Dave Nilsson
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1992-1999)
Dave Nilsson was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1992 to 1999 for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Milwaukee Brewers, a span of 8 seasons. In 837 career games, he hit .284 with 789 hits, 105 home runs, and 470 RBI. Dave Nilsson was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,649.
- 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
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1992-05-18
- Last Game
- 1999-10-03
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: David Wayne Nilsson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 837 | 2,779 | 389 | 789 | 157 | 10 | 105 | 470 | 15 | 320 | 424 | .284 | .356 | .461 | .817 | 4,649 |
Career AVG .284 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — +6.5% above league average.
Career OBP .356 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — +6.0% above league average.
Career SLG .461 vs. league average .416 across their career seasons — +10.9% above league average.
Career OPS .817 vs. league average .752 across their career seasons — +8.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | ML4 | AL | 51 | 164 | 15 | 38 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 2 | 17 | 18 | .232 | .255 (-9%) | .322 (-6%) | .377 (-6%) | .699 (-6%) | -142.7 |
| 1993 | ML4 | AL | 100 | 296 | 35 | 76 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 40 | 3 | 37 | 36 | .257 | .265 (-3%) | .332 (+1%) | .403 (-7%) | .735 (-3%) | -119.5 |
| 1994 | ML4 | AL | 109 | 397 | 51 | 109 | 28 | 3 | 12 | 69 | 1 | 34 | 61 | .275 | .269 (+2%) | .338 (-4%) | .424 (+6%) | .763 (+2%) | -4.1 |
| 1995 | ML4 | AL | 81 | 263 | 41 | 73 | 12 | 1 | 12 | 53 | 2 | 24 | 41 | .278 | .266 (+4%) | .337 (avg) | .417 (+12%) | .755 (+7%) | 267.1 |
| 1996 | ML4 | AL | 123 | 453 | 81 | 150 | 33 | 2 | 17 | 84 | 2 | 57 | 68 | .331 | .269 (+23%) | .340 (+20%) | .426 (+23%) | .767 (+22%) | 2120.2 |
| 1997 | ML4 | AL | 156 | 554 | 71 | 154 | 33 | 0 | 20 | 81 | 2 | 65 | 88 | .278 | .266 (+4%) | .336 (+4%) | .419 (+6%) | .756 (+6%) | 673.8 |
| 1998 | MIL | NL | 102 | 309 | 39 | 83 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 56 | 2 | 33 | 48 | .269 | .266 (+1%) | .335 (+1%) | .420 (+4%) | .755 (+3%) | 175.9 |
| 1999 | MIL | NL | 115 | 343 | 56 | 106 | 19 | 1 | 21 | 62 | 1 | 53 | 64 | .309 | .271 (+14%) | .344 (+16%) | .433 (+28%) | .778 (+23%) | 1678.5 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 837 | 2,779 | 389 | 789 | 157 | 10 | 105 | 470 | 15 | 320 | 424 | .284 | — | — | — | — | 4,649 | ||
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 (837 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 415 | 1349 | 182 | 396 | 40 | 224 | .294 |
| Away | 422 | 1430 | 207 | 393 | 65 | 246 | .275 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-10-03 | MIL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999-10-01 | MIL | CIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999-09-29 | MIL | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999-08-28 | MIL | SDP | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999-08-26 | MIL | SDP | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999-08-25 | MIL | LAD | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999-08-24 | MIL | LAD | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999-08-23 | MIL | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1999-08-22 | MIL | SFG | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999-08-21 | MIL | SFG | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 166 | 141 | 1180 | 77 | 15 | 139 |
| C | 309 | 287 | 1515 | 107 | 19 | 10 |
| OF | 178 | 164 | 285 | 13 | 8 | 1 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | ML4 | 1B | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992 | ML4 | C | 46 | 43 | 224 | 16 | 2 | 1 |
| 1993 | ML4 | 1B | 4 | 3 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 1993 | ML4 | C | 91 | 85 | 430 | 30 | 9 | 3 |
| 1994 | ML4 | 1B | 5 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1994 | ML4 | C | 60 | 59 | 295 | 15 | 2 | 3 |
| 1995 | ML4 | 1B | 7 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995 | ML4 | C | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | ML4 | OF | 58 | 52 | 99 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 1996 | ML4 | 1B | 24 | 17 | 145 | 13 | 3 | 16 |
| 1996 | ML4 | C | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | ML4 | OF | 61 | 58 | 105 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 1997 | ML4 | 1B | 74 | 72 | 610 | 38 | 6 | 71 |
| 1997 | ML4 | OF | 22 | 20 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | MIL | 1B | 49 | 47 | 355 | 21 | 6 | 43 |
| 1998 | MIL | C | 7 | 6 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 | MIL | OF | 37 | 34 | 50 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1999 | MIL | C | 101 | 94 | 531 | 44 | 5 | 3 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 309 |
| First Base | 166 |
| Left Field | 80 |
| Right Field | 105 |
| Designated Hitter | 163 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Player of the Week | Week of 1997-07-26 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | MIL | NL | $5,694,133 |
| 1998 | MIL | NL | $3,700,000 |
| 1997 | ML4 | AL | $2,700,000 |
| 1996 | ML4 | AL | $1,075,000 |
| 1995 | ML4 | AL | $290,000 |
| 1994 | ML4 | AL | $182,500 |
| 1993 | ML4 | AL | $122,500 |
| Total Career Earnings | $13,764,133 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Dave Nilsson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Dave Nilsson: the record in brief
The profile opens with Dave Nilsson's first major league game on May 18, 1992; the last one listed came on October 3, 1999. All of the seasons listed were played for the Milwaukee Brewers. Nilsson played primarily as a catcher and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Born on December 14, 1969, in Brisbane, QLD, Australia, Nilsson was listed at 185 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame. Dave Nilsson was the playing name; the full given name is David Wayne.
Nilsson's career batting table shows 837 games, 2,779 at bats and 789 hits, a .284 average, adding 105 home runs and 470 RBI. The on-base percentage is .356 and the slugging percentage .461, for an OPS of .817. Set against a .266 league average for the same years, Nilsson's .284 average sits 6.5% above it. By OPS the gap is 8.7% above league average (.817 against .752). Nilsson's most home runs in a season came in 1999, when the total reached 21 for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Nilsson
- What years did Dave Nilsson play?
- Dave Nilsson played in Major League Baseball from 1992 to 1999.
- Was Dave Nilsson a pitcher?
- No. Dave Nilsson was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Dave Nilsson hit?
- Dave Nilsson hit 105 career home runs with 789 hits.
- What was Dave Nilsson's career batting average?
- Dave Nilsson batted .284 over his career, with 789 hits in 2,779 at bats.
- How many RBI did Dave Nilsson have?
- Dave Nilsson drove in 470 runs in his career.
- Is Dave Nilsson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Dave Nilsson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.