Ruppert Jones
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1976-1987)
Ruppert Jones was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1987 for 6 teams, including the Kansas City Royals, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,331 career games, he hit .250 with 1,103 hits, 147 home runs, and 579 RBI. Ruppert Jones was a 2-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,010.
- 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 / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1976-08-01
- Last Game
- 1987-10-04
- Awards
- 2× All-Star
Full name: Ruppert Sanderson Jones
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,331 | 4,415 | 643 | 1,103 | 215 | 38 | 147 | 579 | 143 | 534 | 817 | .250 | .330 | .416 | .746 | 4,010 |
Career AVG .250 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .330 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .416 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — +6.8% above league average.
Career OPS .746 vs. league average .714 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | KCA | AL | 28 | 51 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 16 | .216 | .255 (-16%) | .320 (-19%) | .360 (-8%) | .681 (-13%) | -112.3 |
| 1977 | SEA | AL | 160 | 597 | 85 | 157 | 26 | 8 | 24 | 76 | 13 | 55 | 120 | .263 | .264 (avg) | .329 (-1%) | .401 (+13%) | .730 (+7%) | 671.6 |
| 1978 | SEA | AL | 129 | 472 | 48 | 111 | 24 | 3 | 6 | 46 | 22 | 55 | 85 | .235 | .257 (-9%) | .323 (-4%) | .378 (-11%) | .702 (-8%) | -534.2 |
| 1979 | SEA | AL | 162 | 622 | 109 | 166 | 29 | 9 | 21 | 78 | 33 | 85 | 78 | .267 | .265 (+1%) | .329 (+8%) | .397 (+12%) | .727 (+10%) | 1388.5 |
| 1980 | NYA | AL | 83 | 328 | 38 | 73 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 42 | 18 | 34 | 50 | .223 | .264 (-16%) | .326 (-8%) | .387 (-8%) | .714 (-8%) | -426.1 |
| 1981 | SDN | NL | 105 | 397 | 53 | 99 | 34 | 1 | 4 | 39 | 7 | 43 | 66 | .249 | .255 (-2%) | .320 (-1%) | .368 (avg) | .688 (avg) | -53.9 |
| 1982 | SDN | NL | 116 | 424 | 69 | 120 | 20 | 2 | 12 | 61 | 18 | 62 | 90 | .283 | .261 (+8%) | .324 (+15%) | .388 (+9%) | .712 (+12%) | 1152.7 |
| 1983 | SDN | NL | 133 | 335 | 42 | 78 | 12 | 3 | 12 | 49 | 11 | 35 | 58 | .233 | .260 (-11%) | .324 (-6%) | .389 (+1%) | .714 (-2%) | -113.9 |
| 1984 | DET | AL | 79 | 215 | 26 | 61 | 12 | 1 | 12 | 37 | 2 | 21 | 47 | .284 | .259 (+9%) | .322 (+7%) | .384 (+34%) | .707 (+22%) | 802.9 |
| 1985 | CAL | AL | 125 | 389 | 66 | 90 | 17 | 2 | 21 | 67 | 7 | 57 | 82 | .231 | .257 (-10%) | .323 (+2%) | .390 (+14%) | .714 (+9%) | 673.6 |
| 1986 | CAL | AL | 126 | 393 | 73 | 90 | 21 | 3 | 17 | 49 | 10 | 64 | 87 | .229 | .257 (-11%) | .325 (+4%) | .395 (+8%) | .720 (+6%) | 566.0 |
| 1987 | CAL | AL | 85 | 192 | 25 | 47 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 28 | 2 | 20 | 38 | .245 | .262 (-7%) | .331 (-5%) | .415 (+4%) | .746 (avg) | -4.6 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 1,331 | 4,415 | 643 | 1,103 | 215 | 38 | 147 | 579 | 143 | 534 | 817 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 4,010 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1331 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 654 | 2098 | 329 | 555 | 85 | 286 | .265 |
| Away | 677 | 2317 | 314 | 548 | 62 | 293 | .237 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-10-04 | LAA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1987-10-02 | LAA | CLE | W | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-09-29 | LAA | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-09-26 | LAA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-09-25 | LAA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1987-09-23 | LAA | CHW | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987-09-21 | LAA | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987-09-18 | LAA | TEX | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1987-09-16 | LAA | KCR | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1987-09-14 | LAA | KCR | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 5 | 3 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| OF | 1205 | 1094 | 3051 | 75 | 43 | 22 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | KCA | OF | 17 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | SEA | OF | 155 | 154 | 465 | 11 | 9 | 3 |
| 1978 | SEA | OF | 128 | 128 | 393 | 10 | 6 | 2 |
| 1979 | SEA | OF | 161 | 161 | 453 | 13 | 5 | 4 |
| 1980 | NYA | OF | 82 | 82 | 246 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 1981 | SDN | OF | 104 | 102 | 295 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
| 1982 | SDN | OF | 114 | 113 | 314 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 1983 | SDN | 1B | 5 | 3 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1983 | SDN | OF | 111 | 82 | 249 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 1984 | DET | OF | 73 | 58 | 150 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985 | CAL | OF | 73 | 65 | 179 | 12 | 1 | 5 |
| 1986 | CAL | OF | 121 | 103 | 205 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 1987 | CAL | OF | 66 | 39 | 81 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 5 |
| Left Field | 174 |
| Center Field | 918 |
| Right Field | 157 |
| Designated Hitter | 55 |
Salary History
Ruppert Jones's recorded salaries total $1,400,000 over 3 seasons, 1985 to 1987. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Jones's career ran from 1976 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | CAL | AL | $450,000 |
| 1986 | CAL | AL | $560,000 |
| 1985 | CAL | AL | $390,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $1,400,000 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ruppert Jones (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ruppert Jones: the record in brief
The profile opens with Ruppert Jones's first major league game on August 1, 1976; the last one listed came on October 4, 1987. By club, Jones's seasons break down as the Kansas City Royals (1976), the Seattle Mariners (1977 through 1979), the New York Yankees (1980), the San Diego Padres (1981 through 1983), the Detroit Tigers (1984), and the California Angels (1985 through 1987). Jones played primarily as an outfielder and threw and hit left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on March 12, 1955, in Dallas, TX, USA and a listed size of 5 feet, 10 inches and 170 pounds. Jones's full given name, per the bio, is Ruppert Sanderson Jones.
Jones finished with 1,103 hits from 4,415 at bats in 1,331 games, which works out to .250, along with 147 home runs, 579 runs batted in, and 143 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .330 and .416 give Jones a career OPS of .746. Against a .260 league average for those years, Jones's .250 average was near the norm.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ruppert Jones
- What years did Ruppert Jones play?
- Ruppert Jones played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1987.
- Was Ruppert Jones a pitcher?
- No. Ruppert Jones was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Ruppert Jones hit?
- Ruppert Jones hit 147 career home runs with 1,103 hits.
- What teams did Ruppert Jones play for?
- Ruppert Jones played for 6 teams: the Kansas City Royals (1976), the Seattle Mariners (1977–1979), the New York Yankees (1980), the San Diego Padres (1981–1983), the Detroit Tigers (1984), and the California Angels (1985–1987).
- Did Ruppert Jones win an MVP award?
- No. Ruppert Jones did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Ruppert Jones win?
- Ruppert Jones was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were Ruppert Jones's career stats?
- In 1,331 games, Ruppert Jones had 1,103 hits, 147 home runs, 579 RBI, 643 runs, and 143 stolen bases, with a .250 batting average.
- How much did Ruppert Jones earn in his career?
- Ruppert Jones's recorded salaries total $1,400,000 over 3 seasons, 1985 to 1987. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Jones's career ran from 1976 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
- What was Ruppert Jones's salary?
- Ruppert Jones's last recorded salary was $450,000, in 1987. His highest recorded salary was $560,000, in 1986, and his lowest was $390,000, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1987.
- What position did Ruppert Jones play?
- Ruppert Jones played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ruppert Jones and how much did he weigh?
- Ruppert Jones was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 170 pounds.
- How many home runs did Ruppert Jones hit each season?
- Ruppert Jones's home runs by season: 1 in 1976, 24 in 1977, 6 in 1978, 21 in 1979, 9 in 1980, 4 in 1981, 12 in 1982, 12 in 1983, 12 in 1984, 21 in 1985, 17 in 1986, and 8 in 1987. His most in one season was 24, in 1977.
- What was Ruppert Jones's career batting average?
- Ruppert Jones batted .250 over his career, with 1,103 hits in 4,415 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ruppert Jones have?
- Ruppert Jones drove in 579 runs in his career.