Steve Lake
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1983-1993)
Steve Lake was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1993 for the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 11 seasons. In 476 career games, he hit .237 with 267 hits, 18 home runs, and 108 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 180 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1983-04-09
- Last Game
- 1993-09-22
Full name: Steven Michael Lake
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 476 | 1,125 | 89 | 267 | 41 | 5 | 18 | 108 | 1 | 43 | 159 | .237 | .268 | .331 | .599 | -3,164 |
Career AVG .237 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 8.1% below league average.
Career OBP .268 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 17.4% below league average.
Career SLG .331 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 15.0% below league average.
Career OPS .599 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — 16.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | CHN | NL | 38 | 85 | 9 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .259 | .260 (-1%) | .324 (-13%) | .389 (-6%) | .714 (-9%) | -138.4 |
| 1984 | CHN | NL | 25 | 54 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .222 | .259 (-14%) | .322 (-28%) | .384 (+6%) | .707 (-10%) | -113.1 |
| 1985 | CHN | NL | 58 | 119 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 21 | .151 | .257 (-41%) | .323 (-45%) | .390 (-51%) | .714 (-48%) | -913.7 |
| 1986 | CHN | NL | 10 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .421 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | SLN | NL | 26 | 49 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .245 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | SLN | NL | 74 | 179 | 19 | 45 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 10 | 18 | .251 | .262 (-4%) | .331 (-13%) | .415 (-17%) | .746 (-15%) | -457.1 |
| 1988 | SLN | NL | 36 | 54 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 15 | .278 | .254 (+9%) | .317 (+7%) | .377 (+3%) | .695 (+5%) | 51.2 |
| 1989 | PHI | NL | 58 | 155 | 9 | 39 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 20 | .252 | .254 (-1%) | .319 (-5%) | .375 (-11%) | .694 (-8%) | -193.3 |
| 1990 | PHI | NL | 29 | 80 | 4 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 | .250 | .257 (-3%) | .324 (-12%) | .385 (-29%) | .710 (-21%) | -254.0 |
| 1991 | PHI | NL | 58 | 158 | 12 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 26 | .228 | .255 (-11%) | .323 (-27%) | .384 (-26%) | .708 (-26%) | -668.8 |
| 1992 | PHI | NL | 20 | 53 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | .245 | .255 (-4%) | .322 (-21%) | .377 (-10%) | .699 (-15%) | -143.8 |
| 1993 | CHN | NL | 44 | 120 | 11 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 19 | .225 | .265 (-15%) | .332 (-25%) | .403 (-1%) | .735 (-12%) | -261.8 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 476 | 1,125 | 89 | 267 | 41 | 5 | 18 | 108 | 1 | 43 | 159 | .237 | — | — | — | — | -3,093 | ||
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 (476 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 231 | 523 | 43 | 128 | 8 | 47 | .245 |
| Away | 245 | 602 | 46 | 139 | 10 | 61 | .231 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-09-22 | CHC | STL | W | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993-09-21 | CHC | STL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993-09-14 | CHC | SFG | W | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993-09-12 | CHC | NYN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993-09-10 | CHC | NYN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993-09-08 | CHC | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993-09-06 | CHC | PHI | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993-09-04 | CHC | NYN | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993-09-03 | CHC | NYN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993-09-01 | CHC | PHI | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | CHN | C | 32 | 21 | 115 | 22 | 0 | 3 |
| 1984 | CHN | C | 24 | 15 | 72 | 13 | 4 | 0 |
| 1985 | CHN | C | 55 | 33 | 182 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| 1986 | CHN | C | 10 | 4 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 1986 | SLN | C | 26 | 14 | 75 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 1987 | SLN | C | 59 | 50 | 253 | 21 | 1 | 2 |
| 1988 | SLN | C | 19 | 10 | 51 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 1989 | PHI | C | 55 | 47 | 262 | 33 | 3 | 3 |
| 1990 | PHI | C | 28 | 24 | 115 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
| 1991 | PHI | C | 58 | 45 | 277 | 25 | 2 | 1 |
| 1992 | PHI | C | 17 | 14 | 71 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| 1993 | CHN | C | 41 | 38 | 168 | 27 | 3 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 424 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | CHN | NL | $275,000 |
| 1991 | PHI | NL | $390,000 |
| 1990 | PHI | NL | $340,000 |
| 1989 | PHI | NL | $280,000 |
| 1988 | SLN | NL | $240,000 |
| 1987 | SLN | NL | $95,000 |
| 1986 | CHN | NL | $60,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $1,680,000 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Steve Lake (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Steve Lake: the record in brief
Steve Lake's major league career runs from a debut on April 9, 1983 to a final game on September 22, 1993. Club by club, the record runs the Chicago Cubs (1983 through 1993), the St. Louis Cardinals (1986 to 1988), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1989 to 1992). Lake played primarily as a catcher and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on March 14, 1957, in Inglewood, CA, USA and a listed size of 6'1" and 180 pounds. Steve Lake was the playing name; the full given name is Steven Michael.
Lake collected 267 hits in 1,125 at bats across 476 games, good for a .237 batting average, along with 18 home runs and 108 RBI. Reaching base at a .268 clip and slugging .331, Lake finished with a .599 OPS. Measured against the leagues Lake played in, the .237 career average compares with a .258 league average over the same seasons, 8.1% below the league. By OPS the gap is 16.1% below league average (.599 against .714). No season topped the 45 hits of 1987.
Frequently Asked Questions about Steve Lake
- What years did Steve Lake play?
- Steve Lake played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1993.
- Was Steve Lake a pitcher?
- No. Steve Lake was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Steve Lake hit?
- Steve Lake hit 18 career home runs with 267 hits.
- What was Steve Lake's career batting average?
- Steve Lake batted .237 over his career, with 267 hits in 1,125 at bats.
- How many RBI did Steve Lake have?
- Steve Lake drove in 108 runs in his career.
- Is Steve Lake in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Steve Lake has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.