Kelly Gruber

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1984-1993)

Kelly Gruber was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1993 for the Toronto Blue Jays and the California Angels, a span of 10 seasons. In 939 career games, he hit .259 with 818 hits, 117 home runs, and 443 RBI. Kelly Gruber was a 2-time All-Star, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,455.

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

AVG .259
HR 117
RBI 443
H 818
OPS .739
PIV 2,455
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 180 lb
Born
2/26/1962 in Houston, TX, USA
MLB Debut
1984-04-20
Last Game
1993-06-29
Awards
2× All-Star · Gold Glove · Silver Slugger

Full name: Kelly Wayne Gruber

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Career Batting Statistics

Kelly Gruber — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
939 3,159 431 818 148 24 117 443 80 197 504 .259 .307 .432 .739 2,455

Career AVG .259 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .307 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 5.5% below league average.

Career SLG .432 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — +11.0% above league average.

Career OPS .739 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Kelly Gruber Stats, Bio & Career Records
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 TOR AL 15 16 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 5 .062 — — — — 0.0
1985 TOR AL 5 13 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 .231 — — — — 0.0
1986 TOR AL 87 143 20 28 4 1 5 15 2 5 27 .196 .257 (-24%) .325 (-32%) .395 (-13%) .720 (-22%) -560.0
1987 TOR AL 138 341 50 80 14 3 12 36 12 17 70 .235 .262 (-11%) .331 (-14%) .415 (-4%) .746 (-9%) -547.8
1988 TOR AL 158 569 75 158 33 5 16 81 23 38 92 .278 .254 (+9%) .317 (+3%) .377 (+16%) .695 (+10%) 1029.6
1989 TOR AL 135 545 83 158 24 4 18 73 10 30 60 .290 .254 (+14%) .319 (+3%) .375 (+19%) .694 (+12%) 1042.2
1990 TOR AL 150 592 92 162 36 6 31 118 14 48 94 .274 .257 (+6%) .324 (+2%) .385 (+33%) .710 (+19%) 1890.1
1991 TOR AL 113 429 58 108 18 2 20 65 12 31 70 .252 .255 (-2%) .323 (-5%) .384 (+15%) .708 (+6%) 369.9
1992 TOR AL 120 446 42 102 16 3 11 43 7 26 72 .229 .255 (-11%) .322 (-15%) .377 (-7%) .699 (-10%) -807.2
1993 CAL AL 18 65 10 18 3 0 3 9 0 2 11 .277 .265 (+4%) .332 (-7%) .403 (+14%) .735 (+5%) 37.7
Career · 10 seasons 939 3,159 431 818 148 24 117 443 80 197 504 .259 — — — — 2,455

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

Kelly Gruber — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
22 79 8 15 3 0 2 8 7 14 .190

Playoff Batting by Year

Kelly Gruber — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1992 ALCS TOR 6 22 3 2 1 0 1 2 2 3 .091
1992 WS TOR 6 19 2 2 0 0 1 1 2 5 .105
1991 ALCS TOR 5 21 1 6 1 0 0 4 0 4 .286
1989 ALCS TOR 5 17 2 5 1 0 0 1 3 2 .294

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (939 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Kelly Gruber — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home479155821740961226.263
Away460160121440956217.255

Last 10 Games — Batting

Kelly Gruber — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1993-06-29 LAAOAKL 200000000
1993-06-27 LAAMINL 300000000
1993-06-26 LAAMINW 401000002
1993-06-25 LAAMINL 513100200
1993-06-23 LAAKCRW 413101400
1993-06-22 LAAKCRL 411100001
1993-06-21 LAAKCRW 300000001
1993-06-20 LAACHWL 400000000
1993-06-18 LAACHWW 210000021
1993-06-17 LAATEXL 400000102

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Kelly Gruber — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 29 8 22 36 3 10
3B 846 756 619 1651 107 110
OF 38 22 55 2 1 1
SS 29 8 23 34 2 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Kelly Gruber — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1984 TOR 3B 12 1 4 10 1 0
1984 TOR OF 2 0 2 0 0 0
1984 TOR SS 1 0 0 2 1 0
1985 TOR 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1985 TOR 3B 5 2 2 6 0 0
1986 TOR 2B 14 5 15 16 1 5
1986 TOR 3B 42 27 19 59 5 3
1986 TOR OF 9 2 6 0 1 0
1986 TOR SS 5 0 3 2 0 0
1987 TOR 2B 7 1 3 4 0 1
1987 TOR 3B 119 74 52 168 12 11
1987 TOR OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1987 TOR SS 21 8 20 28 1 7
1988 TOR 2B 7 2 4 16 2 4
1988 TOR 3B 156 147 114 349 14 31
1988 TOR OF 2 0 3 0 0 0
1988 TOR SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1989 TOR 3B 119 118 86 291 22 15
1989 TOR OF 16 15 35 2 0 1
1989 TOR SS 1 0 0 2 0 0
1990 TOR 3B 145 143 123 280 19 21
1990 TOR OF 6 5 6 0 0 0
1991 TOR 3B 111 109 97 231 13 16
1992 TOR 3B 120 118 104 215 17 10
1993 CAL 3B 17 17 18 42 4 3
1993 CAL OF 1 0 2 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Kelly Gruber Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 30
Third Base 846
Shortstop 29
Left Field 8
Center Field 6
Right Field 25
Designated Hitter 21

Awards & Honors

Kelly Gruber — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1990 Gold Glove 3B
1990 Player of the Month September
1990 Player of the Week Week of 1990-04-28
1990 Player of the Week Week of 1990-09-15
1990 Silver Slugger 3B
1990 TSN All-Star 3B

Salary History

Kelly Gruber's recorded salaries total $12,926,500 over 8 seasons, 1986 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Gruber's career ran from 1984 to 1993. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985.

Kelly Gruber — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1993 CAL AL $4,333,334
1992 TOR AL $3,633,333
1991 TOR AL $3,033,333
1990 TOR AL $1,150,000
1989 TOR AL $462,500
1988 TOR AL $130,000
1987 TOR AL $96,000
1986 TOR AL $88,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $12,926,500

Award Voting History

Kelly Gruber — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1990 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 175.0 392 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Kelly Gruber (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jim Morrison
    .260 avg, 112 HR
  2. 94
    Gene Freese
    .254 avg, 115 HR
  3. 82
    Didi Gregorius
    .257 avg, 134 HR
  4. 76
    Joe Crede
    .254 avg, 140 HR
  5. 76
    Garrett Jones
    .251 avg, 122 HR
  6. 75
    Randy Jackson
    .261 avg, 103 HR

Kelly Gruber: the record in brief

The profile opens with Kelly Gruber's first major league game on April 20, 1984; the last one listed came on June 29, 1993. The team column moves through the Toronto Blue Jays (1984 through 1992) and the California Angels (1993). Gruber played primarily as a third baseman and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on February 26, 1962, in Houston, TX, USA and a listed size of 180 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. The given name on file is Kelly Wayne Gruber.

Gruber's career batting table shows 939 games, 3,159 at bats and 818 hits, a .259 average; the totals also include 117 homers, 443 runs batted in, and 80 stolen bases. Gruber's career OPS of .739 combines a .307 on-base mark with .432 slugging. Gruber hit .259 while the league hit .258 over the same span, a figure close to average. For power, 1990 stands out: 31 home runs with the Toronto Blue Jays. The hits column peaks at 162, in 1990.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kelly Gruber

What years did Kelly Gruber play?
Kelly Gruber played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1993.
Was Kelly Gruber a pitcher?
No. Kelly Gruber was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Kelly Gruber hit?
Kelly Gruber hit 117 career home runs with 818 hits.
What teams did Kelly Gruber play for?
Kelly Gruber played for 2 teams: the Toronto Blue Jays (1984–1992) and the California Angels (1993).
Did Kelly Gruber win an MVP award?
No. Kelly Gruber did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Kelly Gruber win?
Kelly Gruber won the Gold Glove (1990) and the Silver Slugger award (1990). He was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
What were Kelly Gruber's career stats?
In 939 games, Kelly Gruber had 818 hits, 117 home runs, 443 RBI, 431 runs, and 80 stolen bases, with a .259 batting average.
How much did Kelly Gruber earn in his career?
Kelly Gruber's recorded salaries total $12,926,500 over 8 seasons, 1986 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Gruber's career ran from 1984 to 1993. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985.
What was Kelly Gruber's salary?
Kelly Gruber's last recorded salary was $4,333,334, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $4,333,334, in 1993, and his lowest was $88,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1986 to 1993.
What position did Kelly Gruber play?
Kelly Gruber played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Kelly Gruber and how much did he weigh?
Kelly Gruber was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
How many home runs did Kelly Gruber hit each season?
Kelly Gruber's home runs by season: 1 in 1984, 0 in 1985, 5 in 1986, 12 in 1987, 16 in 1988, 18 in 1989, 31 in 1990, 20 in 1991, 11 in 1992, and 3 in 1993. His most in one season was 31, in 1990.
What was Kelly Gruber's career batting average?
Kelly Gruber batted .259 over his career, with 818 hits in 3,159 at bats.
How many RBI did Kelly Gruber have?
Kelly Gruber drove in 443 runs in his career.