Ken Caminiti

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1987-2001)

Ken Caminiti was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2001 for 4 teams, including the Houston Astros, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,760 career games, he hit .272 with 1,710 hits, 239 home runs, and 983 RBI. Ken Caminiti was a 3-time All-Star, an MVP, a 3-time Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 10,214.

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 .272
HR 239
RBI 983
H 1,710
OPS .794
PIV 10,214
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 200 lb
Born
4/21/1963 in Hanford, CA, USA
Died
10/10/2004 in Bronx, NY, USA
MLB Debut
1987-07-16
Last Game
2001-10-07
Awards
3× All-Star · MVP · 3× Gold Glove · Silver Slugger

Full name: Kenneth Gene Caminiti

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Career Batting Statistics

Ken Caminiti — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,760 6,288 894 1,710 348 17 239 983 88 727 1,163 .272 .347 .447 .794 10,214

Career AVG .272 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .347 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .447 vs. league average .409 across their career seasons — +9.2% above league average.

Career OPS .794 vs. league average .742 across their career seasons — +7.0% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ken Caminiti 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
1987 HOU NL 63 203 10 50 7 1 3 23 0 12 44 .246 .262 (-6%) .331 (-13%) .415 (-19%) .746 (-17%) -565.8
1988 HOU NL 30 83 5 15 2 0 1 7 0 5 18 .181 .254 (-29%) .317 (-29%) .377 (-36%) .695 (-33%) -431.3
1989 HOU NL 161 585 71 149 31 3 10 72 4 51 93 .255 .254 (avg) .319 (-1%) .375 (-2%) .694 (-1%) -142.6
1990 HOU NL 153 541 52 131 20 2 4 51 9 48 97 .242 .257 (-6%) .324 (-7%) .385 (-20%) .710 (-14%) -1156.7
1991 HOU NL 152 574 65 145 30 3 13 80 4 46 85 .253 .255 (-1%) .323 (-4%) .384 (avg) .708 (-2%) -211.3
1992 HOU NL 135 506 68 149 31 2 13 62 10 44 68 .294 .255 (+15%) .322 (+8%) .377 (+17%) .699 (+13%) 1219.6
1993 HOU NL 143 543 75 142 31 0 13 75 8 49 88 .262 .265 (-1%) .332 (-3%) .403 (-3%) .735 (-3%) -300.2
1994 HOU NL 111 406 63 115 28 2 18 75 4 43 71 .283 .269 (+5%) .338 (+4%) .424 (+17%) .763 (+11%) 866.8
1995 SDN NL 143 526 74 159 33 0 26 94 12 69 94 .302 .266 (+13%) .337 (+13%) .417 (+23%) .755 (+18%) 2069.3
1996 SDN NL 146 546 109 178 37 2 40 130 11 78 99 .326 .269 (+21%) .340 (+20%) .426 (+46%) .767 (+34%) 3977.6
1997 SDN NL 137 486 92 141 28 0 26 90 11 80 118 .290 .266 (+9%) .336 (+15%) .419 (+21%) .756 (+19%) 2046.4
1998 SDN NL 131 452 87 114 29 0 29 82 6 71 108 .252 .266 (-5%) .335 (+5%) .420 (+21%) .755 (+14%) 1312.6
1999 HOU NL 78 273 45 78 11 1 13 56 6 46 58 .286 .271 (+5%) .344 (+12%) .433 (+10%) .778 (+11%) 641.0
2000 HOU NL 59 208 42 63 13 0 15 45 3 42 37 .303 .270 (+12%) .344 (+21%) .437 (+33%) .782 (+28%) 1202.6
2001 TEX AL 54 185 24 43 8 1 9 25 0 22 41 .232 .263 (-12%) .332 (-4%) .426 (+1%) .758 (-1%) -44.3
2001 ATL NL 64 171 12 38 9 0 6 16 0 21 44 .222 .263 (-16%) .332 (-8%) .426 (-11%) .758 (-10%) -44.3
Career · 16 seasons 1,760 6,288 894 1,710 348 17 239 983 88 727 1,163 .272 — — — — 10,439

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

Ken Caminiti — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
23 79 12 21 1 0 8 16 12 21 .266

Playoff Batting by Year

Ken Caminiti — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2001 NLDS1 ATL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1999 NLDS1 HOU 4 17 3 8 0 0 3 8 2 1 .471
1998 NLCS SDN 6 22 3 6 0 0 2 4 5 4 .273
1998 NLDS2 SDN 4 14 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 .143
1998 WS SDN 4 14 1 2 1 0 0 1 2 7 .143
1996 NLDS2 SDN 3 10 3 3 0 0 3 3 2 5 .300

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1760 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ken Caminiti — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home8973137449864117512.275
Away8633151445846122471.268

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ken Caminiti — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
2001-10-07 ATLMIAL 200000000
2001-10-06 ATLMIAW 401000001
2001-10-05 ATLMIAW 100000001
2001-10-02 ATLPHIL 300000000
2001-09-30 ATLNYNL 100000000
2001-09-29 ATLNYNW 401000002
2001-09-27 ATLMIAL 100000000
2001-09-25 ATLMIAW 100000000
2001-09-24 ATLMIAL 400000000
2001-09-23 ATLNYNW 301100101

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ken Caminiti — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 33 33 240 14 6 19
3B 1676 1628 1251 3127 249 280

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ken Caminiti — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1987 HOU 3B 61 51 50 98 8 11
1988 HOU 3B 28 20 12 43 3 2
1989 HOU 3B 160 159 126 335 22 27
1990 HOU 3B 149 140 118 243 21 22
1991 HOU 3B 152 150 129 293 23 29
1992 HOU 3B 129 128 102 210 11 19
1993 HOU 3B 143 142 123 264 24 23
1994 HOU 3B 108 103 79 200 9 17
1995 SDN 3B 143 142 102 295 27 28
1996 SDN 3B 145 142 103 310 20 28
1997 SDN 3B 133 133 90 291 24 20
1998 SDN 3B 126 126 77 207 21 16
1999 HOU 3B 75 73 52 139 14 17
2000 HOU 3B 58 56 37 81 11 8
2001 TEX 3B 53 51 42 99 9 10
2001 ATL 1B 33 33 240 14 6 19
2001 ATL 3B 13 12 9 19 2 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ken Caminiti Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 33
Third Base 1676
Designated Hitter 1

Awards & Honors

Ken Caminiti — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1997 Gold Glove 3B
1996 Gold Glove 3B
1996 MLB Players Choice Outstanding Player
1996 Most Valuable Player
1996 Player of the Month August
1996 Player of the Month September
1996 Player of the Week Week of 1996-08-03
1996 Player of the Week Week of 1996-08-24
1996 Silver Slugger 3B
1996 TSN All-Star 3B
1995 Gold Glove 3B
1995 Player of the Week Week of 1995-09-16
1995 Player of the Week Week of 1995-07-01
1992 Player of the Week Week of 1992-06-27
1991 Player of the Week Week of 1991-08-31
1987 Player of the Week Week of 1987-07-17

Salary History

Ken Caminiti's recorded salaries total $37,556,500 over 14 seasons, 1987 to 2001. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Caminiti's career ran from 1987 to 2001. No salary is recorded for 1988.

Ken Caminiti — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
2001 TEX AL $3,500,000
2000 HOU NL $4,500,000
1999 HOU NL $4,500,000
1998 SDN NL $3,500,000
1997 SDN NL $3,150,000
1996 SDN NL $3,275,000
1995 SDN NL $4,600,000
1994 HOU NL $3,250,000
1993 HOU NL $3,150,000
1992 HOU NL $1,500,000
1991 HOU NL $2,200,000
1990 HOU NL $240,000
1989 HOU NL $129,000
1987 HOU NL $62,500
Total recorded salary (partial) $37,556,500

College History

Ken Caminiti — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
San Jose State University San Jose CA 1983, 1984

Award Voting History

Ken Caminiti — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1996 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 392.0 392 28

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Ken Caminiti (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Travis Fryman
    .274 avg, 223 HR
  2. 95
    Aubrey Huff
    .278 avg, 242 HR
  3. 91
    Eric Chavez
    .268 avg, 260 HR
  4. 90
    Eric Hosmer
    .276 avg, 198 HR
  5. 89
    Jeff Conine
    .285 avg, 214 HR
  6. 87
    Xander Bogaerts
    .283 avg, 210 HR

Compare Ken Caminiti

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Caminiti's closest peers by position and era.

vs Jeff Bagwell
vs Chipper Jones
vs George Brett
vs Wade Boggs
vs Luis Gonzalez
vs Jose Ramirez

Browse all MLB player comparisons →

Ken Caminiti: the record in brief

The profile opens with Ken Caminiti's first major league game on July 16, 1987; the last one listed came on October 7, 2001. Caminiti played for the Houston Astros (1987 to 2000), the San Diego Padres (1995 to 1998), the Texas Rangers (2001), and the Atlanta Braves (2001). Caminiti played primarily as a third baseman and batted from both sides and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on April 21, 1963, in Hanford, CA, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-0 and 200 pounds. The bio records the death on October 10, 2004, in Bronx, NY, USA. On the record, Ken Caminiti was born Kenneth Gene Caminiti.

In 1,760 games and 6,288 at bats, Caminiti batted .272 with 1,710 hits; the totals also include 239 home runs, 983 runs batted in, and 88 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .347 and the slugging percentage .447, for an OPS of .794. Caminiti hit .272 while the league hit .264 over the same span, a figure close to average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Caminiti

What years did Ken Caminiti play?
Ken Caminiti played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2001.
Was Ken Caminiti a pitcher?
No. Ken Caminiti was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Ken Caminiti hit?
Ken Caminiti hit 239 career home runs with 1,710 hits.
What teams did Ken Caminiti play for?
Ken Caminiti played for 4 teams: the Houston Astros (1987–1994, 1999–2000), the San Diego Padres (1995–1998), the Texas Rangers (2001), and the Atlanta Braves (2001).
How many MVP awards did Ken Caminiti win?
Ken Caminiti won 1 MVP award, in 1996.
What awards did Ken Caminiti win?
Ken Caminiti won the MVP award (1996), 3 Gold Gloves (1995, 1996, and 1997), and the Silver Slugger award (1996). He was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
What were Ken Caminiti's career stats?
In 1,760 games, Ken Caminiti had 1,710 hits, 239 home runs, 983 RBI, 894 runs, and 88 stolen bases, with a .272 batting average.
How much did Ken Caminiti earn in his career?
Ken Caminiti's recorded salaries total $37,556,500 over 14 seasons, 1987 to 2001. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Caminiti's career ran from 1987 to 2001. No salary is recorded for 1988.
What was Ken Caminiti's salary?
Ken Caminiti's last recorded salary was $3,500,000, in 2001. His highest recorded salary was $4,600,000, in 1995, and his lowest was $62,500, in 1987. The Salary History table lists each season from 1987 to 2001.
What position did Ken Caminiti play?
Ken Caminiti played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Ken Caminiti and how much did he weigh?
Ken Caminiti was listed at 6 feet and 200 pounds.
How many home runs did Ken Caminiti hit each season?
Ken Caminiti's home runs by season: 3 in 1987, 1 in 1988, 10 in 1989, 4 in 1990, 13 in 1991, 13 in 1992, 13 in 1993, 18 in 1994, 26 in 1995, 40 in 1996, 26 in 1997, 29 in 1998, 13 in 1999, 15 in 2000, and 15 in 2001. His most in one season was 40, in 1996.
What was Ken Caminiti's career batting average?
Ken Caminiti batted .272 over his career, with 1,710 hits in 6,288 at bats.
How many RBI did Ken Caminiti have?
Ken Caminiti drove in 983 runs in his career.