Phil Garner
Born: 4/30/1949 in Jefferson City, TN, USA
MLB Debut: 1973-09-10 | Final Game: 1988-10-02
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 175 lbs
Full name: Philip Mason Garner
Biography
Phil Garner, born in 1949, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1973 to 1988. Renowned for his versatility on the field, Garner played primarily as a second baseman but also made contributions at third base and shortstop. Over his 16-year career, he appeared in 1,860 games, accumulating 1,594 hits, 109 home runs, and 738 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .260. Garner's speed on the bases was also notable, as he swiped 225 bags throughout his time in the league. His dedication and all-around skills earned him three All-Star selections, highlighting his status as one of the standout players of his era.
Garner played during a transformative time in baseball, navigating the transition from the tail end of the deadball era into a more offense-focused game. His ability to produce runs and steal bases made him an essential asset to the teams he played for, including the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Detroit Tigers. In addition to his offensive contributions, Garner was respected for his defensive prowess and leadership qualities, both on and off the field. After retiring, he remained involved in baseball as a coach and manager, further solidifying his legacy in the sport.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 6136 | 780 | 1594 | 299 | 82 | 109 | 738 | 225 | 564 | 842 | 0.260 | 0.323 | 0.389 | 0.711 | -83.0 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | OAK | AL | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1974 | OAK | AL | 30 | 28 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0.179 | 0.0 |
| 1975 | OAK | AL | 160 | 488 | 46 | 120 | 21 | 5 | 6 | 54 | 4 | 30 | 65 | 0.246 | -951.5 |
| 1976 | OAK | AL | 159 | 555 | 54 | 145 | 29 | 12 | 8 | 74 | 35 | 36 | 71 | 0.261 | 166.7 |
| 1977 | PIT | NL | 153 | 585 | 99 | 152 | 35 | 10 | 17 | 77 | 32 | 55 | 65 | 0.260 | 466.6 |
| 1978 | PIT | NL | 154 | 528 | 66 | 138 | 25 | 9 | 10 | 66 | 27 | 66 | 71 | 0.261 | 685.4 |
| 1979 | PIT | NL | 150 | 549 | 76 | 161 | 32 | 8 | 11 | 59 | 17 | 55 | 74 | 0.293 | 1135.2 |
| 1980 | PIT | NL | 151 | 548 | 62 | 142 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 58 | 32 | 46 | 53 | 0.259 | -690.8 |
| 1981 | HOU | NL | 31 | 113 | 13 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 11 | 0.239 | -172.3 |
| 1981 | PIT | NL | 56 | 181 | 22 | 46 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 4 | 21 | 21 | 0.254 | -172.3 |
| 1982 | HOU | NL | 155 | 588 | 65 | 161 | 33 | 8 | 13 | 83 | 24 | 40 | 92 | 0.274 | 324.4 |
| 1983 | HOU | NL | 154 | 567 | 76 | 135 | 24 | 2 | 14 | 79 | 18 | 63 | 84 | 0.238 | -513.7 |
| 1984 | HOU | NL | 128 | 374 | 60 | 104 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 45 | 3 | 43 | 63 | 0.278 | 442.6 |
| 1985 | HOU | NL | 135 | 463 | 65 | 124 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 51 | 4 | 34 | 72 | 0.268 | -94.0 |
| 1986 | HOU | NL | 107 | 313 | 43 | 83 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 41 | 12 | 30 | 45 | 0.265 | 159.5 |
| 1987 | HOU | NL | 43 | 112 | 15 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 20 | 0.223 | -386.8 |
| 1987 | LAD | NL | 70 | 126 | 14 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 20 | 24 | 0.190 | -386.8 |
| 1988 | SFG | NL | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.154 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 68 | 10 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 0.309 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | NLCS | HOU | 3 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0.222 |
| 1981 | NWDIV | HOU | 5 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.111 |
| 1979 | WS | PIT | 7 | 24 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0.500 |
| 1979 | NLCS | PIT | 3 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.417 |
| 1975 | ALCS | OAK | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 975 | 921 | 2124 | 2760 | 129 | 606 |
| 3B | 839 | 721 | 593 | 1542 | 127 | 135 |
| SS | 42 | 11 | 29 | 54 | 3 | 11 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | OAK | 3B | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974 | OAK | 2B | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | OAK | 3B | 19 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| 1974 | OAK | SS | 8 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | OAK | 2B | 160 | 159 | 354 | 426 | 26 | 93 |
| 1975 | OAK | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1976 | OAK | 2B | 159 | 159 | 378 | 465 | 22 | 91 |
| 1977 | PIT | 2B | 50 | 44 | 114 | 95 | 6 | 20 |
| 1977 | PIT | 3B | 107 | 101 | 98 | 240 | 10 | 28 |
| 1977 | PIT | SS | 12 | 2 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 1978 | PIT | 2B | 81 | 75 | 190 | 213 | 10 | 50 |
| 1978 | PIT | 3B | 81 | 77 | 67 | 172 | 18 | 12 |
| 1978 | PIT | SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1979 | PIT | 2B | 83 | 76 | 175 | 234 | 8 | 58 |
| 1979 | PIT | 3B | 78 | 62 | 47 | 144 | 13 | 16 |
| 1979 | PIT | SS | 14 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 1 | 8 |
| 1980 | PIT | 2B | 151 | 151 | 349 | 499 | 21 | 116 |
| 1980 | PIT | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | HOU | 2B | 31 | 30 | 62 | 102 | 3 | 17 |
| 1981 | PIT | 2B | 50 | 50 | 121 | 148 | 9 | 31 |
| 1982 | HOU | 2B | 136 | 136 | 273 | 429 | 14 | 90 |
| 1982 | HOU | 3B | 18 | 17 | 12 | 35 | 3 | 4 |
| 1983 | HOU | 3B | 154 | 153 | 100 | 311 | 24 | 22 |
| 1984 | HOU | 2B | 35 | 25 | 65 | 88 | 7 | 26 |
| 1984 | HOU | 3B | 82 | 68 | 71 | 163 | 5 | 16 |
| 1985 | HOU | 2B | 15 | 9 | 26 | 32 | 1 | 10 |
| 1985 | HOU | 3B | 123 | 103 | 75 | 197 | 20 | 14 |
| 1986 | HOU | 2B | 7 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 1986 | HOU | 3B | 84 | 76 | 58 | 141 | 23 | 13 |
| 1987 | HOU | 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | HOU | 3B | 36 | 29 | 28 | 54 | 2 | 3 |
| 1987 | LAN | 2B | 12 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 2 |
| 1987 | LAN | 3B | 46 | 29 | 29 | 67 | 8 | 5 |
| 1987 | LAN | SS | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988 | SFN | 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 976 |
| Third Base | 839 |
| Shortstop | 42 |
| Designated Hitter | 2 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Player of the Week | Week of 1986-04-18 |
| 1979 | Player of the Week | Week of 1979-07-20 |
| 1978 | Player of the Week | Week of 1978-09-16 |
| 1977 | Player of the Week | Week of 1977-07-08 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | SFN | NL | $375,000 |
| 1987 | HOU | NL | $450,000 |
| 1986 | HOU | NL | $600,000 |
| 1985 | HOU | NL | $745,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $2,170,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville | TN | 1968, 1969, 1970 |