Gary Matthews
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1999-2010)
Gary Matthews was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2010 for 7 teams, including the San Diego Padres, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,281 career games, he hit .257 with 1,056 hits, 108 home runs, and 484 RBI. Gary Matthews 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
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 200 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1999-06-04
- Last Game
- 2010-06-02
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Gary Nathaniel Matthews
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,281 | 4,103 | 612 | 1,056 | 225 | 29 | 108 | 484 | 95 | 454 | 849 | .257 | .332 | .405 | .737 | -1,089 |
Career AVG .257 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .332 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .405 vs. league average .423 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .737 vs. league average .757 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | SDN | NL | 23 | 36 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 9 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2000 | CHN | NL | 80 | 158 | 24 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 3 | 15 | 28 | .190 | .270 (-30%) | .344 (-23%) | .437 (-32%) | .782 (-28%) | -762.5 |
| 2001 | CHN | NL | 106 | 258 | 41 | 56 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 30 | 5 | 38 | 55 | .217 | .263 (-18%) | .332 (-4%) | .426 (-15%) | .758 (-10%) | -358.9 |
| 2001 | PIT | NL | 46 | 147 | 22 | 36 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 22 | 45 | .245 | .263 (-7%) | .332 (+3%) | .426 (-6%) | .758 (-2%) | -358.9 |
| 2002 | NYN | NL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2002 | BAL | AL | 109 | 344 | 54 | 95 | 25 | 3 | 7 | 38 | 15 | 43 | 69 | .276 | .261 (+6%) | .331 (+7%) | .416 (+3%) | .747 (+5%) | 0.0 |
| 2003 | BAL | AL | 41 | 162 | 21 | 33 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 9 | 29 | .204 | .264 (-23%) | .332 (-25%) | .422 (-22%) | .754 (-24%) | -660.6 |
| 2003 | SDN | NL | 103 | 306 | 50 | 83 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 12 | 34 | 66 | .271 | .264 (+3%) | .332 (+4%) | .422 (-10%) | .754 (-4%) | -660.6 |
| 2004 | TEX | AL | 87 | 280 | 37 | 77 | 17 | 1 | 11 | 36 | 5 | 33 | 64 | .275 | .266 (+3%) | .335 (+4%) | .427 (+8%) | .762 (+6%) | 343.4 |
| 2005 | TEX | AL | 131 | 475 | 72 | 121 | 25 | 5 | 17 | 55 | 9 | 47 | 90 | .255 | .264 (-4%) | .330 (-3%) | .418 (+4%) | .749 (+1%) | 14.2 |
| 2006 | TEX | AL | 147 | 620 | 102 | 194 | 44 | 6 | 19 | 79 | 10 | 58 | 99 | .313 | .269 (+16%) | .336 (+10%) | .431 (+15%) | .768 (+13%) | 1634.9 |
| 2007 | LAA | AL | 140 | 516 | 79 | 130 | 26 | 3 | 18 | 72 | 18 | 55 | 102 | .252 | .268 (-6%) | .335 (-4%) | .422 (-1%) | .758 (-2%) | -230.4 |
| 2008 | LAA | AL | 127 | 426 | 53 | 103 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 46 | 8 | 45 | 95 | .242 | .263 (-8%) | .333 (-4%) | .416 (-14%) | .749 (-10%) | -649.3 |
| 2009 | LAA | AL | 103 | 316 | 44 | 79 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 50 | 4 | 40 | 74 | .250 | .262 (-5%) | .332 (+1%) | .417 (-14%) | .750 (-7%) | -319.7 |
| 2010 | NYN | NL | 36 | 58 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 24 | .190 | .257 (-26%) | .325 (-18%) | .402 (-40%) | .728 (-30%) | -274.7 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 1,281 | 4,103 | 612 | 1,056 | 225 | 29 | 108 | 484 | 95 | 454 | 849 | .257 | — | — | — | — | -2,283 | ||
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 (1281 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 627 | 1971 | 315 | 510 | 52 | 243 | .259 |
| Away | 654 | 2132 | 297 | 546 | 56 | 241 | .256 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-06-02 | NYN | SDP | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010-05-31 | NYN | SDP | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-05-30 | NYN | MIL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010-05-29 | NYN | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010-05-22 | NYN | NYY | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010-05-21 | NYN | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010-05-20 | NYN | WAS | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-05-18 | NYN | ATL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-05-17 | NYN | ATL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010-05-16 | NYN | MIA | L | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1158 | 998 | 2431 | 56 | 47 | 11 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | SDN | OF | 17 | 8 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | CHN | OF | 61 | 30 | 84 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2001 | CHN | OF | 100 | 65 | 159 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 2001 | PIT | OF | 44 | 40 | 100 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2002 | BAL | OF | 100 | 88 | 179 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 2003 | BAL | OF | 40 | 38 | 99 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | SDN | OF | 92 | 69 | 150 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | TEX | OF | 85 | 77 | 195 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| 2005 | TEX | OF | 123 | 121 | 317 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
| 2006 | TEX | OF | 145 | 144 | 340 | 8 | 7 | 2 |
| 2007 | LAA | OF | 135 | 133 | 362 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| 2008 | LAA | OF | 106 | 95 | 200 | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| 2009 | LAA | OF | 91 | 80 | 193 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2010 | NYN | OF | 19 | 10 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 181 |
| Center Field | 747 |
| Right Field | 291 |
| Designated Hitter | 27 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Player of the Week | Week of 2006-09-16 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | NYN | NL | $11,400,000 |
| 2009 | LAA | AL | $10,400,000 |
| 2008 | LAA | AL | $9,400,000 |
| 2007 | LAA | AL | $6,400,000 |
| 2006 | TEX | AL | $2,387,500 |
| 2005 | TEX | AL | $1,100,000 |
| 2003 | BAL | AL | $900,000 |
| 2002 | NYN | NL | $237,500 |
| 2001 | CHN | NL | $225,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $42,450,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission College | Santa Clara | CA | 1993, 1994 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 30th | 1.0 | 392 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Gary Matthews (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Gary Matthews: the record in brief
The profile opens with Gary Matthews's first major league game on June 4, 1999; the last one listed came on June 2, 2010. The season rows list, in order, the San Diego Padres (1999 through 2003), the Chicago Cubs (2000 through 2001), the Pittsburgh Pirates (2001), the New York Mets (2002 through 2010), the Baltimore Orioles (2002 to 2003), the Texas Rangers (2004 through 2006), and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2007 through 2009). At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Matthews is listed as an outfielder. The bio says Matthews batted from both sides and threw right-handed. Matthews was born on August 25, 1974, in San Francisco, CA, USA. Matthews's full given name, per the bio, is Gary Nathaniel Matthews.
Matthews collected 1,056 hits in 4,103 at bats across 1,281 games, good for a .257 batting average; the totals also include 108 home runs, 484 runs batted in, and 95 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .332 clip and slugging .405, Matthews finished with a .737 OPS. Matthews hit .257 while the league hit .265 over the same span, a figure close to average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gary Matthews
- What years did Gary Matthews play?
- Gary Matthews played in Major League Baseball from 1999 to 2010.
- Was Gary Matthews a pitcher?
- No. Gary Matthews was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Gary Matthews hit?
- Gary Matthews hit 108 career home runs with 1056 hits.
- What was Gary Matthews's career batting average?
- Gary Matthews batted .257 over his career, with 1,056 hits in 4,103 at bats.
- How many RBI did Gary Matthews have?
- Gary Matthews drove in 484 runs in his career.
- Is Gary Matthews in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Gary Matthews has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.