Bobby Higginson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1995-2005)
Bobby Higginson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2005 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 11 seasons. In 1,362 career games, he hit .272 with 1,336 hits, 187 home runs, and 709 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 8,237.
- 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
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 180 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1995-04-26
- Last Game
- 2005-05-05
Full name: Robert Leigh Higginson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,362 | 4,910 | 736 | 1,336 | 270 | 33 | 187 | 709 | 91 | 649 | 796 | .272 | .358 | .455 | .813 | 8,237 |
Career AVG .272 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .358 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — +6.4% above league average.
Career SLG .455 vs. league average .424 across their career seasons — +7.2% above league average.
Career OPS .813 vs. league average .761 across their career seasons — +6.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | DET | AL | 131 | 410 | 61 | 92 | 17 | 5 | 14 | 43 | 6 | 62 | 107 | .224 | .266 (-16%) | .337 (-3%) | .417 (-6%) | .755 (-4%) | -300.9 |
| 1996 | DET | AL | 130 | 440 | 75 | 141 | 35 | 0 | 26 | 81 | 6 | 65 | 66 | .320 | .269 (+19%) | .340 (+19%) | .426 (+35%) | .767 (+28%) | 2617.7 |
| 1997 | DET | AL | 146 | 546 | 94 | 163 | 30 | 5 | 27 | 101 | 12 | 70 | 85 | .299 | .266 (+12%) | .336 (+12%) | .419 (+24%) | .756 (+19%) | 2217.8 |
| 1998 | DET | AL | 157 | 612 | 92 | 174 | 37 | 4 | 25 | 85 | 3 | 63 | 101 | .284 | .266 (+7%) | .335 (+6%) | .420 (+14%) | .755 (+11%) | 1369.2 |
| 1999 | DET | AL | 107 | 377 | 51 | 90 | 18 | 0 | 12 | 46 | 4 | 64 | 66 | .239 | .271 (-12%) | .344 (+2%) | .433 (-12%) | .778 (-6%) | -261.9 |
| 2000 | DET | AL | 154 | 597 | 104 | 179 | 44 | 4 | 30 | 102 | 15 | 74 | 99 | .300 | .270 (+11%) | .344 (+9%) | .437 (+23%) | .782 (+17%) | 2212.3 |
| 2001 | DET | AL | 147 | 541 | 84 | 150 | 28 | 6 | 17 | 71 | 20 | 80 | 65 | .277 | .263 (+5%) | .332 (+11%) | .426 (+4%) | .758 (+7%) | 916.7 |
| 2002 | DET | AL | 119 | 444 | 50 | 125 | 24 | 3 | 10 | 63 | 12 | 41 | 45 | .282 | .261 (+8%) | .331 (+4%) | .416 (avg) | .747 (+2%) | 167.3 |
| 2003 | DET | AL | 130 | 469 | 61 | 110 | 13 | 4 | 14 | 52 | 8 | 59 | 73 | .235 | .264 (-11%) | .332 (-4%) | .422 (-13%) | .754 (-9%) | -639.3 |
| 2004 | DET | AL | 131 | 448 | 63 | 110 | 24 | 2 | 12 | 64 | 5 | 70 | 84 | .246 | .266 (-8%) | .335 (+5%) | .427 (-9%) | .762 (-3%) | -62.0 |
| 2005 | DET | AL | 10 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .077 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 1,362 | 4,910 | 736 | 1,336 | 270 | 33 | 187 | 709 | 91 | 649 | 796 | .272 | — | — | — | — | 8,237 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1362 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 699 | 2460 | 379 | 697 | 94 | 362 | .283 |
| Away | 663 | 2450 | 357 | 639 | 93 | 347 | .261 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-05-05 | DET | BOS | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-05-01 | DET | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005-04-27 | DET | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-04-21 | DET | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-04-20 | DET | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005-04-15 | DET | KCR | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005-04-10 | DET | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005-04-08 | DET | CLE | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005-04-07 | DET | KCR | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005-04-06 | DET | KCR | L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1274 | 1239 | 2588 | 124 | 64 | 20 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | DET | OF | 123 | 113 | 247 | 13 | 4 | 3 |
| 1996 | DET | OF | 123 | 112 | 227 | 9 | 9 | 1 |
| 1997 | DET | OF | 143 | 140 | 287 | 20 | 9 | 5 |
| 1998 | DET | OF | 153 | 153 | 303 | 18 | 6 | 3 |
| 1999 | DET | OF | 88 | 87 | 175 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2000 | DET | OF | 145 | 144 | 307 | 19 | 7 | 3 |
| 2001 | DET | OF | 142 | 142 | 321 | 10 | 8 | 1 |
| 2002 | DET | OF | 117 | 116 | 241 | 15 | 7 | 3 |
| 2003 | DET | OF | 118 | 116 | 249 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 2004 | DET | OF | 115 | 110 | 223 | 13 | 6 | 1 |
| 2005 | DET | OF | 7 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 655 |
| Center Field | 22 |
| Right Field | 642 |
| Designated Hitter | 62 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Player of the Week | Week of 2004-08-21 |
| 2001 | Player of the Week | Week of 2001-07-13 |
| 2000 | Player of the Week | Week of 2000-06-17 |
| 2000 | Player of the Week | Week of 2000-09-30 |
Salary History
Bobby Higginson's recorded salaries total $52,054,000 over 11 seasons, 1995 to 2005. Higginson's career, 1995 to 2005, falls within 1985 to 2016, the years the salary data covers.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | DET | AL | $8,850,000 |
| 2004 | DET | AL | $8,850,000 |
| 2003 | DET | AL | $11,850,000 |
| 2002 | DET | AL | $5,850,000 |
| 2001 | DET | AL | $5,325,000 |
| 2000 | DET | AL | $4,425,000 |
| 1999 | DET | AL | $3,825,000 |
| 1998 | DET | AL | $2,425,000 |
| 1997 | DET | AL | $375,000 |
| 1996 | DET | AL | $170,000 |
| 1995 | DET | AL | $109,000 |
| Total recorded salary | $52,054,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple University | Philadelphia | PA | 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bobby Higginson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bobby Higginson: the record in brief
The profile opens with Bobby Higginson's first major league game on April 26, 1995; the last one listed came on May 5, 2005. All of the seasons listed were played for the Detroit Tigers. Higginson, born on August 18, 1970, in Philadelphia, PA, USA, is listed as an outfielder and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds. Bobby Higginson was the playing name; the full given name is Robert Leigh.
Across 1,362 games at the plate, Higginson's career line reads 1,336 hits in 4,910 at bats for a .272 average, along with 187 home runs, 709 runs batted in, and 91 stolen bases. Higginson got on base at a .358 rate and slugged .455 (.813 OPS). Against a .266 league average for those years, Higginson's .272 average was near the norm. By OPS the gap is 6.8% above league average (.813 against .761). Higginson's most home runs in a season came in 2000, when the total reached 30 for the Detroit Tigers. Higginson collected a career-high 179 hits in 2000.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bobby Higginson
- What years did Bobby Higginson play?
- Bobby Higginson played in Major League Baseball from 1995 to 2005.
- Was Bobby Higginson a pitcher?
- No. Bobby Higginson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Bobby Higginson hit?
- Bobby Higginson hit 187 career home runs with 1,336 hits.
- What teams did Bobby Higginson play for?
- Bobby Higginson played for one team, the Detroit Tigers (1995–2005).
- What were Bobby Higginson's career stats?
- In 1,362 games, Bobby Higginson had 1,336 hits, 187 home runs, 709 RBI, 736 runs, and 91 stolen bases, with a .272 batting average.
- How much did Bobby Higginson earn in his career?
- Bobby Higginson's recorded salaries total $52,054,000 over 11 seasons, 1995 to 2005. Higginson's career, 1995 to 2005, falls within 1985 to 2016, the years the salary data covers.
- What was Bobby Higginson's salary?
- Bobby Higginson's last recorded salary was $8,850,000, in 2005. His highest recorded salary was $11,850,000, in 2003, and his lowest was $109,000, in 1995. The Salary History table lists each season from 1995 to 2005.
- What position did Bobby Higginson play?
- Bobby Higginson played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bobby Higginson and how much did he weigh?
- Bobby Higginson was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Bobby Higginson hit each season?
- Bobby Higginson's home runs by season: 14 in 1995, 26 in 1996, 27 in 1997, 25 in 1998, 12 in 1999, 30 in 2000, 17 in 2001, 10 in 2002, 14 in 2003, 12 in 2004, and 0 in 2005. His most in one season was 30, in 2000.
- What was Bobby Higginson's career batting average?
- Bobby Higginson batted .272 over his career, with 1,336 hits in 4,910 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bobby Higginson have?
- Bobby Higginson drove in 709 runs in his career.
- Is Bobby Higginson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bobby Higginson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.