Frank Viola, baseball player, 1982-1996

Frank Viola

Born: 4/19/1960 in Hempstead, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1982-06-06 | Final Game: 1996-05-28

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

Full name: Frank John Viola

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Frank Viola, born in 1960, was a prominent left-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1982 until his retirement in 1996. Over the course of his career, which spanned 14 seasons, Viola established himself as a formidable competitor on the mound, finishing with a career record of 176-150 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.73. He accumulated a total of 1,844 strikeouts, showcasing his ability to overpower hitters and contribute significantly to his teams' successes. Despite never recording a save, his role as a starting pitcher was pivotal during his tenure in the league. Viola's career was highlighted by his outstanding performance in the 1987 postseason, where he was named the World Series Most Valuable Player while leading the Minnesota Twins to their first championship. His excellence on the field was further recognized when he won the coveted Cy Young Award, solidifying his status as one of the premier pitchers of his era. Additionally, he was selected as an All-Star three times, reflecting his consistency and skill throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. With his contributions to the game, Frank Viola remains a significant figure in baseball history, remembered for his competitiveness and remarkable achievements during a time of intense competition in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
176 150 421 420 74 16 0 2836.3 2827 1175 294 864 1844 3.73 0

Career ERA 3.73 vs. league average 4.02 across their career seasons — 7.3% better 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
1982 MIN AL 4 10 22 22 3 1 0 126.0 152 73 38 84 5.21 3.86 (-35%) -2245.7
1983 MIN AL 7 15 35 34 4 0 0 210.0 242 128 92 127 5.49 3.87 (-42%) -6607.8
1984 MIN AL 18 12 35 35 10 4 0 257.7 225 92 73 149 3.21 3.81 (+16%) -745.2
1985 MIN AL 18 14 36 36 9 0 0 250.7 262 114 68 135 4.09 3.89 (-5%) 659.7
1986 MIN AL 16 13 37 37 7 1 0 245.7 257 123 83 191 4.51 3.97 (-13%) -1624.0
1987 MIN AL 17 10 36 36 7 1 0 251.7 230 81 66 197 2.90 4.29 (+33%) 4180.6
1988 MIN AL 24 7 35 35 7 2 0 255.3 236 75 54 193 2.64 3.73 (+29%) 5297.1
1989 MIN AL 8 12 24 24 7 1 0 175.7 171 74 47 138 3.79 3.71 (-2%) 1850.5
1989 NYN NL 5 5 12 12 2 1 0 85.3 75 32 27 73 3.38 3.71 (+9%) 1980.5
1990 NYN NL 20 12 35 35 7 3 0 249.7 227 74 60 182 2.67 3.86 (+31%) 6463.2
1991 NYN NL 13 15 35 35 3 0 0 231.3 259 102 54 132 3.97 3.91 (-1%) 475.9
1992 BOS AL 13 12 35 35 6 1 0 238.0 214 91 89 121 3.44 3.75 (+8%) 367.9
1993 BOS AL 11 8 29 29 2 1 0 183.7 180 64 72 91 3.14 4.19 (+25%) 332.5
1994 BOS AL 1 1 6 6 0 0 0 31.0 34 16 17 9 4.65 4.51 (-3%) -407.6
1995 CIN NL 0 1 3 3 0 0 0 14.3 20 10 3 4 6.28 4.45 (-41%) -518.6
1996 TOR AL 1 3 6 6 0 0 0 30.3 43 26 21 18 7.71 4.61 (-67%) -1694.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
421 185 8 26 3 0 0 6 0 3 41 0.141 0.154 0.157 0.311 -1477.1

Career AVG .141 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 46.1% below league average.

Career OBP .154 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 52.9% below league average.

Career SLG .157 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — 60.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.311 vs. league average 0.723 across their career seasons — 57.0% 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
1982 MIN AL 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 MIN AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 MIN AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1985 MIN AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1986 MIN AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 MIN AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 MIN AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 MIN AL 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 NYN NL 12 23 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 0.130 — — — — 0.0
1990 NYN NL 35 85 4 13 0 0 0 4 0 0 20 0.153 .257 (-41%) .324 (-53%) .385 (-60%) .710 (-57%) -801.9
1991 NYN NL 35 71 2 9 2 0 0 1 0 2 13 0.127 .255 (-50%) .323 (-53%) .384 (-60%) .708 (-57%) -675.2
1992 BOS AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 BOS AL 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1994 BOS AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 CIN NL 3 6 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1996 TOR AL 6 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 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1987 ALCS MIN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1987 WS MIN 3 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
3 1 5 5 0 31.3 31 15 8 25 4.31

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1987 ALCS MIN 1 0 2 2 0 12.0 14 7 5 9 5.25
1987 WS MIN 2 1 3 3 0 19.3 17 8 3 16 3.72

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 421 420 84 371 32 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1982 MIN P 22 22 1 15 2 0
1983 MIN P 35 34 7 23 1 2
1984 MIN P 35 35 6 26 1 1
1985 MIN P 36 36 6 33 5 0
1986 MIN P 37 37 8 21 3 1
1987 MIN P 36 36 6 34 3 1
1988 MIN P 35 35 5 30 2 1
1989 MIN P 24 24 7 26 3 1
1989 NYN P 12 12 3 9 1 2
1990 NYN P 35 35 11 34 1 1
1991 NYN P 35 35 6 34 4 1
1992 BOS P 35 35 6 47 2 6
1993 BOS P 29 29 10 31 4 1
1994 BOS P 6 6 0 4 0 1
1995 CIN P 3 3 0 2 0 0
1996 TOR P 6 6 2 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 421

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1990 TSN All-Star LHP
1989 Player of the Week Week of 1989-06-30
1988 Cy Young Award
1988 Pitcher of the Month May
1988 TSN All-Star LHP
1988 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1987 Babe Ruth Award P
1987 Pitcher of the Month July
1987 World Series MVP

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1995 CIN NL $190,000
1994 BOS AL $4,333,334
1993 BOS AL $4,833,333
1992 BOS AL $4,833,333
1991 NYN NL $3,166,667
1990 NYN NL $1,966,667
1989 MIN AL $2,766,666
1988 MIN AL $1,350,000
1987 MIN AL $830,000
1986 MIN AL $674,000
1985 MIN AL $375,000
Total Career Earnings $25,319,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
St. John's University Queens NY 1979, 1980, 1981

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1990 Cy Young Award NL 3rd 19.0 120 0
1988 Cy Young Award AL 1st 138.0 140 27
1988 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 39.0 392 0
1987 Cy Young Award AL 6th 5.0 140 0
1984 Cy Young Award AL 6th 2.0 140 0