What years did Joe Orsulak play?

Joe Orsulak played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1997.

Was Joe Orsulak a pitcher?

No. Joe Orsulak was a position player (Outfielder).

How many home runs did Joe Orsulak hit?

Joe Orsulak hit 57 career home runs with 1,173 hits.

What teams did Joe Orsulak play for?

Joe Orsulak played for 5 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1983–1986), the Baltimore Orioles (1988–1992), the New York Mets (1993–1995), the Florida Marlins (1996), and the Montreal Expos (1997).

What were Joe Orsulak's career stats?

In 1,494 games, Joe Orsulak had 1,173 hits, 57 home runs, 405 RBI, 559 runs, and 93 stolen bases, with a .273 batting average.

What was Joe Orsulak's salary?

Joe Orsulak's last recorded salary was $650,000, in 1997. His highest recorded salary was $1,300,000, in 1992, and his lowest was $60,000, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1997.

What position did Joe Orsulak play?

Joe Orsulak played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Joe Orsulak and how much did he weigh?

Joe Orsulak was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds.

How many home runs did Joe Orsulak hit each season?

Joe Orsulak's home runs by season: 0 in 1983, 0 in 1984, 0 in 1985, 2 in 1986, 8 in 1988, 7 in 1989, 11 in 1990, 5 in 1991, 4 in 1992, 8 in 1993, 8 in 1994, 1 in 1995, 2 in 1996, and 1 in 1997. His most in one season was 11, in 1990.

What was Joe Orsulak's career batting average?

Joe Orsulak batted .273 over his career, with 1,173 hits in 4,293 at bats.

How many RBI did Joe Orsulak have?

Joe Orsulak drove in 405 runs in his career.

Is Joe Orsulak in the Hall of Fame?

No. Joe Orsulak has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Joe Orsulak

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1983-1997)

Joe Orsulak was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1997 for 5 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,494 career games, he hit .273 with 1,173 hits, 57 home runs, and 405 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 October 15, 2026

AVG .273

HR 57

RBI 405

H 1,173

OPS .698

PIV -1,901

Position: Outfielder
Bats / Throws: L / L
Height / Weight: 6'1" / 185 lb
Born: 5/31/1962 in Glen Ridge, NJ, USA
MLB Debut: 1983-09-01
Last Game: 1997-09-25

Full name: Joseph Michael Orsulak

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Career Batting Statistics

Joe Orsulak — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1,494	4,293	559	1,173	186	37	57	405	93	318	402	.273	.324	.374	.698	-1,901

Career AVG .273 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .324 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .374 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.

Career OPS .698 vs. league average .724 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Joe Orsulak 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
1983	PIT	NL	7	11	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	.182	—	—	—	—	0.0
1984	PIT	NL	32	67	12	17	1	2	0	3	3	1	7	.254	.259 (-2%)	.322 (-16%)	.384 (-15%)	.707 (-15%)	-181.8
1985	PIT	NL	121	397	54	119	14	6	0	21	24	26	27	.300	.257 (+17%)	.323 (+6%)	.390 (-7%)	.714 (-1%)	-59.8
1986	PIT	NL	138	401	60	100	19	6	2	19	24	28	38	.249	.257 (-3%)	.325 (-8%)	.395 (-14%)	.720 (-11%)	-743.4
1988	BAL	AL	125	379	48	109	21	3	8	27	9	23	30	.288	.254 (+13%)	.317 (+4%)	.377 (+12%)	.695 (+8%)	521.7
1989	BAL	AL	123	390	59	111	22	5	7	55	5	41	35	.285	.254 (+12%)	.319 (+10%)	.375 (+12%)	.694 (+11%)	795.4
1990	BAL	AL	124	413	49	111	14	3	11	57	6	46	48	.269	.257 (+4%)	.324 (+6%)	.385 (+3%)	.710 (+4%)	410.9
1991	BAL	AL	143	486	57	135	22	1	5	43	6	28	45	.278	.255 (+9%)	.323 (-1%)	.384 (-7%)	.708 (-4%)	-321.0
1992	BAL	AL	117	391	45	113	18	3	4	39	5	28	34	.289	.255 (+13%)	.322 (+6%)	.377 (+1%)	.699 (+3%)	271.9
1993	NYN	NL	134	409	59	116	15	4	8	35	5	28	25	.284	.265 (+7%)	.332 (avg)	.403 (-1%)	.735 (-1%)	-70.0
1994	NYN	NL	96	292	39	76	3	0	8	42	4	16	21	.260	.269 (-4%)	.338 (-12%)	.424 (-17%)	.763 (-15%)	-749.3
1995	NYN	NL	108	290	41	82	19	2	1	37	1	19	35	.283	.266 (+6%)	.337 (-4%)	.417 (-11%)	.755 (-8%)	-443.1
1996	FLO	NL	120	217	23	48	6	1	2	19	1	16	38	.221	.269 (-18%)	.340 (-20%)	.426 (-33%)	.767 (-27%)	-987.4
1997	MON	NL	106	150	13	34	12	1	1	7	0	18	17	.227	.266 (-15%)	.336 (-8%)	.419 (-19%)	.756 (-14%)	-344.9
Career · 14 seasons			1,494	4,293	559	1,173	186	37	57	405	93	318	402	.273	—	—	—	—	-1,901

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 (1494 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Joe Orsulak — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	737	2029	278	570	29	208	.281
Away	757	2264	281	603	28	197	.266

Last 10 Games — Batting

Joe Orsulak — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	2B	SO
1997-09-25	WSN	MIA	W	2	0	0	0	0
1997-09-24	WSN	MIA	L	0	0	0	0	0
1997-09-23	WSN	MIA	L	5	2	2	1	0
1997-09-22	WSN	ATL	L	0	0	0	0	0
1997-09-21	WSN	ATL	W	2	0	0	0	0
1997-09-17	WSN	CIN	W	0	0	0	0	0
1997-09-15	WSN	PIT	L	0	0	0	0	0
1997-09-13	WSN	NYN	L	1	0	0	0	1
1997-09-12	WSN	NYN	W	1	0	0	0	0
1997-09-11	WSN	NYN	L	1	1	1	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Joe Orsulak — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	28	13	154	13	1	6
OF	1253	975	2284	105	43	17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Joe Orsulak — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1983	PIT	OF	4	1	2	2	0	0
1984	PIT	OF	25	11	41	1	0	0
1985	PIT	OF	115	93	229	10	6	1
1986	PIT	OF	120	91	193	11	4	2
1988	BAL	OF	117	87	228	6	5	2
1989	BAL	OF	109	99	250	10	4	2
1990	BAL	OF	109	100	267	5	3	2
1991	BAL	OF	132	118	273	22	1	4
1992	BAL	OF	110	98	228	9	4	1
1993	NYN	1B	4	1	16	1	0	0
1993	NYN	OF	114	94	215	9	5	1
1994	NYN	1B	6	1	19	0	0	1
1994	NYN	OF	90	67	129	8	3	2
1995	NYN	1B	1	0	3	1	0	0
1995	NYN	OF	86	60	108	3	4	0
1996	FLO	1B	2	0	4	1	0	1
1996	FLO	OF	59	37	80	6	4	0
1997	MON	1B	15	11	112	10	1	4
1997	MON	OF	63	19	41	3	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Joe Orsulak Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
First Base	28
Left Field	451
Center Field	215
Right Field	669
Designated Hitter	14

Salary History

Joe Orsulak's recorded salaries total $7,304,445 over 12 seasons, 1985 to 1997. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Orsulak's career ran from 1983 to 1997. His seasons before 1985 are not included.

Joe Orsulak — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1997	MON	NL	$650,000
1996	FLO	NL	$625,000
1995	NYN	NL	$894,445
1994	NYN	NL	$850,000
1993	NYN	NL	$660,000
1992	BAL	AL	$1,300,000
1991	BAL	AL	$1,100,000
1990	BAL	AL	$610,000
1989	BAL	AL	$300,000
1988	BAL	AL	$120,000
1986	PIT	NL	$135,000
1985	PIT	NL	$60,000
Total recorded salary (partial)			$7,304,445

Award Voting History

Joe Orsulak — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1985	Rookie of the Year	NL	6th	2.0	120	0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Joe Orsulak (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Joe Orsulak: the record in brief

Between the debut on September 1, 1983 and the final game on September 25, 1997, Joe Orsulak built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1983 through 1986), the Baltimore Orioles (1988 through 1992), the New York Mets (1993 through 1995), the Florida Marlins (1996), and the Montreal Expos (1997). Orsulak is listed as an outfielder at 6 feet, 1 inch and 185 pounds. Orsulak batted and threw left-handed, per the bio block. Orsulak was born on May 31, 1962, in Glen Ridge, NJ, USA. The bio lists the given name Joseph Michael.

The batting record for Orsulak: 1,494 games, 1,173 hits in 4,293 at bats, and a .273 average, adding 57 homers, 405 RBI, and 93 stolen bases. Orsulak's career OPS of .698 combines a .324 on-base mark with .374 slugging. Against a .261 league average for those years, Orsulak's .273 average was near the norm. 1990 was Orsulak's biggest home run year, with 11. The hits column peaks at 135, in 1991. 1985 brought a season-best 24 stolen bases. In 1985, a season of regular play, Orsulak hit .300 while the league hit .257.

Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Orsulak

What years did Joe Orsulak play?: Joe Orsulak played in Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1997.
Was Joe Orsulak a pitcher?: No. Joe Orsulak was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Joe Orsulak hit?: Joe Orsulak hit 57 career home runs with 1,173 hits.
What teams did Joe Orsulak play for?: Joe Orsulak played for 5 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1983–1986), the Baltimore Orioles (1988–1992), the New York Mets (1993–1995), the Florida Marlins (1996), and the Montreal Expos (1997).
What were Joe Orsulak's career stats?: In 1,494 games, Joe Orsulak had 1,173 hits, 57 home runs, 405 RBI, 559 runs, and 93 stolen bases, with a .273 batting average.
How much did Joe Orsulak earn in his career?: Joe Orsulak's recorded salaries total $7,304,445 over 12 seasons, 1985 to 1997. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Orsulak's career ran from 1983 to 1997. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
What was Joe Orsulak's salary?: Joe Orsulak's last recorded salary was $650,000, in 1997. His highest recorded salary was $1,300,000, in 1992, and his lowest was $60,000, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1997.
What position did Joe Orsulak play?: Joe Orsulak played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Joe Orsulak and how much did he weigh?: Joe Orsulak was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did Joe Orsulak hit each season?: Joe Orsulak's home runs by season: 0 in 1983, 0 in 1984, 0 in 1985, 2 in 1986, 8 in 1988, 7 in 1989, 11 in 1990, 5 in 1991, 4 in 1992, 8 in 1993, 8 in 1994, 1 in 1995, 2 in 1996, and 1 in 1997. His most in one season was 11, in 1990.
What was Joe Orsulak's career batting average?: Joe Orsulak batted .273 over his career, with 1,173 hits in 4,293 at bats.
How many RBI did Joe Orsulak have?: Joe Orsulak drove in 405 runs in his career.
Is Joe Orsulak in the Hall of Fame?: No. Joe Orsulak has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.