Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers

CAREER BATTING STATISTICS

BATTING

YEAR

TEAM

AVG

RBI

OBP

SLG

1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999

Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Min
Min
Min

AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL

.333
.284
.265
.273
.251
.274
.279
.285
.285
.278
.272
.248
.242
.284

6
122
104
130
114
129
128
104
103
114
145
122
124
101

15
391
351
454
379
456
438
389
369
406
514
447
422
338

3
66
42
37
32
50
48
47
51
43
79
60
45
35

5
111
93
124
95
125
122
111
105
113
140
111
102
96

0
16
19
13
15
31
20
19
21
26
25
27
25
16

0
3
1
1
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
2
4

2
16
9
7
9
6
12
10
11
15
35
12
14
4

4
56
51
42
57
67
53
43
57
65
100
54
54
42

1
32
33
30
19
22
45
25
26
25
49
35
38
38

0
66
47
66
66
70
58
65
62
74
115
106
89
54

.375
.349
.334
.319
.291
.312
.345
.333
.327
.322
.342
.302
.310
.358

.733
.463
.402
.352
.372
.386
.411
.416
.442
.458
.529
.394
.410
.391

Totals

AVG
.271

G
1546

AB
5369

R
638

H
1453

2B
273

3B
21

HR
162

RBI
745

BB
418

K
938

OBP
.326

SLG
.420

BATTING BASERUNNING MISC

YEAR TEAM LG HBP GDP TB IBB SH SF SB CS SB% AB/HR AB/K

1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
Min
Min
Min
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
AL
0
9
6
2
4
7
1
3
0
3
6
1
4
2
0
10
13
14
11
15
20
13
10
15
16
14
16
10
11
181
141
160
141
176
180
162
163
186
272
176
173
132
0
2
2
2
1
4
3
1
4
4
5
2
0
1
0
3
3
2
5
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
3
5
3
3
9
3
1
6
4
2
4
1
2
0
1
3
1
0
2
2
3
2
1
0
6
0
2
0
2
0
2
1
2
3
3
1
3
1
1
1
2
-.---
.333
1.000
.333
.000
.500
.400
.500
.667
.250
.000
.857
.000
.500
7.5
24.4
39.0
64.9
42.1
76.0
36.5
38.9
33.5
27.1
14.7
37.3
30.1
84.5
--.-
5.9
7.5
6.9
5.7
6.5
7.6
6.0
6.0
5.5
4.5
4.2
4.7
6.3

Totals HBP
48 GDP
177 TB
2254 IBB
31 SH
15 SF
46 SB
23 CS
22 SB%
.511 AB/HR
33.1 AB/K
5.7

CAREER FIELDING STATISTICS

YEAR	TEAM	LG	POS	G	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	FPCT
1986 1987 1987 1987 1988 1988 1988 1988 1989 1989 1989 1989 1990 1990 1991 1991 1992 1992 1993 1993 1994 1994 1995 1995 1996 1996 1997 1997 1998 1999	Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Oak Min Min Min Min	AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL	C 1B 3B C OF 1B 3B C 3B 1B OF C 1B C 1B C 1B C 1B C 1B C 1B C 1B C 1B C C C	5 1 10 107 1 8 9 84 3 10 14 103 3 83 9 117 5 124 15 86 6 93 2 111 1 137 2 116 119 96	26 1 5 690 1 49 12 541 3 59 27 581 5 432 52 655 21 659 113 465 29 628 6 743 1 784 4 710 724 574	21 1 1 640 1 48 3 484 2 55 26 529 5 396 45 594 18 580 102 422 28 569 5 681 1 731 3 654 665 539	4 0 4 40 0 1 9 48 1 3 0 43 0 31 5 48 3 69 9 38 1 58 0 57 0 46 0 51 52 30	1 0 0 10 0 0 0 9 0 1 1 9 0 5 2 13 0 10 2 5 0 1 1 5 0 7 1 5 7 5	1 0 0 6 0 4 1 5 1 7 0 6 0 1 4 7 4 6 9 9 5 5 3 8 0 7 0 4 3 5	0.962 1.000 1.000 0.986 1.000 1.000 1.000 0.983 1.000 0.983 0.963 0.985 1.000 0.988 0.962 0.980 1.000 0.985 0.982 0.989 1.000 0.998 0.833 0.993 1.000 0.991 0.750 0.993 0.990 0.991
Totals				G 1480	Ch 8600	PO 7849	A 651	E 100	DP 111	FPCT 0.988

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES BATTING STATISTICS

BATTING

YEAR

TEAM

AVG

RBI

OBP

SLG

1988
1989
1990
1992

Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak

AL
AL
AL
AL

.250
.200
.455
.292

2
4
3
6

4
15
11
24

0
0
2
1

1
3
5
7

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
1

0
1
1
5

2
1
1
2

0
5
2
7

.500
.250
.500
.346

.250
.200
.455
.417

Totals

AVG
.296

G
15

AB
54

R
3

H
16

2B
0

3B
0

HR
1

RBI
7

BB
6

K
14

OBP
.367

SLG
.352

BATTING BASERUNNING MISC

YEAR TEAM LG HBP GDP TB IBB SH SF SB CS SB% AB/HR AB/K

1988
1989
1990
1992
Oak
Oak
Oak
Oak
AL
AL
AL
AL
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
3
5
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
-.---
-.---
.000
-.---
--.-
--.-
--.-
24.0
--.-
3.0
5.5
3.4

Totals HBP
0 GDP
2 TB
19 IBB
0 SH
0 SF
0 SB
0 CS
1 SB%
.000 AB/HR
54.0 AB/K
3.9

WORLD SERIES BATTING STATISTICS

BATTING

YEAR TEAM LG AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K OBP SLG

1988
1989
1990
Oak
Oak
Oak
AL
AL
AL
.364
.250
.125
3
4
3
11
16
8
0
3
0
4
4
1
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
7
0
0
2
0
2
1
1
.364
.333
.125
.455
.563
.125

Totals AVG
.257 G
10 AB
35 R
3 H
9 2B
1 3B
1 HR
1 RBI
7 BB
2 K
4 OBP
.297 SLG
.429

BATTING BASERUNNING MISC

YEAR TEAM LG HBP GDP TB IBB SH SF SB CS SB% AB/HR AB/K

1988
1989
1990
Oak
Oak
Oak
AL
AL
AL
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
9
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
-.---
-.---
-.---
--.-
16.0
--.-
5.5
16.0
8.0

Totals HBP
0 GDP
0 TB
15 IBB
0 SH
0 SF
0 SB
0 CS
0 SB%
-.--- AB/HR
35.0 AB/K
8.8

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FIELDING

YEAR	TEAM	POS	G	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	FPCT
1988 1989 1990 1992	Oak Oak Oak Oak	C C C C	2 3 3 6	12 17 11 37	12 17 11 30	0 0 0 7	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000
Totals			G 14	Ch 77	PO 70	A 7	E 0	DP 0	FPCT 1.000

WORLD SERIES FIELDING

YEAR	TEAM	POS	G	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	FPCT
1988 1989 1990	Oak Oak Oak	C C C	2 4 3	14 29 9	11 27 8	3 2 1	0 0 0	0 0 0	1.000 1.000 1.000
Totals			G 9	Ch 52	PO 46	A 6	E 0	DP 0	FPCT 1.000

ALL-STAR STATISTICS - BATTING TOTALS

BATTING															PERCENTAGES
YR 1988 1989 1993	TM Oak Oak Oak	LG AL AL AL	G 1 1 1	AB 1 3 2	R 1 0 0	H 1 1 1	2B 0 0 1	3B 0 0 0	HR 1 0 0	RBI 2 0 1	TB 4 1 2	BB 0 0 0	K 0 0 1	SB 0 0 0	BAVG 1.000 .333 .500	SLG 4.000 .333 1.000	AB/HR 1.0 --.- --.-	AB/K --.- --.- 2.0
Totals			G 3	AB 6	R 1	H 3	2B 1	3B 0	HR 1	RBI 3	TB 7	BB 0	K 1	SB 0	AVG .500	SLG 1.167	AB/HR 6.0	AB/K 6.0

Steinbach's career began as auspiciously as one could, when he slugged a pinch-hit home run in his first major-league plate appearance off Greg Swindell of the Cleveland Indians on September 12, 1986. He is the only catcher to have done it since 1871 when records were kept. The Oakland Athletics' third baseman-turned-catcher earned regular playing time the following year, when he traded off with Mickey Tettleton behind the plate and at designated hitter, ending up with a .284 average and 16 dingers.

A wild throw by teammate Mark McGwire fractured his orbital bone in May 1988 forcing him to miss almost a month, but Steinbach was nevertheless elected to the American League All-Star squad as the starting catcher. The selection was ridiculed by the press, as he was hitting only .216 at the break and platooning with Ron Hassey as the A's backstop. Ironically, with a home run in his first at-bat and a deep sacrifice fly in his second, the catcher took home the All-Star Game MVP honors. Fully healed after the break, he finished the 1988 season at .265.

Steinbach had much of the same role the following year, in the lineup most of the time switching between catcher and DH, along with a few stints in the outfield and at first. In the 1989 League Championship Series, Steinbach hit only .200 but had a homer and five RBIs as the A's defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in five games. He led the A's with seven RBIs, and cranked another home run in their World Series sweep of the San Francisco Giants.

Remarkably consistent for the Athletics from 1990 until 1995, Steinbach routinely batted between .270 and .290 and provided solid defense behind the plate. His 1996 power surge, in which he notched 100 RBIs and hit 35 home runs -- more than doubling his previous high of 16 -- made him an extremely appealing free agent. But despite a number of offers including a lucrative one from the Athletics, he opted for a lower salary to sign with his hometown Minnesota Twins on December 5, 1996.

Steinbach came back to earth for the Twinkies, putting up power numbers similar to his pre-1996 statistics. However, his bat speed slowed and his average dropped to .248 and .242 in 1997 and 1998 respectively. He was relegated to platoon duty in '99, splitting time with Javier Valentin, and retired at the end of the season.

Drafted: Selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 16th round of the 1980 free-agent draft; did not sign ... Selected by the Oakland Athletics in the ninth round of the 1983 free-agent draft.
Pre-Majors Highlights: All-Big-10 selection in 1982 and '83 while at the University of Minnesota.

Career Notes

1998 Season
Minnesota was hoping that Terry Steinbach's mediocre performance in 1997 was an aberration, but his 1998 numbers were nearly identical. He played well in the first half and was one of the few power threats in the lineup, but his play fell off after the All-Star break.

1996
Signed by the Minnesota Twins as a free agent on Dec. 5, 1996, following Paul Molitor's 1995 example and signing with his hometwon team ... Played entire season with the Oakland Athletics ... Hit 100th career home run on Apr. 15 at Texas ... Had a season-high nine-game hitting streak from May 3-13 ... Hit in 18 of 20 games from July 4-28 ... Established career highs with 514 at-bays, 140 hits, 79 runs, 35 home runs and 100 RBI ... 34 home runs by a catcher set an American League record.

1995
Reached double figures in homers for the fourth consecutive season and his 15 HR fell one short of his career high 16 in 1987 ... His .278 average was three points above his career mark, but it improved to .328 (44 for 134) from the seventh inning on which was the eighth best mark in the league ... Committed 5 errors and ranked fourth in the league with a .993 fielding percentage ... Threw out 33 of 93 (35.5%) on the base paths to finish third among AL catchers ... Collected his 1000th career hit on September 28 at California, a seventh inning single off Mark Langston ... His 913 games caught are an on-going Oakland record and are fourth most in Athletics history..

1994
In the very first inning of the year on Opening Day, he clubbed his fourth career grand slam ... Tied his career-high with a .285 batting average ... His 57 RBI was third best on the club ... Led all AL backstops with a .998 fielding percentage ... Also led AL catchers in throwing out 44% of base runners.

1993
Started 82 of the first 115 games before he sustained a broken wrist Aug. 15 ... Still managed to hit .285 in 104 games ... Gunned down 33 percent of potential base runners from behind the plate ... Posted four hits June 26 ... Appeared in his third All-Star Game (collected a hit and an RBI in two at-bats).

1992
Threw out 42 percent of potential base stealers .... Started 116 games behind the plate ... Missed 14 games after suffering a fractured wrist in the third game of the season ... Hit .294 from May 12th to the end of the season ... His .340 average with runners in scoring position ranked fourth in the league ... Threw out almost half (5-of-12) of the Blue Jay runners trying to steal in the AL Championship Series ... Posted seven hits, a homer and five RBI against Toronto in the Series ... Re-signed by the Oakland Athletics as a free agent on Dec. 14, 1992.

1991
Tallied 125 hits, 31 doubles and 67 RBI and gunned down 31 percent of would-be base runners ... Collected four hits in seven pinch-hit at-bats ... His 50 runs scored were his highest total since his rookie season in 1987.

1990
The A's posted a 47-30 record in his 77 starts ... Hit .579 (11-for-19) with the bases loaded ... Was the backstop when Dave Stewart tossed a no-hitter June 29 ... Hit at a .455 clip during the AL Championship Series against Boston.

1989
Started behind the plate in the All-Star Game for the second consecutive season ... Hit .322 before the All-Star Game, but only .205 after the break ... Threw out 40 percent of the runners trying to steal on the year ... His seven RBI against San Francisco in the World Series was a team best ... Slugged a three-run homer in Game 2 of the Series.

1988
Selected as the Most Valuable Player in the All-Star Game ... Homered of Dwight Gooden and compiled two RBI in his All-Star Game appearance to help propel the NL to victory ... Missed 22 games with a fractured bone around his left eye which he suffered May 6 ... Slugged first career grand slam July 2 ... Hit .364 with a double against the Dodgers in the World Series.

1987
Hit .284 with 16 homers and 56 RBI ... Threw out 47 percent of the runners trying to steal ... Posted his first four-hit game May 30 with five RBI ... Registered two home runs in a game for the first time June 13 ... Collected four hits in seven pinch-hit appearances with two homers and four RBI.

1986
Had a monster year in the minor leagues before his Sept. 12 call-up to the A's ... Played 138 games with Huntsville of the Class AA Southern League and hit .325 with 24 home runs and 132 RBI ... Hit .333 in six games with Oakland following his promotion.