Jeff King
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1989-1999)
Jeff King was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1989 to 1999 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Kansas City Royals, a span of 11 seasons. In 1,201 career games, he hit .256 with 1,091 hits, 154 home runs, and 709 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 686.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 175 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1989-06-02
- Last Game
- 1999-05-21
Full name: Jeffrey Wayne King
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,201 | 4,262 | 600 | 1,091 | 222 | 18 | 154 | 709 | 75 | 442 | 584 | .256 | .324 | .425 | .749 | 686 |
Career AVG .256 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .324 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .425 vs. league average .407 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .749 vs. league average .739 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | PIT | NL | 75 | 215 | 31 | 42 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 4 | 20 | 34 | .195 | .254 (-23%) | .319 (-17%) | .375 (-6%) | .694 (-11%) | -436.9 |
| 1990 | PIT | NL | 127 | 371 | 46 | 91 | 17 | 1 | 14 | 53 | 3 | 21 | 50 | .245 | .257 (-5%) | .324 (-13%) | .385 (+6%) | .710 (-3%) | -291.4 |
| 1991 | PIT | NL | 33 | 109 | 16 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 3 | 14 | 15 | .239 | .255 (-7%) | .323 (+1%) | .384 (-2%) | .708 (-1%) | 12.1 |
| 1992 | PIT | NL | 130 | 480 | 56 | 111 | 21 | 2 | 14 | 65 | 4 | 27 | 56 | .231 | .255 (-10%) | .322 (-16%) | .377 (-2%) | .699 (-8%) | -735.9 |
| 1993 | PIT | NL | 158 | 611 | 82 | 180 | 35 | 3 | 9 | 98 | 8 | 59 | 54 | .295 | .265 (+11%) | .332 (+7%) | .403 (+1%) | .735 (+4%) | 510.0 |
| 1994 | PIT | NL | 94 | 339 | 36 | 89 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 42 | 3 | 30 | 38 | .263 | .269 (-3%) | .338 (-7%) | .424 (-12%) | .763 (-9%) | -586.6 |
| 1995 | PIT | NL | 122 | 445 | 61 | 118 | 27 | 2 | 18 | 87 | 7 | 55 | 63 | .265 | .266 (-1%) | .337 (+1%) | .417 (+9%) | .755 (+6%) | 445.2 |
| 1996 | PIT | NL | 155 | 591 | 91 | 160 | 36 | 4 | 30 | 111 | 15 | 70 | 95 | .271 | .269 (avg) | .340 (+2%) | .426 (+17%) | .767 (+10%) | 1144.3 |
| 1997 | KCA | AL | 155 | 543 | 84 | 129 | 30 | 1 | 28 | 112 | 16 | 89 | 96 | .238 | .266 (-11%) | .336 (+1%) | .419 (+8%) | .756 (+5%) | 532.6 |
| 1998 | KCA | AL | 131 | 486 | 83 | 128 | 17 | 1 | 24 | 93 | 10 | 42 | 73 | .263 | .266 (-1%) | .335 (-5%) | .420 (+7%) | .755 (+2%) | 44.0 |
| 1999 | KCA | AL | 21 | 72 | 14 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 15 | 10 | .236 | .271 (-13%) | .344 (+12%) | .433 (-10%) | .778 (-1%) | 48.2 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 1,201 | 4,262 | 600 | 1,091 | 222 | 18 | 154 | 709 | 75 | 442 | 584 | .256 | — | — | — | — | 686 | ||
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 (1201 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 611 | 2161 | 310 | 560 | 74 | 372 | .259 |
| Away | 590 | 2101 | 290 | 531 | 80 | 337 | .253 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-05-21 | KCR | SEA | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1999-05-19 | KCR | OAK | W | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1999-05-18 | KCR | OAK | W | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1999-05-16 | KCR | SEA | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999-05-15 | KCR | SEA | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999-05-14 | KCR | SEA | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999-05-12 | KCR | TOR | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999-05-11 | KCR | TOR | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999-05-10 | KCR | MIN | W | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999-05-09 | KCR | MIN | W | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 488 | 455 | 4035 | 364 | 20 | 400 |
| 2B | 121 | 97 | 217 | 288 | 9 | 66 |
| 3B | 586 | 526 | 347 | 1179 | 75 | 103 |
| OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 11 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | PIT | 1B | 46 | 40 | 384 | 22 | 2 | 32 |
| 1989 | PIT | 2B | 7 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| 1989 | PIT | 3B | 13 | 10 | 9 | 23 | 2 | 2 |
| 1989 | PIT | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | PIT | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | PIT | 3B | 115 | 86 | 58 | 215 | 18 | 15 |
| 1991 | PIT | 3B | 33 | 32 | 15 | 62 | 2 | 0 |
| 1992 | PIT | 1B | 32 | 30 | 270 | 21 | 2 | 27 |
| 1992 | PIT | 2B | 32 | 23 | 49 | 68 | 0 | 16 |
| 1992 | PIT | 3B | 73 | 64 | 44 | 139 | 9 | 14 |
| 1992 | PIT | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | PIT | SS | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 1993 | PIT | 2B | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| 1993 | PIT | 3B | 156 | 155 | 105 | 353 | 17 | 28 |
| 1993 | PIT | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | PIT | 2B | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 1994 | PIT | 3B | 91 | 89 | 59 | 193 | 12 | 27 |
| 1995 | PIT | 1B | 35 | 32 | 296 | 27 | 2 | 22 |
| 1995 | PIT | 2B | 8 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 4 |
| 1995 | PIT | 3B | 84 | 80 | 48 | 164 | 13 | 14 |
| 1995 | PIT | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1996 | PIT | 1B | 92 | 76 | 745 | 47 | 2 | 60 |
| 1996 | PIT | 2B | 71 | 63 | 145 | 181 | 7 | 40 |
| 1996 | PIT | 3B | 17 | 7 | 6 | 24 | 2 | 1 |
| 1997 | KCA | 1B | 150 | 147 | 1217 | 147 | 5 | 135 |
| 1998 | KCA | 1B | 112 | 110 | 932 | 85 | 5 | 103 |
| 1998 | KCA | 3B | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| 1999 | KCA | 1B | 20 | 20 | 188 | 15 | 2 | 21 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 488 |
| Second Base | 121 |
| Third Base | 586 |
| Shortstop | 11 |
| Right Field | 1 |
| Designated Hitter | 19 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Player of the Month | June |
| 1997 | Player of the Week | Week of 1997-09-27 |
| 1996 | Player of the Week | Week of 1996-05-04 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | KCA | AL | $4,000,000 |
| 1998 | KCA | AL | $4,000,000 |
| 1997 | KCA | AL | $2,500,000 |
| 1996 | PIT | NL | $2,500,000 |
| 1995 | PIT | NL | $2,160,000 |
| 1994 | PIT | NL | $2,400,000 |
| 1993 | PIT | NL | $675,000 |
| 1992 | PIT | NL | $325,000 |
| 1991 | PIT | NL | $215,000 |
| 1990 | PIT | NL | $112,500 |
| 1989 | PIT | NL | $68,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $18,955,500 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas | Fayetteville | AR | 1984, 1985, 1986 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jeff King (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jeff King: the record in brief
According to the bio, Jeff King debuted on June 2, 1989 and played a final game on May 21, 1999. The team column moves through the Pittsburgh Pirates (1989 through 1996) and the Kansas City Royals (1997 through 1999). Born on December 26, 1964, in Marion, IN, USA, King is listed as a third baseman and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. King's full given name, per the bio, is Jeffrey Wayne King.
In 1,201 games and 4,262 at bats, King batted .256 with 1,091 hits, plus 154 homers, 709 runs batted in, and 75 stolen bases. King's career OPS of .749 combines a .324 on-base mark with .425 slugging. Against a .264 league average for those years, King's .256 average was near the norm. King's most home runs in a season came in 1996, when the total reached 30 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The hits column peaks at 180, in 1993. King drove in a season-high 112 runs in 1997.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jeff King
- What years did Jeff King play?
- Jeff King played in Major League Baseball from 1989 to 1999.
- Was Jeff King a pitcher?
- No. Jeff King was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Jeff King hit?
- Jeff King hit 154 career home runs with 1091 hits.
- What was Jeff King's career batting average?
- Jeff King batted .256 over his career, with 1,091 hits in 4,262 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jeff King have?
- Jeff King drove in 709 runs in his career.
- Is Jeff King in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jeff King has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.