Andy Messersmith

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1968-1979)

Andy Messersmith was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1979 for 4 teams, including the California Angels, a span of 12 seasons. Across 344 career appearances, he went 130-99 with a 2.86 ERA and 1,625 strikeouts. He also batted .170 with 5 home runs. Andy Messersmith was a 4-time All-Star and a 2-time Gold Glove. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 19907.5.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 130–99
ERA 2.86
WHIP 1.14
SO 1,625
Pitcher PIV 19907.5
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 200 lb
Born
8/6/1945 in Toms River, NJ, USA
MLB Debut
1968-07-04
Last Game
1979-06-01
Awards
4× All-Star · 2× Gold Glove

Full name: John Alexander Messersmith

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Career Pitching Statistics

Andy Messersmith — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
130 99 344 295 98 27 15 2230.1 1,719 709 174 831 1,625 2.86 19907.5

Career ERA 2.86 vs. league average 3.64 across their career seasons — 21.4% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Andy Messersmith Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1968 CAL AL 4 2 28 5 2 1 4 81.1 44 20 35 74 2.21 2.98 (+26%) 1259.5
1969 CAL AL 16 11 40 33 10 2 2 250.0 169 70 100 211 2.52 3.61 (+30%) 4260.0
1970 CAL AL 11 10 37 26 6 1 5 194.2 144 65 78 162 3.01 3.89 (+23%) 1087.9
1971 CAL AL 20 13 38 38 14 4 0 276.2 224 92 121 179 2.99 3.47 (+14%) 1255.9
1972 CAL AL 8 11 25 21 10 3 2 169.2 125 53 68 142 2.81 3.26 (+14%) 4029.9
1973 LAN NL 14 10 33 33 10 3 0 249.2 196 75 77 177 2.70 3.75 (+28%) 2305.0
1974 LAN NL 20 6 39 39 13 3 0 292.1 227 84 94 221 2.59 3.63 (+29%) 3861.2
1975 LAN NL 19 14 42 40 19 7 1 321.2 244 82 96 213 2.29 3.71 (+38%) 5289.0
1976 ATL NL 11 11 29 28 12 3 1 207.1 166 70 74 135 3.04 3.51 (+14%) 1115.2
1977 ATL NL 5 4 16 16 1 0 0 102.1 101 50 39 69 4.40 4.00 (-10%) -300.3
1978 NYA AL 0 3 6 5 0 0 0 22.1 24 14 15 16 5.64 3.69 (-53%) -2059.7
1979 LAN NL 2 4 11 11 1 0 0 62.1 55 34 34 26 4.91 4.00 (-23%) -2196.1
Career · 12 seasons 130 99 344 295 98 27 15 2,230.1 1,719 709 831 1,625 2.86 — 19,907

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Andy Messersmith — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
353 729 49 124 30 0 5 54 1 46 212 .170 .219 .232 .451 -3,376

Career AVG .170 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 33.1% below league average.

Career OBP .219 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 31.8% below league average.

Career SLG .232 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — 38.0% below league average.

Career OPS .451 vs. league average .695 across their career seasons — 35.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Andy Messersmith 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
1968 CAL AL 29 20 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 10 .100 — — — — 0.0
1969 CAL AL 42 77 5 12 2 0 0 5 0 8 28 .156 .248 (-37%) .320 (-26%) .369 (-51%) .689 (-39%) -454.8
1970 CAL AL 38 70 4 11 3 0 1 2 0 0 28 .157 .253 (-38%) .325 (-52%) .385 (-37%) .711 (-44%) -497.5
1971 CAL AL 39 93 8 16 2 0 2 5 0 5 30 .172 .249 (-31%) .316 (-32%) .365 (-29%) .682 (-31%) -443.5
1972 CAL AL 26 53 2 10 3 0 0 0 1 3 13 .189 .243 (-23%) .310 (-25%) .353 (-31%) .664 (-28%) -225.9
1973 LAN NL 34 89 3 15 3 0 0 6 0 5 16 .169 .256 (-34%) .325 (-35%) .378 (-47%) .703 (-41%) -570.9
1974 LAN NL 39 96 12 23 8 0 1 11 0 11 28 .240 .256 (-7%) .324 (-4%) .369 (-4%) .693 (-4%) -72.6
1975 LAN NL 44 108 8 17 4 0 0 9 0 7 25 .157 .257 (-39%) .327 (-35%) .374 (-48%) .701 (-42%) -727.9
1976 ATL NL 29 67 3 12 1 0 0 10 0 4 19 .179 .255 (-30%) .320 (-30%) .360 (-46%) .681 (-38%) -383.4
1977 ATL NL 16 34 2 4 2 0 1 3 0 3 9 .118 — — — — 0.0
1978 NYA AL 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 LAN NL 11 22 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 6 .091 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 353 729 49 124 30 0 5 54 1 46 212 .170 — — — — -3,376

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

Andy Messersmith — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 .286

Playoff Batting by Year

Andy Messersmith — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1974 NLCS LAN 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1974 WS LAN 2 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 .500

Playoff Career Pitching

Andy Messersmith — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 3 3 0 21.0 19 9 10 12 3.86

Playoff Pitching by Year

Andy Messersmith — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1974 NLCS LAN 1 0 1 1 0 7.0 8 2 3 0 2.57
1974 WS LAN 0 2 2 2 0 14.0 11 7 7 12 4.50

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (697 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Andy Messersmith — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1833812866324.173
Away1703482158230.167

Pitching — Home / Away

Andy Messersmith — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home1771215.19103484329062.58
Away1671015.08093613997193.20

Last 10 Games — Batting

Andy Messersmith — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1979-06-01 LADSTLL 000000000
1979-05-27 LADCINW 200000001
1979-05-21 LADSDPL 200000000
1979-05-16 LADATLL 300000000
1979-05-10 LADNYNW 412100201
1979-05-05 LADPHIL 100000001
1979-04-29 LADNYNL 000000000
1979-04-23 LADPHIL 300000001
1979-04-17 LADHOUW 200000000
1979-04-12 LADATLL 200000001

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Andy Messersmith — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1979-06-01 LADSTL — 1.0433001
1979-05-27 LADCIN — 6.0433141
1979-05-21 LADSDP L 8.1633721
1979-05-16 LADATL L 7.2533320
1979-05-10 LADNYN W 7.0611341
1979-05-05 LADPHI L 5.01066211
1979-04-29 LADNYN — 0.1133200
1979-04-23 LADPHI — 7.2333751
1979-04-17 LADHOU — 6.0844021
1979-04-12 LADATL L 6.1644442

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Andy Messersmith — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 344 295 136 318 41 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Andy Messersmith — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1968 CAL P 28 5 6 12 1 0
1969 CAL P 40 33 17 29 5 2
1970 CAL P 37 26 12 23 4 3
1971 CAL P 38 38 18 49 5 2
1972 CAL P 25 21 9 24 0 0
1973 LAN P 33 33 19 35 5 0
1974 LAN P 39 39 18 44 9 3
1975 LAN P 42 40 11 43 5 1
1976 ATL P 29 28 14 33 5 2
1977 ATL P 16 16 5 15 2 1
1978 NYA P 6 5 2 2 0 0
1979 LAN P 11 11 5 9 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Andy Messersmith Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 344

Awards & Honors

Andy Messersmith — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1976 Pitcher of the Month June
1975 Gold Glove P
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-09-12
1974 Gold Glove P
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-09-20
1974 TSN All-Star RHP

College History

Andy Messersmith — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of California - Berkeley Berkeley CA 1965, 1966

Award Voting History

Andy Messersmith — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1975 Cy Young Award NL 5th 1.0 120 0
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 1.0 336 0
1974 Cy Young Award NL 2nd 66.0 120 5
1974 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 4.0 336 0
1971 Cy Young Award AL 5th 1.0 120 0
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 29th 2.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Andy Messersmith (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Dean Chance
    128-115, 2.92 ERA
  2. 95
    Sonny Siebert
    140-114, 3.21 ERA
  3. 82
    Gary Peters
    124-103, 3.25 ERA
  4. 81
    Dutch Leonard
    139-113, 2.76 ERA
  5. 78
    Don Wilson
    104-92, 3.15 ERA
  6. 77
    Nap Rucker
    134-134, 2.42 ERA

Compare Andy Messersmith

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Messersmith's closest peers by position and era.

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Andy Messersmith: the record in brief

Andy Messersmith's major league career runs from a debut on July 4, 1968 to a final game on June 1, 1979. Messersmith played for the California Angels (1968 through 1972), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1973 to 1979), the Atlanta Braves (1976 through 1977), and the New York Yankees (1978). At 200 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame, Messersmith is listed as a pitcher. Messersmith threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. Messersmith was born on August 6, 1945, in Toms River, NJ, USA. Andy Messersmith was the playing name; the full given name is John Alexander.

Messersmith pitched in 344 games, starting 295, and finished with a 130-99 record and 2.86 ERA. Also on Messersmith's record: 1,625 strikeouts, 98 complete games, 27 shutouts, and 15 saves. The leagues Messersmith pitched in allowed 3.64 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 21.4% better than average. Messersmith won 20 games in 1971, the most of any season listed. The strikeout high was 221 in 1974.

Frequently Asked Questions about Andy Messersmith

What years did Andy Messersmith play?
Andy Messersmith played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1979.
Was Andy Messersmith a pitcher?
Yes. Andy Messersmith pitched in the major leagues, recording 130 wins and 1625 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Andy Messersmith hit?
Andy Messersmith hit 5 career home runs with 124 hits.
What teams did Andy Messersmith play for?
Andy Messersmith played for 4 teams: the California Angels (1968–1972), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1973–1975, 1979), the Atlanta Braves (1976–1977), and the New York Yankees (1978).
Did Andy Messersmith win a Cy Young Award?
No. Andy Messersmith did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Andy Messersmith win?
Andy Messersmith won 2 Gold Gloves (1974 and 1975). He was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
What were Andy Messersmith's career stats?
In 344 games, Andy Messersmith went 130-99 with a 2.86 ERA, 1,625 strikeouts, 2,230.1 innings pitched, and 15 saves. At the plate he had 124 hits and 5 home runs.
What position did Andy Messersmith play?
Andy Messersmith played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Andy Messersmith and how much did he weigh?
Andy Messersmith was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds.
What was Andy Messersmith's career ERA?
Andy Messersmith finished with a 2.86 career ERA, going 130-99 with 1,625 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Andy Messersmith have?
Andy Messersmith recorded 1,625 career strikeouts.
Is Andy Messersmith in the Hall of Fame?
No. Andy Messersmith has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Andy Messersmith make?
Andy Messersmith was selected to 4 All-Star Games.