Mark McGwire
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1986-2001)
Mark McGwire was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 2001 for the Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 16 seasons. In 1,874 career games, he hit .263 with 1,626 hits, 583 home runs, and 1,414 RBI. Mark McGwire was a 12-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year, a Gold Glove, and a 3-time Silver Slugger. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 44,531.
- 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'5" / 215 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1986-08-22
- Last Game
- 2001-10-07
- Awards
- 12× All-Star · Rookie of the Year · Gold Glove · 3× Silver Slugger
Full name: Mark David McGwire
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,874 | 6,187 | 1,167 | 1,626 | 252 | 6 | 583 | 1,414 | 12 | 1,317 | 1,596 | .263 | .394 | .588 | .982 | 44,531 |
Career AVG .263 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .394 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +18.7% above league average.
Career SLG .588 vs. league average .408 across their career seasons — +44.1% above league average.
Career OPS .982 vs. league average .740 across their career seasons — +32.7% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | OAK | AL | 18 | 53 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 18 | .189 | .257 (-27%) | .325 (-21%) | .395 (-4%) | .720 (-12%) | -104.6 |
| 1987 | OAK | AL | 151 | 557 | 97 | 161 | 28 | 4 | 49 | 118 | 1 | 71 | 131 | .289 | .262 (+10%) | .331 (+12%) | .415 (+49%) | .746 (+32%) | 3644.8 |
| 1988 | OAK | AL | 155 | 550 | 87 | 143 | 22 | 1 | 32 | 99 | 0 | 76 | 117 | .260 | .254 (+2%) | .317 (+11%) | .377 (+27%) | .695 (+19%) | 2215.1 |
| 1989 | OAK | AL | 143 | 490 | 74 | 113 | 17 | 0 | 33 | 95 | 1 | 83 | 94 | .231 | .254 (-9%) | .319 (+6%) | .375 (+25%) | .694 (+16%) | 1592.6 |
| 1990 | OAK | AL | 156 | 523 | 87 | 123 | 16 | 0 | 39 | 108 | 2 | 110 | 116 | .235 | .257 (-9%) | .324 (+14%) | .385 (+27%) | .710 (+21%) | 2538.2 |
| 1991 | OAK | AL | 154 | 483 | 62 | 97 | 22 | 0 | 22 | 75 | 2 | 93 | 116 | .201 | .255 (-21%) | .323 (+2%) | .384 (avg) | .708 (+1%) | 282.6 |
| 1992 | OAK | AL | 139 | 467 | 87 | 125 | 22 | 0 | 42 | 104 | 0 | 90 | 105 | .268 | .255 (+5%) | .322 (+20%) | .377 (+55%) | .699 (+39%) | 3664.7 |
| 1993 | OAK | AL | 27 | 84 | 16 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 24 | 0 | 21 | 19 | .333 | .265 (+26%) | .332 (+41%) | .403 (+80%) | .735 (+62%) | 964.2 |
| 1994 | OAK | AL | 47 | 135 | 26 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 25 | 0 | 37 | 40 | .252 | .269 (-7%) | .338 (+22%) | .424 (+12%) | .763 (+16%) | 550.8 |
| 1995 | OAK | AL | 104 | 317 | 75 | 87 | 13 | 0 | 39 | 90 | 1 | 88 | 77 | .274 | .266 (+3%) | .337 (+30%) | .417 (+64%) | .755 (+49%) | 3426.1 |
| 1996 | OAK | AL | 130 | 423 | 104 | 132 | 21 | 0 | 52 | 113 | 0 | 116 | 112 | .312 | .269 (+16%) | .340 (+37%) | .426 (+71%) | .767 (+56%) | 5498.0 |
| 1997 | OAK | AL | 105 | 366 | 48 | 104 | 24 | 0 | 34 | 81 | 1 | 58 | 98 | .284 | .266 (+7%) | .336 (+14%) | .419 (+50%) | .756 (+34%) | 2447.1 |
| 1997 | SLN | NL | 51 | 174 | 38 | 44 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 42 | 2 | 43 | 61 | .253 | .266 (-5%) | .336 (+22%) | .419 (+63%) | .756 (+45%) | 2447.1 |
| 1998 | SLN | NL | 155 | 509 | 130 | 152 | 21 | 0 | 70 | 147 | 1 | 162 | 155 | .299 | .266 (+12%) | .335 (+40%) | .420 (+79%) | .755 (+62%) | 7529.4 |
| 1999 | SLN | NL | 153 | 521 | 118 | 145 | 21 | 1 | 65 | 147 | 0 | 133 | 141 | .278 | .271 (+3%) | .344 (+23%) | .433 (+61%) | .778 (+44%) | 5318.0 |
| 2000 | SLN | NL | 89 | 236 | 60 | 72 | 8 | 0 | 32 | 73 | 1 | 76 | 78 | .305 | .270 (+13%) | .344 (+40%) | .437 (+71%) | .782 (+57%) | 3077.0 |
| 2001 | SLN | NL | 97 | 299 | 48 | 56 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 64 | 0 | 56 | 118 | .187 | .263 (-29%) | .332 (-5%) | .426 (+15%) | .758 (+6%) | 357.9 |
| Career · 17 seasons | 1,874 | 6,187 | 1,167 | 1,626 | 252 | 6 | 583 | 1,414 | 12 | 1,317 | 1,596 | .263 | — | — | — | — | 45,449 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 129 | 13 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 18 | 33 | .217 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | NLDS2 | SLN | 4 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | .091 |
| 2000 | NLCS | SLN | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| 2000 | NLDS1 | SLN | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| 1992 | ALCS | OAK | 6 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | .150 |
| 1990 | ALCS | OAK | 4 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | .154 |
| 1990 | WS | OAK | 4 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .214 |
| 1989 | ALCS | OAK | 5 | 18 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | .389 |
| 1989 | WS | OAK | 4 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .294 |
| 1988 | ALCS | OAK | 4 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | .333 |
| 1988 | WS | OAK | 5 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | .059 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1874 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 934 | 3009 | 573 | 789 | 285 | 701 | .262 |
| Away | 940 | 3178 | 594 | 837 | 298 | 713 | .263 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-10-07 | STL | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-10-05 | STL | HOU | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2001-10-04 | STL | MIL | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2001-10-03 | STL | MIL | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2001-10-02 | STL | MIL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2001-09-30 | STL | PIT | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001-09-29 | STL | PIT | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2001-09-28 | STL | PIT | W | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2001-09-26 | STL | HOU | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 2001-09-25 | STL | HOU | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1763 | 1720 | 14451 | 1042 | 103 | 1408 |
| 3B | 24 | 20 | 12 | 31 | 9 | 1 |
| OF | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | OAK | 3B | 16 | 15 | 10 | 20 | 6 | 1 |
| 1987 | OAK | 1B | 145 | 141 | 1173 | 90 | 10 | 91 |
| 1987 | OAK | 3B | 8 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 1987 | OAK | OF | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | OAK | 1B | 154 | 146 | 1228 | 88 | 9 | 118 |
| 1988 | OAK | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | OAK | 1B | 141 | 139 | 1170 | 114 | 6 | 122 |
| 1990 | OAK | 1B | 154 | 150 | 1329 | 95 | 5 | 126 |
| 1991 | OAK | 1B | 152 | 142 | 1191 | 101 | 4 | 120 |
| 1992 | OAK | 1B | 139 | 136 | 1118 | 71 | 6 | 118 |
| 1993 | OAK | 1B | 25 | 25 | 197 | 14 | 0 | 20 |
| 1994 | OAK | 1B | 40 | 37 | 307 | 18 | 4 | 26 |
| 1995 | OAK | 1B | 91 | 88 | 775 | 64 | 12 | 65 |
| 1996 | OAK | 1B | 109 | 107 | 913 | 60 | 10 | 118 |
| 1997 | OAK | 1B | 101 | 101 | 884 | 60 | 6 | 88 |
| 1997 | SLN | 1B | 50 | 49 | 439 | 34 | 1 | 40 |
| 1998 | SLN | 1B | 151 | 152 | 1326 | 97 | 12 | 128 |
| 1999 | SLN | 1B | 151 | 150 | 1180 | 80 | 13 | 119 |
| 2000 | SLN | 1B | 70 | 70 | 535 | 23 | 1 | 49 |
| 2001 | SLN | 1B | 90 | 87 | 686 | 33 | 4 | 60 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1763 |
| Third Base | 24 |
| Right Field | 4 |
| Designated Hitter | 37 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Lou Gehrig Memorial Award | |
| 1999 | Player of the Month | July |
| 1999 | Player of the Week | Week of 1999-08-07 |
| 1998 | MLB Players Choice Player of the Year | |
| 1998 | Player of the Month | April |
| 1998 | Player of the Month | May |
| 1998 | Player of the Month | September |
| 1998 | Player of the Week | Week of 1998-04-04 |
| 1998 | Player of the Week | Week of 1998-05-23 |
| 1998 | Player of the Week | Week of 1998-09-26 |
| 1998 | Silver Slugger | 1B |
| 1998 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1997 | MLB Players Choice Man of the Year | |
| 1997 | Player of the Month | September |
| 1997 | Player of the Week | Week of 1997-08-16 |
| 1996 | Player of the Month | June |
| 1996 | Silver Slugger | 1B |
| 1996 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1995 | Player of the Week | Week of 1995-06-10 |
| 1993 | Player of the Week | Week of 1993-05-08 |
| 1992 | Player of the Week | Week of 1992-04-11 |
| 1992 | Silver Slugger | 1B |
| 1992 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1990 | Gold Glove | 1B |
| 1989 | Player of the Week | Week of 1989-04-07 |
| 1987 | Player of the Week | Week of 1987-06-27 |
| 1987 | Rookie of the Year | |
| 1987 | TSN Rookie Player of the Year |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | SLN | NL | $11,000,000 |
| 2000 | SLN | NL | $9,333,333 |
| 1999 | SLN | NL | $9,358,667 |
| 1998 | SLN | NL | $8,928,354 |
| 1997 | OAK | AL | $7,150,000 |
| 1996 | OAK | AL | $7,050,000 |
| 1995 | OAK | AL | $6,925,000 |
| 1994 | OAK | AL | $3,000,000 |
| 1993 | OAK | AL | $4,000,000 |
| 1992 | OAK | AL | $2,700,000 |
| 1991 | OAK | AL | $2,850,000 |
| 1990 | OAK | AL | $1,500,000 |
| 1989 | OAK | AL | $510,500 |
| 1988 | OAK | AL | $250,000 |
| 1987 | OAK | AL | $72,500 |
| 1986 | OAK | AL | $60,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $74,688,354 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | CA | 1982, 1983, 1984 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 5th | 115.0 | 448 | 0 |
| 1998 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 272.0 | 448 | 2 |
| 1997 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 16th | 6.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1996 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 7th | 100.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1995 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 16th | 7.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1992 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 4th | 155.0 | 392 | 1 |
| 1990 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 29.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1989 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 25th | 1.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1988 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 6.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1987 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 6th | 109.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1987 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 1st | 140.0 | 140 | 28 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Mark McGwire (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Mark McGwire
See Mark McGwire in Another Era
Mark McGwire: the record in brief
Between the debut on August 22, 1986 and the final game on October 7, 2001, Mark McGwire built the record summarized on this page. McGwire played for the Oakland Athletics (1986 to 1997) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1997 to 2001). McGwire played primarily as a first baseman and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on October 1, 1963, in Pomona, CA, USA and a listed size of 6'5" and 215 pounds. The given name on file is Mark David McGwire.
The batting record for McGwire: 1,874 games, 1,626 hits in 6,187 at bats, and a .263 average, along with 583 homers and 1,414 RBI. McGwire's career OPS of .982 combines a .394 on-base mark with .588 slugging. The .263 career average is close to the .263 the league hit across the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .982 to a league .740, 32.7% above average. No season beat the 70 home runs McGwire hit in 1998.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mark McGwire
- What years did Mark McGwire play?
- Mark McGwire played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 2001.
- Was Mark McGwire a pitcher?
- No. Mark McGwire was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Mark McGwire hit?
- Mark McGwire hit 583 career home runs with 1626 hits.
- What was Mark McGwire's career batting average?
- Mark McGwire batted .263 over his career, with 1,626 hits in 6,187 at bats.
- How many RBI did Mark McGwire have?
- Mark McGwire drove in 1,414 runs in his career.
- Is Mark McGwire in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Mark McGwire has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.