Paul Konerko
Born: 3/5/1976 in Providence, RI, USA
MLB Debut: 1997-09-08 | Final Game: 2014-09-28
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 220 lbs
Full name: Paul Henry Konerko
Biography
Paul Konerko was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball, known for his powerful hitting and leadership on the field. Born in 1976, he played his entire career from 1997 to 2014, making a significant impact primarily as a first baseman. Over the course of 2,349 games, Konerko amassed 2,340 hits, 439 home runs, and 1,412 RBIs, culminating in a career batting average of .279. His offensive prowess was complemented by his durability and consistency, as he became a central figure for the Chicago White Sox during his tenure.
Konerko's contributions to the game were recognized with six All-Star selections, and he was named the Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series, highlighting his ability to perform in critical moments. He played during an era that saw the evolution of offensive strategies in baseball, and his power-hitting style made him a fan favorite and a key player in the White Sox's 2005 World Series championship team. Known for his leadership both on and off the field, Konerko remains a respected figure in baseball history, celebrated not only for his statistics but also for his commitment to the game and his team.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2349 | 8393 | 1162 | 2340 | 410 | 8 | 439 | 1412 | 9 | 921 | 1391 | 0.279 | 0.354 | 0.486 | 0.841 | 22334.3 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | LAD | NL | 6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.143 | 0.0 |
| 1998 | CIN | NL | 26 | 73 | 7 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0.219 | -161.0 |
| 1998 | LAD | NL | 49 | 144 | 14 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 30 | 0.215 | -161.0 |
| 1999 | CHW | AL | 142 | 513 | 71 | 151 | 31 | 4 | 24 | 81 | 1 | 45 | 68 | 0.294 | 1080.7 |
| 2000 | CHW | AL | 143 | 524 | 84 | 156 | 31 | 1 | 21 | 97 | 1 | 47 | 72 | 0.298 | 913.1 |
| 2001 | CHW | AL | 156 | 582 | 92 | 164 | 35 | 0 | 32 | 99 | 1 | 54 | 89 | 0.282 | 1567.6 |
| 2002 | CHW | AL | 151 | 570 | 81 | 173 | 30 | 0 | 27 | 104 | 0 | 44 | 72 | 0.304 | 1705.0 |
| 2003 | CHW | AL | 137 | 444 | 49 | 104 | 19 | 0 | 18 | 65 | 0 | 43 | 50 | 0.234 | -647.5 |
| 2004 | CHW | AL | 155 | 563 | 84 | 156 | 22 | 0 | 41 | 117 | 1 | 69 | 107 | 0.277 | 2102.3 |
| 2005 | CHW | AL | 158 | 575 | 98 | 163 | 24 | 0 | 40 | 100 | 0 | 81 | 109 | 0.283 | 2758.9 |
| 2006 | CHW | AL | 152 | 566 | 97 | 177 | 30 | 0 | 35 | 113 | 1 | 60 | 104 | 0.313 | 2613.7 |
| 2007 | CHW | AL | 151 | 549 | 71 | 142 | 34 | 0 | 31 | 90 | 0 | 78 | 102 | 0.259 | 1288.6 |
| 2008 | CHW | AL | 122 | 438 | 59 | 105 | 19 | 1 | 22 | 62 | 2 | 65 | 80 | 0.240 | 494.7 |
| 2009 | CHW | AL | 152 | 546 | 75 | 151 | 30 | 1 | 28 | 88 | 1 | 58 | 89 | 0.277 | 1391.0 |
| 2010 | CHW | AL | 149 | 548 | 89 | 171 | 30 | 1 | 39 | 111 | 0 | 72 | 110 | 0.312 | 3889.0 |
| 2011 | CHW | AL | 149 | 543 | 69 | 163 | 25 | 0 | 31 | 105 | 1 | 77 | 89 | 0.300 | 3024.2 |
| 2012 | CHW | AL | 144 | 533 | 66 | 159 | 22 | 0 | 26 | 75 | 0 | 56 | 83 | 0.298 | 2129.4 |
| 2013 | CHW | AL | 126 | 467 | 41 | 114 | 16 | 0 | 12 | 54 | 0 | 45 | 74 | 0.244 | -497.9 |
| 2014 | CHW | AL | 81 | 208 | 15 | 43 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 10 | 51 | 0.207 | -701.9 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 74 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 5 | 10 | 0.243 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ALDS2 | CHA | 4 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.312 |
| 2005 | ALCS | CHA | 5 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0.286 |
| 2005 | ALDS1 | CHA | 3 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.250 |
| 2005 | WS | CHA | 4 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0.250 |
| 2000 | ALDS2 | CHA | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.000 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1904 | 1869 | 15936 | 1111 | 83 | 1660 |
| 3B | 29 | 24 | 9 | 40 | 2 | 2 |
| OF | 18 | 13 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | LAN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1997 | LAN | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | CIN | 1B | 7 | 5 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1998 | CIN | 3B | 9 | 9 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | CIN | OF | 7 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | LAN | 1B | 23 | 18 | 170 | 15 | 1 | 8 |
| 1998 | LAN | 3B | 11 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| 1998 | LAN | OF | 11 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | CHA | 1B | 92 | 89 | 740 | 58 | 4 | 72 |
| 1999 | CHA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | CHA | 1B | 122 | 121 | 1051 | 67 | 10 | 118 |
| 2000 | CHA | 3B | 7 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 2001 | CHA | 1B | 144 | 144 | 1276 | 90 | 8 | 120 |
| 2002 | CHA | 1B | 140 | 140 | 1146 | 75 | 8 | 113 |
| 2003 | CHA | 1B | 119 | 105 | 889 | 80 | 2 | 102 |
| 2004 | CHA | 1B | 139 | 137 | 1150 | 78 | 6 | 136 |
| 2005 | CHA | 1B | 146 | 145 | 1321 | 82 | 5 | 135 |
| 2006 | CHA | 1B | 140 | 139 | 1173 | 67 | 6 | 113 |
| 2007 | CHA | 1B | 141 | 140 | 1180 | 71 | 5 | 131 |
| 2008 | CHA | 1B | 116 | 116 | 1010 | 75 | 7 | 94 |
| 2009 | CHA | 1B | 134 | 133 | 1159 | 79 | 4 | 112 |
| 2010 | CHA | 1B | 125 | 125 | 1069 | 83 | 7 | 124 |
| 2011 | CHA | 1B | 111 | 110 | 975 | 68 | 5 | 89 |
| 2012 | CHA | 1B | 105 | 105 | 818 | 60 | 1 | 96 |
| 2013 | CHA | 1B | 76 | 76 | 600 | 48 | 4 | 70 |
| 2014 | CHA | 1B | 23 | 21 | 168 | 9 | 0 | 25 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1904 |
| Third Base | 29 |
| Left Field | 18 |
| Designated Hitter | 345 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Roberto Clemente Award | |
| 2012 | Player of the Week | Week of 2012-05-28 |
| 2012 | Player of the Week | Week of 2012-04-29 |
| 2011 | Player of the Week | Week of 2011-04-10 |
| 2010 | Player of the Week | Week of 2010-05-02 |
| 2006 | Player of the Week | Week of 2006-06-17 |
| 2005 | ALCS MVP | |
| 2004 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 2004 | TSN Comeback Player of the Year | |
| 2003 | Player of the Week | Week of 2003-08-29 |
| 2002 | Player of the Month | June |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | CHA | AL | $2,500,000 |
| 2013 | CHA | AL | $12,501,506 |
| 2012 | CHA | AL | $12,000,000 |
| 2011 | CHA | AL | $12,000,000 |
| 2010 | CHA | AL | $12,000,000 |
| 2009 | CHA | AL | $12,000,000 |
| 2008 | CHA | AL | $12,000,000 |
| 2007 | CHA | AL | $12,000,000 |
| 2006 | CHA | AL | $12,000,000 |
| 2005 | CHA | AL | $8,750,000 |
| 2004 | CHA | AL | $8,000,000 |
| 2003 | CHA | AL | $6,250,000 |
| 2002 | CHA | AL | $3,800,000 |
| 2001 | CHA | AL | $2,300,000 |
| 2000 | CHA | AL | $305,000 |
| 1999 | CHA | AL | $215,000 |
| 1998 | LAN | NL | $170,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $128,791,506 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 13th | 11.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 2010 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 5th | 130.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 2006 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 22th | 3.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 2005 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 6th | 128.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 2004 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 16th | 7.0 | 392 | 0 |