Ron Kittle

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1982-1991)

Ron Kittle was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1991 for 4 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 10 seasons. In 843 career games, he hit .239 with 648 hits, 176 home runs, and 460 RBI. Ron Kittle was an All-Star and a Rookie of the Year. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,130.

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 .239
HR 176
RBI 460
H 648
OPS .779
PIV 4,130
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 200 lb
Born
1/5/1958 in Gary, IN, USA
MLB Debut
1982-09-02
Last Game
1991-08-13
Awards
All-Star · Rookie of the Year

Full name: Ronald Dale Kittle

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Career Batting Statistics

Ron Kittle — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
843 2,708 356 648 100 3 176 460 16 236 744 .239 .306 .473 .779 4,130

Career AVG .239 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 7.3% below league average.

Career OBP .306 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 5.5% below league average.

Career SLG .473 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — +21.8% above league average.

Career OPS .779 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — +9.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ron Kittle 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
1982 CHA AL 20 29 3 7 2 0 1 7 0 3 12 .241 — — — — 0.0
1983 CHA AL 145 520 75 132 19 3 35 100 8 39 150 .254 .260 (-3%) .324 (-3%) .389 (+29%) .714 (+15%) 1349.2
1984 CHA AL 139 466 67 100 15 0 32 74 3 49 137 .215 .259 (-17%) .322 (-9%) .384 (+18%) .707 (+6%) 438.7
1985 CHA AL 116 379 51 87 12 0 26 58 1 31 92 .230 .257 (-11%) .323 (-9%) .390 (+19%) .714 (+7%) 395.2
1986 CHA AL 86 296 34 63 11 0 17 48 2 28 87 .213 .257 (-17%) .325 (-13%) .395 (+7%) .720 (-2%) -198.6
1986 NYA AL 30 80 8 19 2 0 4 12 2 7 23 .237 .257 (-8%) .325 (-10%) .395 (+4%) .720 (-2%) -198.6
1987 NYA AL 59 159 21 44 5 0 12 28 0 10 36 .277 .262 (+5%) .331 (-4%) .415 (+29%) .746 (+14%) 341.6
1988 CLE AL 75 225 31 58 8 0 18 43 0 16 65 .258 .254 (+1%) .317 (+2%) .377 (+41%) .695 (+23%) 837.2
1989 CHA AL 51 169 26 51 10 0 11 37 0 22 42 .302 .254 (+19%) .319 (+18%) .375 (+48%) .694 (+34%) 967.3
1990 CHA AL 83 277 29 68 14 0 16 43 0 24 77 .245 .257 (-5%) .324 (-4%) .385 (+22%) .710 (+10%) 444.4
1990 BAL AL 22 61 4 10 2 0 2 3 0 2 14 .164 .257 (-36%) .324 (-37%) .385 (-23%) .710 (-30%) 444.4
1991 CHA AL 17 47 7 9 0 0 2 7 0 5 9 .191 — — — — -94.7
Career · 12 seasons 843 2,708 356 648 100 3 176 460 16 236 744 .239 — — — — 4,726

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

Ron Kittle — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 7 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 2 .286

Playoff Batting by Year

Ron Kittle — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1983 ALCS CHA 3 7 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 2 .286

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (843 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ron Kittle — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home421132917931481222.236
Away422137917733495238.242

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ron Kittle — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1991-08-13 CHWDETL 100000000
1991-08-13 CHWDETL 421001210
1991-08-12 CHWBALL 300000102
1991-08-08 CHWNYYW 400000000
1991-08-07 CHWNYYW 312000211
1991-08-06 CHWNYYW 210000002
1991-08-03 CHWBALL 401000001
1991-08-02 CHWBALL 101000000
1991-07-31 CHWTEXW 400000000
1991-07-30 CHWTORW 110000020

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ron Kittle — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 72 67 485 23 8 55
OF 353 340 602 28 17 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ron Kittle — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1982 CHA OF 5 5 3 0 0 0
1983 CHA OF 139 137 234 7 9 0
1984 CHA OF 124 118 226 14 7 2
1985 CHA OF 57 55 88 2 1 1
1986 CHA OF 20 20 37 3 0 0
1986 NYA OF 1 1 2 0 0 0
1987 NYA OF 2 1 4 1 0 0
1989 CHA 1B 27 27 208 11 4 28
1989 CHA OF 5 3 8 1 0 0
1990 CHA 1B 25 24 150 5 2 18
1990 BAL 1B 5 2 26 1 0 1
1991 CHA 1B 15 14 101 6 2 8

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ron Kittle Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 72
Left Field 347
Center Field 1
Right Field 5
Designated Hitter 353

Awards & Honors

Ron Kittle — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1989 Player of the Month May
1989 Player of the Week Week of 1989-05-12
1985 Player of the Week Week of 1985-09-13
1984 Player of the Week Week of 1984-04-27
1983 Rookie of the Year
1983 TSN Rookie Player of the Year

Salary History

Ron Kittle — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1990 CHA AL $550,000
1989 CHA AL $550,000
1988 CLE AL $300,000
1987 NYA AL $425,000
1986 CHA AL $400,000
1985 CHA AL $300,000
Total Career Earnings $2,525,000

Award Voting History

Ron Kittle — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1983 Rookie of the Year AL 1st 104.0 140 15

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Ron Kittle (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Anthony Santander
    .241 avg, 161 HR
  2. 85
    Bo Jackson
    .250 avg, 141 HR
  3. 80
    Brandon Moss
    .237 avg, 160 HR
  4. 80
    Hunter Renfroe
    .236 avg, 192 HR
  5. 73
    Tyler O'Neill
    .239 avg, 128 HR
  6. 69
    Marcus Thames
    .246 avg, 115 HR

Ron Kittle: the record in brief

Ron Kittle played a first major league game on September 2, 1982 and a last one on August 13, 1991. By club, Kittle's seasons break down as the Chicago White Sox (1982 to 1991), the New York Yankees (1986 to 1987), the Cleveland Indians (1988), and the Baltimore Orioles (1990). Born on January 5, 1958, in Gary, IN, USA, Kittle is listed as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 200 pounds on a 6-foot-4 frame. On the record, Ron Kittle was born Ronald Dale Kittle.

The batting record for Kittle: 843 games, 648 hits in 2,708 at bats, and a .239 average; the totals also include 176 homers and 460 RBI. Kittle got on base at a .306 rate and slugged .473 (.779 OPS). Set against a .258 league average for the same years, Kittle's .239 average sits 7.3% below it. By OPS the gap is 9.4% above league average (.779 against .713).

Frequently Asked Questions about Ron Kittle

What years did Ron Kittle play?
Ron Kittle played in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1991.
Was Ron Kittle a pitcher?
No. Ron Kittle was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Ron Kittle hit?
Ron Kittle hit 176 career home runs with 648 hits.
What was Ron Kittle's career batting average?
Ron Kittle batted .239 over his career, with 648 hits in 2,708 at bats.
How many RBI did Ron Kittle have?
Ron Kittle drove in 460 runs in his career.
Is Ron Kittle in the Hall of Fame?
No. Ron Kittle has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.