Rick Auerbach

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1971-1981)

Rick Auerbach was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1981 for 4 teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers, a span of 11 seasons. In 624 career games, he hit .220 with 309 hits, 9 home runs, and 86 RBI.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .220
HR 9
RBI 86
H 309
OPS .572
PIV -3,430
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 165 lb
Born
2/15/1950 in Woodland Hills, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1971-04-13
Last Game
1981-08-12

Full name: Frederick Steven Auerbach

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Career Batting Statistics

Rick Auerbach — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
624 1,407 167 309 56 5 9 86 36 127 198 .220 .286 .286 .572 -3,430

Career AVG .220 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 14.7% below league average.

Career OBP .286 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 11.5% below league average.

Career SLG .286 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 24.2% below league average.

Career OPS .572 vs. league average .700 across their career seasons — 18.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rick Auerbach Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1971 ML4 AL 79 236 22 48 10 0 1 9 3 20 40 .203 .249 (-18%) .316 (-14%) .365 (-29%) .682 (-22%) -771.7
1972 ML4 AL 153 554 50 121 16 3 2 30 24 43 62 .218 .243 (-10%) .310 (-11%) .353 (-24%) .664 (-18%) -1432.6
1973 ML4 AL 6 10 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .100 — — — — 0.0
1974 LAN NL 45 73 12 25 0 0 1 4 4 8 9 .342 .256 (+33%) .324 (+26%) .369 (+4%) .693 (+14%) 212.7
1975 LAN NL 85 170 18 38 9 0 0 12 3 18 22 .224 .257 (-13%) .327 (-9%) .374 (-26%) .701 (-18%) -453.3
1976 LAN NL 36 47 7 6 0 0 0 1 0 6 6 .128 — — — — -325.8
1977 CIN NL 33 45 5 7 2 0 0 3 0 4 7 .156 — — — — -332.4
1978 CIN NL 63 55 17 18 6 0 2 5 1 7 12 .327 .257 (+27%) .323 (+28%) .378 (+44%) .702 (+36%) 363.2
1979 CIN NL 62 100 17 21 8 1 1 12 0 14 19 .210 .265 (-21%) .329 (-8%) .397 (-14%) .727 (-11%) -185.4
1980 CIN NL 24 33 5 11 1 1 1 4 0 3 5 .333 — — — — 0.0
1981 SEA AL 38 84 12 13 3 0 1 6 1 4 15 .155 .255 (-39%) .320 (-38%) .368 (-39%) .688 (-38%) -505.0
Career · 11 seasons 624 1,407 167 309 56 5 9 86 36 127 198 .220 — — — — -3,430

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Rick Auerbach — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 .333

Playoff Batting by Year

Rick Auerbach — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1979 NLCS CIN 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1974 NLCS LAN 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.000
1974 WS LAN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (624 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Rick Auerbach — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home33473184149339.204
Away29067683160647.237

Last 10 Games — Batting

Rick Auerbach — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1981-08-12 SEALAAL 100000000
1981-08-11 SEALAAW 322000000
1981-08-10 SEALAAW 401000001
1981-06-10 SEABOSL 200000001
1981-06-09 SEABOSL 300000000
1981-06-07 SEACLEW 000000000
1981-06-06 SEACLEL 300000002
1981-06-05 SEACLEL 400000001
1981-06-01 SEAKCRL 101000000
1981-05-31 SEATEXW 511000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Rick Auerbach — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 57 19 71 77 10 12
3B 36 10 7 36 5 3
SS 440 348 608 1045 69 193

Season-by-Season Fielding

Rick Auerbach — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1971 ML4 SS 78 72 120 193 12 31
1972 ML4 SS 153 151 256 452 30 90
1973 ML4 SS 2 2 4 6 2 0
1974 LAN 2B 16 10 25 31 6 2
1974 LAN 3B 3 0 1 3 0 0
1974 LAN SS 19 8 12 26 2 4
1975 LAN 2B 1 0 5 0 0 1
1975 LAN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1975 LAN SS 81 53 77 137 9 17
1976 LAN 2B 7 4 16 20 1 4
1976 LAN 3B 8 0 2 3 2 1
1976 LAN SS 12 8 23 27 3 8
1977 CIN 2B 19 5 19 22 1 4
1977 CIN SS 12 5 18 24 4 3
1978 CIN 2B 10 0 3 4 1 1
1978 CIN 3B 3 0 2 1 0 0
1978 CIN SS 26 10 24 42 2 8
1979 CIN 2B 3 0 2 0 1 0
1979 CIN 3B 18 9 2 26 2 2
1979 CIN SS 16 8 27 28 2 5
1980 CIN 2B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1980 CIN 3B 3 1 0 3 1 0
1980 CIN SS 3 2 3 11 0 1
1981 SEA SS 38 29 44 99 3 26

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Rick Auerbach Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 56
Third Base 37
Shortstop 441

College History

Rick Auerbach — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills CA 1969

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Rick Auerbach (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Vic Harris
    .217 avg, 13 HR
  2. 95
    Tim Cullen
    .220 avg, 9 HR
  3. 90
    Omar Quintanilla
    .220 avg, 8 HR
  4. 87
    Dick Tracewski
    .213 avg, 8 HR
  5. 86
    Paul Janish
    .212 avg, 7 HR
  6. 84
    Hoss Walker
    .220 avg, 9 HR

Rick Auerbach: the record in brief

Rick Auerbach played a first major league game on April 13, 1971 and a last one on August 12, 1981. The season rows list, in order, the Milwaukee Brewers (1971 through 1973), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1974 to 1976), the Cincinnati Reds (1977 to 1980), and the Seattle Mariners (1981). Auerbach played primarily as a shortstop and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on February 15, 1950, in Woodland Hills, CA, USA, Auerbach was listed at 6'0" and 165 pounds. Auerbach's full given name, per the bio, is Frederick Steven Auerbach.

Auerbach's career batting table shows 624 games, 1,407 at bats and 309 hits, a .220 average, along with 9 homers, 86 runs batted in, and 36 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .286 and the slugging percentage .286, for an OPS of .572. Over the seasons Auerbach played, league hitters batted .257; the .220 career figure is 14.7% below that. The OPS comparison is .572 to a league .700, 18.3% below average. Auerbach collected a career-high 121 hits in 1972. 1972 brought a season-best 24 stolen bases.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rick Auerbach

What years did Rick Auerbach play?
Rick Auerbach played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1981.
Was Rick Auerbach a pitcher?
No. Rick Auerbach was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Rick Auerbach hit?
Rick Auerbach hit 9 career home runs with 309 hits.
What was Rick Auerbach's career batting average?
Rick Auerbach batted .220 over his career, with 309 hits in 1,407 at bats.
How many RBI did Rick Auerbach have?
Rick Auerbach drove in 86 runs in his career.
Is Rick Auerbach in the Hall of Fame?
No. Rick Auerbach has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.