Steve Balboni

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1981-1993)

Steve Balboni was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1993 for 4 teams, including the New York Yankees, a span of 13 seasons. In 960 career games, he hit .229 with 714 hits, 181 home runs, and 495 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,738.

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 .229
HR 181
RBI 495
H 714
OPS .743
PIV 1,738
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 225 lb
Born
1/16/1957 in Brockton, MA, USA
MLB Debut
1981-04-22
Last Game
1993-10-02

Full name: Stephen Charles Balboni

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Career Batting Statistics

Steve Balboni — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
960 3,120 351 714 127 11 181 495 1 273 856 .229 .293 .451 .743 1,738

Career AVG .229 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 11.6% below league average.

Career OBP .293 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 9.8% below league average.

Career SLG .451 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — +15.7% above league average.

Career OPS .743 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Steve Balboni 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
1981 NYA AL 4 7 2 2 1 1 0 2 0 1 4 .286 — — — — 0.0
1982 NYA AL 33 107 8 20 2 1 2 4 0 6 34 .187 .261 (-28%) .324 (-30%) .388 (-28%) .712 (-29%) -503.8
1983 NYA AL 32 86 8 20 2 0 5 17 0 8 23 .233 .260 (-11%) .324 (-9%) .389 (+11%) .714 (+2%) 5.3
1984 KCA AL 126 438 58 107 23 2 28 77 0 45 139 .244 .259 (-6%) .322 (-1%) .384 (+29%) .707 (+16%) 1224.8
1985 KCA AL 160 600 74 146 28 2 36 88 1 52 166 .243 .257 (-5%) .323 (-5%) .390 (+22%) .714 (+10%) 993.3
1986 KCA AL 138 512 54 117 25 1 29 88 0 43 146 .229 .257 (-11%) .325 (-12%) .395 (+14%) .720 (+2%) 12.4
1987 KCA AL 121 386 44 80 11 1 24 60 0 34 97 .207 .262 (-21%) .331 (-18%) .415 (+3%) .746 (-6%) -488.4
1988 KCA AL 21 63 2 9 2 0 2 5 0 1 20 .143 .254 (-44%) .317 (-51%) .377 (-29%) .695 (-39%) -391.4
1988 SEA AL 97 350 44 88 15 1 21 61 0 23 67 .251 .254 (-1%) .317 (-6%) .377 (+27%) .695 (+12%) -391.4
1989 NYA AL 110 300 33 71 12 2 17 59 0 25 67 .237 .254 (-7%) .319 (-7%) .375 (+23%) .694 (+9%) 354.4
1990 NYA AL 116 266 24 51 6 0 17 34 0 35 91 .192 .257 (-26%) .324 (-10%) .385 (+5%) .710 (-2%) -82.9
1993 TEX AL 2 5 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .600 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 960 3,120 351 714 127 11 181 495 1 273 856 .229 — — — — 732

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

Steve Balboni — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
17 61 3 12 0 0 0 4 8 16 .197

Playoff Batting by Year

Steve Balboni — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1985 ALCS KCA 7 25 1 3 0 0 0 1 2 8 .120
1985 WS KCA 7 25 2 8 0 0 0 3 5 4 .320
1984 ALCS KCA 3 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 .091

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (960 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Steve Balboni — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home469148715733075228.222
Away4911633194384106267.235

Last 10 Games — Batting

Steve Balboni — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1993-10-02 TEXKCRL 403000001
1993-09-13 TEXCLEW 100000001
1990-10-02 NYYDETW 201000010
1990-10-01 NYYDETL 300000010
1990-09-30 NYYMILW 200000001
1990-09-28 NYYMILW 501100103
1990-09-26 NYYBALW 411001102
1990-09-24 NYYBALL 100000001
1990-09-23 NYYBOSW 301100100
1990-09-20 NYYCLEL 411001101

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Steve Balboni — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 630 606 5579 386 64 521

Season-by-Season Fielding

Steve Balboni — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1981 NYA 1B 3 2 14 1 0 2
1982 NYA 1B 26 25 194 13 2 23
1983 NYA 1B 23 23 178 9 3 19
1984 KCA 1B 125 123 1102 79 15 102
1985 KCA 1B 160 159 1573 101 12 138
1986 KCA 1B 137 136 1236 98 18 115
1987 KCA 1B 55 54 521 41 6 39
1988 KCA 1B 13 10 94 5 2 11
1988 SEA 1B 40 39 334 25 2 34
1989 NYA 1B 20 15 150 7 1 15
1990 NYA 1B 28 20 183 7 3 23

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Steve Balboni Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 630
Designated Hitter 281

Awards & Honors

Steve Balboni — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1985 Player of the Week Week of 1985-04-19

Salary History

Steve Balboni's recorded salaries total $3,405,000 over 6 seasons, 1985 to 1990. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Balboni's career ran from 1981 to 1993. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1993.

Steve Balboni — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1990 NYA AL $900,000
1989 SEA AL $800,000
1988 KCA AL $350,000
1987 KCA AL $625,000
1986 KCA AL $525,000
1985 KCA AL $205,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $3,405,000

College History

Steve Balboni — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Eckerd College St. Petersburg FL 1976, 1977, 1978

Award Voting History

Steve Balboni — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1985 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 6.0 392 0
1984 Most Valuable Player AL 19th 5.0 392 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Steve Balboni (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Pedro Alvarez
    .236 avg, 162 HR
  2. 90
    Paul DeJong
    .229 avg, 146 HR
  3. 86
    Rowdy Tellez
    .234 avg, 123 HR
  4. 83
    Chris Carter
    .217 avg, 158 HR
  5. 81
    Rougned Odor
    .230 avg, 178 HR
  6. 76
    Jim Presley
    .247 avg, 135 HR

Steve Balboni: the record in brief

April 22, 1981 and October 2, 1993 bracket Steve Balboni's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Balboni played for the New York Yankees (1981 to 1990), the Kansas City Royals (1984 through 1988), the Seattle Mariners (1988), and the Texas Rangers (1993). Balboni is listed as a first baseman at 225 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame. Balboni batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is January 16, 1957, in Brockton, MA, USA. The given name on file is Stephen Charles Balboni.

The batting record for Balboni: 960 games, 714 hits in 3,120 at bats, and a .229 average, adding 181 home runs and 495 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .293 and the slugging percentage .451, for an OPS of .743. Set against a .259 league average for the same years, Balboni's .229 average sits 11.6% below it. No season beat the 36 home runs Balboni hit in 1985. No season topped the 146 hits of 1985.

Frequently Asked Questions about Steve Balboni

What years did Steve Balboni play?
Steve Balboni played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1993.
Was Steve Balboni a pitcher?
No. Steve Balboni was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Steve Balboni hit?
Steve Balboni hit 181 career home runs with 714 hits.
What teams did Steve Balboni play for?
Steve Balboni played for 4 teams: the New York Yankees (1981–1983, 1989–1990), the Kansas City Royals (1984–1988), the Seattle Mariners (1988), and the Texas Rangers (1993).
What were Steve Balboni's career stats?
In 960 games, Steve Balboni had 714 hits, 181 home runs, 495 RBI, 351 runs, and 1 stolen bases, with a .229 batting average.
How much did Steve Balboni earn in his career?
Steve Balboni's recorded salaries total $3,405,000 over 6 seasons, 1985 to 1990. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Balboni's career ran from 1981 to 1993. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1993.
What was Steve Balboni's salary?
Steve Balboni's last recorded salary was $900,000, in 1990. His highest recorded salary was $900,000, in 1990, and his lowest was $205,000, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1990.
What position did Steve Balboni play?
Steve Balboni played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Steve Balboni and how much did he weigh?
Steve Balboni was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 225 pounds.
How many home runs did Steve Balboni hit each season?
Steve Balboni's home runs by season: 0 in 1981, 2 in 1982, 5 in 1983, 28 in 1984, 36 in 1985, 29 in 1986, 24 in 1987, 23 in 1988, 17 in 1989, 17 in 1990, and 0 in 1993. His most in one season was 36, in 1985.
What was Steve Balboni's career batting average?
Steve Balboni batted .229 over his career, with 714 hits in 3,120 at bats.
How many RBI did Steve Balboni have?
Steve Balboni drove in 495 runs in his career.
Is Steve Balboni in the Hall of Fame?
No. Steve Balboni has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.