Todd Benzinger
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1987-1995)
Todd Benzinger was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 1995 for 5 teams, including the Boston Red Sox, a span of 9 seasons. In 924 career games, he hit .257 with 733 hits, 66 home runs, and 376 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1987-06-21
- Last Game
- 1995-05-14
Full name: Todd Eric Benzinger
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 924 | 2,856 | 316 | 733 | 135 | 18 | 66 | 376 | 21 | 181 | 552 | .257 | .301 | .386 | .687 | -2,238 |
Career AVG .257 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .301 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 8.1% below league average.
Career SLG .386 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .687 vs. league average .722 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | BOS | AL | 73 | 223 | 36 | 62 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 43 | 5 | 22 | 41 | .278 | .262 (+6%) | .331 (+4%) | .415 (+7%) | .746 (+6%) | 223.9 |
| 1988 | BOS | AL | 120 | 405 | 47 | 103 | 28 | 1 | 13 | 70 | 2 | 22 | 80 | .254 | .254 (avg) | .317 (-8%) | .377 (+12%) | .695 (+3%) | 91.7 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | 161 | 628 | 79 | 154 | 28 | 3 | 17 | 76 | 3 | 44 | 120 | .245 | .254 (-3%) | .319 (-8%) | .375 (+1%) | .694 (-3%) | -430.1 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | 118 | 376 | 35 | 95 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 46 | 3 | 19 | 69 | .253 | .257 (-2%) | .324 (-10%) | .385 (-12%) | .710 (-11%) | -729.9 |
| 1991 | CIN | NL | 51 | 123 | 7 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 10 | 20 | .187 | .255 (-27%) | .323 (-24%) | .384 (-30%) | .708 (-28%) | -560.1 |
| 1991 | KCA | AL | 78 | 293 | 29 | 86 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 40 | 2 | 17 | 46 | .294 | .255 (+15%) | .323 (+4%) | .384 (avg) | .708 (+2%) | -560.1 |
| 1992 | LAN | NL | 121 | 293 | 24 | 70 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 31 | 2 | 15 | 54 | .239 | .255 (-7%) | .322 (-16%) | .377 (-8%) | .699 (-11%) | -622.9 |
| 1993 | SFN | NL | 86 | 177 | 25 | 51 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 0 | 13 | 35 | .288 | .265 (+9%) | .332 (avg) | .403 (+12%) | .735 (+7%) | 162.4 |
| 1994 | SFN | NL | 107 | 328 | 32 | 87 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 31 | 2 | 17 | 84 | .265 | .269 (-2%) | .338 (-10%) | .424 (-6%) | .763 (-8%) | -474.2 |
| 1995 | SFN | NL | 9 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 924 | 2,856 | 316 | 733 | 135 | 18 | 66 | 376 | 21 | 181 | 552 | .257 | — | — | — | — | -2,899 | ||
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 (924 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 468 | 1398 | 166 | 375 | 30 | 180 | .268 |
| Away | 456 | 1458 | 150 | 358 | 36 | 196 | .246 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-14 | SFG | PIT | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995-05-13 | SFG | PIT | W | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995-05-10 | SFG | COL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-05-09 | SFG | COL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-05-06 | SFG | SDP | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995-05-04 | SFG | SDP | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-05-02 | SFG | LAD | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995-04-30 | SFG | MIA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-04-27 | SFG | ATL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1994-08-10 | SFG | CHC | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 622 | 506 | 4688 | 301 | 28 | 381 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 192 | 169 | 373 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | BOS | 1B | 2 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | BOS | OF | 61 | 55 | 146 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 1988 | BOS | 1B | 85 | 57 | 520 | 38 | 5 | 47 |
| 1988 | BOS | OF | 48 | 42 | 82 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989 | CIN | 1B | 158 | 158 | 1417 | 73 | 7 | 96 |
| 1990 | CIN | 1B | 95 | 82 | 707 | 52 | 6 | 58 |
| 1990 | CIN | OF | 10 | 8 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | CIN | 1B | 21 | 16 | 123 | 13 | 2 | 7 |
| 1991 | CIN | OF | 15 | 11 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | KCA | 1B | 75 | 70 | 651 | 38 | 3 | 57 |
| 1992 | LAN | 1B | 42 | 13 | 177 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| 1992 | LAN | OF | 51 | 49 | 86 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | SFN | 1B | 40 | 27 | 289 | 15 | 0 | 27 |
| 1993 | SFN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | SFN | OF | 7 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | SFN | 1B | 99 | 81 | 780 | 54 | 5 | 69 |
| 1995 | SFN | 1B | 5 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 622 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 69 |
| Center Field | 5 |
| Right Field | 123 |
| Designated Hitter | 2 |
Salary History
Todd Benzinger's recorded salaries total $3,687,500 over 8 seasons, 1987 to 1994. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Benzinger's career ran from 1987 to 1995. No salary is recorded for 1995.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | SFN | NL | $700,000 |
| 1993 | SFN | NL | $500,000 |
| 1992 | LAN | NL | $1,150,000 |
| 1991 | CIN | NL | $705,000 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | $325,000 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | $160,000 |
| 1988 | BOS | AL | $85,000 |
| 1987 | BOS | AL | $62,500 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $3,687,500 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Todd Benzinger (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Todd Benzinger: the record in brief
According to the bio, Todd Benzinger debuted on June 21, 1987 and played a final game on May 14, 1995. The team column moves through the Boston Red Sox (1987 to 1988), the Cincinnati Reds (1989 through 1991), the Kansas City Royals (1991), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1992), and the San Francisco Giants (1993 to 1995). Benzinger, a first baseman by primary position, switch-hit and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds. The birth record reads February 11, 1963, in Dayton, KY, USA. Todd Benzinger was the playing name; the full given name is Todd Eric.
Benzinger finished with 733 hits from 2,856 at bats in 924 games, which works out to .257, along with 66 homers, 376 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. Benzinger got on base at a .301 rate and slugged .386 (.687 OPS). The .257 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. 1989 was Benzinger's biggest home run year, with 17. The highest hit total in a season was 154, in 1989. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .254 in 1988, did not top the league's .254.
Frequently Asked Questions about Todd Benzinger
- What years did Todd Benzinger play?
- Todd Benzinger played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 1995.
- Was Todd Benzinger a pitcher?
- No. Todd Benzinger was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Todd Benzinger hit?
- Todd Benzinger hit 66 career home runs with 733 hits.
- What teams did Todd Benzinger play for?
- Todd Benzinger played for 5 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1987–1988), the Cincinnati Reds (1989–1991), the Kansas City Royals (1991), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1992), and the San Francisco Giants (1993–1995).
- What were Todd Benzinger's career stats?
- In 924 games, Todd Benzinger had 733 hits, 66 home runs, 376 RBI, 316 runs, and 21 stolen bases, with a .257 batting average.
- How much did Todd Benzinger earn in his career?
- Todd Benzinger's recorded salaries total $3,687,500 over 8 seasons, 1987 to 1994. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Benzinger's career ran from 1987 to 1995. No salary is recorded for 1995.
- What was Todd Benzinger's salary?
- Todd Benzinger's last recorded salary was $700,000, in 1994. His highest recorded salary was $1,150,000, in 1992, and his lowest was $62,500, in 1987. The Salary History table lists each season from 1987 to 1994.
- What position did Todd Benzinger play?
- Todd Benzinger played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Todd Benzinger and how much did he weigh?
- Todd Benzinger was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds.
- How many home runs did Todd Benzinger hit each season?
- Todd Benzinger's home runs by season: 8 in 1987, 13 in 1988, 17 in 1989, 5 in 1990, 3 in 1991, 4 in 1992, 6 in 1993, 9 in 1994, and 1 in 1995. His most in one season was 17, in 1989.
- What was Todd Benzinger's career batting average?
- Todd Benzinger batted .257 over his career, with 733 hits in 2,856 at bats.
- How many RBI did Todd Benzinger have?
- Todd Benzinger drove in 376 runs in his career.
- Is Todd Benzinger in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Todd Benzinger has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.