Rick Cerone
Born: 5/19/1954 in Newark, NJ, USA
MLB Debut: 1975-08-17 | Final Game: 1992-07-10
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 192 lbs
Full name: Richard Aldo Cerone
Biography
Rick Cerone was a professional baseball player born in 1954, whose career spanned from 1975 to July 10, 1992. Renowned for his skills as a position player, Cerone appeared in 1,329 games throughout his time in Major League Baseball. He made a notable impact as a catcher, contributing both offensively and defensively to the teams he played for, including the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and others.
Over the course of his career, Cerone recorded 998 hits, including 59 home runs, and drove in 436 runs, finishing with a batting average of .245. While he was not known for his speed on the bases, as evidenced by his total of 6 stolen bases, he remained a reliable backstop and a steady presence in the lineup. His career unfolded during an era of evolving baseball strategies, where the role of catchers was increasingly recognized for their importance in both game management and offensive production. Cerone's contributions to the game were significant, as he was part of a generation of players who helped shape the modern approach to the catching position.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1329 | 4069 | 393 | 998 | 190 | 15 | 59 | 436 | 6 | 320 | 450 | 0.245 | 0.301 | 0.343 | 0.644 | -7157.6 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | CLE | AL | 7 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 1976 | CLE | AL | 7 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.125 | 0.0 |
| 1977 | TOR | AL | 31 | 100 | 7 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 0.200 | -500.9 |
| 1978 | TOR | AL | 88 | 282 | 25 | 63 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 23 | 32 | 0.223 | -847.4 |
| 1979 | TOR | AL | 136 | 469 | 47 | 112 | 27 | 4 | 7 | 61 | 1 | 37 | 40 | 0.239 | -1065.2 |
| 1980 | NYY | AL | 147 | 519 | 70 | 144 | 30 | 4 | 14 | 85 | 1 | 32 | 56 | 0.277 | 379.9 |
| 1981 | NYY | AL | 71 | 234 | 23 | 57 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 12 | 24 | 0.244 | -506.4 |
| 1982 | NYY | AL | 89 | 300 | 29 | 68 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 28 | 0 | 19 | 27 | 0.227 | -1063.7 |
| 1983 | NYY | AL | 80 | 246 | 18 | 54 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 15 | 29 | 0.220 | -1062.5 |
| 1984 | NYY | AL | 38 | 120 | 8 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 0.208 | -424.9 |
| 1985 | ATL | NL | 96 | 282 | 15 | 61 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 29 | 25 | 0.216 | -1041.8 |
| 1986 | ATL | AL | 68 | 216 | 22 | 56 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 1 | 15 | 28 | 0.259 | -265.7 |
| 1987 | NYY | AL | 113 | 284 | 28 | 69 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 30 | 46 | 0.243 | -655.5 |
| 1988 | BOS | AL | 84 | 264 | 31 | 71 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 0 | 20 | 32 | 0.269 | -35.1 |
| 1989 | BOS | AL | 102 | 296 | 28 | 72 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 48 | 0 | 34 | 40 | 0.243 | -208.0 |
| 1990 | NYY | AL | 49 | 139 | 12 | 42 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 0.302 | -13.1 |
| 1991 | NYN | NL | 90 | 227 | 18 | 62 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 30 | 24 | 0.273 | 164.9 |
| 1992 | WSN | NL | 33 | 63 | 10 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0.270 | -12.2 |
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | NYY | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | - |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 61 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 0.246 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | AEDIV | NYA | 5 | 18 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0.333 |
| 1981 | ALCS | NYA | 3 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.100 |
| 1981 | WS | NYA | 6 | 21 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0.190 |
| 1980 | ALCS | NYA | 3 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0.333 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 1279 | 1135 | 6548 | 536 | 70 | 59 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | CLE | C | 7 | 3 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | CLE | C | 6 | 2 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1977 | TOR | C | 31 | 29 | 146 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| 1978 | TOR | C | 84 | 78 | 426 | 44 | 4 | 7 |
| 1979 | TOR | C | 136 | 133 | 560 | 68 | 13 | 10 |
| 1980 | NYA | C | 147 | 146 | 800 | 73 | 9 | 9 |
| 1981 | NYA | C | 69 | 64 | 353 | 26 | 3 | 1 |
| 1982 | NYA | C | 89 | 86 | 509 | 25 | 6 | 5 |
| 1983 | NYA | C | 78 | 72 | 412 | 18 | 4 | 2 |
| 1983 | NYA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | NYA | C | 38 | 36 | 230 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 1985 | ATL | C | 91 | 76 | 384 | 48 | 6 | 4 |
| 1986 | ML4 | C | 68 | 66 | 391 | 44 | 4 | 2 |
| 1987 | NYA | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | NYA | C | 111 | 86 | 538 | 38 | 1 | 6 |
| 1987 | NYA | 1B | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | BOS | C | 83 | 69 | 471 | 28 | 0 | 4 |
| 1989 | BOS | C | 97 | 85 | 578 | 41 | 10 | 5 |
| 1989 | BOS | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | NYA | C | 35 | 29 | 177 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| 1990 | NYA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | NYN | C | 81 | 63 | 424 | 36 | 6 | 0 |
| 1992 | MON | C | 28 | 12 | 106 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 2 |
| Catcher | 1278 |
| First Base | 2 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Right Field | 1 |
| Designated Hitter | 10 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | TSN All-Star | C |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | MON | NL | $230,000 |
| 1991 | NYN | NL | $100,000 |
| 1990 | NYA | AL | $600,000 |
| 1989 | BOS | AL | $490,000 |
| 1988 | NYA | AL | $300,000 |
| 1987 | NYA | AL | $250,000 |
| 1986 | ML4 | AL | $675,000 |
| 1985 | ATL | NL | $625,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $3,270,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seton Hall University | South Orange | NJ | 1973, 1974, 1975 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 7th | 77.0 | 392 | 1 |