Kevin Elster

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1986-2000)

Kevin Elster was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 2000 for 6 teams, including the New York Mets, a span of 15 seasons. In 940 career games, he hit .228 with 648 hits, 88 home runs, and 376 RBI.

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 .228
HR 88
RBI 376
H 648
OPS .677
PIV -2,938
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 180 lb
Born
8/3/1964 in San Pedro, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1986-09-02
Last Game
2000-10-01

Full name: Kevin Daniel Elster

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Career Batting Statistics

Kevin Elster — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
940 2,844 332 648 136 12 88 376 14 295 562 .228 .300 .377 .677 -2,938

Career AVG .228 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 13.1% below league average.

Career OBP .300 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 9.4% below league average.

Career SLG .377 vs. league average .405 across their career seasons — 6.9% below league average.

Career OPS .677 vs. league average .736 across their career seasons — 8.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Kevin Elster 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
1986 NYN NL 19 30 3 5 1 0 0 0 0 3 8 .167 — — — — 0.0
1987 NYN NL 5 10 1 4 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 .400 — — — — 0.0
1988 NYN NL 149 406 41 87 11 1 9 37 2 35 47 .214 .254 (-16%) .317 (-11%) .377 (-17%) .695 (-15%) -868.4
1989 NYN NL 151 458 52 106 25 2 10 55 4 34 77 .231 .254 (-9%) .319 (-11%) .375 (-4%) .694 (-7%) -644.4
1990 NYN NL 92 314 36 65 20 1 9 45 2 30 54 .207 .257 (-20%) .324 (-16%) .385 (-6%) .710 (-10%) -607.0
1991 NYN NL 115 348 33 84 16 2 6 36 2 40 53 .241 .255 (-6%) .323 (-2%) .384 (-9%) .708 (-6%) -282.8
1992 NYN NL 6 18 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .222 — — — — 0.0
1994 NYA AL 7 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 NYA AL 10 17 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 5 .118 — — — — 0.0
1995 PHI NL 26 53 10 11 4 1 1 9 0 7 14 .208 .266 (-22%) .337 (-11%) .417 (-10%) .755 (-10%) 0.0
1996 TEX AL 157 515 79 130 32 2 24 99 4 52 138 .252 .269 (-6%) .340 (-7%) .426 (+8%) .767 (+2%) -30.0
1997 PIT NL 39 138 14 31 6 2 7 25 0 21 39 .225 .266 (-16%) .336 (-3%) .419 (+7%) .756 (+3%) 51.0
1998 TEX AL 84 297 33 69 10 1 8 37 0 33 66 .232 .266 (-13%) .335 (-7%) .420 (-16%) .755 (-12%) -562.8
2000 LAN NL 80 220 29 50 8 0 14 32 0 38 52 .227 .270 (-16%) .344 (-1%) .437 (+4%) .782 (+2%) 118.3
Career · 14 seasons 940 2,844 332 648 136 12 88 376 14 295 562 .228 — — — — -2,826

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

Kevin Elster — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
14 24 3 6 3 0 0 1 6 3 .250

Playoff Batting by Year

Kevin Elster — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1996 ALDS2 TEX 4 12 2 4 2 0 0 0 3 2 .333
1988 NLCS NYN 5 8 1 2 1 0 0 1 3 0 .250
1986 NLCS NYN 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1986 WS NYN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (940 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Kevin Elster — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home474141915531539185.222
Away466142517733349191.234

Last 10 Games — Batting

Kevin Elster — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
2000-10-01 LADSDPL 100000001
2000-09-30 LADSDPW 000000010
2000-09-29 LADSDPW 100000000
2000-09-28 LADSFGL 100000001
2000-09-27 LADSFGL 100000000
2000-09-26 LADSFGW 111001100
2000-09-20 LADAZW 100000000
2000-09-19 LADAZW 100000000
2000-09-18 LADAZW 111001100
2000-09-15 LADCOLW 000000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Kevin Elster — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 5 1 17 0 1 1
2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
3B 10 8 8 18 2 0
SS 895 818 1306 2351 98 433

Season-by-Season Fielding

Kevin Elster — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1986 NYN SS 19 9 16 35 2 6
1987 NYN SS 3 2 4 6 1 0
1988 NYN SS 148 123 196 345 13 61
1989 NYN SS 150 134 235 374 15 63
1990 NYN SS 92 91 159 251 17 42
1991 NYN SS 107 98 149 299 14 39
1992 NYN SS 5 5 8 10 0 3
1994 NYA SS 7 7 5 27 0 7
1995 NYA 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1995 NYA SS 10 5 10 14 0 2
1995 PHI 1B 4 1 17 0 0 1
1995 PHI 3B 2 1 2 2 0 0
1995 PHI SS 19 14 18 36 1 11
1996 TEX SS 157 155 285 441 14 103
1997 PIT SS 39 39 54 123 1 22
1998 TEX SS 84 84 107 257 9 49
2000 LAN 1B 1 0 0 0 1 0
2000 LAN 3B 8 7 6 16 2 0
2000 LAN SS 55 52 60 133 11 25

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Kevin Elster Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 5
Second Base 1
Third Base 10
Shortstop 895

Awards & Honors

Kevin Elster — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1996 TSN Comeback Player of the Year

Salary History

Kevin Elster's recorded salaries total $6,243,000 over 12 seasons, 1986 to 2000. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Elster's career ran from 1986 to 2000. No salary is recorded for 1987.

Kevin Elster — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
2000 LAN NL $300,000
1998 TEX AL $1,500,000
1997 PIT NL $1,650,000
1996 TEX AL $270,000
1995 NYA AL $300,000
1995 PHI NL $109,000
1994 NYA AL $200,000
1992 NYN NL $760,000
1991 NYN NL $625,000
1990 NYN NL $260,000
1989 NYN NL $140,000
1988 NYN NL $69,000
1986 NYN NL $60,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $6,243,000

College History

Kevin Elster — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Golden West College Huntington Beach CA 1984

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Kevin Elster (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Dale Sveum
    .236 avg, 69 HR
  2. 96
    Sean Rodriguez
    .226 avg, 81 HR
  3. 88
    Bobby Crosby
    .236 avg, 62 HR
  4. 86
    Gordon Beckham
    .237 avg, 80 HR
  5. 86
    Roy Smalley
    .227 avg, 61 HR
  6. 86
    Don Zimmer
    .235 avg, 91 HR

Kevin Elster: the record in brief

September 2, 1986 and October 1, 2000 bracket Kevin Elster's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the New York Mets (1986 to 1992), the New York Yankees (1994 to 1995), the Philadelphia Phillies (1995), the Texas Rangers (1996 to 1998), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1997), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2000). Elster played primarily as a shortstop and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on August 3, 1964, in San Pedro, CA, USA and a listed size of 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. On the record, Kevin Elster was born Kevin Daniel Elster.

Elster collected 648 hits in 2,844 at bats across 940 games, good for a .228 batting average, plus 88 homers and 376 RBI. The on-base percentage is .300 and the slugging percentage .377, for an OPS of .677. Elster's .228 average ran 13.1% below the .262 that the league posted over the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 8.0% below league average (.677 against .736). 1996 was Elster's biggest home run year, with 24. The highest hit total in a season was 130, in 1996.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kevin Elster

What years did Kevin Elster play?
Kevin Elster played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 2000.
Was Kevin Elster a pitcher?
No. Kevin Elster was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Kevin Elster hit?
Kevin Elster hit 88 career home runs with 648 hits.
What teams did Kevin Elster play for?
Kevin Elster played for 6 teams: the New York Mets (1986–1992), the New York Yankees (1994–1995), the Philadelphia Phillies (1995), the Texas Rangers (1996, 1998), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1997), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2000).
What were Kevin Elster's career stats?
In 940 games, Kevin Elster had 648 hits, 88 home runs, 376 RBI, 332 runs, and 14 stolen bases, with a .228 batting average.
How much did Kevin Elster earn in his career?
Kevin Elster's recorded salaries total $6,243,000 over 12 seasons, 1986 to 2000. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Elster's career ran from 1986 to 2000. No salary is recorded for 1987.
What was Kevin Elster's salary?
Kevin Elster's last recorded salary was $300,000, in 2000. His highest recorded salary was $1,650,000, in 1997, and his lowest was $60,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1986 to 2000.
What position did Kevin Elster play?
Kevin Elster played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Kevin Elster and how much did he weigh?
Kevin Elster was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 180 pounds.
How many home runs did Kevin Elster hit each season?
Kevin Elster's home runs by season: 0 in 1986, 0 in 1987, 9 in 1988, 10 in 1989, 9 in 1990, 6 in 1991, 0 in 1992, 0 in 1994, 1 in 1995, 24 in 1996, 7 in 1997, 8 in 1998, and 14 in 2000. His most in one season was 24, in 1996.
What was Kevin Elster's career batting average?
Kevin Elster batted .228 over his career, with 648 hits in 2,844 at bats.
How many RBI did Kevin Elster have?
Kevin Elster drove in 376 runs in his career.
Is Kevin Elster in the Hall of Fame?
No. Kevin Elster has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.