Tommy Harper

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1962-1976)

Tommy Harper was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1976 for 8 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,810 career games, he hit .257 with 1,609 hits, 146 home runs, and 567 RBI. Tommy Harper was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 7,476.

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 .257
HR 146
RBI 567
H 1,609
OPS .717
PIV 7,476
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 165 lb
Born
10/14/1940 in Oak Grove, LA, USA
MLB Debut
1962-04-09
Last Game
1976-09-29
Awards
All-Star
📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Tommy Harper — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,810 6,269 972 1,609 256 36 146 567 408 753 1,080 .257 .338 .379 .717 7,476

Career AVG .257 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .338 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — +6.7% above league average.

Career SLG .379 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .717 vs. league average .687 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Tommy Harper 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
1962 CIN NL 6 23 1 4 0 0 0 1 1 2 6 .174 — — — — 0.0
1963 CIN NL 129 408 67 106 12 3 10 37 12 44 72 .260 .246 (+5%) .308 (+8%) .371 (+2%) .680 (+5%) 455.8
1964 CIN NL 102 317 42 77 5 2 4 22 24 39 56 .243 .250 (-3%) .312 (+4%) .377 (-18%) .690 (-8%) -276.6
1965 CIN NL 159 646 126 166 28 3 18 64 35 78 127 .257 .245 (+5%) .310 (+9%) .371 (+6%) .682 (+7%) 1118.9
1966 CIN NL 149 553 85 154 22 5 5 31 29 57 85 .278 .248 (+12%) .309 (+12%) .376 (-3%) .685 (+4%) 582.3
1967 CIN NL 103 365 55 82 17 3 7 22 23 43 51 .225 .242 (-7%) .306 (avg) .357 (-3%) .663 (-2%) -72.3
1968 CLE AL 130 235 26 51 15 2 6 26 11 26 56 .217 .236 (-8%) .298 (-1%) .340 (+10%) .638 (+5%) 173.1
1969 SE1 AL 148 537 78 126 10 2 9 41 73 95 90 .235 .248 (-5%) .320 (+9%) .369 (-16%) .689 (-4%) -42.4
1970 ML4 AL 154 604 104 179 35 4 31 82 38 77 107 .296 .253 (+17%) .325 (+16%) .385 (+35%) .711 (+26%) 3238.4
1971 ML4 AL 152 585 79 151 26 3 14 52 25 65 92 .258 .249 (+4%) .316 (+5%) .365 (+5%) .682 (+5%) 657.2
1972 BOS AL 144 556 92 141 29 2 14 49 25 67 104 .254 .243 (+4%) .310 (+10%) .353 (+10%) .664 (+10%) 1162.9
1973 BOS AL 147 566 92 159 23 3 17 71 54 61 93 .281 .256 (+9%) .325 (+8%) .378 (+12%) .703 (+10%) 1171.2
1974 BOS AL 118 443 66 105 15 3 5 24 28 46 65 .237 .256 (-8%) .324 (-4%) .369 (-14%) .693 (-9%) -573.2
1975 CAL AL 89 285 40 68 10 1 3 31 19 38 51 .239 .257 (-7%) .327 (+1%) .374 (-17%) .701 (-9%) -305.0
1975 OAK AL 34 69 11 22 4 0 2 7 7 5 9 .319 .257 (+24%) .327 (+14%) .374 (+24%) .701 (+19%) -305.0
1976 BAL AL 46 77 8 18 5 0 1 7 4 10 16 .234 .255 (-8%) .320 (-1%) .360 (-6%) .681 (-4%) -36.0
Career · 16 seasons 1,810 6,269 972 1,609 256 36 146 567 408 753 1,080 .257 — — — — 6,949

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

Tommy Harper — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Tommy Harper — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1975 ALCS OAK 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1810 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Tommy Harper — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home913310153383678289.270
Away897316843977368278.244

Last 10 Games — Batting

Tommy Harper — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1976-09-29 BALMILL 503200201
1976-09-19 BALCLEL 000000000
1976-09-19 BALCLEL 000000000
1976-09-13 BALMILW 000000000
1976-09-10 BALCLEW 000000000
1976-09-09 BALCLEL 000000000
1976-08-31 BALKCRW 101100000
1976-08-30 BALKCRW 210000011
1976-08-29 BALTEXL 302100010
1976-08-28 BALTEXW 100000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Tommy Harper — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 36 28 219 9 5 23
2B 85 78 166 201 16 44
3B 270 257 270 526 48 43
OF 1227 1089 2168 51 31 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Tommy Harper — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1962 CIN 3B 6 6 6 7 1 1
1963 CIN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1963 CIN OF 118 106 224 7 4 1
1964 CIN 3B 2 0 0 2 0 0
1964 CIN OF 92 84 149 4 1 2
1965 CIN 2B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1965 CIN 3B 2 1 0 4 0 0
1965 CIN OF 159 156 277 6 5 0
1966 CIN OF 147 134 257 5 1 2
1967 CIN OF 100 89 208 6 1 0
1968 CLE 2B 2 0 0 1 0 0
1968 CLE OF 115 54 121 0 2 0
1969 SE1 2B 59 57 113 145 11 33
1969 SE1 3B 59 58 70 123 10 9
1969 SE1 OF 26 22 49 0 1 0
1970 ML4 2B 22 21 50 54 4 10
1970 ML4 3B 128 126 123 275 24 23
1970 ML4 OF 13 5 19 1 0 0
1971 ML4 2B 1 0 1 1 1 1
1971 ML4 3B 70 66 71 115 13 10
1971 ML4 OF 90 80 155 2 4 0
1972 BOS OF 144 144 321 4 5 4
1973 BOS OF 143 142 251 13 4 2
1974 BOS OF 61 58 105 2 2 0
1975 CAL 1B 19 14 117 6 1 15
1975 CAL OF 9 9 15 1 1 0
1975 OAK 1B 16 14 100 3 4 8
1975 OAK 3B 2 0 0 0 0 0
1975 OAK OF 9 6 17 0 0 0
1976 BAL 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1976 BAL OF 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Tommy Harper Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 36
Second Base 85
Third Base 271
Left Field 688
Center Field 258
Right Field 344
Designated Hitter 141

College History

Tommy Harper — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
San Francisco State University San Francisco CA 1960

Award Voting History

Tommy Harper — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1973 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 33.0 336 0
1972 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 4.0 336 0
1970 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 78.0 336 1
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 29th 2.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Tommy Harper (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Brett Gardner
    .256 avg, 139 HR
  2. 96
    Coco Crisp
    .265 avg, 130 HR
  3. 91
    Lloyd Moseby
    .257 avg, 169 HR
  4. 90
    Jose Cardenal
    .275 avg, 138 HR
  5. 85
    B. J. Upton
    .243 avg, 164 HR
  6. 84
    Stan Javier
    .269 avg, 57 HR

Tommy Harper: the record in brief

According to the bio, Tommy Harper debuted on April 9, 1962 and played a final game on September 29, 1976. The team column moves through the Cincinnati Reds (1962 through 1967), the Cleveland Indians (1968), the Seattle Pilots (1969), the Milwaukee Brewers (1970 through 1971), the Boston Red Sox (1972 to 1974), the California Angels (1975), the Oakland Athletics (1975), and the Baltimore Orioles (1976). Born on October 14, 1940, in Oak Grove, LA, USA, Harper is listed as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. Harper's listed size is 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds.

Harper's career batting table shows 1,810 games, 6,269 at bats and 1,609 hits, a .257 average, adding 146 homers, 567 RBI, and 408 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .338 and .379 give Harper a career OPS of .717. The .257 career average is close to the .250 the league hit across the same seasons. For power, 1970 stands out: 31 home runs with the Milwaukee Brewers. The hits column peaks at 179, in 1970.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tommy Harper

What years did Tommy Harper play?
Tommy Harper played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1976.
Was Tommy Harper a pitcher?
No. Tommy Harper was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Tommy Harper hit?
Tommy Harper hit 146 career home runs with 1,609 hits.
What teams did Tommy Harper play for?
Tommy Harper played for 7 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1962–1967), the Cleveland Indians (1968), the Milwaukee Brewers (1969–1971), the Boston Red Sox (1972–1974), the California Angels (1975), the Oakland Athletics (1975), and the Baltimore Orioles (1976).
Did Tommy Harper win an MVP award?
No. Tommy Harper did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Tommy Harper win?
Tommy Harper was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Tommy Harper's career stats?
In 1,810 games, Tommy Harper had 1,609 hits, 146 home runs, 567 RBI, 972 runs, and 408 stolen bases, with a .257 batting average.
What position did Tommy Harper play?
Tommy Harper played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Tommy Harper and how much did he weigh?
Tommy Harper was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds.
How many home runs did Tommy Harper hit each season?
Tommy Harper's home runs by season: 0 in 1962, 10 in 1963, 4 in 1964, 18 in 1965, 5 in 1966, 7 in 1967, 6 in 1968, 9 in 1969, 31 in 1970, 14 in 1971, 14 in 1972, 17 in 1973, 5 in 1974, 5 in 1975, and 1 in 1976. His most in one season was 31, in 1970.
What was Tommy Harper's career batting average?
Tommy Harper batted .257 over his career, with 1,609 hits in 6,269 at bats.
How many RBI did Tommy Harper have?
Tommy Harper drove in 567 runs in his career.
Is Tommy Harper in the Hall of Fame?
No. Tommy Harper has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Tommy Harper make?
Tommy Harper was selected to 1 All-Star Game.