Collin Balester

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2008-2015)

Collin Balester was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2008 to 2015 for the Washington Nationals, the Detroit Tigers, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 8 seasons. Across 88 career appearances, he went 8-17 with a 5.47 ERA and 157 strikeouts.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 8–17
ERA 5.47
WHIP 1.50
SO 157
Pitcher PIV -7230.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 190 lb
Born
6/6/1986 in Huntington Beach, CA, USA
MLB Debut
2008-07-01
Last Game
2015-10-02

Full name: Collin Thomas Balester

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Career Pitching Statistics

Collin Balester — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
8 17 88 22 0 0 0 200.2 210 122 39 91 157 5.47 -7230.1

Career ERA 5.47 vs. league average 4.11 across their career seasons — 33.2% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Collin Balester — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
2008 WAS NL 3 7 15 15 0 0 0 80.0 92 49 28 50 5.51 4.32 (-27%) -1566.4
2009 WAS NL 1 4 7 7 0 0 0 30.1 34 23 14 20 6.82 4.32 (-58%) -2371.3
2010 WAS NL 0 1 17 0 0 0 0 21.0 15 6 11 28 2.57 4.08 (+37%) 301.7
2011 WAS NL 1 4 23 0 0 0 0 35.2 38 18 14 34 4.54 3.94 (-15%) -882.3
2012 DET AL 2 0 11 0 0 0 0 18.0 14 13 11 12 6.50 4.01 (-62%) -1661.0
2015 CIN NL 1 1 15 0 0 0 0 15.2 17 13 13 13 7.47 3.96 (-89%) -1050.7
Career · 6 seasons 8 17 88 22 0 0 0 200.2 210 122 91 157 5.47 — -7,230

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Collin Balester — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
88 28 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 10 .143 .226 .143 .369 0

Career AVG .143 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 44.6% below league average.

Career OBP .226 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 30.5% below league average.

Career SLG .143 vs. league average .408 across their career seasons — 65.0% below league average.

Career OPS .369 vs. league average .732 across their career seasons — 49.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Collin Balester — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2008 WAS NL 15 15 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 8 .200 — — — — 0.0
2009 WAS NL 7 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .125 — — — — 0.0
2010 WAS NL 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2011 WAS NL 23 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2012 DET AL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2015 CIN NL 15 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 88 28 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 2 10 .143 — — — — 0

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.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (176 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Collin Balester — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home47160301.188
Away41121100.083

Pitching — Home / Away

Collin Balester — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home47109.21065751924.68
Away4191.01046540656.43

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Collin Balester — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
2015-10-02 CINPIT L 1.1122211
2015-09-30 CINCHC — 1.0422020
2015-09-26 CINNYN — 3.0000220
2015-09-23 CINSTL — 0.0133200
2015-09-20 CINMIL — 0.2100000
2015-09-18 CINMIL — 0.1211100
2015-09-16 CINSFG — 1.0211121
2015-09-14 CINSFG — 1.0000000
2015-09-13 CINSTL — 1.0000110
2015-09-08 CINPIT — 1.0111111

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Collin Balester — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 88 22 8 9 4 1

Season-by-Season Fielding

Collin Balester — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2008 WAS P 15 15 5 5 2 1
2009 WAS P 7 7 1 0 1 0
2010 WAS P 17 0 0 2 0 0
2011 WAS P 23 0 0 2 1 0
2012 DET P 11 0 1 0 0 0
2015 CIN P 15 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Collin Balester — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 88

Salary History

Collin Balester's recorded salaries total $485,000 over 1 season, in 2012. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Balester's career ran from 2008 to 2015. No salary is recorded for 5 of his seasons between 1985 and 2016.

Collin Balester — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
2012 DET AL $485,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $485,000

Collin Balester: the record in brief

Collin Balester played a first major league game on July 1, 2008 and a last one on October 2, 2015. Balester played for the Washington Nationals (2008 to 2011), the Detroit Tigers (2012), and the Cincinnati Reds (2015). Born on June 6, 1986, in Huntington Beach, CA, USA, Balester is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6'4" and 190 pounds. The given name on file is Collin Thomas Balester.

Across 88 games (22 starts), Balester recorded 8 wins against 17 losses with a 5.47 ERA. Also on Balester's record: 157 strikeouts. The league ERA over Balester's seasons was 4.11, so the 5.47 figure ran 33.2% worse than average. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 5.51 in 2008, when the league's was 4.32.

The position breakdown shows 88 games, all at pitcher. The fielding table credits Balester with 8 putouts, 9 assists and 4 errors on the mound.

Frequently Asked Questions about Collin Balester

What years did Collin Balester play?
Collin Balester played in Major League Baseball from 2008 to 2015.
Was Collin Balester a pitcher?
Yes. Collin Balester pitched in the major leagues, recording 8 wins and 157 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Collin Balester hit?
Collin Balester hit 0 career home runs with 4 hits.
What teams did Collin Balester play for?
Collin Balester played for 3 teams: the Washington Nationals (2008–2011), the Detroit Tigers (2012), and the Cincinnati Reds (2015).
What were Collin Balester's career stats?
In 88 games, Collin Balester went 8-17 with a 5.47 ERA, 157 strikeouts, and 200.2 innings pitched.
How much did Collin Balester earn in his career?
Collin Balester's recorded salaries total $485,000 over 1 season, in 2012. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Balester's career ran from 2008 to 2015. No salary is recorded for 5 of his seasons between 1985 and 2016.
What was Collin Balester's salary?
Collin Balester's recorded salary was $485,000 in 2012.
What position did Collin Balester play?
Collin Balester played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Collin Balester and how much did he weigh?
Collin Balester was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 190 pounds.
What was Collin Balester's career ERA?
Collin Balester finished with a 5.47 career ERA, going 8-17 with 157 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Collin Balester have?
Collin Balester recorded 157 career strikeouts.
Is Collin Balester in the Hall of Fame?
No. Collin Balester has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.