Brian Downing
Designated Hitter · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1973-1992)
Brian Downing was a designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1992 for the Chicago White Sox, the California Angels, and the Texas Rangers, a span of 20 seasons. In 2,344 career games, he hit .267 with 2,099 hits, 275 home runs, and 1,073 RBI. Brian Downing was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 22,792.
- 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
- Designated Hitter
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1973-05-31
- Last Game
- 1992-10-04
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Brian Jay Downing
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,344 | 7,853 | 1,188 | 2,099 | 360 | 28 | 275 | 1,073 | 50 | 1,197 | 1,127 | .267 | .370 | .425 | .796 | 22,792 |
Career AVG .267 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .370 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — +14.2% above league average.
Career SLG .425 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — +10.6% above league average.
Career OPS .796 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — +12.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | CHA | AL | 34 | 73 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 17 | .178 | .256 (-31%) | .325 (-15%) | .378 (-28%) | .703 (-22%) | -231.8 |
| 1974 | CHA | AL | 108 | 293 | 41 | 66 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 39 | 0 | 51 | 72 | .225 | .256 (-12%) | .324 (+6%) | .369 (+2%) | .693 (+4%) | 348.4 |
| 1975 | CHA | AL | 138 | 420 | 58 | 101 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 41 | 13 | 76 | 75 | .240 | .257 (-7%) | .327 (+9%) | .374 (-13%) | .701 (-3%) | 40.0 |
| 1976 | CHA | AL | 104 | 317 | 38 | 81 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 7 | 40 | 55 | .256 | .255 (avg) | .320 (+6%) | .360 (-9%) | .681 (-2%) | -15.2 |
| 1977 | CHA | AL | 69 | 169 | 28 | 48 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 1 | 34 | 21 | .284 | .264 (+8%) | .329 (+22%) | .401 (avg) | .730 (+10%) | 450.6 |
| 1978 | CAL | AL | 133 | 412 | 42 | 105 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 46 | 3 | 52 | 47 | .255 | .257 (-1%) | .323 (+7%) | .378 (-10%) | .702 (-2%) | 45.1 |
| 1979 | CAL | AL | 148 | 509 | 87 | 166 | 27 | 3 | 12 | 75 | 3 | 77 | 57 | .326 | .265 (+23%) | .329 (+27%) | .397 (+16%) | .727 (+21%) | 2560.8 |
| 1980 | CAL | AL | 30 | 93 | 5 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 12 | 12 | .290 | .264 (+10%) | .326 (+12%) | .387 (+8%) | .714 (+10%) | 164.1 |
| 1981 | CAL | AL | 93 | 317 | 47 | 79 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 41 | 1 | 46 | 35 | .249 | .255 (-3%) | .320 (+10%) | .368 (+3%) | .688 (+6%) | 507.5 |
| 1982 | CAL | AL | 158 | 623 | 109 | 175 | 37 | 2 | 28 | 84 | 2 | 86 | 58 | .281 | .261 (+8%) | .324 (+14%) | .388 (+24%) | .712 (+19%) | 2563.1 |
| 1983 | CAL | AL | 113 | 403 | 68 | 99 | 15 | 1 | 19 | 53 | 1 | 62 | 59 | .246 | .260 (-6%) | .324 (+8%) | .389 (+10%) | .714 (+9%) | 884.0 |
| 1984 | CAL | AL | 156 | 539 | 65 | 148 | 28 | 2 | 23 | 91 | 0 | 70 | 66 | .275 | .259 (+6%) | .322 (+12%) | .384 (+20%) | .707 (+16%) | 1845.0 |
| 1985 | CAL | AL | 150 | 520 | 80 | 137 | 23 | 1 | 20 | 85 | 5 | 78 | 61 | .263 | .257 (+2%) | .323 (+15%) | .390 (+9%) | .714 (+12%) | 1542.4 |
| 1986 | CAL | AL | 152 | 513 | 90 | 137 | 27 | 4 | 20 | 95 | 4 | 90 | 84 | .267 | .257 (+4%) | .325 (+19%) | .395 (+14%) | .720 (+17%) | 2104.6 |
| 1987 | CAL | AL | 155 | 567 | 110 | 154 | 29 | 3 | 29 | 77 | 5 | 106 | 85 | .272 | .262 (+3%) | .331 (+21%) | .415 (+17%) | .746 (+19%) | 2723.9 |
| 1988 | CAL | AL | 135 | 484 | 80 | 117 | 18 | 2 | 25 | 64 | 3 | 81 | 63 | .242 | .254 (-5%) | .317 (+14%) | .377 (+17%) | .695 (+16%) | 1750.3 |
| 1989 | CAL | AL | 142 | 544 | 59 | 154 | 25 | 2 | 14 | 59 | 0 | 56 | 87 | .283 | .254 (+11%) | .319 (+11%) | .375 (+10%) | .694 (+10%) | 1212.7 |
| 1990 | CAL | AL | 96 | 330 | 47 | 90 | 18 | 2 | 14 | 51 | 0 | 50 | 45 | .273 | .257 (+6%) | .324 (+15%) | .385 (+21%) | .710 (+18%) | 1240.2 |
| 1991 | TEX | AL | 123 | 407 | 76 | 113 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 49 | 1 | 58 | 70 | .278 | .255 (+9%) | .323 (+17%) | .384 (+18%) | .708 (+17%) | 1558.3 |
| 1992 | TEX | AL | 107 | 320 | 53 | 89 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 39 | 1 | 62 | 58 | .278 | .255 (+9%) | .322 (+26%) | .377 (+13%) | .699 (+19%) | 1498.1 |
| Career · 20 seasons | 2,344 | 7,853 | 1,188 | 2,099 | 360 | 28 | 275 | 1,073 | 50 | 1,197 | 1,127 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 22,792 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2344 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1170 | 3837 | 606 | 1016 | 138 | 512 | .265 |
| Away | 1174 | 4016 | 582 | 1083 | 137 | 561 | .270 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-10-04 | TEX | LAA | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992-10-03 | TEX | LAA | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992-10-02 | TEX | LAA | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992-09-27 | TEX | SEA | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1992-09-26 | TEX | SEA | L | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992-09-25 | TEX | SEA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992-09-22 | TEX | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 1992-09-18 | TEX | TOR | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992-09-13 | TEX | TOR | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992-09-12 | TEX | TOR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 8 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| C | 675 | 610 | 3383 | 325 | 40 | 31 |
| OF | 777 | 750 | 1491 | 39 | 7 | 2 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | CHA | 3B | 8 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| 1973 | CHA | C | 11 | 3 | 46 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 1973 | CHA | OF | 13 | 11 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | CHA | C | 63 | 46 | 278 | 28 | 2 | 3 |
| 1974 | CHA | OF | 39 | 30 | 59 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1975 | CHA | C | 137 | 134 | 730 | 84 | 8 | 5 |
| 1976 | CHA | C | 93 | 80 | 450 | 38 | 6 | 4 |
| 1977 | CHA | C | 61 | 51 | 320 | 28 | 6 | 5 |
| 1977 | CHA | OF | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | CAL | C | 128 | 121 | 681 | 82 | 5 | 6 |
| 1979 | CAL | C | 129 | 127 | 669 | 35 | 11 | 5 |
| 1980 | CAL | C | 16 | 15 | 69 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | CAL | C | 37 | 33 | 140 | 17 | 1 | 2 |
| 1981 | CAL | OF | 56 | 50 | 97 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982 | CAL | OF | 158 | 157 | 321 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | CAL | OF | 84 | 84 | 160 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984 | CAL | OF | 131 | 131 | 272 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | CAL | OF | 121 | 118 | 244 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 1986 | CAL | OF | 138 | 133 | 267 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 1987 | CAL | OF | 34 | 33 | 47 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 675 |
| Third Base | 8 |
| Left Field | 735 |
| Right Field | 43 |
| Designated Hitter | 824 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Player of the Week | Week of 1990-08-11 |
| 1987 | Player of the Month | April |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | TEX | AL | $950,000 |
| 1990 | CAL | AL | $1,250,000 |
| 1989 | CAL | AL | $1,250,000 |
| 1988 | CAL | AL | $900,000 |
| 1987 | CAL | AL | $900,000 |
| 1986 | CAL | AL | $808,333 |
| 1985 | CAL | AL | $808,333 |
| Total Career Earnings | $6,866,666 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 18th | 6.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1982 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 14th | 22.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1979 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 14th | 24.0 | 392 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Brian Downing (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Brian Downing
Brian Downing: the record in brief
Between the debut on May 31, 1973 and the final game on October 4, 1992, Brian Downing built the record summarized on this page. By club, Downing's seasons break down as the Chicago White Sox (1973 through 1977), the California Angels (1978 to 1990), and the Texas Rangers (1991 to 1992). At 5'10" and 170 pounds, Downing is listed as a designated hitter. Downing batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is October 9, 1950, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Brian Downing was the playing name; the full given name is Brian Jay.
Across 2,344 games at the plate, Downing's career line reads 2,099 hits in 7,853 at bats for a .267 average, plus 275 home runs, 1,073 runs batted in, and 50 stolen bases. Downing's career OPS of .796 combines a .370 on-base mark with .425 slugging. The .267 career average is close to the .259 the league hit across the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .796 to a league .709, 12.2% above average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Brian Downing
- What years did Brian Downing play?
- Brian Downing played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1992.
- Was Brian Downing a pitcher?
- No. Brian Downing was a position player (Designated Hitter).
- How many home runs did Brian Downing hit?
- Brian Downing hit 275 career home runs with 2099 hits.
- What was Brian Downing's career batting average?
- Brian Downing batted .267 over his career, with 2,099 hits in 7,853 at bats.
- How many RBI did Brian Downing have?
- Brian Downing drove in 1,073 runs in his career.
- Is Brian Downing in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Brian Downing has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.