Darin Erstad
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1996-2009)
Darin Erstad was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1996 to 2009 for 5 teams, including the California Angels, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,654 career games, he hit .282 with 1,697 hits, 124 home runs, and 699 RBI. Darin Erstad was a 2-time All-Star, a 3-time Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 195 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1996-06-14
- Last Game
- 2009-10-04
- Awards
- 2× All-Star · 3× Gold Glove · Silver Slugger
Full name: Darin Charles Erstad
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,654 | 6,024 | 913 | 1,697 | 316 | 33 | 124 | 699 | 179 | 475 | 939 | .282 | .336 | .407 | .743 | -1,260 |
Career AVG .282 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — +5.8% above league average.
Career OBP .336 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .407 vs. league average .424 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .743 vs. league average .760 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | CAL | AL | 57 | 208 | 34 | 59 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 29 | .284 | .269 (+5%) | .340 (-2%) | .426 (-12%) | .767 (-8%) | -266.6 |
| 1997 | ANA | AL | 139 | 539 | 99 | 161 | 34 | 4 | 16 | 77 | 23 | 51 | 86 | .299 | .266 (+12%) | .336 (+7%) | .419 (+11%) | .756 (+9%) | 1000.6 |
| 1998 | ANA | AL | 133 | 537 | 84 | 159 | 39 | 3 | 19 | 82 | 20 | 43 | 77 | .296 | .266 (+11%) | .335 (+5%) | .420 (+16%) | .755 (+11%) | 1164.7 |
| 1999 | ANA | AL | 142 | 585 | 84 | 148 | 22 | 5 | 13 | 53 | 13 | 47 | 101 | .253 | .271 (-7%) | .344 (-11%) | .433 (-14%) | .778 (-12%) | -1269.2 |
| 2000 | ANA | AL | 157 | 676 | 121 | 240 | 39 | 6 | 25 | 100 | 28 | 64 | 82 | .355 | .270 (+31%) | .344 (+19%) | .437 (+24%) | .782 (+22%) | 3262.7 |
| 2001 | ANA | AL | 157 | 631 | 89 | 163 | 35 | 1 | 9 | 63 | 24 | 62 | 113 | .258 | .263 (-2%) | .332 (avg) | .426 (-16%) | .758 (-9%) | -852.8 |
| 2002 | ANA | AL | 150 | 625 | 99 | 177 | 28 | 4 | 10 | 73 | 23 | 27 | 67 | .283 | .261 (+8%) | .331 (-5%) | .416 (-7%) | .747 (-6%) | -707.1 |
| 2003 | ANA | AL | 67 | 258 | 35 | 65 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 9 | 18 | 40 | .252 | .264 (-5%) | .332 (-7%) | .422 (-21%) | .754 (-15%) | -613.5 |
| 2004 | ANA | AL | 125 | 495 | 79 | 146 | 29 | 1 | 7 | 69 | 16 | 37 | 74 | .295 | .266 (+11%) | .335 (+3%) | .427 (-6%) | .762 (-2%) | -151.2 |
| 2005 | LAA | AL | 153 | 609 | 86 | 166 | 33 | 3 | 7 | 66 | 10 | 47 | 109 | .273 | .264 (+3%) | .330 (-2%) | .418 (-11%) | .749 (-7%) | -685.0 |
| 2006 | LAA | AL | 40 | 95 | 8 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 18 | .221 | .269 (-18%) | .336 (-17%) | .431 (-24%) | .768 (-21%) | -357.1 |
| 2007 | CHA | AL | 87 | 310 | 33 | 77 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 32 | 7 | 28 | 44 | .248 | .268 (-7%) | .335 (-8%) | .422 (-21%) | .758 (-15%) | -741.1 |
| 2008 | HOU | NL | 140 | 322 | 49 | 89 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 31 | 2 | 14 | 68 | .276 | .263 (+5%) | .333 (-7%) | .416 (-13%) | .749 (-10%) | -562.0 |
| 2009 | HOU | NL | 107 | 134 | 13 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 31 | .194 | .262 (-26%) | .332 (-19%) | .417 (-21%) | .750 (-20%) | -482.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 1,654 | 6,024 | 913 | 1,697 | 316 | 33 | 124 | 699 | 179 | 475 | 939 | .282 | — | — | — | — | -1,260 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 118 | 18 | 40 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 17 | .339 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | ALCS | LAA | 5 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .235 |
| 2005 | ALDS2 | LAA | 5 | 20 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | .300 |
| 2004 | ALDS1 | ANA | 3 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | .500 |
| 2002 | ALCS | ANA | 5 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .364 |
| 2002 | ALDS1 | ANA | 4 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .421 |
| 2002 | WS | ANA | 7 | 30 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | .300 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1654 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 836 | 2964 | 464 | 851 | 54 | 338 | .287 |
| Away | 818 | 3060 | 449 | 846 | 70 | 361 | .276 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10-04 | HOU | NYN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009-10-03 | HOU | NYN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-10-02 | HOU | NYN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-09-30 | HOU | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-09-29 | HOU | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-09-26 | HOU | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-09-25 | HOU | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009-09-23 | HOU | STL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009-09-22 | HOU | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009-09-20 | HOU | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 627 | 559 | 4784 | 320 | 23 | 435 |
| OF | 887 | 822 | 2179 | 50 | 10 | 13 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | CAL | OF | 48 | 47 | 121 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1997 | ANA | 1B | 126 | 120 | 999 | 64 | 11 | 92 |
| 1997 | ANA | OF | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | ANA | 1B | 70 | 57 | 464 | 39 | 2 | 46 |
| 1998 | ANA | OF | 72 | 70 | 116 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 1999 | ANA | 1B | 78 | 72 | 669 | 41 | 1 | 59 |
| 1999 | ANA | OF | 69 | 68 | 185 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 2000 | ANA | 1B | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | ANA | OF | 136 | 136 | 350 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| 2001 | ANA | 1B | 12 | 7 | 64 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| 2001 | ANA | OF | 146 | 146 | 398 | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| 2002 | ANA | 1B | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2002 | ANA | OF | 143 | 142 | 452 | 11 | 1 | 3 |
| 2003 | ANA | OF | 66 | 66 | 190 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2004 | ANA | 1B | 124 | 124 | 986 | 66 | 4 | 83 |
| 2005 | LAA | 1B | 147 | 144 | 1218 | 79 | 4 | 109 |
| 2006 | LAA | 1B | 13 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2006 | LAA | OF | 27 | 25 | 71 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | CHA | 1B | 22 | 19 | 174 | 14 | 1 | 18 |
| 2007 | CHA | OF | 63 | 55 | 132 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | HOU | 1B | 12 | 6 | 71 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 2008 | HOU | OF | 88 | 58 | 146 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009 | HOU | 1B | 15 | 10 | 94 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| 2009 | HOU | OF | 28 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 627 |
| Left Field | 352 |
| Center Field | 540 |
| Right Field | 20 |
| Designated Hitter | 49 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Gold Glove | 1B |
| 2002 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 2000 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 2000 | Player of the Week | Week of 2000-05-27 |
| 2000 | Player of the Week | Week of 2000-07-08 |
| 2000 | Silver Slugger | OF |
| 2000 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1998 | Player of the Week | Week of 1998-06-13 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | HOU | NL | $1,750,000 |
| 2008 | HOU | NL | $1,000,000 |
| 2007 | CHA | AL | $750,000 |
| 2006 | LAA | AL | $8,750,000 |
| 2005 | LAA | AL | $8,250,000 |
| 2004 | ANA | AL | $7,750,000 |
| 2003 | ANA | AL | $7,250,000 |
| 2002 | ANA | AL | $6,250,000 |
| 2001 | ANA | AL | $3,450,000 |
| 2000 | ANA | AL | $2,500,000 |
| 1999 | ANA | AL | $800,000 |
| 1998 | ANA | AL | $550,000 |
| 1997 | ANA | AL | $175,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $49,225,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nebraska at Lincoln | Lincoln | NE | 1993, 1994, 1995 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 8th | 94.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1998 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 14th | 7.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1996 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 6th | 3.0 | 140 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Darin Erstad (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Darin Erstad: the record in brief
According to the bio, Darin Erstad debuted on June 14, 1996 and played a final game on October 4, 2009. By club, Erstad's seasons break down as the California Angels (1996), the Anaheim Angels (1997 through 2004), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2005 to 2006), the Chicago White Sox (2007), and the Houston Astros (2008 through 2009). Erstad, born on June 4, 1974, in Jamestown, ND, USA, is listed as an outfielder and threw and hit left-handed. The bio gives 6'2" and 195 pounds. Erstad's full given name, per the bio, is Darin Charles Erstad.
In 1,654 games and 6,024 at bats, Erstad batted .282 with 1,697 hits, plus 124 home runs, 699 runs batted in, and 179 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .336 and .407 give Erstad a career OPS of .743. Set against a .266 league average for the same years, Erstad's .282 average sits 5.8% above it. No season beat the 25 home runs Erstad hit in 2000. Erstad collected a career-high 240 hits in 2000. 2000 brought a season-best 28 stolen bases.
Frequently Asked Questions about Darin Erstad
- What years did Darin Erstad play?
- Darin Erstad played in Major League Baseball from 1996 to 2009.
- Was Darin Erstad a pitcher?
- No. Darin Erstad was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Darin Erstad hit?
- Darin Erstad hit 124 career home runs with 1697 hits.
- What was Darin Erstad's career batting average?
- Darin Erstad batted .282 over his career, with 1,697 hits in 6,024 at bats.
- How many RBI did Darin Erstad have?
- Darin Erstad drove in 699 runs in his career.
- Is Darin Erstad in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Darin Erstad has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.