Vance Law

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1980-1991)

Vance Law was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1991 for 5 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,212 career games, he hit .256 with 972 hits, 71 home runs, and 442 RBI. Vance Law was an All-Star.

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 .256
HR 71
RBI 442
H 972
OPS .703
PIV -84
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 185 lb
Born
10/1/1956 in Boise, ID, USA
MLB Debut
1980-06-01
Last Game
1991-10-06
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Vance Aaron Law

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Career Batting Statistics

Vance Law — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,212 3,802 453 972 193 26 71 442 34 408 602 .256 .326 .376 .703 -84

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .326 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .376 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .703 vs. league average .711 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Vance Law 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
1980 PIT NL 25 74 11 17 2 2 0 3 2 3 7 .230 .264 (-13%) .326 (-20%) .387 (-20%) .714 (-20%) -249.5
1981 PIT NL 30 67 1 9 0 1 0 3 1 2 15 .134 .255 (-47%) .320 (-51%) .368 (-55%) .688 (-53%) -562.6
1982 CHA AL 114 359 40 101 20 1 5 54 4 26 46 .281 .261 (+8%) .324 (+1%) .388 (-1%) .712 (avg) -36.7
1983 CHA AL 145 408 55 99 21 5 4 42 3 51 56 .243 .260 (-7%) .324 (avg) .389 (-11%) .714 (-6%) -338.9
1984 CHA AL 151 481 60 121 18 2 17 59 4 41 75 .252 .259 (-3%) .322 (-4%) .384 (+5%) .707 (+1%) 10.1
1985 MON NL 147 519 75 138 30 6 10 52 6 86 96 .266 .257 (+3%) .323 (+14%) .390 (+3%) .714 (+8%) 1092.1
1986 MON NL 112 360 37 81 17 2 5 44 3 37 66 .225 .257 (-13%) .325 (-9%) .395 (-18%) .720 (-14%) -770.9
1987 MON NL 133 436 52 119 27 1 12 56 8 51 62 .273 .262 (+4%) .331 (+5%) .415 (+2%) .746 (+3%) 312.7
1988 CHN NL 151 556 73 163 29 2 11 78 1 55 79 .293 .254 (+15%) .317 (+13%) .377 (+9%) .695 (+11%) 1280.0
1989 CHN NL 130 408 38 96 22 3 7 42 2 38 73 .235 .254 (-7%) .319 (-7%) .375 (-5%) .694 (-6%) -469.6
1991 OAK AL 74 134 11 28 7 1 0 9 0 18 27 .209 .255 (-18%) .323 (-6%) .384 (-28%) .708 (-18%) -350.4
Career · 11 seasons 1,212 3,802 453 972 193 26 71 442 34 408 602 .256 — — — — -84

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.

Career Pitching Statistics

Vance Law — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 7 0 0 0 0 8.0 9 3 0 3 2 3.38 0.0

Career ERA 3.38 vs. league average 4.06 across their career seasons — 16.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Vance Law — Season-by-Season Pitching
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1986 MON NL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4.0 3 1 2 0 2.25 — 0.0
1987 MON NL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3.1 5 2 0 2 5.40 — 0.0
1991 OAK AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.2 1 0 1 0 0.00 — 0.0
Career · 3 seasons 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 8.0 9 3 3 2 3.38 — 0

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

Vance Law — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 14 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 6 .143

Playoff Batting by Year

Vance Law — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1989 NLCS CHN 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000
1983 ALCS CHA 4 11 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 3 .182

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1219 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Vance Law — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home604183523648834245.266
Away608196721748437197.246

Pitching — Home / Away

Vance Law — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home45.162003.38
Away32.231323.38

Last 10 Games — Batting

Vance Law — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1991-10-06 OAKTEXL 000000000
1991-10-05 OAKTEXW 100000000
1991-10-02 OAKKCRL 000000000
1991-09-30 OAKKCRL 100000001
1991-09-28 OAKTEXL 000000000
1991-09-27 OAKTEXL 300000001
1991-09-26 OAKTEXW 111100100
1991-09-20 OAKTORW 100000000
1991-09-11 OAKCHWW 000000000
1991-09-10 OAKCHWL 301000001

Last 7 Games — Pitching

Vance Law — Last 7 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1991-10-02 OAKKCR — 0.2100100
1987-09-01 WSNSFG — 1.0211020
1987-08-01 WSNNYN — 1.0000000
1987-06-27 WSNSTL — 1.1311000
1986-07-25 WSNCIN — 1.0010200
1986-06-21 WSNPIT — 2.0311000
1986-05-28 WSNSDP — 1.0000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Vance Law — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 58 32 321 30 3 23
2B 391 347 710 1065 29 208
3B 700 589 442 1115 71 102
OF 14 3 12 1 1 1
P 7 0 0 2 0 0
SS 109 89 143 284 19 49

Season-by-Season Fielding

Vance Law — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1980 PIT 2B 11 10 23 30 2 5
1980 PIT 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1980 PIT SS 8 7 8 24 1 3
1981 PIT 2B 19 13 40 45 0 9
1981 PIT 3B 2 0 2 0 0 0
1981 PIT SS 7 4 8 13 0 1
1982 CHA 2B 10 4 11 19 3 5
1982 CHA 3B 39 19 19 55 5 3
1982 CHA OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1982 CHA SS 85 77 126 239 18 44
1983 CHA 2B 3 0 3 2 0 0
1983 CHA 3B 139 134 91 309 14 28
1983 CHA OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1983 CHA SS 2 0 0 0 0 0
1984 CHA 2B 22 16 29 42 2 6
1984 CHA 3B 137 118 79 199 13 24
1984 CHA OF 5 3 11 1 1 1
1984 CHA SS 4 0 0 4 0 1
1985 MON 1B 20 15 136 12 1 10
1985 MON 2B 126 120 276 367 10 86
1985 MON 3B 11 6 8 23 1 2
1985 MON OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1986 MON 1B 20 7 94 9 1 8
1986 MON 2B 94 87 170 284 3 50
1986 MON 3B 13 1 9 5 0 1
1986 MON OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1986 MON P 3 0 0 1 0 0
1987 MON 1B 17 10 89 9 1 5
1987 MON 2B 106 97 158 276 9 47
1987 MON 3B 22 11 11 22 1 2
1987 MON P 3 0 0 1 0 0
1988 CHN 3B 150 149 111 272 19 22
1988 CHN OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1989 CHN 3B 119 115 76 168 13 13
1989 CHN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1991 OAK 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1991 OAK 3B 67 36 36 62 5 7
1991 OAK OF 3 0 0 0 0 0
1991 OAK P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1991 OAK SS 3 1 1 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Vance Law Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 7
First Base 60
Second Base 388
Third Base 704
Shortstop 110
Left Field 6
Center Field 7
Right Field 2
Designated Hitter 1

Salary History

Vance Law — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1991 OAK AL $500,000
1989 CHN NL $425,000
1988 CHN NL $375,000
1987 MON NL $525,000
1986 MON NL $450,000
1985 MON NL $375,000
Total Career Earnings $2,650,000

College History

Vance Law — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Brigham Young University Provo UT 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Vance Law (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Adam Frazier
    .263 avg, 68 HR
  2. 97
    Roy Howell
    .261 avg, 80 HR
  3. 91
    Babe Dahlgren
    .261 avg, 82 HR
  4. 87
    Jim Davenport
    .258 avg, 77 HR
  5. 84
    Daryl Spencer
    .244 avg, 105 HR
  6. 84
    Alberto Callaspo
    .265 avg, 52 HR

Vance Law: the record in brief

June 1, 1980 and October 6, 1991 bracket Vance Law's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1980 through 1981), the Chicago White Sox (1982 through 1984), the Montreal Expos (1985 through 1987), the Chicago Cubs (1988 through 1989), and the Oakland Athletics (1991). Law is listed as a third baseman at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds. The bio says Law threw and hit right-handed. Law was born on October 1, 1956, in Boise, ID, USA. Law's full given name, per the bio, is Vance Aaron Law.

In 1,212 games and 3,802 at bats, Law batted .256 with 972 hits, along with 71 home runs, 442 runs batted in, and 34 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .326 and .376 give Law a career OPS of .703. Against a .259 league average for those years, Law's .256 average was near the norm. The single-season home run high is 17, set in 1984.

Frequently Asked Questions about Vance Law

What years did Vance Law play?
Vance Law played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1991.
Was Vance Law a pitcher?
No. Vance Law was a position player (Third Baseman), though he did pitch in 7 career games.
How many home runs did Vance Law hit?
Vance Law hit 71 career home runs with 972 hits.
What was Vance Law's career batting average?
Vance Law batted .256 over his career, with 972 hits in 3,802 at bats.
How many RBI did Vance Law have?
Vance Law drove in 442 runs in his career.
What was Vance Law's career ERA?
Vance Law finished with a 3.38 career ERA, going 0-0 with 2 strikeouts.