Chris James
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1986-1995)
Chris James was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 1995 for 8 teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 10 seasons. In 946 career games, he hit .261 with 794 hits, 90 home runs, and 386 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 311.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 195 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1986-04-23
- Last Game
- 1995-10-01
Full name: Donald Chris James
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 946 | 3,040 | 343 | 794 | 145 | 24 | 90 | 386 | 27 | 193 | 490 | .261 | .307 | .413 | .721 | 311 |
Career AVG .261 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .307 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 6.0% below league average.
Career SLG .413 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .721 vs. league average .722 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | PHI | NL | 16 | 46 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | .283 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | PHI | NL | 115 | 358 | 48 | 105 | 20 | 6 | 17 | 54 | 3 | 27 | 67 | .293 | .262 (+12%) | .331 (+4%) | .415 (+26%) | .746 (+16%) | 1033.9 |
| 1988 | PHI | NL | 150 | 566 | 57 | 137 | 24 | 1 | 19 | 66 | 7 | 31 | 73 | .242 | .254 (-5%) | .317 (-11%) | .377 (+3%) | .695 (-3%) | -432.3 |
| 1989 | PHI | NL | 45 | 179 | 14 | 37 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 23 | .207 | .254 (-19%) | .319 (-30%) | .375 (-30%) | .694 (-30%) | -853.8 |
| 1989 | SDN | NL | 87 | 303 | 41 | 80 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 46 | 2 | 22 | 45 | .264 | .254 (+4%) | .319 (-2%) | .375 (+14%) | .694 (+7%) | -853.8 |
| 1990 | CLE | AL | 140 | 528 | 62 | 158 | 32 | 4 | 12 | 70 | 4 | 31 | 71 | .299 | .257 (+16%) | .324 (+5%) | .385 (+15%) | .710 (+10%) | 974.4 |
| 1991 | CLE | AL | 115 | 437 | 31 | 104 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 41 | 3 | 18 | 61 | .238 | .255 (-7%) | .323 (-15%) | .384 (-17%) | .708 (-16%) | -1171.1 |
| 1992 | SFN | NL | 111 | 248 | 25 | 60 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 2 | 14 | 45 | .242 | .255 (-5%) | .322 (-12%) | .377 (-1%) | .699 (-6%) | -297.6 |
| 1993 | HOU | NL | 65 | 129 | 19 | 33 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 19 | 2 | 15 | 34 | .256 | .265 (-4%) | .332 (avg) | .403 (+21%) | .735 (+12%) | 239.2 |
| 1993 | TEX | AL | 8 | 31 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .355 | — | — | — | — | 239.2 |
| 1994 | TEX | AL | 52 | 133 | 28 | 34 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 0 | 20 | 38 | .256 | .269 (-5%) | .338 (+7%) | .424 (+26%) | .763 (+17%) | 402.3 |
| 1995 | KCA | AL | 26 | 58 | 6 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 10 | .310 | .266 (+16%) | .337 (+10%) | .417 (+12%) | .755 (+11%) | 108.8 |
| 1995 | BOS | AL | 16 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 108.8 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 946 | 3,040 | 343 | 794 | 145 | 24 | 90 | 386 | 27 | 193 | 490 | .261 | — | — | — | — | -502 | ||
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 (946 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 462 | 1448 | 161 | 393 | 46 | 206 | .271 |
| Away | 484 | 1592 | 182 | 401 | 44 | 180 | .252 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-10-01 | BOS | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-09-30 | BOS | MIL | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-09-29 | BOS | MIL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-09-27 | BOS | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-09-26 | BOS | DET | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995-09-24 | BOS | TOR | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-09-23 | BOS | TOR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-09-23 | BOS | TOR | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995-08-29 | BOS | SEA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-08-25 | BOS | OAK | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 15 | 13 | 95 | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 3B | 48 | 42 | 35 | 65 | 10 | 7 |
| OF | 568 | 511 | 1059 | 29 | 14 | 8 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | PHI | OF | 11 | 10 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | PHI | OF | 108 | 90 | 198 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1988 | PHI | 3B | 31 | 31 | 26 | 44 | 6 | 3 |
| 1988 | PHI | OF | 116 | 114 | 256 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| 1989 | PHI | 3B | 11 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| 1989 | PHI | OF | 37 | 37 | 61 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989 | SDN | 3B | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
| 1989 | SDN | OF | 79 | 74 | 145 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1990 | CLE | OF | 14 | 12 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | CLE | 1B | 15 | 13 | 95 | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 1991 | CLE | OF | 39 | 37 | 78 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992 | SFN | OF | 62 | 57 | 112 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 1993 | HOU | OF | 34 | 32 | 65 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 1993 | TEX | OF | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | TEX | OF | 48 | 33 | 63 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | KCA | OF | 5 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | BOS | OF | 8 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 15 |
| Third Base | 48 |
| Left Field | 325 |
| Center Field | 51 |
| Right Field | 228 |
| Designated Hitter | 204 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | KCA | AL | $310,000 |
| 1994 | TEX | AL | $500,000 |
| 1993 | HOU | NL | $500,000 |
| 1992 | SFN | NL | $650,000 |
| 1991 | CLE | AL | $1,367,500 |
| 1990 | CLE | AL | $560,000 |
| 1989 | PHI | NL | $230,000 |
| 1988 | PHI | NL | $138,000 |
| 1987 | PHI | NL | $65,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $4,320,500 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blinn College | Brenham | TX | 1981 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 6th | 1.0 | 120 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Chris James (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Chris James: the record in brief
April 23, 1986 and October 1, 1995 bracket Chris James's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Philadelphia Phillies (1986 through 1989), the San Diego Padres (1989), the Cleveland Indians (1990 through 1991), the San Francisco Giants (1992), the Houston Astros (1993), the Texas Rangers (1993 through 1994), the Kansas City Royals (1995), and the Boston Red Sox (1995). James, born on October 4, 1962, in Rusk, TX, USA, is listed as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 6 feet, 1 inch and 195 pounds. James's full given name, per the bio, is Donald Chris James.
Across 946 games at the plate, James's career line reads 794 hits in 3,040 at bats for a .261 average, adding 90 home runs, 386 runs batted in, and 27 stolen bases. James got on base at a .307 rate and slugged .413 (.721 OPS). James hit .261 while the league hit .260 over the same span, a figure close to average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chris James
- What years did Chris James play?
- Chris James played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 1995.
- Was Chris James a pitcher?
- No. Chris James was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Chris James hit?
- Chris James hit 90 career home runs with 794 hits.
- What was Chris James's career batting average?
- Chris James batted .261 over his career, with 794 hits in 3,040 at bats.
- How many RBI did Chris James have?
- Chris James drove in 386 runs in his career.
- Is Chris James in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Chris James has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.