Rick Dempsey

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1969-1992)

Rick Dempsey was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1992 for 6 teams, including the Minnesota Twins, a span of 24 seasons. In 1,766 career games, he hit .233 with 1,093 hits, 96 home runs, and 471 RBI. Rick Dempsey was a World Series MVP and a Babe Ruth Award.

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 .233
HR 96
RBI 471
H 1,093
OPS .666
PIV -3,167
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 190 lb
Born
9/13/1949 in Fayetteville, TN, USA
MLB Debut
1969-09-23
Last Game
1992-09-27
Awards
World Series MVP · Babe Ruth Award

Full name: John Rikard Dempsey

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Career Batting Statistics

Rick Dempsey — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,766 4,692 525 1,093 223 12 96 471 20 592 736 .233 .319 .347 .666 -3,167

Career AVG .233 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 9.4% below league average.

Career OBP .319 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .347 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 9.2% below league average.

Career OPS .666 vs. league average .705 across their career seasons — 5.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rick Dempsey 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
1969 MIN AL 5 6 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .500 — — — — 0.0
1970 MIN AL 5 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1971 MIN AL 6 13 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .308 — — — — 0.0
1972 MIN AL 25 40 0 8 1 0 0 0 0 6 8 .200 — — — — 0.0
1973 NYA AL 6 11 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .182 — — — — 0.0
1974 NYA AL 43 109 12 26 3 0 2 12 1 8 7 .239 .256 (-7%) .324 (-11%) .369 (-13%) .693 (-12%) -211.9
1975 NYA AL 71 145 18 38 8 0 1 11 0 21 15 .262 .257 (+2%) .327 (+8%) .374 (-10%) .701 (-1%) 19.3
1976 NYA AL 21 42 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 5 4 .119 — — — — 0.0
1976 BAL AL 59 174 11 37 2 0 0 10 1 13 17 .213 .255 (-17%) .320 (-14%) .360 (-38%) .681 (-27%) 0.0
1977 BAL AL 91 270 27 61 7 4 3 34 2 34 34 .226 .264 (-14%) .329 (-5%) .401 (-22%) .730 (-14%) -563.4
1978 BAL AL 136 441 41 114 25 0 6 32 7 48 54 .259 .257 (avg) .323 (+1%) .378 (-6%) .702 (-3%) -156.8
1979 BAL AL 124 368 48 88 23 0 6 41 0 38 37 .239 .265 (-10%) .329 (-7%) .397 (-12%) .727 (-10%) -568.8
1980 BAL AL 119 362 51 95 26 3 9 40 3 36 45 .262 .264 (-1%) .326 (+2%) .387 (+10%) .714 (+6%) 425.6
1981 BAL AL 92 251 24 54 10 1 6 15 0 32 36 .215 .255 (-16%) .320 (-4%) .368 (-9%) .688 (-7%) -217.2
1982 BAL AL 125 344 35 88 15 1 5 36 0 46 37 .256 .261 (-2%) .324 (+5%) .388 (-10%) .712 (-3%) -107.2
1983 BAL AL 128 347 33 80 16 2 4 32 1 40 54 .231 .260 (-12%) .324 (-4%) .389 (-17%) .714 (-11%) -578.7
1984 BAL AL 109 330 37 76 11 0 11 34 1 40 58 .230 .259 (-11%) .322 (-3%) .384 (-5%) .707 (-5%) -201.7
1985 BAL AL 132 362 54 92 19 0 12 52 0 50 87 .254 .257 (-1%) .323 (+7%) .390 (+4%) .714 (+5%) 465.6
1986 BAL AL 122 327 42 68 15 1 13 29 1 45 78 .208 .257 (-19%) .325 (-5%) .395 (-4%) .720 (-4%) -189.8
1987 CLE AL 60 141 16 25 10 0 1 9 0 23 29 .177 .262 (-33%) .331 (-11%) .415 (-35%) .746 (-24%) -535.5
1988 LAN NL 77 167 25 42 13 0 7 30 1 25 44 .251 .254 (-1%) .317 (+6%) .377 (+20%) .695 (+14%) 387.6
1989 LAN NL 79 151 16 27 7 0 4 16 1 30 37 .179 .254 (-30%) .319 (avg) .375 (-19%) .694 (-10%) -156.3
1990 LAN NL 62 128 13 25 5 0 2 15 1 23 29 .195 .257 (-24%) .324 (-2%) .385 (-27%) .710 (-16%) -250.5
1991 ML4 AL 61 147 15 34 5 0 4 21 0 23 20 .231 .255 (-10%) .323 (+2%) .384 (-10%) .708 (-4%) -70.5
1992 BAL AL 8 9 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 .111 — — — — 0.0
Career · 25 seasons 1,766 4,692 525 1,093 223 12 96 471 20 592 736 .233 — — — — -2,510

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.

Career Pitching Statistics

Rick Dempsey — 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 3 1 0 1 0 4.50 0.0

Career ERA 4.50 vs. league average 3.91 across their career seasons — 15.1% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rick Dempsey — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1991 ML4 AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 1 1 0 4.50 — 0.0
Career · 1 season 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 1 1 0 4.50 — 0

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

Rick Dempsey — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
25 66 11 20 11 0 1 7 7 8 .303

Playoff Batting by Year

Rick Dempsey — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1988 NLCS LAN 4 5 1 2 2 0 0 2 1 0 .400
1988 WS LAN 2 5 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 2 .200
1983 ALCS BAL 4 12 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .167
1983 WS BAL 5 13 3 5 4 0 1 2 2 2 .385
1979 ALCS BAL 3 10 3 4 2 0 0 2 1 0 .400
1979 WS BAL 7 21 3 6 2 0 0 0 1 3 .286

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1768 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Rick Dempsey — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home875223924050748227.226
Away891245328558648244.239

Pitching — Home / Away

Rick Dempsey — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home22.031104.50

Last 10 Games — Batting

Rick Dempsey — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1992-09-27 BALBOSL 100000000
1992-07-25 BALTEXL 010000010
1992-07-20 BALCHWW 200000000
1992-07-19 BALTEXW 100000000
1992-07-11 BALMINL 210000011
1992-07-06 BALCHWW 301000000
1992-06-27 BALKCRL 000000000
1992-06-25 BALMILL 000000000
1991-10-05 MILBOSW 321000110
1991-10-01 MILCLEL 400000000

Last 2 Games — Pitching

Rick Dempsey — Last 2 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1991-08-03 MILTEX — 1.0000100
1991-07-02 MILBOS — 1.0311000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Rick Dempsey — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 3 0 10 1 0 2
3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
C 1633 1343 7367 768 99 111
OF 23 10 25 2 1 1
P 2 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Rick Dempsey — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1969 MIN C 3 0 5 0 1 0
1970 MIN C 3 1 12 0 1 0
1971 MIN C 6 4 30 4 2 0
1972 MIN C 23 8 67 5 1 0
1973 NYA C 5 3 9 0 2 0
1974 NYA C 31 25 152 22 4 0
1974 NYA OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1975 NYA 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1975 NYA C 19 12 76 8 2 0
1975 NYA OF 8 7 16 1 1 1
1976 NYA C 9 7 39 5 0 0
1976 NYA OF 4 2 6 1 0 0
1976 BAL C 58 53 263 34 4 8
1976 BAL OF 3 1 0 0 0 0
1977 BAL C 91 84 416 52 11 10
1978 BAL C 135 130 636 79 11 14
1979 BAL C 124 112 615 81 7 13
1980 BAL 1B 2 0 10 1 0 2
1980 BAL C 112 95 531 54 8 8
1980 BAL OF 6 0 3 0 0 0
1981 BAL C 90 71 384 35 1 6
1982 BAL C 124 101 491 46 5 8
1983 BAL C 128 109 591 65 2 7
1984 BAL C 108 104 453 43 4 5
1985 BAL C 131 113 575 49 8 5
1986 BAL C 121 101 659 53 7 9
1987 CLE C 59 48 293 18 5 3
1988 LAN C 74 46 333 29 4 4
1989 LAN C 62 38 265 35 5 4
1990 LAN C 53 33 213 27 2 3
1991 ML4 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1991 ML4 C 56 44 246 23 2 4
1991 ML4 P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1992 BAL C 8 1 13 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Rick Dempsey Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 2
Catcher 1634
First Base 3
Third Base 1
Left Field 6
Right Field 17
Designated Hitter 21

Awards & Honors

Rick Dempsey — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1983 Babe Ruth Award C
1983 World Series MVP

Salary History

Rick Dempsey — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1992 BAL AL $450,000
1991 ML4 AL $150,000
1990 LAN NL $500,000
1989 LAN NL $420,000
1988 LAN NL $250,000
1987 CLE AL $400,000
1986 BAL AL $442,066
1985 BAL AL $512,500
Total Career Earnings $3,124,566

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Rick Dempsey (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Johnny Edwards
    .242 avg, 81 HR
  2. 96
    Alan Ashby
    .245 avg, 90 HR
  3. 87
    Del Rice
    .237 avg, 79 HR
  4. 83
    Jim Hegan
    .228 avg, 92 HR
  5. 79
    Jim Sundberg
    .248 avg, 95 HR
  6. 77
    Jerry Grote
    .252 avg, 39 HR

Rick Dempsey: the record in brief

September 23, 1969 and September 27, 1992 bracket Rick Dempsey's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Minnesota Twins (1969 to 1972), the New York Yankees (1973 to 1976), the Baltimore Orioles (1976 through 1992), the Cleveland Indians (1987), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1988 through 1990), and the Milwaukee Brewers (1991). The bio lists Dempsey as a catcher who threw and hit right-handed. Dempsey is listed at 190 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. The birth record reads September 13, 1949, in Fayetteville, TN, USA. Rick Dempsey was the playing name; the full given name is John Rikard.

The batting record for Dempsey: 1,766 games, 1,093 hits in 4,692 at bats, and a .233 average, adding 96 home runs, 471 runs batted in, and 20 stolen bases. Dempsey got on base at a .319 rate and slugged .347 (.666 OPS). Dempsey's .233 average ran 9.4% below the .257 that the league posted over the same seasons.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rick Dempsey

What years did Rick Dempsey play?
Rick Dempsey played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1992.
Was Rick Dempsey a pitcher?
No. Rick Dempsey was a position player (Catcher), though he did pitch in 2 career games.
How many home runs did Rick Dempsey hit?
Rick Dempsey hit 96 career home runs with 1093 hits.
What was Rick Dempsey's career batting average?
Rick Dempsey batted .233 over his career, with 1,093 hits in 4,692 at bats.
How many RBI did Rick Dempsey have?
Rick Dempsey drove in 471 runs in his career.
What was Rick Dempsey's career ERA?
Rick Dempsey finished with a 4.50 career ERA, going 0-0 with 0 strikeouts.