Brian Harper
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1979-1995)
Brian Harper was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1979 to 1995 for 7 teams, including the California Angels, a span of 17 seasons. In 1,001 career games, he hit .295 with 931 hits, 63 home runs, and 428 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,907.
- 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 195 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1979-09-29
- Last Game
- 1995-04-29
Full name: Brian David Harper
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,001 | 3,151 | 339 | 931 | 186 | 7 | 63 | 428 | 8 | 133 | 188 | .295 | .329 | .419 | .748 | 2,907 |
Career AVG .295 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +13.6% above league average.
Career OBP .329 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .419 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — +6.8% above league average.
Career OPS .748 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | CAL | AL | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1981 | CAL | AL | 4 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | PIT | NL | 20 | 29 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .276 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | PIT | NL | 61 | 131 | 16 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 15 | .221 | .260 (-15%) | .324 (-29%) | .389 (+10%) | .714 (-8%) | -253.0 |
| 1984 | PIT | NL | 46 | 112 | 4 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 11 | .259 | .259 (avg) | .322 (-7%) | .384 (-9%) | .707 (-8%) | -149.8 |
| 1985 | SLN | NL | 43 | 52 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .250 | .257 (-3%) | .323 (-16%) | .390 (-16%) | .714 (-16%) | -148.0 |
| 1986 | DET | AL | 19 | 36 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .139 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | OAK | AL | 11 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .235 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | MIN | AL | 60 | 166 | 15 | 49 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 10 | 12 | .295 | .254 (+16%) | .317 (+8%) | .377 (+13%) | .695 (+11%) | 300.9 |
| 1989 | MIN | AL | 126 | 385 | 43 | 125 | 24 | 0 | 8 | 57 | 2 | 13 | 16 | .325 | .254 (+28%) | .319 (+10%) | .375 (+20%) | .694 (+15%) | 1038.0 |
| 1990 | MIN | AL | 134 | 479 | 61 | 141 | 42 | 3 | 6 | 54 | 3 | 19 | 27 | .294 | .257 (+14%) | .324 (+1%) | .385 (+12%) | .710 (+7%) | 492.2 |
| 1991 | MIN | AL | 123 | 441 | 54 | 137 | 28 | 1 | 10 | 69 | 1 | 14 | 22 | .311 | .255 (+21%) | .323 (+4%) | .384 (+16%) | .708 (+11%) | 741.1 |
| 1992 | MIN | AL | 140 | 502 | 58 | 154 | 25 | 0 | 9 | 73 | 0 | 26 | 22 | .307 | .255 (+20%) | .322 (+6%) | .377 (+9%) | .699 (+8%) | 665.6 |
| 1993 | MIN | AL | 147 | 530 | 52 | 161 | 26 | 1 | 12 | 73 | 1 | 29 | 29 | .304 | .265 (+15%) | .332 (+5%) | .403 (+5%) | .735 (+5%) | 519.0 |
| 1994 | ML4 | AL | 64 | 251 | 23 | 73 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 0 | 9 | 18 | .291 | .269 (+8%) | .338 (-6%) | .424 (-6%) | .763 (-6%) | -298.8 |
| 1995 | OAK | AL | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,001 | 3,151 | 339 | 931 | 186 | 7 | 63 | 428 | 8 | 133 | 188 | .295 | — | — | — | — | 2,907 | ||
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 (1001 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 488 | 1522 | 164 | 463 | 26 | 203 | .304 |
| Away | 513 | 1629 | 175 | 468 | 37 | 225 | .287 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-04-29 | OAK | MIL | W | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995-04-26 | OAK | TOR | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-06-25 | MIL | BOS | L | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994-06-24 | MIL | BOS | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-06-22 | MIL | BAL | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994-06-20 | MIL | BAL | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1994-06-19 | MIL | NYY | W | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-06-18 | MIL | NYY | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-06-17 | MIL | NYY | W | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1994-06-16 | MIL | DET | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 9 | 3 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 3B | 13 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| C | 688 | 639 | 3618 | 272 | 58 | 35 |
| OF | 114 | 79 | 129 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | CAL | OF | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982 | PIT | OF | 8 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | PIT | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | PIT | OF | 35 | 27 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | PIT | C | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | PIT | OF | 37 | 32 | 48 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | SLN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | SLN | 3B | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | SLN | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | SLN | OF | 13 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | DET | 1B | 2 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1986 | DET | C | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | DET | OF | 11 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987 | OAK | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | MIN | 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | MIN | C | 48 | 41 | 207 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989 | MIN | 1B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | MIN | 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | MIN | C | 101 | 86 | 456 | 35 | 11 | 7 |
| 1989 | MIN | OF | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | MIN | 1B | 2 | 2 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | MIN | 3B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | MIN | C | 120 | 115 | 672 | 53 | 11 | 5 |
| 1991 | MIN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | MIN | C | 119 | 114 | 642 | 33 | 8 | 7 |
| 1991 | MIN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | MIN | C | 133 | 128 | 744 | 58 | 13 | 8 |
| 1993 | MIN | C | 134 | 129 | 736 | 64 | 10 | 6 |
| 1994 | ML4 | C | 25 | 24 | 141 | 14 | 3 | 2 |
| 1994 | ML4 | OF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | OAK | C | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 688 |
| First Base | 9 |
| Third Base | 13 |
| Left Field | 87 |
| Right Field | 29 |
| Designated Hitter | 97 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Player of the Week | Week of 1992-06-27 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | ML4 | AL | $1,000,000 |
| 1993 | MIN | AL | $2,400,000 |
| 1992 | MIN | AL | $2,500,000 |
| 1991 | MIN | AL | $625,000 |
| 1990 | MIN | AL | $500,000 |
| 1989 | MIN | AL | $147,500 |
| 1987 | OAK | AL | $70,000 |
| 1985 | SLN | NL | $135,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $7,377,500 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Brian Harper (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Brian Harper: the record in brief
According to the bio, Brian Harper debuted on September 29, 1979 and played a final game on April 29, 1995. The team column moves through the California Angels (1979 to 1981), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1982 through 1984), the St. Louis Cardinals (1985), the Detroit Tigers (1986), the Oakland Athletics (1987 through 1995), the Minnesota Twins (1988 to 1993), and the Milwaukee Brewers (1994). Harper played primarily as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on October 16, 1959, in Los Angeles, CA, USA, Harper was listed at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds. Brian Harper was the playing name; the full given name is Brian David.
Across 1,001 games at the plate, Harper's career line reads 931 hits in 3,151 at bats for a .295 average, plus 63 home runs and 428 RBI. Reaching base at a .329 clip and slugging .419, Harper finished with a .748 OPS. Harper's .295 average ran 13.6% above the .260 that the league posted over the same seasons. The single-season home run high is 12, set in 1993.
Frequently Asked Questions about Brian Harper
- What years did Brian Harper play?
- Brian Harper played in Major League Baseball from 1979 to 1995.
- Was Brian Harper a pitcher?
- No. Brian Harper was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Brian Harper hit?
- Brian Harper hit 63 career home runs with 931 hits.
- What was Brian Harper's career batting average?
- Brian Harper batted .295 over his career, with 931 hits in 3,151 at bats.
- How many RBI did Brian Harper have?
- Brian Harper drove in 428 runs in his career.
- Is Brian Harper in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Brian Harper has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.