Paul Bako
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1998-2009)
Paul Bako was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2009 for 11 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 12 seasons. In 789 career games, he hit .231 with 508 hits, 24 home runs, and 195 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
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 205 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1998-04-30
- Last Game
- 2009-10-04
Full name: Gabor Paul Bako
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 789 | 2,202 | 195 | 508 | 98 | 11 | 24 | 195 | 4 | 233 | 589 | .231 | .305 | .318 | .623 | -6,370 |
Career AVG .231 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 13.3% below league average.
Career OBP .305 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 9.2% below league average.
Career SLG .318 vs. league average .424 across their career seasons — 25.1% below league average.
Career OPS .623 vs. league average .760 across their career seasons — 18.1% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | DET | AL | 96 | 305 | 23 | 83 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 30 | 1 | 23 | 82 | .272 | .266 (+2%) | .335 (-5%) | .420 (-17%) | .755 (-12%) | -594.9 |
| 1999 | HOU | NL | 73 | 215 | 16 | 55 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 26 | 57 | .256 | .271 (-6%) | .344 (-4%) | .433 (-17%) | .778 (-11%) | -414.5 |
| 2000 | HOU | NL | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2000 | FLO | NL | 56 | 161 | 10 | 39 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 22 | 48 | .242 | .270 (-10%) | .344 (-3%) | .437 (-33%) | .782 (-20%) | 0.0 |
| 2000 | ATL | NL | 24 | 58 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 15 | .190 | .270 (-30%) | .344 (-26%) | .437 (-17%) | .782 (-21%) | 0.0 |
| 2001 | ATL | NL | 61 | 137 | 19 | 29 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 20 | 34 | .212 | .263 (-20%) | .332 (-6%) | .426 (-20%) | .758 (-14%) | -293.3 |
| 2002 | MIL | NL | 87 | 234 | 24 | 55 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 46 | .235 | .261 (-10%) | .331 (-11%) | .416 (-21%) | .747 (-17%) | -617.3 |
| 2003 | CHN | NL | 70 | 188 | 19 | 43 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 22 | 47 | .229 | .264 (-13%) | .332 (-6%) | .422 (-22%) | .754 (-15%) | -464.1 |
| 2004 | CHN | NL | 49 | 138 | 13 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 29 | .203 | .266 (-24%) | .335 (-14%) | .427 (-34%) | .762 (-25%) | -566.3 |
| 2005 | LAN | NL | 13 | 40 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 12 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2006 | KCA | AL | 56 | 153 | 7 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 46 | .209 | .269 (-22%) | .336 (-23%) | .431 (-47%) | .768 (-36%) | -916.1 |
| 2007 | BAL | AL | 60 | 156 | 13 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 50 | .205 | .268 (-23%) | .335 (-17%) | .422 (-39%) | .758 (-30%) | -749.9 |
| 2008 | CIN | NL | 99 | 299 | 30 | 65 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 35 | 0 | 34 | 90 | .217 | .263 (-18%) | .333 (-10%) | .416 (-21%) | .749 (-16%) | -784.2 |
| 2009 | PHI | NL | 44 | 116 | 12 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 32 | .224 | .262 (-15%) | .332 (-8%) | .417 (-20%) | .750 (-14%) | -249.2 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 789 | 2,202 | 195 | 508 | 98 | 11 | 24 | 195 | 4 | 233 | 589 | .231 | — | — | — | — | -5,650 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (789 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 395 | 1095 | 107 | 254 | 12 | 97 | .232 |
| Away | 394 | 1107 | 88 | 254 | 12 | 98 | .229 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10-04 | PHI | MIA | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-10-01 | PHI | HOU | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2009-09-29 | PHI | HOU | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2009-09-28 | PHI | HOU | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009-09-27 | PHI | MIL | W | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2009-09-26 | PHI | MIL | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-09-24 | PHI | MIL | W | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-09-23 | PHI | MIA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009-09-22 | PHI | MIA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-09-22 | PHI | MIA | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| C | 758 | 646 | 4477 | 334 | 50 | 41 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | DET | C | 94 | 83 | 493 | 45 | 6 | 5 |
| 1999 | HOU | C | 71 | 63 | 461 | 35 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000 | HOU | C | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | FLO | C | 56 | 48 | 318 | 21 | 3 | 2 |
| 2000 | ATL | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2000 | ATL | C | 23 | 17 | 116 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 2001 | ATL | C | 60 | 45 | 319 | 29 | 3 | 1 |
| 2002 | MIL | C | 76 | 65 | 420 | 33 | 4 | 2 |
| 2003 | CHN | C | 69 | 57 | 440 | 33 | 6 | 2 |
| 2004 | CHN | C | 47 | 43 | 332 | 30 | 4 | 2 |
| 2005 | LAN | C | 13 | 13 | 61 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | KCA | C | 53 | 44 | 258 | 20 | 2 | 3 |
| 2007 | BAL | C | 57 | 47 | 324 | 24 | 4 | 5 |
| 2008 | CIN | C | 96 | 88 | 679 | 39 | 5 | 7 |
| 2009 | PHI | C | 42 | 33 | 254 | 9 | 5 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 758 |
| First Base | 1 |
| Designated Hitter | 1 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | CIN | NL | $750,000 |
| 2007 | BAL | AL | $900,000 |
| 2006 | KCA | AL | $700,000 |
| 2005 | LAN | NL | $650,000 |
| 2004 | CHN | NL | $865,000 |
| 2003 | CHN | NL | $750,000 |
| 2002 | MIL | NL | $750,000 |
| 2001 | ATL | NL | $450,000 |
| 2000 | HOU | NL | $275,000 |
| 1999 | HOU | NL | $230,000 |
| 1998 | DET | AL | $170,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $6,490,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Lafayette | LA | 1991, 1992, 1993 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Paul Bako (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Paul Bako
- What years did Paul Bako play?
- Paul Bako played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2009.
- Was Paul Bako a pitcher?
- No. Paul Bako was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Paul Bako hit?
- Paul Bako hit 24 career home runs with 508 hits.
- What was Paul Bako's career batting average?
- Paul Bako batted .231 over his career, with 508 hits in 2,202 at bats.
- How many RBI did Paul Bako have?
- Paul Bako drove in 195 runs in his career.
- Is Paul Bako in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Paul Bako has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.