Alvaro Espinoza
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1984-1997)
Alvaro Espinoza was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1997 for 5 teams, including the Minnesota Twins, a span of 14 seasons. In 942 career games, he hit .254 with 630 hits, 22 home runs, and 201 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
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1984-09-14
- Last Game
- 1997-07-12
Full name: Alvaro Alberto Espinoza
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 942 | 2,478 | 252 | 630 | 105 | 9 | 22 | 201 | 13 | 76 | 324 | .254 | .279 | .331 | .610 | -6,317 |
Career AVG .254 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .279 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 15.0% below league average.
Career SLG .331 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — 17.1% below league average.
Career OPS .610 vs. league average .727 across their career seasons — 16.2% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | MIN | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1985 | MIN | AL | 32 | 57 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 9 | .263 | .257 (+2%) | .323 (-11%) | .390 (-24%) | .714 (-18%) | -157.2 |
| 1986 | MIN | AL | 37 | 42 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | .214 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | NYA | AL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | NYA | AL | 146 | 503 | 51 | 142 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 3 | 14 | 60 | .282 | .254 (+11%) | .319 (-6%) | .375 (-12%) | .694 (-9%) | -746.7 |
| 1990 | NYA | AL | 150 | 438 | 31 | 98 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 16 | 54 | .224 | .257 (-13%) | .324 (-20%) | .385 (-29%) | .710 (-25%) | -1738.8 |
| 1991 | NYA | AL | 148 | 480 | 51 | 123 | 23 | 2 | 5 | 33 | 4 | 16 | 57 | .256 | .255 (avg) | .323 (-13%) | .384 (-11%) | .708 (-12%) | -956.5 |
| 1993 | CLE | AL | 129 | 263 | 34 | 73 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 2 | 8 | 36 | .278 | .265 (+5%) | .332 (-10%) | .403 (-6%) | .735 (-8%) | -392.2 |
| 1994 | CLE | AL | 90 | 231 | 27 | 55 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 6 | 33 | .238 | .269 (-12%) | .338 (-24%) | .424 (-28%) | .763 (-26%) | -1033.4 |
| 1995 | CLE | AL | 66 | 143 | 15 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .252 | .266 (-6%) | .337 (-22%) | .417 (-23%) | .755 (-23%) | -560.4 |
| 1996 | CLE | AL | 59 | 112 | 12 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 18 | .223 | .269 (-17%) | .340 (-18%) | .426 (-6%) | .767 (-11%) | -245.3 |
| 1996 | NYN | NL | 48 | 134 | 19 | 41 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 19 | .306 | .269 (+13%) | .340 (-5%) | .426 (+12%) | .767 (+4%) | -245.3 |
| 1997 | SEA | AL | 33 | 72 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 12 | .181 | .266 (-32%) | .336 (-37%) | .419 (-54%) | .756 (-46%) | -542.5 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 942 | 2,478 | 252 | 630 | 105 | 9 | 22 | 201 | 13 | 76 | 324 | .254 | — | — | — | — | -6,618 | ||
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.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | NYA | AL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | — | 0 | ||
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 (943 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 471 | 1207 | 124 | 300 | 9 | 96 | .249 |
| Away | 471 | 1271 | 128 | 330 | 13 | 105 | .260 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | 1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-07-12 | SEA | TEX | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-07-06 | SEA | LAA | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1997-07-01 | SEA | SFG | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-06-26 | SEA | LAA | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1997-06-25 | SEA | OAK | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1997-06-24 | SEA | OAK | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1997-06-23 | SEA | OAK | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-06-22 | SEA | TEX | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-06-21 | SEA | TEX | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-06-20 | SEA | TEX | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Last 1 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-08-06 | NYY | CHW | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 24 | 8 | 108 | 8 | 0 | 12 |
| 2B | 86 | 43 | 92 | 176 | 9 | 45 |
| 3B | 219 | 117 | 93 | 231 | 24 | 15 |
| P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 624 | 527 | 890 | 1717 | 77 | 415 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | MIN | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | MIN | SS | 31 | 21 | 25 | 69 | 5 | 15 |
| 1986 | MIN | 2B | 19 | 11 | 12 | 36 | 3 | 7 |
| 1986 | MIN | SS | 18 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 4 |
| 1988 | NYA | 2B | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | NYA | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1989 | NYA | SS | 146 | 144 | 237 | 471 | 22 | 114 |
| 1990 | NYA | SS | 150 | 141 | 268 | 447 | 17 | 100 |
| 1991 | NYA | 3B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | NYA | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | NYA | SS | 147 | 136 | 223 | 438 | 21 | 113 |
| 1993 | CLE | 2B | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 1993 | CLE | 3B | 99 | 50 | 42 | 107 | 10 | 9 |
| 1993 | CLE | SS | 35 | 13 | 18 | 47 | 1 | 13 |
| 1994 | CLE | 1B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1994 | CLE | 2B | 20 | 11 | 26 | 62 | 1 | 15 |
| 1994 | CLE | 3B | 37 | 12 | 12 | 31 | 4 | 2 |
| 1994 | CLE | SS | 36 | 34 | 53 | 117 | 5 | 27 |
| 1995 | CLE | 1B | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995 | CLE | 2B | 22 | 9 | 18 | 39 | 2 | 7 |
| 1995 | CLE | 3B | 22 | 16 | 10 | 27 | 1 | 1 |
| 1995 | CLE | SS | 19 | 9 | 13 | 35 | 2 | 8 |
| 1996 | CLE | 1B | 18 | 8 | 97 | 8 | 0 | 10 |
| 1996 | CLE | 2B | 5 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 5 |
| 1996 | CLE | 3B | 20 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| 1996 | CLE | SS | 16 | 8 | 16 | 29 | 1 | 12 |
| 1996 | NYN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | NYN | 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | NYN | 3B | 38 | 30 | 20 | 52 | 8 | 2 |
| 1996 | NYN | SS | 7 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 3 |
| 1997 | SEA | 2B | 14 | 7 | 21 | 23 | 1 | 9 |
| 1997 | SEA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | SEA | SS | 17 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 2 | 5 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 1 |
| First Base | 24 |
| Second Base | 87 |
| Third Base | 218 |
| Shortstop | 624 |
| Designated Hitter | 4 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | CLE | AL | $400,000 |
| 1995 | CLE | AL | $450,000 |
| 1994 | CLE | AL | $475,000 |
| 1993 | CLE | AL | $500,000 |
| 1992 | NYA | AL | $1,000,000 |
| 1991 | NYA | AL | $650,000 |
| 1990 | NYA | AL | $256,000 |
| 1989 | NYA | AL | $68,000 |
| 1986 | MIN | AL | $60,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $3,859,000 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Alvaro Espinoza (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Alvaro Espinoza
- What years did Alvaro Espinoza play?
- Alvaro Espinoza played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1997.
- Was Alvaro Espinoza a pitcher?
- No. Alvaro Espinoza was a position player (Shortstop), though he did pitch in 1 career game.
- How many home runs did Alvaro Espinoza hit?
- Alvaro Espinoza hit 22 career home runs with 630 hits.
- What was Alvaro Espinoza's career batting average?
- Alvaro Espinoza batted .254 over his career, with 630 hits in 2,478 at bats.
- How many RBI did Alvaro Espinoza have?
- Alvaro Espinoza drove in 201 runs in his career.
- What was Alvaro Espinoza's career ERA?
- Alvaro Espinoza finished with a 0.00 career ERA, going 0-0 with 0 strikeouts.