Nelson Liriano

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1987-1998)

Nelson Liriano was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 1998 for 6 teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, a span of 12 seasons. In 823 career games, he hit .260 with 576 hits, 25 home runs, and 240 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

AVG .260
HR 25
RBI 240
H 576
OPS .689
PIV -1,676
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 165 lb
Born
6/3/1964 in Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata, D.R.
MLB Debut
1987-08-25
Last Game
1998-05-13

Full name: Nelson Arturo Liriano

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Career Batting Statistics

Nelson Liriano — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
823 2,216 296 576 105 27 25 240 59 212 300 .260 .324 .366 .689 -1,676

Career AVG .260 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .324 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .366 vs. league average .405 across their career seasons — 9.7% below league average.

Career OPS .689 vs. league average .735 across their career seasons — 6.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Nelson Liriano 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
1987 TOR AL 37 158 29 38 6 2 2 10 13 16 22 .241 .262 (-9%) .331 (-6%) .415 (-18%) .746 (-13%) -315.4
1988 TOR AL 99 276 36 73 6 2 3 23 12 11 40 .264 .254 (+4%) .317 (-7%) .377 (-12%) .695 (-9%) -411.4
1989 TOR AL 132 418 51 110 26 3 5 53 16 43 51 .263 .254 (+4%) .319 (+4%) .375 (avg) .694 (+2%) 141.5
1990 TOR AL 50 170 16 36 7 2 1 15 3 16 20 .212 .257 (-18%) .324 (-13%) .385 (-24%) .710 (-19%) -504.9
1990 MIN AL 53 185 30 47 5 7 0 13 5 22 24 .254 .257 (-1%) .324 (+2%) .385 (-7%) .710 (-3%) -504.9
1991 KCA AL 10 22 5 9 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 .409 — — — — 0.0
1993 COL NL 48 151 28 46 6 3 2 15 6 18 22 .305 .265 (+15%) .332 (+13%) .403 (+5%) .735 (+9%) 260.0
1994 COL NL 87 255 39 65 17 5 3 31 0 42 44 .255 .269 (-6%) .338 (+5%) .424 (-7%) .763 (-1%) -23.0
1995 PIT NL 107 259 29 74 12 1 5 38 2 24 34 .286 .266 (+7%) .337 (+3%) .417 (-5%) .755 (-1%) -44.8
1996 PIT NL 112 217 23 58 14 2 3 30 2 14 22 .267 .269 (-1%) .340 (-10%) .426 (-8%) .767 (-9%) -378.4
1997 LAN NL 76 88 10 20 6 0 1 11 0 6 12 .227 .266 (-15%) .336 (-19%) .419 (-21%) .756 (-20%) -312.4
1998 COL NL 12 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 823 2,216 296 576 105 27 25 240 59 212 300 .260 — — — — -2,094

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

Nelson Liriano — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 7 1 3 0 0 0 1 2 0 .429

Playoff Batting by Year

Nelson Liriano — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1989 ALCS TOR 3 7 1 3 0 0 0 1 2 0 .429

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (823 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Nelson Liriano — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home41410651572799126.262
Away409115113929716114.258

Last 10 Games — Batting

Nelson Liriano — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1998-05-13 COLCHCL 100000000
1998-05-12 COLPITL 100000000
1998-05-09 COLWSNL 100000000
1998-05-08 COLWSNW 400000002
1998-05-06 COLPHIL 000000000
1998-05-04 COLPHIW 100000000
1998-05-03 COLNYNL 100000001
1998-05-02 COLNYNW 100000001
1998-04-27 COLMIAL 100000000
1998-04-25 COLATLW 200000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Nelson Liriano — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 0 5 1 0 0
2B 566 482 1018 1381 58 310
3B 19 11 7 23 0 0
SS 47 31 49 83 4 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Nelson Liriano — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1987 TOR 2B 37 36 83 107 1 28
1988 TOR 2B 80 65 121 177 12 48
1988 TOR 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1989 TOR 2B 122 117 267 330 12 76
1990 TOR 2B 49 45 93 132 4 26
1990 MIN 2B 50 47 83 128 7 27
1990 MIN SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1991 KCA 2B 10 6 11 23 0 3
1993 COL 2B 16 11 19 32 3 7
1993 COL 3B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1993 COL SS 35 26 45 71 3 13
1994 COL 2B 79 72 143 222 10 44
1994 COL 3B 2 1 2 1 0 0
1994 COL SS 3 0 0 2 0 0
1995 PIT 2B 67 51 130 132 5 31
1995 PIT 3B 5 3 0 5 0 0
1995 PIT SS 1 1 0 0 0 0
1996 PIT 2B 36 24 50 73 2 13
1996 PIT 3B 9 7 4 17 0 0
1996 PIT SS 5 3 4 8 1 2
1997 LAN 1B 2 0 5 1 0 0
1997 LAN 2B 17 7 14 23 2 6
1997 LAN 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1997 LAN SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1998 COL 2B 3 1 4 2 0 1
1998 COL SS 1 1 0 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Nelson Liriano Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 2
Second Base 566
Third Base 19
Shortstop 47
Designated Hitter 18

Awards & Honors

Nelson Liriano — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1989 Player of the Week Week of 1989-05-19

Salary History

Nelson Liriano's recorded salaries total $1,855,000 over 8 seasons, 1987 to 1997. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Liriano's career ran from 1987 to 1998. No salary is recorded for 1991, 1993, and 1998.

Nelson Liriano — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1997 LAN NL $375,000
1996 PIT NL $350,000
1995 PIT NL $350,000
1994 COL NL $275,000
1990 TOR AL $255,000
1989 TOR AL $112,500
1988 TOR AL $75,000
1987 TOR AL $62,500
Total recorded salary (partial) $1,855,000

Award Voting History

Nelson Liriano — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1987 Rookie of the Year AL 6th 1.0 140 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Nelson Liriano (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bert Haas
    .264 avg, 22 HR
  2. 90
    Stu Martin
    .268 avg, 16 HR
  3. 89
    Ramon Martinez
    .262 avg, 29 HR
  4. 88
    Brock Holt
    .262 avg, 25 HR
  5. 87
    Sam Bohne
    .261 avg, 16 HR
  6. 86
    Brent Gates
    .264 avg, 25 HR

Nelson Liriano: the record in brief

August 25, 1987 and May 13, 1998 bracket Nelson Liriano's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Toronto Blue Jays (1987 through 1990), the Minnesota Twins (1990), the Kansas City Royals (1991), the Colorado Rockies (1993 through 1998), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1995 through 1996), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1997). Born on June 3, 1964, in Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata, D.R., Liriano is listed as a second baseman and switch-hit and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5'10" and 165 pounds. The given name on file is Nelson Arturo Liriano.

Across 823 games at the plate, Liriano's career line reads 576 hits in 2,216 at bats for a .260 average; the totals also include 25 home runs, 240 runs batted in, and 59 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .324 clip and slugging .366, Liriano finished with a .689 OPS. Against a .263 league average for those years, Liriano's .260 average was near the norm. The OPS comparison is .689 to a league .735, 6.2% below average. The hits column peaks at 110, in 1989.

Frequently Asked Questions about Nelson Liriano

What years did Nelson Liriano play?
Nelson Liriano played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 1998.
Was Nelson Liriano a pitcher?
No. Nelson Liriano was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Nelson Liriano hit?
Nelson Liriano hit 25 career home runs with 576 hits.
What teams did Nelson Liriano play for?
Nelson Liriano played for 6 teams: the Toronto Blue Jays (1987–1990), the Minnesota Twins (1990), the Kansas City Royals (1991), the Colorado Rockies (1993–1994, 1998), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1995–1996), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1997).
What were Nelson Liriano's career stats?
In 823 games, Nelson Liriano had 576 hits, 25 home runs, 240 RBI, 296 runs, and 59 stolen bases, with a .260 batting average.
How much did Nelson Liriano earn in his career?
Nelson Liriano's recorded salaries total $1,855,000 over 8 seasons, 1987 to 1997. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Liriano's career ran from 1987 to 1998. No salary is recorded for 1991, 1993, and 1998.
What was Nelson Liriano's salary?
Nelson Liriano's last recorded salary was $375,000, in 1997. His highest recorded salary was $375,000, in 1997, and his lowest was $62,500, in 1987. The Salary History table lists each season from 1987 to 1997.
What position did Nelson Liriano play?
Nelson Liriano played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Nelson Liriano and how much did he weigh?
Nelson Liriano was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 165 pounds.
How many home runs did Nelson Liriano hit each season?
Nelson Liriano's home runs by season: 2 in 1987, 3 in 1988, 5 in 1989, 1 in 1990, 0 in 1991, 2 in 1993, 3 in 1994, 5 in 1995, 3 in 1996, 1 in 1997, and 0 in 1998. His most in one season was 5, in 1989 and 1995.
What was Nelson Liriano's career batting average?
Nelson Liriano batted .260 over his career, with 576 hits in 2,216 at bats.
How many RBI did Nelson Liriano have?
Nelson Liriano drove in 240 runs in his career.
Is Nelson Liriano in the Hall of Fame?
No. Nelson Liriano has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.