David Palmer

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1978-1989)

W–L 64–59
ERA 3.78
WHIP 1.35
SO 748
Pitcher PIV 9941.4
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 195 lb
Born
10/19/1957 in Glens Falls, NY, USA
MLB Debut
1978-09-09
Last Game
1989-06-30

Full name: David William Palmer

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Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
64 59 212 176 10 4 2 1085.0 1,036 456 78 434 748 3.78 9941.4

Career ERA 3.78 vs. league average 3.88 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

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
1978 MON NL 0 1 5 1 0 0 0 9.7 9 3 2 7 2.79 3.69 (+24%) 0.0
1979 MON NL 10 2 36 11 2 1 2 122.7 110 36 30 72 2.64 4.00 (+34%) 1890.8
1980 MON NL 8 6 24 19 3 1 0 129.7 124 43 30 73 2.98 3.84 (+22%) 1238.8
1982 MON NL 6 4 13 13 1 0 0 73.7 60 26 36 46 3.18 3.86 (+18%) 595.1
1984 MON NL 7 3 20 19 1 1 0 105.3 101 45 44 66 3.84 3.81 (-1%) 1145.3
1985 MON NL 7 10 24 23 0 0 0 135.7 128 56 67 106 3.71 3.89 (+5%) 2596.6
1986 ATL NL 11 10 35 35 2 0 0 209.7 181 85 102 170 3.65 3.97 (+8%) 1301.6
1987 ATL NL 8 11 28 28 0 0 0 152.3 169 83 64 111 4.90 4.29 (-14%) 120.9
1988 PHI NL 7 9 22 22 1 1 0 129.0 129 64 48 85 4.47 3.73 (-20%) 1191.8
1989 DET AL 0 3 5 5 0 0 0 17.3 25 15 11 12 7.79 3.71 (-110%) -139.4
Career · 10 seasons 64 59 212 176 10 4 2 1,085.0 1,036 456 434 748 3.78 — 9,941

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.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
213 323 22 48 12 0 5 23 0 5 95 .149 .162 .232 .394 -382

Career AVG .149 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 42.7% below league average.

Career OBP .162 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 50.2% below league average.

Career SLG .232 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 40.3% below league average.

Career OPS .394 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — 44.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

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
1978 MON NL 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 MON NL 36 31 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 15 .032 — — — — 0.0
1980 MON NL 25 45 3 9 2 0 0 3 0 2 15 .200 — — — — 0.0
1982 MON NL 13 24 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 .042 — — — — 0.0
1984 MON NL 20 33 2 5 1 0 1 3 0 0 12 .152 — — — — 0.0
1985 MON NL 24 36 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 .111 — — — — 0.0
1986 ATL NL 35 66 3 12 3 0 1 6 0 1 17 .182 .257 (-29%) .325 (-40%) .395 (-31%) .720 (-35%) -382.3
1987 ATL NL 28 48 4 6 1 0 1 5 0 1 15 .125 — — — — 0.0
1988 PHI NL 22 39 6 10 4 0 2 6 0 0 4 .256 — — — — 0.0
1989 DET AL 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 213 323 22 48 12 0 5 23 0 5 95 .149 — — — — -382

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 (425 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home101148918110.122
Away1121751330413.171

Pitching — Home / Away

SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home101542.24902062003803.42
Away111542.15462502343684.15

Last 10 Games — Batting

DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1989-06-30 DETBALW 000000000
1989-06-25 DETSEAL 000000000
1989-06-18 DETLAAL 000000000
1989-06-13 DETBOSL 000000000
1989-06-05 DETBOSL 000000000
1988-08-30 PHISFGW 211000000
1988-08-24 PHISDPL 100000001
1988-08-19 PHISFGL 301000002
1988-08-12 PHIPITW 000000000
1988-08-07 PHICHCW 400000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1989-06-30 DETBAL — 2.2433320
1989-06-25 DETSEA L 5.0741240
1989-06-18 DETLAA L 3.2332240
1989-06-13 DETBOS — 1.1655000
1989-06-05 DETBOS L 4.2544421
1988-08-30 PHISFG — 6.0633140
1988-08-24 PHISDP L 3.1755222
1988-08-19 PHISFG — 6.0722250
1988-08-12 PHIPIT — 6.0933020
1988-08-07 PHICHC W 6.0944030

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 212 176 103 163 10 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1978 MON P 5 1 0 5 1 0
1979 MON P 36 11 7 17 1 0
1980 MON P 24 19 9 26 2 0
1982 MON P 13 13 7 10 1 1
1984 MON P 20 19 20 13 1 1
1985 MON P 24 23 17 21 1 3
1986 ATL P 35 35 18 33 0 3
1987 ATL P 28 28 9 25 1 2
1988 PHI P 22 22 14 12 1 2
1989 DET P 5 5 2 1 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Position Games
Pitcher 212

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1988 PHI NL $675,000
1987 ATL NL $725,000
1986 ATL NL $390,000
1985 MON NL $375,000
Total Career Earnings $2,165,000

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

David Palmer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Steve Busby
    70-54, 3.72 ERA
  2. 90
    Kelly Downs
    57-53, 3.86 ERA
  3. 90
    Connie Johnson
    68-50, 3.68 ERA
  4. 83
    Jim Nash
    68-64, 3.58 ERA
  5. 83
    Chuck Dobson
    74-69, 3.78 ERA
  6. 83
    Jose Guzman
    80-74, 4.05 ERA

Frequently Asked Questions about David Palmer

What years did David Palmer play?
David Palmer played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1989.
Was David Palmer a pitcher?
Yes. David Palmer pitched in the major leagues, recording 64 wins and 748 strikeouts.
How many home runs did David Palmer hit?
David Palmer hit 5 career home runs with 48 hits.