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
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 225 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1981-04-22
- Last Game
- 1993-10-02
Full name: Stephen Charles 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (960 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 469 | 1487 | 157 | 330 | 75 | 228 | .222 |
| Away | 491 | 1633 | 194 | 384 | 106 | 267 | .235 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-10-02 | TEX | KCR | L | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993-09-13 | TEX | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990-10-02 | NYY | DET | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990-10-01 | NYY | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990-09-30 | NYY | MIL | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990-09-28 | NYY | MIL | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 1990-09-26 | NYY | BAL | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1990-09-24 | NYY | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990-09-23 | NYY | BOS | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-09-20 | NYY | CLE | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 630 | 606 | 5579 | 386 | 64 | 521 |
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
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 630 |
| Designated Hitter | 281 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Player of the Week | Week of 1985-04-19 |
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 Career Earnings | $3,405,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eckerd College | St. Petersburg | FL | 1976, 1977, 1978 |
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%.
Steve Balboni (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
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 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.