George Foster
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1969-1986)
George Foster was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1986 for 4 teams, including the San Francisco Giants, a span of 18 seasons. In 1,977 career games, he hit .274 with 1,925 hits, 348 home runs, and 1,239 RBI. George Foster was a 5-time All-Star, an MVP, an All-Star Game MVP, and a Silver Slugger. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 20,637.
- 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" / 180 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1969-09-10
- Last Game
- 1986-09-06
- Awards
- 5× All-Star · MVP · All-Star Game MVP · Silver Slugger
Full name: George Arthur Foster
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,977 | 7,023 | 986 | 1,925 | 307 | 47 | 348 | 1,239 | 51 | 666 | 1,419 | .274 | .338 | .480 | .818 | 20,637 |
Career AVG .274 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — +6.5% above league average.
Career OBP .338 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .480 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — +26.1% above league average.
Career OPS .818 vs. league average .704 across their career seasons — +16.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | SFN | NL | 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .400 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1970 | SFN | NL | 9 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .316 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | SFN | NL | 36 | 105 | 11 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 27 | .267 | .249 (+7%) | .316 (-4%) | .365 (+10%) | .682 (+3%) | 23.7 |
| 1971 | CIN | NL | 104 | 368 | 39 | 86 | 18 | 4 | 10 | 50 | 7 | 23 | 93 | .234 | .249 (-6%) | .316 (-9%) | .365 (+6%) | .682 (-1%) | 23.7 |
| 1972 | CIN | NL | 59 | 145 | 15 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 44 | .200 | .243 (-18%) | .310 (-26%) | .353 (-20%) | .664 (-23%) | -524.4 |
| 1973 | CIN | NL | 17 | 39 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 7 | .282 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | CIN | NL | 106 | 276 | 31 | 73 | 18 | 0 | 7 | 41 | 3 | 30 | 52 | .264 | .256 (+3%) | .324 (+6%) | .369 (+10%) | .693 (+8%) | 430.9 |
| 1975 | CIN | NL | 134 | 463 | 71 | 139 | 24 | 4 | 23 | 78 | 2 | 40 | 73 | .300 | .257 (+17%) | .327 (+9%) | .374 (+39%) | .701 (+25%) | 2055.7 |
| 1976 | CIN | NL | 144 | 562 | 86 | 172 | 21 | 9 | 29 | 121 | 17 | 52 | 89 | .306 | .255 (+20%) | .320 (+14%) | .360 (+47%) | .681 (+31%) | 3171.4 |
| 1977 | CIN | NL | 158 | 615 | 124 | 197 | 31 | 2 | 52 | 149 | 6 | 61 | 107 | .320 | .264 (+21%) | .329 (+16%) | .401 (+57%) | .730 (+39%) | 4777.4 |
| 1978 | CIN | NL | 158 | 604 | 97 | 170 | 26 | 7 | 40 | 120 | 4 | 70 | 138 | .281 | .257 (+9%) | .323 (+11%) | .378 (+44%) | .702 (+29%) | 3427.1 |
| 1979 | CIN | NL | 121 | 440 | 68 | 133 | 18 | 3 | 30 | 98 | 0 | 59 | 105 | .302 | .265 (+14%) | .329 (+17%) | .397 (+41%) | .727 (+30%) | 2672.9 |
| 1980 | CIN | NL | 144 | 528 | 79 | 144 | 21 | 5 | 25 | 93 | 1 | 75 | 99 | .273 | .264 (+3%) | .326 (+11%) | .387 (+22%) | .714 (+17%) | 1890.4 |
| 1981 | CIN | NL | 108 | 414 | 64 | 122 | 23 | 2 | 22 | 90 | 4 | 51 | 75 | .295 | .255 (+15%) | .320 (+16%) | .368 (+41%) | .688 (+30%) | 2254.8 |
| 1982 | NYN | NL | 151 | 550 | 64 | 136 | 23 | 2 | 13 | 70 | 1 | 50 | 123 | .247 | .261 (-5%) | .324 (-5%) | .388 (-6%) | .712 (-5%) | -454.4 |
| 1983 | NYN | NL | 157 | 601 | 74 | 145 | 19 | 2 | 28 | 90 | 1 | 38 | 111 | .241 | .260 (-8%) | .324 (-11%) | .389 (+8%) | .714 (-1%) | -202.1 |
| 1984 | NYN | NL | 146 | 553 | 67 | 149 | 22 | 1 | 24 | 86 | 2 | 30 | 122 | .269 | .259 (+4%) | .322 (-4%) | .384 (+15%) | .707 (+7%) | 562.9 |
| 1985 | NYN | NL | 129 | 452 | 57 | 119 | 24 | 1 | 21 | 77 | 0 | 46 | 87 | .263 | .257 (+2%) | .323 (+3%) | .390 (+18%) | .714 (+11%) | 905.4 |
| 1986 | NYN | NL | 72 | 233 | 28 | 53 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 38 | 1 | 21 | 53 | .227 | .257 (-12%) | .325 (-11%) | .395 (+9%) | .720 (avg) | -67.2 |
| 1986 | CHA | AL | 15 | 51 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .216 | .257 (-16%) | .325 (-20%) | .395 (-11%) | .720 (-15%) | -67.2 |
| Career · 20 seasons | 1,977 | 7,023 | 986 | 1,925 | 307 | 47 | 348 | 1,239 | 51 | 666 | 1,419 | .274 | — | — | — | — | 20,881 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 76 | 11 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 13 | .289 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | NLCS | CIN | 3 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | .200 |
| 1976 | NLCS | CIN | 3 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | .167 |
| 1976 | WS | CIN | 4 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | .429 |
| 1975 | NLCS | CIN | 3 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .364 |
| 1975 | WS | CIN | 7 | 29 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .276 |
| 1972 | NLCS | CIN | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1972 | WS | CIN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1977 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1004 | 3455 | 509 | 928 | 184 | 637 | .269 |
| Away | 973 | 3568 | 477 | 997 | 164 | 602 | .279 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-09-06 | CHW | TOR | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986-09-01 | CHW | KCR | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-08-31 | CHW | TEX | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-08-29 | CHW | TEX | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1986-08-26 | CHW | KCR | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1986-08-25 | CHW | KCR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-08-24 | CHW | TEX | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986-08-23 | CHW | TEX | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-08-22 | CHW | TEX | L | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-08-21 | CHW | TOR | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 1880 | 1789 | 3809 | 119 | 62 | 28 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | SFN | OF | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | SFN | OF | 7 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | SFN | OF | 30 | 24 | 48 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1971 | CIN | OF | 102 | 100 | 267 | 8 | 4 | 3 |
| 1972 | CIN | OF | 47 | 31 | 71 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1973 | CIN | OF | 13 | 9 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974 | CIN | OF | 98 | 65 | 172 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1975 | CIN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | CIN | OF | 125 | 117 | 299 | 11 | 3 | 3 |
| 1976 | CIN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | CIN | OF | 142 | 137 | 322 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
| 1977 | CIN | OF | 158 | 158 | 352 | 12 | 3 | 1 |
| 1978 | CIN | OF | 157 | 157 | 319 | 10 | 10 | 1 |
| 1979 | CIN | OF | 116 | 116 | 214 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| 1980 | CIN | OF | 141 | 141 | 295 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 1981 | CIN | OF | 108 | 108 | 224 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| 1982 | NYN | OF | 138 | 138 | 289 | 12 | 8 | 4 |
| 1983 | NYN | OF | 153 | 151 | 314 | 12 | 4 | 3 |
| 1984 | NYN | OF | 141 | 140 | 278 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| 1985 | NYN | OF | 123 | 119 | 198 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| 1986 | NYN | OF | 62 | 62 | 96 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 1986 | CHA | OF | 11 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 2 |
| Left Field | 1549 |
| Center Field | 274 |
| Right Field | 169 |
| Designated Hitter | 3 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Player of the Week | Week of 1986-06-06 |
| 1983 | Player of the Week | Week of 1983-05-06 |
| 1981 | Silver Slugger | OF |
| 1981 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1980 | Player of the Week | Week of 1980-08-29 |
| 1979 | Player of the Month | April |
| 1979 | Player of the Month | June |
| 1978 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1977 | Player of the Month | August |
| 1977 | Player of the Month | June |
| 1977 | Player of the Week | Week of 1977-05-28 |
| 1977 | Player of the Week | Week of 1977-09-23 |
| 1977 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1977 | TSN Player of the Year | |
| 1976 | All-Star Game MVP | |
| 1976 | Player of the Month | July |
| 1976 | Player of the Month | May |
| 1976 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1976 | TSN Player of the Year |
Salary History
George Foster's recorded salaries total $4,802,857 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Foster's career ran from 1969 to 1986. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | CHA | AL | $60,000 |
| 1986 | NYN | NL | $2,800,000 |
| 1985 | NYN | NL | $1,942,857 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $4,802,857 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Camino College | Torrance | CA | 1968 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 3rd | 146.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1979 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 12th | 34.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1978 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 6th | 104.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 1st | 291.0 | 336 | 15 |
| 1976 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 221.0 | 336 | 5 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
George Foster (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare George Foster
George Foster: the record in brief
September 10, 1969 and September 6, 1986 bracket George Foster's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the San Francisco Giants (1969 to 1971), the Cincinnati Reds (1971 through 1981), the New York Mets (1982 through 1986), and the Chicago White Sox (1986). Born on December 1, 1948, in Tuscaloosa, AL, USA, Foster is listed as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. Foster's listed size is 180 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The given name on file is George Arthur Foster.
Foster finished with 1,925 hits from 7,023 at bats in 1,977 games, which works out to .274, along with 348 home runs, 1,239 runs batted in, and 51 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .338 clip and slugging .480, Foster finished with a .818 OPS. The league as a whole hit .257 across Foster's seasons, which puts the .274 career mark 6.5% above average. 1977 was Foster's biggest home run year, with 52.
Frequently Asked Questions about George Foster
- What years did George Foster play?
- George Foster played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1986.
- Was George Foster a pitcher?
- No. George Foster was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did George Foster hit?
- George Foster hit 348 career home runs with 1,925 hits.
- What teams did George Foster play for?
- George Foster played for 4 teams: the San Francisco Giants (1969–1971), the Cincinnati Reds (1971–1981), the New York Mets (1982–1986), and the Chicago White Sox (1986).
- How many MVP awards did George Foster win?
- George Foster won 1 MVP award, in 1977.
- What awards did George Foster win?
- George Foster won the MVP award (1977) and the Silver Slugger award (1981). He was selected to 5 All-Star Games.
- What were George Foster's career stats?
- In 1,977 games, George Foster had 1,925 hits, 348 home runs, 1,239 RBI, 986 runs, and 51 stolen bases, with a .274 batting average.
- How much did George Foster earn in his career?
- George Foster's recorded salaries total $4,802,857 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Foster's career ran from 1969 to 1986. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
- What was George Foster's salary?
- George Foster's last recorded salary was $2,860,000, in 1986. His highest recorded salary was $2,860,000, in 1986, and his lowest was $1,942,857, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1986.
- What position did George Foster play?
- George Foster played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was George Foster and how much did he weigh?
- George Foster was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did George Foster hit each season?
- George Foster's home runs by season: 0 in 1969, 1 in 1970, 13 in 1971, 2 in 1972, 4 in 1973, 7 in 1974, 23 in 1975, 29 in 1976, 52 in 1977, 40 in 1978, 30 in 1979, 25 in 1980, 22 in 1981, 13 in 1982, 28 in 1983, 24 in 1984, 21 in 1985, and 14 in 1986. His most in one season was 52, in 1977.
- What was George Foster's career batting average?
- George Foster batted .274 over his career, with 1,925 hits in 7,023 at bats.
- How many RBI did George Foster have?
- George Foster drove in 1,239 runs in his career.