Jay Payton
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1998-2010)
Jay Payton was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2010 for 6 teams, including the New York Mets, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,259 career games, he hit .279 with 1,157 hits, 119 home runs, and 522 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
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1998-09-01
- Last Game
- 2010-10-03
Full name: Jason Lee Payton
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,259 | 4,154 | 561 | 1,157 | 193 | 30 | 119 | 522 | 47 | 255 | 503 | .279 | .323 | .425 | .748 | -1,121 |
Career AVG .279 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .323 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .425 vs. league average .423 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .748 vs. league average .758 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | NYN | NL | 15 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .318 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1999 | NYN | NL | 13 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2000 | NYN | NL | 149 | 488 | 63 | 142 | 23 | 1 | 17 | 62 | 5 | 30 | 60 | .291 | .270 (+8%) | .344 (-4%) | .437 (+2%) | .782 (-1%) | -146.2 |
| 2001 | NYN | NL | 104 | 361 | 44 | 92 | 16 | 1 | 8 | 34 | 4 | 18 | 52 | .255 | .263 (-3%) | .332 (-10%) | .426 (-13%) | .758 (-12%) | -725.0 |
| 2002 | NYN | NL | 87 | 275 | 33 | 78 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 31 | 4 | 21 | 34 | .284 | .261 (+9%) | .331 (+1%) | .416 (-1%) | .747 (avg) | 22.2 |
| 2002 | COL | NL | 47 | 170 | 36 | 57 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 28 | 3 | 8 | 20 | .335 | .261 (+28%) | .331 (+13%) | .416 (+45%) | .747 (+31%) | 22.2 |
| 2003 | COL | NL | 157 | 600 | 93 | 181 | 32 | 5 | 28 | 89 | 6 | 43 | 77 | .302 | .264 (+14%) | .332 (+6%) | .422 (+21%) | .754 (+15%) | 1787.2 |
| 2004 | SDN | NL | 143 | 458 | 57 | 119 | 17 | 4 | 8 | 55 | 2 | 43 | 56 | .260 | .266 (-2%) | .335 (-3%) | .427 (-14%) | .762 (-9%) | -671.2 |
| 2005 | BOS | AL | 55 | 133 | 24 | 35 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 0 | 10 | 14 | .263 | .264 (avg) | .330 (-5%) | .418 (+2%) | .749 (-1%) | -40.7 |
| 2005 | OAK | AL | 69 | 275 | 38 | 74 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 42 | 0 | 14 | 33 | .269 | .264 (+2%) | .330 (-8%) | .418 (+8%) | .749 (+1%) | -40.7 |
| 2006 | OAK | AL | 142 | 557 | 78 | 165 | 32 | 3 | 10 | 59 | 8 | 22 | 52 | .296 | .269 (+10%) | .336 (-3%) | .431 (-3%) | .768 (-3%) | -386.2 |
| 2007 | BAL | AL | 131 | 434 | 48 | 111 | 21 | 5 | 7 | 58 | 5 | 22 | 42 | .256 | .268 (-5%) | .335 (-13%) | .422 (-11%) | .758 (-12%) | -966.7 |
| 2008 | BAL | AL | 127 | 338 | 41 | 82 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 41 | 8 | 22 | 53 | .243 | .263 (-8%) | .333 (-13%) | .416 (-17%) | .749 (-15%) | -833.5 |
| 2010 | COL | NL | 20 | 35 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .343 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 1,259 | 4,154 | 561 | 1,157 | 193 | 30 | 119 | 522 | 47 | 255 | 503 | .279 | — | — | — | — | -1,979 | ||
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 (1259 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 637 | 2054 | 289 | 576 | 61 | 260 | .280 |
| Away | 622 | 2100 | 272 | 581 | 58 | 262 | .277 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-10-03 | COL | STL | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-10-02 | COL | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2010-09-30 | COL | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-09-29 | COL | LAD | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-09-28 | COL | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-09-27 | COL | LAD | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2010-09-26 | COL | SFG | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010-09-25 | COL | SFG | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-09-23 | COL | AZ | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010-09-22 | COL | AZ | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | NYN | OF | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | NYN | OF | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | NYN | OF | 146 | 124 | 311 | 7 | 6 | 2 |
| 2001 | NYN | OF | 103 | 90 | 237 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 2002 | NYN | OF | 82 | 68 | 164 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | COL | OF | 44 | 41 | 88 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2003 | COL | OF | 151 | 148 | 306 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 2004 | SDN | OF | 137 | 115 | 342 | 11 | 4 | 2 |
| 2005 | BOS | OF | 53 | 30 | 82 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | OAK | OF | 69 | 68 | 153 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | OAK | OF | 137 | 136 | 311 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| 2007 | BAL | OF | 129 | 116 | 281 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| 2008 | BAL | OF | 108 | 81 | 239 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 | COL | OF | 10 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 531 |
| Center Field | 626 |
| Right Field | 92 |
| Designated Hitter | 5 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Player of the Week | Week of 2002-08-24 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | BAL | AL | $5,000,000 |
| 2007 | BAL | AL | $4,500,000 |
| 2006 | OAK | AL | $4,000,000 |
| 2005 | BOS | AL | $3,500,000 |
| 2004 | SDN | NL | $1,500,000 |
| 2003 | COL | NL | $1,850,000 |
| 2002 | NYN | NL | $362,500 |
| 2001 | NYN | NL | $290,000 |
| 2000 | NYN | NL | $215,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $21,217,500 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta | GA | 1992, 1993, 1994 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 3rd | 37.0 | 160 | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jay Payton (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Jay Payton: the record in brief
The profile opens with Jay Payton's first major league game on September 1, 1998; the last one listed came on October 3, 2010. By club, Payton's seasons break down as the New York Mets (1998 to 2002), the Colorado Rockies (2002 through 2010), the San Diego Padres (2004), the Boston Red Sox (2005), the Oakland Athletics (2005 to 2006), and the Baltimore Orioles (2007 to 2008). Payton played primarily as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on November 22, 1972, in Zanesville, OH, USA, Payton was listed at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds. On the record, Jay Payton was born Jason Lee Payton.
Across 1,259 games at the plate, Payton's career line reads 1,157 hits in 4,154 at bats for a .279 average, along with 119 home runs, 522 runs batted in, and 47 stolen bases. Payton's career OPS of .748 combines a .323 on-base mark with .425 slugging. Against a .266 league average for those years, Payton's .279 average was near the norm. For power, 2003 stands out: 28 home runs with the Colorado Rockies. Payton collected a career-high 181 hits in 2003.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jay Payton
- What years did Jay Payton play?
- Jay Payton played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2010.
- Was Jay Payton a pitcher?
- No. Jay Payton was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Jay Payton hit?
- Jay Payton hit 119 career home runs with 1157 hits.
- What was Jay Payton's career batting average?
- Jay Payton batted .279 over his career, with 1,157 hits in 4,154 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jay Payton have?
- Jay Payton drove in 522 runs in his career.
- Is Jay Payton in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Jay Payton has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.