,000,000
2001 CHN NL $850,000
1998 PIT NL $300,000
1996 OAK AL $318,000
1995 OAK AL $397,000
1994 OAK AL $397,000
1993 OAK AL $454,000
Total Career Earnings $7,516,000