Al Cowens

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1986)

Al Cowens was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1986 for 4 teams, including the Kansas City Royals, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,584 career games, he hit .270 with 1,494 hits, 108 home runs, and 717 RBI. Al Cowens was a Gold Glove. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,688.

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 .270
HR 108
RBI 717
H 1,494
OPS .722
PIV 1,688
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 197 lb
Born
10/25/1951 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
Died
3/11/2002 in Downey, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1974-04-06
Last Game
1986-06-08
Awards
Gold Glove

Full name: Alfred Edward Cowens

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Career Batting Statistics

Al Cowens — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,584 5,534 704 1,494 276 68 108 717 120 389 659 .270 .319 .403 .722 1,688

Career AVG .270 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .319 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .403 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .722 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Al Cowens 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
1974 KCA AL 110 269 28 65 7 1 1 25 5 23 38 .242 .256 (-6%) .324 (-7%) .369 (-22%) .693 (-15%) -589.9
1975 KCA AL 120 328 44 91 13 8 4 42 12 28 36 .277 .257 (+8%) .327 (+4%) .374 (+8%) .701 (+6%) 317.8
1976 KCA AL 152 581 71 154 23 6 3 59 23 26 50 .265 .255 (+4%) .320 (-7%) .360 (-6%) .681 (-6%) -651.8
1977 KCA AL 162 606 98 189 32 14 23 112 16 41 64 .312 .264 (+18%) .329 (+10%) .401 (+31%) .730 (+21%) 2484.4
1978 KCA AL 132 485 63 133 24 8 5 63 14 31 54 .274 .257 (+6%) .323 (-1%) .378 (+2%) .702 (+1%) -83.7
1979 KCA AL 136 516 69 152 18 7 9 73 10 40 44 .295 .265 (+11%) .329 (+4%) .397 (+3%) .727 (+4%) 337.0
1980 CAL AL 34 119 11 27 5 0 1 17 1 12 21 .227 .264 (-14%) .326 (-7%) .387 (-24%) .714 (-16%) -277.8
1980 DET AL 108 403 58 113 15 3 5 42 5 37 40 .280 .264 (+6%) .326 (+4%) .387 (-5%) .714 (-1%) -277.8
1981 DET AL 85 253 27 66 11 4 1 18 3 22 36 .261 .255 (+2%) .320 (avg) .368 (-6%) .688 (-3%) -138.4
1982 SEA AL 146 560 72 151 39 8 20 78 11 46 81 .270 .261 (+3%) .324 (avg) .388 (+22%) .712 (+12%) 1159.1
1983 SEA AL 110 356 39 73 19 2 7 35 10 23 38 .205 .260 (-21%) .324 (-21%) .389 (-16%) .714 (-18%) -1103.0
1984 SEA AL 139 524 60 145 34 2 15 78 9 27 83 .277 .259 (+6%) .322 (-3%) .384 (+13%) .707 (+6%) 382.0
1985 SEA AL 122 452 59 120 32 5 14 69 0 30 56 .265 .257 (+3%) .323 (-4%) .390 (+15%) .714 (+7%) 383.6
1986 SEA AL 28 82 5 15 4 0 0 6 1 3 18 .183 .257 (-29%) .325 (-36%) .395 (-41%) .720 (-39%) -523.6
Career · 14 seasons 1,584 5,534 704 1,494 276 68 108 717 120 389 659 .270 — — — — 1,418

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

Al Cowens — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
14 55 7 11 0 1 1 6 2 6 .200

Playoff Batting by Year

Al Cowens — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1978 ALCS KCA 4 15 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 .133
1977 ALCS KCA 5 19 2 5 0 0 1 5 1 3 .263
1976 ALCS KCA 5 21 3 4 0 1 0 0 1 1 .190

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1584 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Al Cowens — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home804279236376453389.274
Away780274234173055328.266

Last 10 Games — Batting

Al Cowens — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1986-06-08 SEATEXL 500000002
1986-05-30 SEADETW 100000000
1986-05-29 SEANYYL 301000000
1986-05-26 SEABALW 000000000
1986-05-25 SEABALL 400000002
1986-05-24 SEABALL 401100101
1986-05-23 SEABALL 401000100
1986-05-22 SEADETW 301000000
1986-05-21 SEADETL 411100001
1986-05-14 SEAMILL 511000002

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Al Cowens — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 7 3 5 11 2 1
OF 1477 1350 2854 112 46 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Al Cowens — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1974 KCA 3B 2 0 0 1 1 0
1974 KCA OF 102 64 151 13 2 2
1975 KCA OF 113 83 214 4 5 2
1976 KCA OF 148 145 329 13 5 3
1977 KCA OF 159 150 307 14 6 1
1978 KCA 3B 5 3 5 10 1 1
1978 KCA OF 127 123 275 10 3 5
1979 KCA OF 134 132 288 3 4 0
1980 CAL OF 30 30 64 3 0 0
1980 DET OF 107 106 199 8 3 2
1981 DET OF 83 64 166 3 1 0
1982 SEA OF 145 143 280 14 4 1
1983 SEA OF 70 61 124 7 2 1
1984 SEA OF 130 123 228 8 3 0
1985 SEA OF 110 109 198 10 7 2
1986 SEA OF 19 17 31 2 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Al Cowens Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Third Base 7
Left Field 34
Center Field 197
Right Field 1292
Designated Hitter 64

Awards & Honors

Al Cowens — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1977 Gold Glove OF
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-09-23

Salary History

Al Cowens's recorded salaries total $760,000 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Cowens's career ran from 1974 to 1986. His seasons before 1985 are not included.

Al Cowens — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1986 SEA AL $360,000
1985 SEA AL $400,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $760,000

Award Voting History

Al Cowens — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1977 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 217.0 392 4

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Al Cowens (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Kevin Bass
    .270 avg, 118 HR
  2. 94
    Larry Herndon
    .274 avg, 107 HR
  3. 93
    Jim Piersall
    .272 avg, 104 HR
  4. 91
    Gerardo Parra
    .275 avg, 90 HR
  5. 85
    Jeffrey Leonard
    .266 avg, 144 HR
  6. 85
    Brian McRae
    .261 avg, 103 HR

Al Cowens: the record in brief

Al Cowens played a first major league game on April 6, 1974 and a last one on June 8, 1986. Cowens played for the Kansas City Royals (1974 through 1979), the California Angels (1980), the Detroit Tigers (1980 through 1981), and the Seattle Mariners (1982 through 1986). At 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds, Cowens is listed as an outfielder. The bio says Cowens batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is October 25, 1951, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Cowens died on March 11, 2002, in Downey, CA, USA. The given name on file is Alfred Edward Cowens.

Cowens's career batting table shows 1,584 games, 5,534 at bats and 1,494 hits, a .270 average, plus 108 homers, 717 RBI, and 120 stolen bases. Cowens got on base at a .319 rate and slugged .403 (.722 OPS). The .270 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. No season beat the 23 home runs Cowens hit in 1977. Cowens collected a career-high 189 hits in 1977.

Frequently Asked Questions about Al Cowens

What years did Al Cowens play?
Al Cowens played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1986.
Was Al Cowens a pitcher?
No. Al Cowens was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Al Cowens hit?
Al Cowens hit 108 career home runs with 1,494 hits.
What teams did Al Cowens play for?
Al Cowens played for 4 teams: the Kansas City Royals (1974–1979), the California Angels (1980), the Detroit Tigers (1980–1981), and the Seattle Mariners (1982–1986).
What awards did Al Cowens win?
Al Cowens won the Gold Glove (1977).
What were Al Cowens's career stats?
In 1,584 games, Al Cowens had 1,494 hits, 108 home runs, 717 RBI, 704 runs, and 120 stolen bases, with a .270 batting average.
How much did Al Cowens earn in his career?
Al Cowens's recorded salaries total $760,000 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Cowens's career ran from 1974 to 1986. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
What was Al Cowens's salary?
Al Cowens's last recorded salary was $360,000, in 1986. His highest recorded salary was $400,000, in 1985, and his lowest was $360,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1986.
What position did Al Cowens play?
Al Cowens played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Al Cowens and how much did he weigh?
Al Cowens was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 197 pounds.
How many home runs did Al Cowens hit each season?
Al Cowens's home runs by season: 1 in 1974, 4 in 1975, 3 in 1976, 23 in 1977, 5 in 1978, 9 in 1979, 6 in 1980, 1 in 1981, 20 in 1982, 7 in 1983, 15 in 1984, 14 in 1985, and 0 in 1986. His most in one season was 23, in 1977.
What was Al Cowens's career batting average?
Al Cowens batted .270 over his career, with 1,494 hits in 5,534 at bats.
How many RBI did Al Cowens have?
Al Cowens drove in 717 runs in his career.
Is Al Cowens in the Hall of Fame?
No. Al Cowens has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.