Paul O'Neill
Born: 2/25/1963 in Columbus, OH, USA
MLB Debut: 1985-09-03 | Final Game: 2001-10-07
Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 200 lbs
Full name: Paul Andrew O'Neill
Biography
Paul O'Neill, born in 1963, was a prominent Major League Baseball outfielder whose career spanned from 1985 to 2001. Known for his fierce competitiveness and clutch performances, O'Neill played a significant role in the New York Yankees' success during the late 1990s, contributing to four World Series championships. Over his 16-year career, he appeared in 2,053 games, accumulating 2,105 hits and 281 home runs, while driving in 1,269 runs with a commendable batting average of .288. His ability to combine power with consistency made him a key figure in the Yankees' lineup, and he was recognized for his contributions with five All-Star selections.
O'Neill’s playing style was characterized by an aggressive approach at the plate and a strong defensive presence in the outfield. He was also known for his passionate demeanor, earning the nickname "The Warrior" among fans and teammates alike. As a member of the Yankees during a transformative era in baseball that included the rise of free agency and the increasing importance of marketability, O'Neill left a lasting legacy in the sport. After retiring, he transitioned into a successful broadcasting career, providing insights and analysis that reflected his deep understanding of the game. His impact on baseball continues to resonate, particularly among Yankees fans who remember him as a symbol of grit and determination.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2053 | 7318 | 1041 | 2105 | 451 | 21 | 281 | 1269 | 141 | 892 | 1166 | 0.288 | 0.363 | 0.470 | 0.833 | 18727.2 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | CIN | NL | 5 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.333 | 0.0 |
| 1986 | CIN | NL | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1987 | CIN | NL | 84 | 160 | 24 | 41 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 28 | 2 | 18 | 29 | 0.256 | 266.3 |
| 1988 | CIN | NL | 145 | 485 | 58 | 122 | 25 | 3 | 16 | 73 | 8 | 38 | 65 | 0.252 | 209.4 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | 117 | 428 | 49 | 118 | 24 | 2 | 15 | 74 | 20 | 46 | 64 | 0.276 | 1114.2 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | 145 | 503 | 59 | 136 | 28 | 0 | 16 | 78 | 13 | 53 | 103 | 0.270 | 725.0 |
| 1991 | CIN | NL | 152 | 532 | 71 | 136 | 36 | 0 | 28 | 91 | 12 | 73 | 107 | 0.256 | 1830.3 |
| 1992 | CIN | NL | 148 | 496 | 59 | 122 | 19 | 1 | 14 | 66 | 6 | 77 | 85 | 0.246 | 474.1 |
| 1993 | NYY | AL | 141 | 498 | 71 | 155 | 34 | 1 | 20 | 75 | 2 | 44 | 69 | 0.311 | 1831.0 |
| 1994 | NYY | AL | 103 | 368 | 68 | 132 | 25 | 1 | 21 | 83 | 5 | 72 | 56 | 0.359 | 3179.7 |
| 1995 | NYY | AL | 127 | 460 | 82 | 138 | 30 | 4 | 22 | 96 | 1 | 71 | 76 | 0.300 | 1971.8 |
| 1996 | NYY | AL | 150 | 546 | 89 | 165 | 35 | 1 | 19 | 91 | 0 | 102 | 76 | 0.302 | 2158.3 |
| 1997 | NYY | AL | 149 | 553 | 89 | 179 | 42 | 0 | 21 | 117 | 10 | 75 | 92 | 0.324 | 2512.7 |
| 1998 | NYY | AL | 152 | 602 | 95 | 191 | 40 | 2 | 24 | 116 | 15 | 57 | 103 | 0.317 | 2047.8 |
| 1999 | NYY | AL | 153 | 597 | 70 | 170 | 39 | 4 | 19 | 110 | 11 | 66 | 89 | 0.285 | 463.3 |
| 2000 | NYY | AL | 142 | 566 | 79 | 160 | 26 | 0 | 18 | 100 | 14 | 51 | 90 | 0.283 | -433.2 |
| 2001 | NYY | AL | 137 | 510 | 77 | 136 | 33 | 1 | 21 | 70 | 22 | 48 | 59 | 0.267 | 376.5 |
Career Pitching Statistics
| W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 13.50 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | CIN | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 13.50 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | 299 | 39 | 85 | 17 | 2 | 11 | 39 | 38 | 41 | 0.284 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | ALCS | NYA | 5 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.417 |
| 2001 | ALDS2 | NYA | 3 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.091 |
| 2001 | WS | NYA | 5 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.333 |
| 2000 | ALCS | NYA | 6 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0.250 |
| 2000 | ALDS1 | NYA | 5 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0.211 |
| 2000 | WS | NYA | 5 | 19 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0.474 |
| 1999 | ALDS2 | NYA | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.250 |
| 1999 | ALCS | NYA | 5 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0.286 |
| 1999 | WS | NYA | 4 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.200 |
| 1998 | WS | NYA | 4 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.211 |
| 1998 | ALDS2 | NYA | 3 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.364 |
| 1998 | ALCS | NYA | 6 | 25 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0.280 |
| 1997 | ALDS1 | NYA | 5 | 19 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0.421 |
| 1996 | ALCS | NYA | 4 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0.273 |
| 1996 | ALDS2 | NYA | 4 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.133 |
| 1996 | WS | NYA | 5 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.167 |
| 1995 | ALDS2 | NYA | 5 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 0.333 |
| 1990 | NLCS | CIN | 5 | 17 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0.471 |
| 1990 | WS | CIN | 4 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0.083 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 26 | 18 | 191 | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| OF | 1932 | 1850 | 3724 | 110 | 46 | 20 |
| P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | CIN | OF | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | CIN | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | CIN | 1B | 2 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1987 | CIN | OF | 42 | 30 | 73 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1988 | CIN | 1B | 21 | 16 | 173 | 8 | 2 | 14 |
| 1988 | CIN | OF | 118 | 113 | 237 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 1989 | CIN | OF | 115 | 112 | 223 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| 1990 | CIN | OF | 141 | 128 | 271 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 1991 | CIN | OF | 150 | 145 | 301 | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| 1992 | CIN | OF | 143 | 134 | 291 | 12 | 1 | 2 |
| 1993 | NYA | OF | 138 | 121 | 230 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 1994 | NYA | OF | 99 | 93 | 203 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 | NYA | OF | 121 | 117 | 220 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1996 | NYA | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | NYA | OF | 146 | 146 | 293 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| 1997 | NYA | 1B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | NYA | OF | 146 | 145 | 292 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| 1998 | NYA | OF | 150 | 148 | 293 | 11 | 4 | 6 |
| 1999 | NYA | OF | 151 | 150 | 291 | 10 | 8 | 3 |
| 2000 | NYA | OF | 140 | 139 | 293 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| 2001 | NYA | OF | 130 | 127 | 210 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 1 |
| First Base | 26 |
| Left Field | 99 |
| Center Field | 23 |
| Right Field | 1848 |
| Designated Hitter | 24 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Player of the Week | Week of 2001-07-28 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | NYA | AL | $7,250,000 |
| 2000 | NYA | AL | $6,500,000 |
| 1999 | NYA | AL | $6,250,000 |
| 1998 | NYA | AL | $5,500,000 |
| 1997 | NYA | AL | $5,500,000 |
| 1996 | NYA | AL | $5,300,000 |
| 1995 | NYA | AL | $2,850,000 |
| 1994 | NYA | AL | $3,858,334 |
| 1993 | NYA | AL | $3,833,333 |
| 1992 | CIN | NL | $2,833,333 |
| 1991 | CIN | NL | $975,000 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | $625,000 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | $215,000 |
| 1988 | CIN | NL | $97,500 |
| 1987 | CIN | NL | $65,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $51,652,500 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 12th | 36.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1997 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 12th | 37.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1995 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 15th | 14.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1994 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 5th | 150.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1990 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |