Jorge Orta
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1972-1987)
Jorge Orta was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1987 for 5 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 16 seasons. In 1,755 career games, he hit .278 with 1,619 hits, 130 home runs, and 745 RBI. Jorge Orta was a 2-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 6,037.
- 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1972-04-15
- Last Game
- 1987-06-10
- Awards
- 2× All-Star
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,755 | 5,829 | 733 | 1,619 | 267 | 63 | 130 | 745 | 79 | 500 | 715 | .278 | .334 | .412 | .746 | 6,037 |
Career AVG .278 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.
Career OBP .334 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .412 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +7.2% above league average.
Career OPS .746 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — +5.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | CHA | AL | 51 | 124 | 20 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 37 | .202 | .243 (-17%) | .310 (-21%) | .353 (-11%) | .664 (-16%) | -315.1 |
| 1973 | CHA | AL | 128 | 425 | 46 | 113 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 40 | 8 | 37 | 87 | .266 | .256 (+3%) | .325 (-1%) | .378 (-1%) | .703 (-1%) | -109.3 |
| 1974 | CHA | AL | 139 | 525 | 73 | 166 | 31 | 2 | 10 | 67 | 9 | 40 | 88 | .316 | .256 (+23%) | .324 (+13%) | .369 (+19%) | .693 (+16%) | 1589.5 |
| 1975 | CHA | AL | 140 | 542 | 64 | 165 | 26 | 10 | 11 | 83 | 16 | 48 | 67 | .304 | .257 (+18%) | .327 (+11%) | .374 (+20%) | .701 (+16%) | 1608.3 |
| 1976 | CHA | AL | 158 | 636 | 74 | 174 | 29 | 8 | 14 | 72 | 24 | 38 | 77 | .274 | .255 (+7%) | .320 (-1%) | .360 (+14%) | .681 (+7%) | 585.2 |
| 1977 | CHA | AL | 144 | 564 | 71 | 159 | 27 | 8 | 11 | 84 | 4 | 46 | 49 | .282 | .264 (+7%) | .329 (+2%) | .401 (+4%) | .730 (+3%) | 238.5 |
| 1978 | CHA | AL | 117 | 420 | 45 | 115 | 19 | 2 | 13 | 53 | 1 | 42 | 39 | .274 | .257 (+6%) | .323 (+5%) | .378 (+11%) | .702 (+9%) | 661.6 |
| 1979 | CHA | AL | 113 | 325 | 49 | 85 | 18 | 3 | 11 | 46 | 1 | 44 | 33 | .262 | .265 (-1%) | .329 (+5%) | .397 (+10%) | .727 (+8%) | 516.6 |
| 1980 | CLE | AL | 129 | 481 | 78 | 140 | 18 | 3 | 10 | 64 | 6 | 71 | 44 | .291 | .264 (+10%) | .326 (+16%) | .387 (+4%) | .714 (+10%) | 1130.3 |
| 1981 | CLE | AL | 88 | 338 | 50 | 92 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 34 | 4 | 21 | 43 | .272 | .255 (+6%) | .320 (-2%) | .368 (+2%) | .688 (avg) | -73.2 |
| 1982 | LAN | NL | 86 | 115 | 13 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 13 | .217 | .261 (-17%) | .324 (-9%) | .388 (-19%) | .712 (-15%) | -255.1 |
| 1983 | TOR | AL | 103 | 245 | 30 | 58 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 38 | 1 | 19 | 29 | .237 | .260 (-9%) | .324 (-12%) | .389 (+5%) | .714 (-3%) | -177.3 |
| 1984 | KCA | AL | 122 | 403 | 50 | 120 | 23 | 7 | 9 | 50 | 0 | 28 | 39 | .298 | .259 (+15%) | .322 (+6%) | .384 (+19%) | .707 (+13%) | 892.6 |
| 1985 | KCA | AL | 110 | 300 | 32 | 80 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 45 | 2 | 22 | 28 | .267 | .257 (+4%) | .323 (-2%) | .390 (-2%) | .714 (-2%) | -131.9 |
| 1986 | KCA | AL | 106 | 336 | 35 | 93 | 14 | 2 | 9 | 46 | 0 | 23 | 34 | .277 | .257 (+7%) | .325 (-1%) | .395 (+4%) | .720 (+2%) | 48.3 |
| 1987 | KCA | AL | 21 | 50 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .180 | .262 (-32%) | .331 (-32%) | .415 (-9%) | .746 (-19%) | -172.1 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,755 | 5,829 | 733 | 1,619 | 267 | 63 | 130 | 745 | 79 | 500 | 715 | .278 | — | — | — | — | 6,037 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1755 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 895 | 2893 | 373 | 836 | 63 | 412 | .289 |
| Away | 860 | 2936 | 360 | 783 | 67 | 333 | .267 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-06-10 | KCR | MIN | L | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-06-09 | KCR | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1987-06-08 | KCR | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1987-06-06 | KCR | SEA | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1987-06-05 | KCR | SEA | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-06-01 | KCR | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-05-31 | KCR | TEX | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-05-27 | KCR | CHW | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-05-26 | KCR | CHW | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-05-25 | KCR | CHW | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 689 | 658 | 1544 | 1693 | 85 | 414 |
| 3B | 58 | 55 | 33 | 120 | 13 | 11 |
| OF | 343 | 330 | 674 | 32 | 14 | 6 |
| SS | 22 | 14 | 29 | 42 | 3 | 13 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | CHA | 2B | 14 | 8 | 20 | 26 | 2 | 8 |
| 1972 | CHA | 3B | 9 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 2 |
| 1972 | CHA | SS | 18 | 14 | 28 | 41 | 3 | 13 |
| 1973 | CHA | 2B | 122 | 116 | 254 | 300 | 18 | 75 |
| 1973 | CHA | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | CHA | 2B | 123 | 116 | 297 | 313 | 18 | 93 |
| 1974 | CHA | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | CHA | 2B | 135 | 134 | 354 | 354 | 16 | 95 |
| 1976 | CHA | 3B | 49 | 49 | 31 | 102 | 10 | 9 |
| 1976 | CHA | OF | 77 | 76 | 156 | 9 | 5 | 1 |
| 1977 | CHA | 2B | 139 | 136 | 287 | 335 | 19 | 64 |
| 1978 | CHA | 2B | 114 | 114 | 275 | 290 | 9 | 62 |
| 1979 | CHA | 2B | 41 | 34 | 57 | 75 | 3 | 17 |
| 1980 | CLE | OF | 120 | 120 | 269 | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| 1981 | CLE | OF | 86 | 80 | 150 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
| 1982 | LAN | OF | 17 | 16 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1983 | TOR | OF | 17 | 12 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1984 | KCA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | KCA | OF | 26 | 26 | 48 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 688 |
| Third Base | 58 |
| Shortstop | 23 |
| Left Field | 97 |
| Center Field | 3 |
| Right Field | 246 |
| Designated Hitter | 452 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Player of the Week | Week of 1976-07-16 |
| 1975 | Player of the Week | Week of 1975-06-27 |
| 1974 | Player of the Week | Week of 1974-06-21 |
Salary History
Jorge Orta's recorded salaries total $900,000 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Orta's career ran from 1972 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1987.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | KCA | AL | $450,000 |
| 1985 | KCA | AL | $450,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $900,000 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jorge Orta (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jorge Orta: the record in brief
The profile opens with Jorge Orta's first major league game on April 15, 1972; the last one listed came on June 10, 1987. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago White Sox (1972 through 1979), the Cleveland Indians (1980 to 1981), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1982), the Toronto Blue Jays (1983), and the Kansas City Royals (1984 through 1987). Orta, born on November 26, 1950, in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, México, is listed as a second baseman and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Size on record: 170 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame.
Orta finished with 1,619 hits from 5,829 at bats in 1,755 games, which works out to .278, adding 130 homers, 745 RBI, and 79 stolen bases. Orta got on base at a .334 rate and slugged .412 (.746 OPS). Set against a .259 league average for the same years, Orta's .278 average sits 7.3% above it. The single-season home run high is 14, set in 1976. 1976 produced Orta's most hits, 174 of them for the Chicago White Sox.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jorge Orta
- What years did Jorge Orta play?
- Jorge Orta played in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1987.
- Was Jorge Orta a pitcher?
- No. Jorge Orta was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Jorge Orta hit?
- Jorge Orta hit 130 career home runs with 1,619 hits.
- What teams did Jorge Orta play for?
- Jorge Orta played for 5 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1972–1979), the Cleveland Indians (1980–1981), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1982), the Toronto Blue Jays (1983), and the Kansas City Royals (1984–1987).
- Did Jorge Orta win an MVP award?
- No. Jorge Orta did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Jorge Orta win?
- Jorge Orta was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were Jorge Orta's career stats?
- In 1,755 games, Jorge Orta had 1,619 hits, 130 home runs, 745 RBI, 733 runs, and 79 stolen bases, with a .278 batting average.
- How much did Jorge Orta earn in his career?
- Jorge Orta's recorded salaries total $900,000 over 2 seasons, 1985 to 1986. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Orta's career ran from 1972 to 1987. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1987.
- What was Jorge Orta's salary?
- Jorge Orta's last recorded salary was $450,000, in 1986. His highest recorded salary was $450,000, in 1985, and his lowest was $450,000, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1986.
- What position did Jorge Orta play?
- Jorge Orta played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jorge Orta and how much did he weigh?
- Jorge Orta was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 170 pounds.
- How many home runs did Jorge Orta hit each season?
- Jorge Orta's home runs by season: 3 in 1972, 6 in 1973, 10 in 1974, 11 in 1975, 14 in 1976, 11 in 1977, 13 in 1978, 11 in 1979, 10 in 1980, 5 in 1981, 2 in 1982, 10 in 1983, 9 in 1984, 4 in 1985, 9 in 1986, and 2 in 1987. His most in one season was 14, in 1976.
- What was Jorge Orta's career batting average?
- Jorge Orta batted .278 over his career, with 1,619 hits in 5,829 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jorge Orta have?
- Jorge Orta drove in 745 runs in his career.