Brian Downing
Designated Hitter · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1973-1992)
- 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.
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
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.