Wayne Nordhagen
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1976-1983)
Wayne Nordhagen was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1983 for 4 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 8 seasons. In 502 career games, he hit .282 with 401 hits, 39 home runs, and 205 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 648.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 205 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1976-07-16
- Last Game
- 1983-05-30
Full name: Wayne Oren Nordhagen
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 502 | 1,423 | 147 | 401 | 77 | 8 | 39 | 205 | 1 | 54 | 162 | .282 | .306 | .429 | .735 | 648 |
Career AVG .282 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +8.0% above league average.
Career OBP .306 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 5.9% below league average.
Career SLG .429 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — +11.5% above league average.
Career OPS .735 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | CHA | AL | 22 | 53 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 12 | .189 | .255 (-26%) | .320 (-27%) | .360 (-37%) | .681 (-33%) | -288.0 |
| 1977 | CHA | AL | 52 | 124 | 16 | 39 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 12 | .315 | .264 (+19%) | .329 (-2%) | .401 (+29%) | .730 (+15%) | 246.6 |
| 1978 | CHA | AL | 68 | 206 | 28 | 62 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 35 | 0 | 5 | 18 | .301 | .257 (+17%) | .323 (-4%) | .378 (+19%) | .702 (+8%) | 174.8 |
| 1979 | CHA | AL | 78 | 193 | 20 | 54 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 25 | 0 | 13 | 22 | .280 | .265 (+5%) | .329 (-2%) | .397 (+17%) | .727 (+9%) | 251.5 |
| 1980 | CHA | AL | 123 | 415 | 45 | 115 | 22 | 4 | 15 | 59 | 0 | 10 | 45 | .277 | .264 (+5%) | .326 (-10%) | .387 (+18%) | .714 (+5%) | 214.7 |
| 1981 | CHA | AL | 65 | 208 | 19 | 64 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 33 | 0 | 10 | 25 | .308 | .255 (+20%) | .320 (+6%) | .368 (+20%) | .688 (+13%) | 412.4 |
| 1982 | TOR | AL | 44 | 115 | 8 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 13 | .278 | .261 (+7%) | .324 (+1%) | .388 (-15%) | .712 (-8%) | -120.1 |
| 1982 | PIT | NL | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 | — | — | — | — | -120.1 |
| 1982 | TOR | AL | 28 | 70 | 4 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 9 | .257 | .261 (-2%) | .324 (-19%) | .388 (-23%) | .712 (-21%) | -120.1 |
| 1983 | CHN | NL | 21 | 35 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 502 | 1,423 | 147 | 401 | 77 | 8 | 39 | 205 | 1 | 54 | 162 | .282 | — | — | — | — | 652 | ||
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.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | CHA | AL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9.00 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9.00 | — | 0 | ||
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 (504 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 257 | 708 | 81 | 213 | 22 | 117 | .301 |
| Away | 245 | 715 | 66 | 188 | 17 | 88 | .263 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9.00 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-05-30 | CHC | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1983-05-29 | CHC | ATL | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-05-27 | CHC | ATL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-05-25 | CHC | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-05-22 | CHC | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1983-05-21 | CHC | CIN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1983-05-08 | CHC | SDP | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-05-07 | CHC | SDP | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-05-04 | CHC | SFG | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983-05-03 | CHC | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 2 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-06-04 | CHW | MIL | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979-05-27 | CHW | LAA | — | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 25 | 16 | 67 | 12 | 9 | 1 |
| OF | 256 | 217 | 364 | 19 | 15 | 4 |
| P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | CHA | C | 5 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1976 | CHA | OF | 10 | 7 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | CHA | C | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1977 | CHA | OF | 46 | 27 | 50 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1978 | CHA | C | 12 | 12 | 41 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| 1978 | CHA | OF | 36 | 29 | 46 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 1979 | CHA | C | 5 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1979 | CHA | OF | 12 | 10 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | CHA | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | CHA | OF | 74 | 70 | 120 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 1981 | CHA | OF | 60 | 57 | 85 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 1982 | TOR | OF | 10 | 10 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982 | PIT | OF | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | CHN | OF | 7 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 2 |
| Catcher | 25 |
| Left Field | 129 |
| Center Field | 2 |
| Right Field | 139 |
| Designated Hitter | 169 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treasure Valley Community College | Ontario | OR | 1967, 1968 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Wayne Nordhagen (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Wayne Nordhagen: the record in brief
July 16, 1976 and May 30, 1983 bracket Wayne Nordhagen's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Nordhagen's seasons break down as the Chicago White Sox (1976 to 1981), the Toronto Blue Jays (1982), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1982), and the Chicago Cubs (1983). Nordhagen, an outfielder by primary position, threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 2 inches and 205 pounds. The birth record reads July 4, 1948, in Thief River Falls, MN, USA. Nordhagen's full given name, per the bio, is Wayne Oren Nordhagen.
In 502 games and 1,423 at bats, Nordhagen batted .282 with 401 hits; the totals also include 39 home runs and 205 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .306 clip and slugging .429, Nordhagen finished with a .735 OPS. Set against a .261 league average for the same years, Nordhagen's .282 average sits 8.0% above it.
Frequently Asked Questions about Wayne Nordhagen
- What years did Wayne Nordhagen play?
- Wayne Nordhagen played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1983.
- Was Wayne Nordhagen a pitcher?
- No. Wayne Nordhagen was a position player (Outfielder), though he did pitch in 2 career games.
- How many home runs did Wayne Nordhagen hit?
- Wayne Nordhagen hit 39 career home runs with 401 hits.
- What teams did Wayne Nordhagen play for?
- Wayne Nordhagen played for 4 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1976–1981), the Toronto Blue Jays (1982), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1982), and the Chicago Cubs (1983).
- What were Wayne Nordhagen's career stats?
- In 502 games, Wayne Nordhagen had 401 hits, 39 home runs, 205 RBI, 147 runs, and 1 stolen bases, with a .282 batting average.
- What position did Wayne Nordhagen play?
- Wayne Nordhagen played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Wayne Nordhagen and how much did he weigh?
- Wayne Nordhagen was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 205 pounds.
- How many home runs did Wayne Nordhagen hit each season?
- Wayne Nordhagen's home runs by season: 0 in 1976, 4 in 1977, 5 in 1978, 7 in 1979, 15 in 1980, 6 in 1981, 1 in 1982, and 1 in 1983. His most in one season was 15, in 1980.
- What was Wayne Nordhagen's career batting average?
- Wayne Nordhagen batted .282 over his career, with 401 hits in 1,423 at bats.
- How many RBI did Wayne Nordhagen have?
- Wayne Nordhagen drove in 205 runs in his career.
- What was Wayne Nordhagen's career ERA?
- Wayne Nordhagen finished with a 9.00 career ERA, going 0-0 with 2 strikeouts.
- Is Wayne Nordhagen in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Wayne Nordhagen has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.