Sam Khalifa
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1985-1987)
Sam Khalifa was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1987 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 3 seasons. In 164 career games, he hit .219 with 107 hits, 2 home runs, and 37 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
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1985-06-25
- Last Game
- 1987-07-31
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 164 | 488 | 39 | 107 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 37 | 5 | 53 | 86 | .219 | .294 | .285 | .578 | -1,305 |
Career AVG .219 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 15.4% below league average.
Career OBP .294 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 10.2% below league average.
Career SLG .285 vs. league average .401 across their career seasons — 28.9% below league average.
Career OPS .578 vs. league average .727 across their career seasons — 20.5% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | PIT | NL | 95 | 320 | 30 | 76 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 31 | 5 | 34 | 56 | .237 | .257 (-8%) | .323 (-5%) | .390 (-18%) | .714 (-12%) | -613.5 |
| 1986 | PIT | NL | 64 | 151 | 8 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 28 | .185 | .257 (-28%) | .325 (-15%) | .395 (-43%) | .720 (-30%) | -691.1 |
| 1987 | PIT | NL | 5 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .176 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 164 | 488 | 39 | 107 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 37 | 5 | 53 | 86 | .219 | — | — | — | — | -1,305 | ||
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 (164 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 86 | 242 | 20 | 56 | 1 | 17 | .231 |
| Away | 78 | 246 | 19 | 51 | 1 | 20 | .207 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-07-31 | PIT | STL | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-07-26 | PIT | SDP | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-07-25 | PIT | SDP | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1987-07-24 | PIT | SDP | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-07-23 | PIT | SDP | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1986-10-05 | PIT | NYN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-10-04 | PIT | NYN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-10-02 | PIT | STL | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-09-28 | PIT | NYN | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986-09-14 | PIT | CHC | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 6 |
| Shortstop | 160 |
Sam Khalifa: the record in brief
Between the debut on June 25, 1985 and the final game on July 31, 1987, Sam Khalifa built the record summarized on this page. Khalifa spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Pittsburgh Pirates. At 170 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame, Khalifa is listed as a shortstop. Khalifa threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is December 5, 1963, in Fontana, CA, USA.
Khalifa collected 107 hits in 488 at bats across 164 games, good for a .219 batting average, plus 2 homers and 37 runs batted in. Khalifa got on base at a .294 rate and slugged .285 (.578 OPS). The league as a whole hit .259 across Khalifa's seasons, which puts the .219 career mark 15.4% below average. Khalifa collected a career-high 76 hits in 1985. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .237 in 1985, did not top the league's .257.
Khalifa played 160 games at shortstop, more than anywhere else, and also saw time at second base (6). The fielding table credits Khalifa with 246 putouts, 485 assists and 27 errors at shortstop. Khalifa also took part in 71 double plays at shortstop.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Khalifa
- What years did Sam Khalifa play?
- Sam Khalifa played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1987.
- Was Sam Khalifa a pitcher?
- No. Sam Khalifa was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Sam Khalifa hit?
- Sam Khalifa hit 2 career home runs with 107 hits.
- What teams did Sam Khalifa play for?
- Sam Khalifa played for one team, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1985–1987).
- What were Sam Khalifa's career stats?
- In 164 games, Sam Khalifa had 107 hits, 2 home runs, 37 RBI, 39 runs, and 5 stolen bases, with a .219 batting average.
- What position did Sam Khalifa play?
- Sam Khalifa played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Sam Khalifa and how much did he weigh?
- Sam Khalifa was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 170 pounds.
- How many home runs did Sam Khalifa hit each season?
- Sam Khalifa's home runs by season: 2 in 1985, 0 in 1986, and 0 in 1987. His most in one season was 2, in 1985.
- What was Sam Khalifa's career batting average?
- Sam Khalifa batted .219 over his career, with 107 hits in 488 at bats.
- How many RBI did Sam Khalifa have?
- Sam Khalifa drove in 37 runs in his career.
- Is Sam Khalifa in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Sam Khalifa has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.