Steve Hovley

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1969-1973)

Steve Hovley was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1973 for 4 teams, including the Seattle Pilots, a span of 5 seasons. In 436 career games, he hit .258 with 263 hits, 8 home runs, and 88 RBI.

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 .258
HR 8
RBI 88
H 263
OPS .665
PIV -231
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
5'10" / 188 lb
Born
12/18/1944 in Ventura, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1969-06-26
Last Game
1973-09-28

Full name: Stephen Eugene Hovley

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Steve Hovley — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
436 1,019 122 263 39 5 8 88 29 116 128 .258 .335 .330 .665 -231

Career AVG .258 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .335 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .330 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 11.1% below league average.

Career OPS .665 vs. league average .690 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Steve Hovley — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1969 SE1 AL 91 329 41 91 14 3 3 20 10 30 34 .277 .248 (+11%) .320 (+6%) .369 (-1%) .689 (+2%) 128.6
1970 ML4 AL 40 135 17 38 9 0 0 16 5 17 11 .281 .253 (+11%) .325 (+12%) .385 (-10%) .711 (avg) 66.7
1970 OAK AL 72 100 8 19 1 0 0 1 3 5 11 .190 .253 (-25%) .325 (-30%) .385 (-48%) .711 (-40%) 66.7
1971 OAK AL 24 27 3 3 2 0 0 3 2 7 9 .111 — — — — 0.0
1972 KCA AL 105 196 24 53 5 1 3 24 3 24 29 .270 .243 (+11%) .310 (+13%) .353 (-1%) .664 (+6%) 281.7
1973 KCA AL 104 232 29 59 8 1 2 24 6 33 34 .254 .256 (-1%) .325 (+6%) .378 (-15%) .703 (-5%) -91.5
Career · 6 seasons 436 1,019 122 263 39 5 8 88 29 116 128 .258 — — — — 452

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 (436 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Steve Hovley — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home22051663143348.277
Away21650359120540.239

Last 10 Games — Batting

Steve Hovley — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1973-09-28 KCRTEXL 100000001
1973-09-22 KCRTEXW 300000011
1973-09-21 KCRCHWL 000000010
1973-09-19 KCRCHWL 200000001
1973-09-18 KCRMINW 000000000
1973-09-17 KCRMINL 310000020
1973-09-16 KCRLAAW 512000102
1973-09-15 KCRLAAL 401000101
1973-09-14 KCRLAAL 200000001
1973-09-13 KCRLAAW 310000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Steve Hovley — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 322 199 533 21 10 5

Season-by-Season Fielding

Steve Hovley — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1969 SE1 OF 84 76 175 8 2 3
1970 ML4 OF 38 34 68 1 3 0
1970 OAK OF 42 12 58 1 0 1
1971 OAK OF 11 4 15 1 0 0
1972 KCA OF 68 34 103 6 2 0
1973 KCA OF 79 39 114 4 3 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Steve Hovley — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Left Field 24
Center Field 122
Right Field 189
Designated Hitter 15

College History

Steve Hovley — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Stanford University Palo Alto CA 1965, 1966

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Steve Hovley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Tommy Thompson
    .266 avg, 9 HR
  2. 94
    Adrian Brown
    .258 avg, 11 HR
  3. 91
    Billy Zitzmann
    .267 avg, 3 HR
  4. 82
    Craig Gentry
    .262 avg, 7 HR
  5. 82
    Chet Chadbourne
    .255 avg, 2 HR
  6. 76
    Dave Marshall
    .246 avg, 16 HR

Steve Hovley: the record in brief

Between the debut on June 26, 1969 and the final game on September 28, 1973, Steve Hovley built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Seattle Pilots (1969), the Milwaukee Brewers (1970), the Oakland Athletics (1970 through 1971), and the Kansas City Royals (1972 to 1973). At 5-foot-10 and 188 pounds, Hovley is listed as an outfielder. Hovley batted and threw left-handed, per the bio block. Hovley was born on December 18, 1944, in Ventura, CA, USA. Hovley's full given name, per the bio, is Stephen Eugene Hovley.

Across 436 games at the plate, Hovley's career line reads 263 hits in 1,019 at bats for a .258 average, plus 8 homers, 88 runs batted in, and 29 stolen bases. Hovley's career OPS of .665 combines a .335 on-base mark with .330 slugging. Against a .251 league average for those years, Hovley's .258 average was near the norm. 1969 produced Hovley's most hits, 91 of them for the Seattle Pilots. Hovley drove in a season-high 24 runs in 1972. In 1969, a season of regular play, Hovley hit .277 while the league hit .248.

Frequently Asked Questions about Steve Hovley

What years did Steve Hovley play?
Steve Hovley played in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1973.
Was Steve Hovley a pitcher?
No. Steve Hovley was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Steve Hovley hit?
Steve Hovley hit 8 career home runs with 263 hits.
What teams did Steve Hovley play for?
Steve Hovley played for 3 teams: the Milwaukee Brewers (1969–1970), the Oakland Athletics (1970–1971), and the Kansas City Royals (1972–1973).
What were Steve Hovley's career stats?
In 436 games, Steve Hovley had 263 hits, 8 home runs, 88 RBI, 122 runs, and 29 stolen bases, with a .258 batting average.
What position did Steve Hovley play?
Steve Hovley played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Steve Hovley and how much did he weigh?
Steve Hovley was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 188 pounds.
How many home runs did Steve Hovley hit each season?
Steve Hovley's home runs by season: 3 in 1969, 0 in 1970, 0 in 1971, 3 in 1972, and 2 in 1973. His most in one season was 3, in 1969 and 1972.
What was Steve Hovley's career batting average?
Steve Hovley batted .258 over his career, with 263 hits in 1,019 at bats.
How many RBI did Steve Hovley have?
Steve Hovley drove in 88 runs in his career.
Is Steve Hovley in the Hall of Fame?
No. Steve Hovley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.