Nate Colbert
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1966-1976)
Nate Colbert was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1966 to 1976 for 5 teams, including the Houston Astros, a span of 11 seasons. In 1,004 career games, he hit .243 with 833 hits, 173 home runs, and 520 RBI. Nate Colbert was a 3-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 7,833.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 205 lb
- Died
- 1/5/2023 in Las Vegas, NV, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1966-04-14
- Last Game
- 1976-10-01
- Awards
- 3× All-Star
Full name: Nathan Colbert
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,004 | 3,422 | 481 | 833 | 141 | 25 | 173 | 520 | 52 | 383 | 902 | .243 | .322 | .451 | .772 | 7,833 |
Career AVG .243 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .322 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .451 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — +22.6% above league average.
Career OPS .772 vs. league average .686 across their career seasons — +12.6% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | HOU | NL | 19 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1968 | HOU | NL | 20 | 53 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 23 | .151 | .236 (-36%) | .298 (-45%) | .340 (-50%) | .638 (-48%) | -373.7 |
| 1969 | SDN | NL | 139 | 483 | 64 | 123 | 20 | 9 | 24 | 66 | 6 | 45 | 123 | .255 | .248 (+3%) | .320 (+1%) | .369 (+31%) | .689 (+17%) | 1370.6 |
| 1970 | SDN | NL | 156 | 572 | 84 | 148 | 17 | 6 | 38 | 86 | 3 | 56 | 150 | .259 | .253 (+2%) | .325 (+1%) | .385 (+32%) | .711 (+18%) | 1856.5 |
| 1971 | SDN | NL | 156 | 565 | 81 | 149 | 25 | 3 | 27 | 84 | 5 | 63 | 119 | .264 | .249 (+6%) | .316 (+7%) | .365 (+26%) | .682 (+17%) | 1871.2 |
| 1972 | SDN | NL | 151 | 563 | 87 | 141 | 27 | 2 | 38 | 111 | 15 | 70 | 127 | .250 | .243 (+3%) | .310 (+7%) | .353 (+44%) | .664 (+27%) | 2706.2 |
| 1973 | SDN | NL | 145 | 529 | 73 | 143 | 25 | 2 | 22 | 80 | 9 | 54 | 146 | .270 | .256 (+5%) | .325 (+6%) | .378 (+19%) | .703 (+13%) | 1300.5 |
| 1974 | SDN | NL | 119 | 368 | 53 | 76 | 16 | 0 | 14 | 54 | 10 | 62 | 108 | .207 | .256 (-20%) | .324 (-2%) | .369 (-1%) | .693 (-2%) | -25.5 |
| 1975 | DET | AL | 45 | 156 | 16 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 17 | 52 | .147 | .257 (-43%) | .327 (-29%) | .374 (-26%) | .701 (-28%) | -697.7 |
| 1975 | MON | NL | 38 | 81 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 31 | .173 | .257 (-33%) | .327 (-30%) | .374 (+6%) | .701 (-11%) | -697.7 |
| 1976 | MON | NL | 14 | 40 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 16 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1976 | OAK | AL | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 1,004 | 3,422 | 481 | 833 | 141 | 25 | 173 | 520 | 52 | 383 | 902 | .243 | — | — | — | — | 7,310 | ||
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 (1004 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 526 | 1770 | 233 | 411 | 77 | 244 | .232 |
| Away | 478 | 1652 | 248 | 422 | 96 | 276 | .255 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-10-01 | OAK | LAA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1976-09-06 | OAK | LAA | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1976-05-22 | WSN | NYN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 1976-05-11 | WSN | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1976-05-05 | WSN | SDP | L | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1976-05-02 | WSN | CIN | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1976-05-01 | WSN | CIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1976-04-30 | WSN | CIN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1976-04-29 | WSN | HOU | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1976-04-28 | WSN | HOU | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 890 | 843 | 7754 | 568 | 74 | 686 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 66 | 63 | 122 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | HOU | 1B | 5 | 5 | 43 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1968 | HOU | OF | 11 | 9 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969 | SDN | 1B | 134 | 128 | 1217 | 87 | 13 | 96 |
| 1970 | SDN | 1B | 153 | 151 | 1406 | 90 | 14 | 126 |
| 1970 | SDN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | SDN | 1B | 153 | 153 | 1372 | 106 | 10 | 125 |
| 1972 | SDN | 1B | 150 | 149 | 1290 | 103 | 6 | 119 |
| 1973 | SDN | 1B | 144 | 144 | 1300 | 98 | 11 | 124 |
| 1974 | SDN | 1B | 79 | 49 | 510 | 49 | 7 | 43 |
| 1974 | SDN | OF | 48 | 48 | 95 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1975 | DET | 1B | 44 | 44 | 407 | 22 | 8 | 31 |
| 1975 | MON | 1B | 22 | 15 | 151 | 9 | 2 | 18 |
| 1976 | MON | 1B | 6 | 5 | 58 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 1976 | MON | OF | 7 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 890 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 58 |
| Center Field | 5 |
| Right Field | 3 |
| Designated Hitter | 3 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 8th | 45.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Nate Colbert (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Nate Colbert
Nate Colbert: the record in brief
Nate Colbert played a first major league game on April 14, 1966 and a last one on October 1, 1976. The season rows list, in order, the Houston Astros (1966 to 1968), the San Diego Padres (1969 through 1974), the Detroit Tigers (1975), the Montreal Expos (1975 through 1976), and the Oakland Athletics (1976). Colbert, born on April 9, 1946, in St. Louis, MO, USA, is listed as a first baseman and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 205 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. The bio records the death on January 5, 2023, in Las Vegas, NV, USA. On the record, Nate Colbert was born Nathan Colbert.
Colbert's career batting table shows 1,004 games, 3,422 at bats and 833 hits, a .243 average; the totals also include 173 homers, 520 runs batted in, and 52 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .322 and .451 give Colbert a career OPS of .772. The .243 career average is close to the .251 the league hit across the same seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions about Nate Colbert
- What years did Nate Colbert play?
- Nate Colbert played in Major League Baseball from 1966 to 1976.
- Was Nate Colbert a pitcher?
- No. Nate Colbert was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Nate Colbert hit?
- Nate Colbert hit 173 career home runs with 833 hits.
- What teams did Nate Colbert play for?
- Nate Colbert played for 5 teams: the Houston Astros (1966, 1968), the San Diego Padres (1969–1974), the Detroit Tigers (1975), the Montreal Expos (1975–1976), and the Oakland Athletics (1976).
- Did Nate Colbert win an MVP award?
- No. Nate Colbert did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Nate Colbert win?
- Nate Colbert was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
- What were Nate Colbert's career stats?
- In 1,004 games, Nate Colbert had 833 hits, 173 home runs, 520 RBI, 481 runs, and 52 stolen bases, with a .243 batting average.
- What position did Nate Colbert play?
- Nate Colbert played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Nate Colbert and how much did he weigh?
- Nate Colbert was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 205 pounds.
- How many home runs did Nate Colbert hit each season?
- Nate Colbert's home runs by season: 0 in 1966, 0 in 1968, 24 in 1969, 38 in 1970, 27 in 1971, 38 in 1972, 22 in 1973, 14 in 1974, 8 in 1975, and 2 in 1976. His most in one season was 38, in 1970 and 1972.
- What was Nate Colbert's career batting average?
- Nate Colbert batted .243 over his career, with 833 hits in 3,422 at bats.
- How many RBI did Nate Colbert have?
- Nate Colbert drove in 520 runs in his career.
- Is Nate Colbert in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Nate Colbert has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Nate Colbert make?
- Nate Colbert was selected to 3 All-Star Games.