Dan Driessen

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1973-1987)

Dan Driessen was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1987 for 5 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,732 career games, he hit .267 with 1,464 hits, 153 home runs, and 763 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 9,924.

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 .267
HR 153
RBI 763
H 1,464
OPS .767
PIV 9,924
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 187 lb
Born
7/29/1951 in Hilton Head Island, SC, USA
MLB Debut
1973-06-09
Last Game
1987-10-03

Full name: Daniel Driessen

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Career Batting Statistics

Dan Driessen — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,732 5,479 746 1,464 282 23 153 763 154 761 719 .267 .356 .411 .767 9,924

Career AVG .267 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .356 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +9.3% above league average.

Career SLG .411 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — +6.4% above league average.

Career OPS .767 vs. league average .711 across their career seasons — +7.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dan Driessen 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
1973 CIN NL 102 366 49 110 15 2 4 47 8 24 37 .301 .256 (+17%) .325 (+6%) .378 (+2%) .703 (+4%) 267.5
1974 CIN NL 150 470 63 132 23 6 7 56 10 48 62 .281 .256 (+9%) .324 (+7%) .369 (+8%) .693 (+8%) 701.9
1975 CIN NL 88 210 38 59 8 1 7 38 10 35 30 .281 .257 (+9%) .327 (+18%) .374 (+15%) .701 (+16%) 722.9
1976 CIN NL 98 219 32 54 11 1 7 44 14 43 32 .247 .255 (-3%) .320 (+13%) .360 (+11%) .681 (+12%) 570.0
1977 CIN NL 151 536 75 161 31 4 17 91 31 64 85 .300 .264 (+14%) .329 (+14%) .401 (+17%) .730 (+15%) 1797.8
1978 CIN NL 153 524 68 131 23 3 16 70 28 75 79 .250 .257 (-3%) .323 (+7%) .378 (+5%) .702 (+6%) 736.0
1979 CIN NL 150 515 72 129 24 3 18 75 11 62 77 .250 .265 (-6%) .329 (avg) .397 (+4%) .727 (+2%) 247.8
1980 CIN NL 154 524 81 139 36 1 14 74 19 93 68 .265 .264 (avg) .326 (+15%) .387 (+8%) .714 (+11%) 1506.0
1981 CIN NL 82 233 35 55 14 0 7 33 2 40 31 .236 .255 (-8%) .320 (+9%) .368 (+5%) .688 (+7%) 377.5
1982 CIN NL 149 516 64 139 25 1 17 57 11 82 62 .269 .261 (+3%) .324 (+14%) .388 (+8%) .712 (+11%) 1345.9
1983 CIN NL 122 386 57 107 17 1 12 57 6 75 51 .277 .260 (+6%) .324 (+20%) .389 (+8%) .714 (+13%) 1282.1
1984 CIN NL 81 218 27 61 13 0 7 28 2 37 25 .280 .259 (+8%) .322 (+17%) .384 (+13%) .707 (+15%) 684.3
1984 MON NL 51 169 20 43 11 0 9 32 0 17 15 .254 .259 (-2%) .322 (-1%) .384 (+25%) .707 (+13%) 684.3
1985 MON NL 91 312 31 78 18 0 6 25 2 33 29 .250 .257 (-3%) .323 (avg) .390 (-7%) .714 (-4%) -137.2
1985 SFN NL 54 181 22 42 8 0 3 22 0 17 22 .232 .257 (-10%) .323 (-8%) .390 (-17%) .714 (-13%) -137.2
1986 SFN NL 15 16 2 3 2 0 0 0 0 4 4 .188 — — — — 0.0
1986 HOU NL 17 24 5 7 1 0 1 3 0 5 2 .292 — — — — 0.0
1987 SLN NL 24 60 5 14 2 0 1 11 0 7 8 .233 .262 (-11%) .331 (-7%) .415 (-24%) .746 (-16%) -154.6
Career · 18 seasons 1,732 5,479 746 1,464 282 23 153 763 154 761 719 .267 — — — — 10,495

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

Dan Driessen — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
23 66 9 14 7 0 1 4 5 7 .212

Playoff Batting by Year

Dan Driessen — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1987 NLCS SLN 5 12 1 3 2 0 0 1 1 1 .250
1987 WS SLN 4 13 3 3 2 0 0 1 1 1 .231
1979 NLCS CIN 3 12 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 .083
1976 NLCS CIN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1976 WS CIN 4 14 4 5 2 0 1 1 2 0 .357
1975 WS CIN 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1973 NLCS CIN 4 12 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 2 .167

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1732 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Dan Driessen — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home865265939672586399.273
Away867282035073967364.262

Last 10 Games — Batting

Dan Driessen — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1987-10-03 STLNYNL 200000000
1987-10-01 STLWSNW 302100300
1987-09-30 STLWSNL 400000001
1987-09-29 STLWSNW 300000010
1987-09-29 STLWSNW 300000001
1987-09-27 STLCHCL 200000110
1987-09-26 STLCHCW 311001201
1987-09-25 STLCHCL 302100100
1987-09-24 STLPITW 402000101
1987-09-23 STLPITL 400000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dan Driessen — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1375 1210 10863 732 58 979
3B 213 207 129 342 36 38
OF 53 50 66 2 2 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dan Driessen — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1973 CIN 1B 35 5 97 7 0 11
1973 CIN 3B 87 85 62 150 12 19
1973 CIN OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1974 CIN 1B 47 3 118 14 2 18
1974 CIN 3B 126 122 67 192 24 19
1974 CIN OF 3 2 1 0 0 0
1975 CIN 1B 41 26 268 20 4 34
1975 CIN OF 29 28 41 0 1 0
1976 CIN 1B 40 32 291 21 1 33
1976 CIN OF 20 20 23 2 1 0
1977 CIN 1B 148 141 1182 75 7 116
1978 CIN 1B 151 142 1264 93 6 92
1979 CIN 1B 143 138 1289 79 9 112
1980 CIN 1B 151 149 1349 85 7 115
1981 CIN 1B 74 66 558 30 3 54
1982 CIN 1B 144 144 1239 78 3 123
1983 CIN 1B 112 110 917 71 4 73
1984 CIN 1B 70 59 507 29 5 31
1984 MON 1B 45 42 363 23 2 38
1985 MON 1B 88 84 804 64 3 79
1985 SFN 1B 49 47 399 27 1 32
1986 SFN 1B 4 2 25 3 0 0
1986 HOU 1B 12 4 52 3 0 5
1987 SLN 1B 21 16 141 10 1 13

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dan Driessen Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 1379
Third Base 213
Left Field 45
Right Field 8

Awards & Honors

Dan Driessen — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-06-04
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-04-29

Salary History

Dan Driessen's recorded salaries total $1,567,500 over 3 seasons, 1985 to 1987. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Driessen's career ran from 1973 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included.

Dan Driessen — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1987 SLN NL $100,000
1986 SFN NL $700,000
1985 SFN NL $767,500
Total recorded salary (partial) $1,567,500

Award Voting History

Dan Driessen — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1973 Rookie of the Year NL 3rd 2.0 24 2

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Dan Driessen (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ben Zobrist
    .266 avg, 167 HR
  2. 90
    Melvin Mora
    .277 avg, 171 HR
  3. 86
    Willie Jones
    .258 avg, 190 HR
  4. 84
    Edgardo Alfonzo
    .284 avg, 146 HR
  5. 83
    Bob Bailey
    .257 avg, 189 HR
  6. 83
    Roy Smalley
    .257 avg, 163 HR

Dan Driessen: the record in brief

Between the debut on June 9, 1973 and the final game on October 3, 1987, Dan Driessen built the record summarized on this page. By club, Driessen's seasons break down as the Cincinnati Reds (1973 to 1984), the Montreal Expos (1984 through 1985), the San Francisco Giants (1985 through 1986), the Houston Astros (1986), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1987). Driessen, a first baseman by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The recorded size is 5 feet, 11 inches and 187 pounds. Driessen was born on July 29, 1951, in Hilton Head Island, SC, USA. Driessen's full given name, per the bio, is Daniel Driessen.

Across 1,732 games at the plate, Driessen's career line reads 1,464 hits in 5,479 at bats for a .267 average, along with 153 homers, 763 runs batted in, and 154 stolen bases. Driessen's career OPS of .767 combines a .356 on-base mark with .411 slugging. The .267 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. In OPS terms, Driessen's .767 stands 7.8% above the league's .711.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dan Driessen

What years did Dan Driessen play?
Dan Driessen played in Major League Baseball from 1973 to 1987.
Was Dan Driessen a pitcher?
No. Dan Driessen was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Dan Driessen hit?
Dan Driessen hit 153 career home runs with 1,464 hits.
What teams did Dan Driessen play for?
Dan Driessen played for 5 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1973–1984), the Montreal Expos (1984–1985), the San Francisco Giants (1985–1986), the Houston Astros (1986), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1987).
What were Dan Driessen's career stats?
In 1,732 games, Dan Driessen had 1,464 hits, 153 home runs, 763 RBI, 746 runs, and 154 stolen bases, with a .267 batting average.
How much did Dan Driessen earn in his career?
Dan Driessen's recorded salaries total $1,567,500 over 3 seasons, 1985 to 1987. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Driessen's career ran from 1973 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
What was Dan Driessen's salary?
Dan Driessen's last recorded salary was $100,000, in 1987. His highest recorded salary was $767,500, in 1985, and his lowest was $100,000, in 1987. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1987.
What position did Dan Driessen play?
Dan Driessen played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Dan Driessen and how much did he weigh?
Dan Driessen was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 187 pounds.
How many home runs did Dan Driessen hit each season?
Dan Driessen's home runs by season: 4 in 1973, 7 in 1974, 7 in 1975, 7 in 1976, 17 in 1977, 16 in 1978, 18 in 1979, 14 in 1980, 7 in 1981, 17 in 1982, 12 in 1983, 16 in 1984, 9 in 1985, 1 in 1986, and 1 in 1987. His most in one season was 18, in 1979.
What was Dan Driessen's career batting average?
Dan Driessen batted .267 over his career, with 1,464 hits in 5,479 at bats.
How many RBI did Dan Driessen have?
Dan Driessen drove in 763 runs in his career.
Is Dan Driessen in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dan Driessen has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.