Orlando Mercado
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1982-1990)
Orlando Mercado was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1990 for 8 teams, including the Seattle Mariners, a span of 9 seasons. In 253 career games, he hit .199 with 112 hits, 7 home runs, and 45 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1982-09-13
- Last Game
- 1990-09-30
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 253 | 562 | 40 | 112 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 45 | 4 | 42 | 82 | .199 | .259 | .281 | .541 | -1,465 |
Career AVG .199 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 22.9% below league average.
Career OBP .259 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 19.9% below league average.
Career SLG .281 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 27.7% below league average.
Career OPS .541 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 24.2% 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 | SEA | AL | 9 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .118 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | SEA | AL | 66 | 178 | 10 | 35 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 27 | .197 | .260 (-25%) | .324 (-21%) | .389 (-24%) | .714 (-22%) | -667.2 |
| 1984 | SEA | AL | 30 | 78 | 5 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 12 | .218 | .259 (-16%) | .322 (-18%) | .384 (-27%) | .707 (-23%) | -278.1 |
| 1986 | TEX | AL | 46 | 102 | 7 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 | .235 | .257 (-9%) | .325 (-14%) | .395 (-26%) | .720 (-20%) | -343.2 |
| 1987 | DET | AL | 10 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .136 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | LAN | NL | 7 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .600 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | OAK | AL | 16 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | MIN | AL | 19 | 38 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | .105 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1990 | NYN | NL | 42 | 90 | 10 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 11 | .211 | .257 (-18%) | .324 (-11%) | .385 (-16%) | .710 (-14%) | -177.0 |
| 1990 | MON | NL | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 | — | — | — | — | -177.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 253 | 562 | 40 | 112 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 45 | 4 | 42 | 82 | .199 | — | — | — | — | -1,642 | ||
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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (253 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 120 | 257 | 20 | 55 | 6 | 25 | .214 |
| Away | 133 | 305 | 20 | 57 | 1 | 20 | .187 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-09-30 | WSN | PHI | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-09-28 | WSN | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-09-26 | WSN | NYN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990-09-24 | WSN | PHI | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-09-22 | WSN | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-09-15 | WSN | PIT | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-09-14 | WSN | PIT | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-09-13 | WSN | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990-08-28 | NYN | SDP | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990-08-20 | NYN | SDP | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | SEA | C | 8 | 5 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | SEA | C | 65 | 59 | 342 | 27 | 2 | 2 |
| 1984 | SEA | C | 29 | 21 | 118 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | TEX | C | 45 | 31 | 240 | 25 | 1 | 5 |
| 1987 | DET | C | 10 | 8 | 40 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 1987 | LAN | C | 7 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | OAK | C | 16 | 8 | 45 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989 | MIN | C | 19 | 14 | 73 | 9 | 0 | 2 |
| 1990 | NYN | C | 40 | 27 | 213 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
| 1990 | MON | C | 8 | 3 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 247 |
| Designated Hitter | 1 |
Orlando Mercado: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 13, 1982 and the final game on September 30, 1990, Orlando Mercado built the record summarized on this page. By club, Mercado's seasons break down as the Seattle Mariners (1982 to 1984), the Texas Rangers (1986), the Detroit Tigers (1987), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1987), the Oakland Athletics (1988), the Minnesota Twins (1989), the New York Mets (1990), and the Montreal Expos (1990). Mercado played primarily as a catcher and batted and threw right-handed. Born on November 7, 1961, in Arecibo, P.R., Mercado was listed at 180 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame.
Mercado collected 112 hits in 562 at bats across 253 games, good for a .199 batting average, adding 7 home runs and 45 RBI. Mercado's career OPS of .541 combines a .259 on-base mark with .281 slugging. Set against a .259 league average for the same years, Mercado's .199 average sits 22.9% below it. By OPS the gap is 24.2% below league average (.541 against .713). 1983 produced Mercado's most hits, 35 of them for the Seattle Mariners. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .197 in 1983, did not top the league's .260.
Frequently Asked Questions about Orlando Mercado
- What years did Orlando Mercado play?
- Orlando Mercado played in Major League Baseball from 1982 to 1990.
- Was Orlando Mercado a pitcher?
- No. Orlando Mercado was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Orlando Mercado hit?
- Orlando Mercado hit 7 career home runs with 112 hits.
- What teams did Orlando Mercado play for?
- Orlando Mercado played for 8 teams: the Seattle Mariners (1982–1984), the Texas Rangers (1986), the Detroit Tigers (1987), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1987), the Oakland Athletics (1988), the Minnesota Twins (1989), the New York Mets (1990), and the Montreal Expos (1990).
- What were Orlando Mercado's career stats?
- In 253 games, Orlando Mercado had 112 hits, 7 home runs, 45 RBI, 40 runs, and 4 stolen bases, with a .199 batting average.
- What position did Orlando Mercado play?
- Orlando Mercado played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Orlando Mercado and how much did he weigh?
- Orlando Mercado was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Orlando Mercado hit each season?
- Orlando Mercado's home runs by season: 1 in 1982, 1 in 1983, 0 in 1984, 1 in 1986, 0 in 1987, 1 in 1988, 0 in 1989, and 3 in 1990. His most in one season was 3, in 1990.
- What was Orlando Mercado's career batting average?
- Orlando Mercado batted .199 over his career, with 112 hits in 562 at bats.
- How many RBI did Orlando Mercado have?
- Orlando Mercado drove in 45 runs in his career.
- Is Orlando Mercado in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Orlando Mercado has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.