Lamar Johnson
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1982)
Lamar Johnson was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1982 for the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers, a span of 9 seasons. In 792 career games, he hit .287 with 755 hits, 64 home runs, and 381 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,933.
- 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 215 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1974-05-18
- Last Game
- 1982-10-02
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 792 | 2,631 | 294 | 755 | 122 | 12 | 64 | 381 | 22 | 211 | 307 | .287 | .338 | .415 | .754 | 2,933 |
Career AVG .287 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +10.3% above league average.
Career OBP .338 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .415 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — +8.9% above league average.
Career OPS .754 vs. league average .707 across their career seasons — +6.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | CHA | AL | 10 | 29 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .345 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | CHA | AL | 8 | 30 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1976 | CHA | AL | 82 | 222 | 29 | 71 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 33 | 2 | 19 | 37 | .320 | .255 (+25%) | .320 (+16%) | .360 (+20%) | .681 (+18%) | 702.8 |
| 1977 | CHA | AL | 118 | 374 | 52 | 113 | 12 | 5 | 18 | 65 | 1 | 24 | 53 | .302 | .264 (+14%) | .329 (+4%) | .401 (+26%) | .730 (+16%) | 1051.0 |
| 1978 | CHA | AL | 148 | 498 | 52 | 136 | 23 | 2 | 8 | 72 | 6 | 43 | 46 | .273 | .257 (+6%) | .323 (+2%) | .378 (-1%) | .702 (avg) | 17.8 |
| 1979 | CHA | AL | 133 | 479 | 60 | 148 | 29 | 1 | 12 | 74 | 8 | 41 | 56 | .309 | .265 (+16%) | .329 (+10%) | .397 (+13%) | .727 (+12%) | 1124.6 |
| 1980 | CHA | AL | 147 | 541 | 51 | 150 | 26 | 3 | 13 | 81 | 2 | 47 | 53 | .277 | .264 (+5%) | .326 (+1%) | .387 (+5%) | .714 (+4%) | 330.6 |
| 1981 | CHA | AL | 41 | 134 | 10 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 14 | .276 | .255 (+8%) | .320 (-7%) | .368 (-5%) | .688 (-6%) | -151.9 |
| 1982 | TEX | AL | 105 | 324 | 37 | 84 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 38 | 3 | 31 | 40 | .259 | .261 (-1%) | .324 (+1%) | .388 (-8%) | .712 (-4%) | -141.5 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 792 | 2,631 | 294 | 755 | 122 | 12 | 64 | 381 | 22 | 211 | 307 | .287 | — | — | — | — | 2,933 | ||
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 (792 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 390 | 1267 | 148 | 371 | 29 | 200 | .293 |
| Away | 402 | 1364 | 146 | 384 | 35 | 181 | .282 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-10-02 | TEX | LAA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-10-01 | TEX | LAA | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1982-09-28 | TEX | OAK | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982-09-26 | TEX | LAA | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-09-25 | TEX | LAA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982-09-21 | TEX | OAK | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-09-16 | TEX | MIN | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1982-09-14 | TEX | MIN | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982-09-11 | TEX | SEA | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1982-09-10 | TEX | SEA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 422 | 380 | 3317 | 263 | 41 | 306 |
| OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | CHA | 1B | 7 | 6 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 1975 | CHA | 1B | 6 | 5 | 46 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 1976 | CHA | 1B | 34 | 27 | 210 | 18 | 4 | 20 |
| 1976 | CHA | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | CHA | 1B | 45 | 38 | 346 | 32 | 4 | 31 |
| 1978 | CHA | 1B | 108 | 93 | 887 | 71 | 8 | 74 |
| 1979 | CHA | 1B | 94 | 90 | 748 | 63 | 11 | 62 |
| 1980 | CHA | 1B | 80 | 77 | 671 | 56 | 7 | 70 |
| 1981 | CHA | 1B | 36 | 32 | 264 | 15 | 3 | 31 |
| 1982 | TEX | 1B | 12 | 12 | 105 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 421 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Designated Hitter | 327 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Player of the Month | April |
| 1980 | Player of the Week | Week of 1980-04-11 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Lamar Johnson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Lamar Johnson: the record in brief
Between the debut on May 18, 1974 and the final game on October 2, 1982, Lamar Johnson built the record summarized on this page. Johnson played for the Chicago White Sox (1974 through 1981) and the Texas Rangers (1982). Johnson, born on September 2, 1950, in Bessemer, AL, USA, is listed as a first baseman and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds.
The batting record for Johnson: 792 games, 755 hits in 2,631 at bats, and a .287 average, adding 64 home runs, 381 runs batted in, and 22 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .338 and .415 give Johnson a career OPS of .754. Measured against the leagues Johnson played in, the .287 career average compares with a .260 league average over the same seasons, 10.3% above the league. Johnson's most home runs in a season came in 1977, when the total reached 18 for the Chicago White Sox. No season topped the 150 hits of 1980. The RBI column peaks at 81 in 1980.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lamar Johnson
- What years did Lamar Johnson play?
- Lamar Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1982.
- Was Lamar Johnson a pitcher?
- No. Lamar Johnson was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Lamar Johnson hit?
- Lamar Johnson hit 64 career home runs with 755 hits.
- What was Lamar Johnson's career batting average?
- Lamar Johnson batted .287 over his career, with 755 hits in 2,631 at bats.
- How many RBI did Lamar Johnson have?
- Lamar Johnson drove in 381 runs in his career.
- Is Lamar Johnson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Lamar Johnson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.