Wally Backman

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1980-1993)

Wally Backman was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1993 for 5 teams, including the New York Mets, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,102 career games, he hit .275 with 893 hits, 10 home runs, and 240 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 67.

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 .275
HR 10
RBI 240
H 893
OPS .687
PIV 67
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 160 lb
Born
9/22/1959 in Hillsboro, OR, USA
MLB Debut
1980-09-02
Last Game
1993-05-14

Full name: Walter Wayne Backman

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Career Batting Statistics

Wally Backman — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,102 3,245 482 893 138 19 10 240 117 371 480 .275 .349 .339 .687 67

Career AVG .275 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.

Career OBP .349 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — +7.5% above league average.

Career SLG .339 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 12.7% below league average.

Career OPS .687 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Wally Backman 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
1980 NYN NL 27 93 12 30 1 1 0 9 2 11 14 .323 .264 (+22%) .326 (+21%) .387 (-8%) .714 (+5%) 135.1
1981 NYN NL 26 36 5 10 2 0 0 0 1 4 7 .278 — — — — 0.0
1982 NYN NL 96 261 37 71 13 2 3 22 8 49 47 .272 .261 (+4%) .324 (+19%) .388 (-4%) .712 (+6%) 534.8
1983 NYN NL 26 42 6 7 0 1 0 3 0 2 8 .167 — — — — 0.0
1984 NYN NL 128 436 68 122 19 2 1 26 32 56 63 .280 .259 (+8%) .322 (+12%) .384 (-12%) .707 (-1%) 128.0
1985 NYN NL 145 520 77 142 24 5 1 38 30 36 72 .273 .257 (+6%) .323 (-1%) .390 (-12%) .714 (-7%) -578.9
1986 NYN NL 124 387 67 124 18 2 1 27 13 36 32 .320 .257 (+24%) .325 (+15%) .395 (-3%) .720 (+5%) 513.6
1987 NYN NL 94 300 43 75 6 1 1 23 11 25 43 .250 .262 (-5%) .331 (-7%) .415 (-31%) .746 (-21%) -947.7
1988 NYN NL 99 294 44 89 12 0 0 17 9 41 49 .303 .254 (+19%) .317 (+22%) .377 (-9%) .695 (+5%) 494.9
1989 MIN AL 87 299 33 69 9 2 1 26 1 32 45 .231 .254 (-9%) .319 (-4%) .375 (-24%) .694 (-15%) -622.8
1990 PIT NL 104 315 62 92 21 3 2 28 6 42 53 .292 .257 (+13%) .324 (+15%) .385 (+3%) .710 (+9%) 602.4
1991 PHI NL 94 185 20 45 12 0 0 15 3 30 30 .243 .255 (-5%) .323 (+6%) .384 (-20%) .708 (-8%) -158.7
1992 PHI NL 42 48 6 13 1 0 0 6 1 6 9 .271 — — — — -34.0
1993 SEA AL 10 29 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 .138 — — — — 0.0
Career · 14 seasons 1,102 3,245 482 893 138 19 10 240 117 371 480 .275 — — — — 67

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

Wally Backman — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
22 68 12 18 2 0 0 5 8 14 .265

Playoff Batting by Year

Wally Backman — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1990 NLCS PIT 3 7 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 3 .143
1988 NLCS NYN 7 22 2 6 1 0 0 2 2 5 .273
1986 NLCS NYN 6 21 5 5 0 0 0 2 2 4 .238
1986 WS NYN 6 18 4 6 0 0 0 1 3 2 .333

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1102 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Wally Backman — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home54515582504462116.286
Away55716872324478124.265

Last 10 Games — Batting

Wally Backman — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1993-05-14 SEAOAKL 100000000
1993-05-10 SEACHWL 300000003
1993-05-07 SEAMINL 401000000
1993-05-06 SEACLEW 201000001
1993-05-05 SEACLEL 410000000
1993-05-01 SEANYYL 300000001
1993-04-30 SEANYYL 300000013
1993-04-27 SEACLEW 201000000
1993-04-10 SEABALL 400000000
1993-04-09 SEABALW 311000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Wally Backman — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 826 697 1405 1953 69 383
3B 111 99 51 155 21 6
SS 18 10 20 24 1 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Wally Backman — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1980 NYN 2B 20 18 48 43 0 7
1980 NYN SS 8 8 14 12 1 4
1981 NYN 2B 11 5 14 21 2 2
1981 NYN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1982 NYN 2B 88 69 169 202 14 30
1982 NYN 3B 6 4 4 7 2 0
1982 NYN SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1983 NYN 2B 14 3 11 12 0 2
1983 NYN 3B 2 2 5 3 2 0
1984 NYN 2B 115 108 218 294 10 72
1984 NYN SS 8 2 5 12 0 1
1985 NYN 2B 140 122 272 370 7 76
1985 NYN SS 1 0 1 0 0 0
1986 NYN 2B 113 92 186 290 17 56
1987 NYN 2B 87 77 131 210 6 44
1988 NYN 2B 92 84 128 219 4 36
1989 MIN 2B 84 79 146 187 6 37
1990 PIT 2B 15 14 22 32 0 5
1990 PIT 3B 71 68 34 104 12 5
1991 PHI 2B 36 23 50 52 2 12
1991 PHI 3B 20 17 4 27 2 1
1992 PHI 2B 10 3 10 20 1 4
1992 PHI 3B 2 0 0 0 0 0
1993 SEA 2B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1993 SEA 3B 9 8 4 14 3 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Wally Backman Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 826
Third Base 110
Shortstop 19
Designated Hitter 1

Salary History

Wally Backman — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1992 PHI NL $650,000
1991 PHI NL $650,000
1990 PIT NL $400,000
1989 MIN AL $750,000
1988 NYN NL $650,000
1987 NYN NL $550,000
1986 NYN NL $325,000
1985 NYN NL $200,000
Total Career Earnings $4,175,000

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Wally Backman (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jamey Carroll
    .272 avg, 13 HR
  2. 94
    Ryan Theriot
    .281 avg, 17 HR
  3. 92
    Jerry Browne
    .271 avg, 23 HR
  4. 79
    Alan Bannister
    .270 avg, 19 HR
  5. 74
    Marty Barrett
    .278 avg, 18 HR
  6. 73
    Bill Sweeney
    .272 avg, 11 HR

Wally Backman: the record in brief

Wally Backman played a first major league game on September 2, 1980 and a last one on May 14, 1993. The season rows list, in order, the New York Mets (1980 to 1988), the Minnesota Twins (1989), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1990), the Philadelphia Phillies (1991 to 1992), and the Seattle Mariners (1993). Born on September 22, 1959, in Hillsboro, OR, USA, Backman is listed as a second baseman and switch-hit and threw right-handed. Backman's listed size is 5'9" and 160 pounds. Backman's full given name, per the bio, is Walter Wayne Backman.

Backman's career batting table shows 1,102 games, 3,245 at bats and 893 hits, a .275 average, along with 10 homers, 240 runs batted in, and 117 stolen bases. Backman got on base at a .349 rate and slugged .339 (.687 OPS). Measured against the leagues Backman played in, the .275 career average compares with a .259 league average over the same seasons, 6.3% above the league. 1985 produced Backman's most hits, 142 of them for the New York Mets.

Frequently Asked Questions about Wally Backman

What years did Wally Backman play?
Wally Backman played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1993.
Was Wally Backman a pitcher?
No. Wally Backman was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Wally Backman hit?
Wally Backman hit 10 career home runs with 893 hits.
What was Wally Backman's career batting average?
Wally Backman batted .275 over his career, with 893 hits in 3,245 at bats.
How many RBI did Wally Backman have?
Wally Backman drove in 240 runs in his career.
Is Wally Backman in the Hall of Fame?
No. Wally Backman has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.