Bobby Mitchell
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1980-1983)
Bobby Mitchell was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1983 for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins, a span of 4 seasons. In 202 career games, he hit .243 with 150 hits, 3 home runs, and 43 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1980-09-01
- Last Game
- 1983-09-21
Full name: Robert Van Mitchell
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 202 | 617 | 75 | 150 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 43 | 9 | 84 | 78 | .243 | .336 | .308 | .644 | -644 |
Career AVG .243 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 6.9% below league average.
Career OBP .336 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .308 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 20.0% below league average.
Career OPS .644 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — 9.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | LAN | NL | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1981 | LAN | NL | 10 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | MIN | AL | 124 | 454 | 48 | 113 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 8 | 54 | 53 | .249 | .261 (-5%) | .324 (+2%) | .388 (-20%) | .712 (-10%) | -553.2 |
| 1983 | MIN | AL | 59 | 152 | 26 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 28 | 21 | .230 | .260 (-12%) | .324 (+9%) | .389 (-22%) | .714 (-8%) | -91.1 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 202 | 617 | 75 | 150 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 43 | 9 | 84 | 78 | .243 | — | — | — | — | -644 | ||
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 (202 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 103 | 283 | 38 | 80 | 2 | 19 | .283 |
| Away | 99 | 334 | 37 | 70 | 1 | 24 | .210 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-09-21 | MIN | CHW | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983-09-10 | MIN | KCR | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983-08-30 | MIN | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-08-09 | MIN | LAA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983-08-06 | MIN | OAK | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-08-02 | MIN | LAA | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-07-24 | MIN | CLE | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-07-23 | MIN | CLE | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-07-22 | MIN | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-07-13 | MIN | NYY | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 7 |
| Center Field | 172 |
| Right Field | 9 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | CA | 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 |
Bobby Mitchell: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 1, 1980 and the final game on September 21, 1983, Bobby Mitchell built the record summarized on this page. Mitchell played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1980 to 1981) and the Minnesota Twins (1982 to 1983). Listed as an outfielder, Mitchell threw and hit left-handed. Height and weight on file: 5 feet, 10 inches and 170 pounds. Mitchell was born on April 7, 1955, in Salt Lake City, UT, USA. The given name on file is Robert Van Mitchell.
Mitchell collected 150 hits in 617 at bats across 202 games, good for a .243 batting average, adding 3 home runs and 43 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .336 and the slugging percentage .308, for an OPS of .644. Over the seasons Mitchell played, league hitters batted .261; the .243 career figure is 6.9% below that. In OPS terms, Mitchell's .644 stands 9.2% below the league's .709. 1982 produced Mitchell's most hits, 113 of them for the Minnesota Twins. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .249 in 1982, did not top the league's .261.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bobby Mitchell
- What years did Bobby Mitchell play?
- Bobby Mitchell played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1983.
- Was Bobby Mitchell a pitcher?
- No. Bobby Mitchell was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Bobby Mitchell hit?
- Bobby Mitchell hit 3 career home runs with 150 hits.
- What was Bobby Mitchell's career batting average?
- Bobby Mitchell batted .243 over his career, with 150 hits in 617 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bobby Mitchell have?
- Bobby Mitchell drove in 43 runs in his career.
- Is Bobby Mitchell in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bobby Mitchell has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.