Rick Cerone, baseball player, 1975-1992

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

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

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

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