Tom Lawless
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1982-1990)
Tom Lawless was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1990 for 4 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 9 seasons. In 343 career games, he hit .207 with 110 hits, 2 home runs, and 24 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1982-07-15
- Last Game
- 1990-07-04
Full name: Thomas James Lawless
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 343 | 531 | 78 | 110 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 53 | 41 | 85 | .207 | .263 | .258 | .521 | -1,588 |
Career AVG .207 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 19.8% below league average.
Career OBP .263 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 18.7% below league average.
Career SLG .258 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 33.7% below league average.
Career OPS .521 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 26.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | CIN | NL | 49 | 165 | 19 | 35 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 9 | 30 | .212 | .261 (-19%) | .324 (-22%) | .388 (-36%) | .712 (-30%) | -759.5 |
| 1984 | CIN | NL | 43 | 80 | 10 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 | .250 | .259 (-4%) | .322 (-1%) | .384 (-19%) | .707 (-11%) | -113.7 |
| 1984 | MON | NL | 11 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .176 | — | — | — | — | -113.7 |
| 1985 | SLN | NL | 47 | 58 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 4 | .207 | .257 (-20%) | .323 (-17%) | .390 (-25%) | .714 (-21%) | -197.8 |
| 1986 | SLN | NL | 46 | 39 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 8 | .282 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | SLN | NL | 19 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | .080 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | SLN | NL | 54 | 65 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 | .154 | .254 (-39%) | .317 (-26%) | .377 (-31%) | .695 (-28%) | -288.6 |
| 1989 | TOR | AL | 59 | 70 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 12 | .229 | .254 (-10%) | .319 (-8%) | .375 (-35%) | .694 (-23%) | -228.5 |
| 1990 | TOR | AL | 15 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .083 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 343 | 531 | 78 | 110 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 53 | 41 | 85 | .207 | — | — | — | — | -1,702 | ||
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 (343 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 172 | 261 | 38 | 48 | 0 | 11 | .184 |
| Away | 171 | 270 | 40 | 62 | 2 | 13 | .230 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-07-04 | TOR | LAA | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-07-02 | TOR | OAK | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-06-28 | TOR | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-06-16 | TOR | NYY | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-06-15 | TOR | NYY | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-06-10 | TOR | MIL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-06-02 | TOR | MIL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-05-19 | TOR | LAA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-05-17 | TOR | SEA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-05-15 | TOR | SEA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2B | 117 | 75 | 173 | 244 | 5 | 55 |
| 3B | 74 | 29 | 35 | 76 | 8 | 6 |
| C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 26 | 12 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | CIN | 2B | 47 | 42 | 87 | 136 | 5 | 35 |
| 1984 | CIN | 2B | 23 | 15 | 34 | 35 | 0 | 5 |
| 1984 | CIN | 3B | 6 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 1984 | MON | 2B | 9 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 2 |
| 1985 | SLN | 2B | 11 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 0 | 2 |
| 1985 | SLN | 3B | 13 | 7 | 9 | 24 | 1 | 2 |
| 1986 | SLN | 2B | 7 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | SLN | 3B | 12 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 1986 | SLN | OF | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | SLN | 2B | 7 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 3 |
| 1987 | SLN | 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | SLN | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | SLN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | SLN | 2B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| 1988 | SLN | 3B | 24 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 0 | 1 |
| 1988 | SLN | OF | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | TOR | 2B | 7 | 5 | 17 | 13 | 0 | 5 |
| 1989 | TOR | 3B | 12 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 1 |
| 1989 | TOR | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | TOR | OF | 16 | 6 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | TOR | 2B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990 | TOR | 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1990 | TOR | OF | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1 |
| First Base | 1 |
| Second Base | 117 |
| Third Base | 74 |
| Left Field | 14 |
| Right Field | 12 |
| Designated Hitter | 17 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | TOR | AL | $250,000 |
| 1989 | TOR | AL | $175,000 |
| 1988 | SLN | NL | $125,000 |
| 1987 | SLN | NL | $115,000 |
| 1986 | SLN | NL | $100,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $765,000 | ||
Tom Lawless: the record in brief
Tom Lawless's major league career runs from a debut on July 15, 1982 to a final game on July 4, 1990. The season rows list, in order, the Cincinnati Reds (1982 through 1984), the Montreal Expos (1984), the St. Louis Cardinals (1985 to 1988), and the Toronto Blue Jays (1989 to 1990). Lawless is listed as a second baseman at 5 feet, 11 inches and 170 pounds. Lawless threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is December 19, 1956, in Erie, PA, USA. Lawless's full given name, per the bio, is Thomas James Lawless.
Across 343 games at the plate, Lawless's career line reads 110 hits in 531 at bats for a .207 average, adding 2 homers, 24 RBI, and 53 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .263 and .258 give Lawless a career OPS of .521. Set against a .258 league average for the same years, Lawless's .207 average sits 19.8% below it. The highest hit total in a season was 35, in 1982. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .212 in 1982, did not top the league's .261.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tom Lawless
- What years did Tom Lawless play?
- Tom Lawless played in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1990.
- Was Tom Lawless a pitcher?
- No. Tom Lawless was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Tom Lawless hit?
- Tom Lawless hit 2 career home runs with 110 hits.
- What was Tom Lawless's career batting average?
- Tom Lawless batted .207 over his career, with 110 hits in 531 at bats.
- How many RBI did Tom Lawless have?
- Tom Lawless drove in 24 runs in his career.
- Is Tom Lawless in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Tom Lawless has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.