Dion James

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1983-1996)

Dion James was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1996 for 4 teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers, a span of 14 seasons. In 917 career games, he hit .288 with 781 hits, 32 home runs, and 266 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,906.

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 .288
HR 32
RBI 266
H 781
OPS .755
PIV 3,906
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'1" / 170 lb
Born
11/9/1962 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1983-09-16
Last Game
1996-04-21
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Career Batting Statistics

Dion James — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
917 2,708 362 781 142 21 32 266 43 318 307 .288 .364 .392 .755 3,906

Career AVG .288 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +10.7% above league average.

Career OBP .364 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — +11.2% above league average.

Career SLG .392 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .755 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dion James 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
1983 ML4 AL 11 20 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 .100 — — — — 0.0
1984 ML4 AL 128 387 52 114 19 5 1 30 10 32 41 .295 .259 (+13%) .322 (+9%) .384 (-2%) .707 (+3%) 252.8
1985 ML4 AL 18 49 5 11 1 0 0 3 0 6 6 .224 — — — — -152.0
1987 ATL NL 134 494 80 154 37 6 10 61 10 70 63 .312 .262 (+19%) .331 (+20%) .415 (+14%) .746 (+16%) 1823.6
1988 ATL NL 132 386 46 99 17 5 3 30 9 58 59 .256 .254 (+1%) .317 (+11%) .377 (-7%) .695 (+1%) 272.9
1989 ATL NL 63 170 15 44 7 0 1 11 1 25 23 .259 .254 (+2%) .319 (+11%) .375 (-15%) .694 (-3%) 11.2
1989 CLE AL 71 245 26 75 11 0 4 29 1 24 26 .306 .254 (+20%) .319 (+15%) .375 (+7%) .694 (+11%) 11.2
1990 CLE AL 87 248 28 68 15 2 1 22 5 27 23 .274 .257 (+6%) .324 (+7%) .385 (-6%) .710 (avg) 45.5
1992 NYA AL 67 145 24 38 8 0 3 17 1 22 15 .262 .255 (+2%) .322 (+11%) .377 (+1%) .699 (+6%) 196.8
1993 NYA AL 115 343 62 114 21 2 7 36 0 31 31 .332 .265 (+25%) .332 (+17%) .403 (+16%) .735 (+16%) 1159.1
1995 NYA AL 85 209 22 60 6 1 2 26 4 20 16 .287 .266 (+8%) .337 (+3%) .417 (-15%) .755 (-7%) -218.5
1996 NYA AL 6 12 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 .167 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 917 2,708 362 781 142 21 32 266 43 318 307 .288 — — — — 3,402

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

Dion James — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .083

Playoff Batting by Year

Dion James — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1995 ALDS2 NYA 4 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .083

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (917 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Dion James — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home435129518538116135.294
Away482141317740016131.283

Last 10 Games — Batting

Dion James — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1996-04-21 NYYMINW 000000000
1996-04-17 NYYMILL 000000000
1996-04-12 NYYTEXW 300000000
1996-04-07 NYYTEXL 301000001
1996-04-07 NYYTEXL 311000010
1996-04-06 NYYTEXL 300000001
1995-10-01 NYYTORW 311000011
1995-09-29 NYYTORW 400000001
1995-09-24 NYYDETL 201000010
1995-09-23 NYYDETW 300000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dion James — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 52 36 302 28 2 27
OF 682 579 1226 23 18 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dion James — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1983 ML4 OF 9 5 12 1 0 0
1984 ML4 OF 118 101 252 7 3 1
1985 ML4 OF 11 11 20 0 0 0
1987 ATL OF 126 118 262 4 1 1
1988 ATL OF 120 101 222 5 3 0
1989 ATL 1B 8 4 39 7 0 5
1989 ATL OF 46 42 87 0 0 0
1989 CLE 1B 2 0 3 0 1 0
1989 CLE OF 37 32 82 1 2 0
1990 CLE 1B 35 29 228 17 1 21
1990 CLE OF 33 28 54 0 3 0
1992 NYA OF 46 32 62 1 0 0
1993 NYA 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1993 NYA OF 103 83 140 4 5 1
1995 NYA 1B 6 3 31 4 0 1
1995 NYA OF 29 23 30 0 1 0
1996 NYA OF 4 3 3 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dion James Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 52
Left Field 322
Center Field 242
Right Field 155
Designated Hitter 77

Awards & Honors

Dion James — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1987 Player of the Week Week of 1987-07-31

Salary History

Dion James — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1995 NYA AL $350,000
1993 NYA AL $350,000
1992 NYA AL $387,500
1990 CLE AL $650,000
1989 ATL NL $400,000
1988 ATL NL $360,000
1987 ATL NL $120,000
Total Career Earnings $2,617,500

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Dion James (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Hersh Martin
    .285 avg, 28 HR
  2. 97
    Harry Walker
    .296 avg, 10 HR
  3. 96
    Nori Aoki
    .285 avg, 33 HR
  4. 95
    Debs Garms
    .293 avg, 17 HR
  5. 91
    Smoky Joe Wood
    .283 avg, 23 HR
  6. 90
    Bill Barrett
    .288 avg, 23 HR

Dion James: the record in brief

September 16, 1983 and April 21, 1996 bracket Dion James's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Milwaukee Brewers (1983 to 1985), the Atlanta Braves (1987 to 1989), the Cleveland Indians (1989 through 1990), and the New York Yankees (1992 to 1996). Born on November 9, 1962, in Philadelphia, PA, USA, James is listed as an outfielder and batted and threw left-handed. James's listed size is 6 feet, 1 inch and 170 pounds.

The batting record for James: 917 games, 781 hits in 2,708 at bats, and a .288 average, adding 32 homers, 266 RBI, and 43 stolen bases. James's career OPS of .755 combines a .364 on-base mark with .392 slugging. Measured against the leagues James played in, the .288 career average compares with a .261 league average over the same seasons, 10.7% above the league. The home run peak was 10 in 1987 with the Atlanta Braves. The hits column peaks at 154, in 1987.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dion James

What years did Dion James play?
Dion James played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1996.
Was Dion James a pitcher?
No. Dion James was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Dion James hit?
Dion James hit 32 career home runs with 781 hits.
What was Dion James's career batting average?
Dion James batted .288 over his career, with 781 hits in 2,708 at bats.
How many RBI did Dion James have?
Dion James drove in 266 runs in his career.
Is Dion James in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dion James has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.