Dan Ford
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1975-1985)
Dan Ford was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins, the California Angels, and the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 11 seasons. In 1,153 career games, he hit .270 with 1,123 hits, 121 home runs, and 566 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,262.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1975-04-12
- Last Game
- 1985-05-31
Full name: Darnell Glenn Ford
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,153 | 4,163 | 598 | 1,123 | 214 | 38 | 121 | 566 | 61 | 303 | 722 | .270 | .324 | .427 | .750 | 4,262 |
Career AVG .270 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .324 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .427 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — +10.9% above league average.
Career OPS .750 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — +5.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | MIN | AL | 130 | 440 | 72 | 123 | 21 | 1 | 15 | 59 | 6 | 30 | 79 | .280 | .257 (+9%) | .327 (+2%) | .374 (+16%) | .701 (+9%) | 733.2 |
| 1976 | MIN | AL | 145 | 514 | 87 | 137 | 24 | 7 | 20 | 86 | 17 | 36 | 118 | .267 | .255 (+4%) | .320 (+1%) | .360 (+27%) | .681 (+15%) | 1256.8 |
| 1977 | MIN | AL | 144 | 453 | 66 | 121 | 25 | 7 | 11 | 60 | 6 | 41 | 79 | .267 | .264 (+1%) | .329 (+3%) | .401 (+6%) | .730 (+5%) | 403.3 |
| 1978 | MIN | AL | 151 | 592 | 78 | 162 | 36 | 10 | 11 | 82 | 7 | 48 | 88 | .274 | .257 (+6%) | .323 (+3%) | .378 (+12%) | .702 (+8%) | 783.4 |
| 1979 | CAL | AL | 142 | 569 | 100 | 165 | 26 | 5 | 21 | 101 | 8 | 40 | 86 | .290 | .265 (+9%) | .329 (+1%) | .397 (+17%) | .727 (+10%) | 881.7 |
| 1980 | CAL | AL | 65 | 226 | 22 | 63 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 26 | 0 | 19 | 45 | .279 | .264 (+5%) | .326 (+4%) | .387 (+8%) | .714 (+6%) | 264.8 |
| 1981 | CAL | AL | 97 | 375 | 53 | 104 | 14 | 1 | 15 | 48 | 2 | 23 | 71 | .277 | .255 (+8%) | .320 (+2%) | .368 (+19%) | .688 (+11%) | 717.6 |
| 1982 | BAL | AL | 123 | 421 | 46 | 99 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 43 | 5 | 23 | 71 | .235 | .261 (-10%) | .324 (-14%) | .388 (-5%) | .712 (-9%) | -671.4 |
| 1983 | BAL | AL | 103 | 407 | 63 | 114 | 30 | 4 | 9 | 55 | 9 | 29 | 55 | .280 | .260 (+7%) | .324 (+1%) | .389 (+13%) | .714 (+8%) | 446.7 |
| 1984 | BAL | AL | 25 | 91 | 7 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 13 | .231 | .259 (-11%) | .322 (-12%) | .384 (-20%) | .707 (-16%) | -223.4 |
| 1985 | BAL | AL | 28 | 75 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 17 | .187 | .257 (-27%) | .323 (-21%) | .390 (-35%) | .714 (-29%) | -330.2 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 1,153 | 4,163 | 598 | 1,123 | 214 | 38 | 121 | 566 | 61 | 303 | 722 | .270 | — | — | — | — | 4,262 | ||
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 (1153 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 563 | 1999 | 307 | 554 | 62 | 289 | .277 |
| Away | 590 | 2164 | 291 | 569 | 59 | 277 | .263 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-05-31 | BAL | OAK | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-05-21 | BAL | OAK | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-05-18 | BAL | SEA | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-05-17 | BAL | SEA | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985-05-16 | BAL | CHW | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985-05-15 | BAL | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-05-14 | BAL | KCR | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985-05-13 | BAL | KCR | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985-05-12 | BAL | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1985-05-08 | BAL | KCR | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | MIN | OF | 120 | 103 | 246 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 1976 | MIN | OF | 139 | 134 | 267 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
| 1977 | MIN | OF | 137 | 111 | 205 | 9 | 8 | 2 |
| 1978 | MIN | OF | 149 | 147 | 376 | 6 | 9 | 2 |
| 1979 | CAL | OF | 141 | 141 | 332 | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| 1980 | CAL | OF | 45 | 44 | 75 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 1981 | CAL | OF | 97 | 94 | 188 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 1982 | BAL | OF | 119 | 98 | 263 | 6 | 7 | 2 |
| 1983 | BAL | OF | 103 | 100 | 218 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1984 | BAL | OF | 15 | 15 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 2 |
| Center Field | 297 |
| Right Field | 782 |
| Designated Hitter | 62 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Player of the Week | Week of 1979-08-10 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | BAL | AL | $350,000 |
| 1985 | BAL | AL | $450,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $800,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 26th | 1.0 | 392 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Dan Ford (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Dan Ford: the record in brief
Dan Ford played a first major league game on April 12, 1975 and a last one on May 31, 1985. Club by club, the record runs the Minnesota Twins (1975 to 1978), the California Angels (1979 to 1981), and the Baltimore Orioles (1982 through 1985). Ford is listed as an outfielder at 6 feet, 1 inch and 185 pounds. The bio says Ford batted and threw right-handed. Ford was born on May 19, 1952, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Dan Ford was the playing name; the full given name is Darnell Glenn.
Ford's career batting table shows 1,153 games, 4,163 at bats and 1,123 hits, a .270 average, along with 121 home runs, 566 RBI, and 61 stolen bases. Ford's career OPS of .750 combines a .324 on-base mark with .427 slugging. Against a .260 league average for those years, Ford's .270 average was near the norm. The home run peak was 21 in 1979 with the California Angels. The hits column peaks at 165, in 1979.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dan Ford
- What years did Dan Ford play?
- Dan Ford played in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1985.
- Was Dan Ford a pitcher?
- No. Dan Ford was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Dan Ford hit?
- Dan Ford hit 121 career home runs with 1123 hits.
- What was Dan Ford's career batting average?
- Dan Ford batted .270 over his career, with 1,123 hits in 4,163 at bats.
- How many RBI did Dan Ford have?
- Dan Ford drove in 566 runs in his career.
- Is Dan Ford in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Dan Ford has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.