Josh Phelps
Designated Hitter · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2000-2008)
Josh Phelps was a designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball from 2000 to 2008 for 6 teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, a span of 9 seasons. In 465 career games, he hit .273 with 380 hits, 64 home runs, and 244 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,504.
- 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
- Designated Hitter
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 225 lb
- MLB Debut
- 2000-06-13
- Last Game
- 2008-09-28
Full name: Joshua Lee Phelps
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 465 | 1,394 | 198 | 380 | 74 | 6 | 64 | 244 | 2 | 116 | 397 | .273 | .343 | .472 | .815 | 2,504 |
Career AVG .273 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .343 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .472 vs. league average .424 across their career seasons — +11.4% above league average.
Career OPS .815 vs. league average .758 across their career seasons — +7.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | TOR | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2001 | TOR | AL | 8 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2002 | TOR | AL | 74 | 265 | 41 | 82 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 58 | 0 | 19 | 82 | .309 | .261 (+18%) | .331 (+9%) | .416 (+35%) | .747 (+24%) | 1116.2 |
| 2003 | TOR | AL | 119 | 396 | 57 | 106 | 18 | 1 | 20 | 66 | 1 | 39 | 115 | .268 | .264 (+1%) | .332 (+8%) | .422 (+11%) | .754 (+10%) | 888.9 |
| 2004 | TOR | AL | 79 | 295 | 38 | 70 | 13 | 2 | 12 | 51 | 0 | 18 | 73 | .237 | .266 (-11%) | .335 (-12%) | .427 (-3%) | .762 (-7%) | -358.2 |
| 2004 | CLE | AL | 24 | 76 | 13 | 23 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 20 | .303 | .266 (+14%) | .335 (+1%) | .427 (+35%) | .762 (+20%) | -358.2 |
| 2005 | TBA | AL | 47 | 158 | 21 | 42 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 26 | 0 | 12 | 48 | .266 | .264 (+1%) | .330 (-1%) | .418 (+1%) | .749 (avg) | -4.7 |
| 2007 | NYA | AL | 36 | 80 | 8 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 19 | .263 | .268 (-2%) | .335 (-2%) | .422 (-14%) | .758 (-9%) | -95.5 |
| 2007 | PIT | NL | 58 | 77 | 13 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 23 | .351 | .268 (+31%) | .335 (+38%) | .422 (+54%) | .758 (+47%) | -95.5 |
| 2008 | SLN | NL | 19 | 34 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11 | .265 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 465 | 1,394 | 198 | 380 | 74 | 6 | 64 | 244 | 2 | 116 | 397 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 1,093 | ||
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 (465 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 226 | 656 | 102 | 192 | 32 | 132 | .293 |
| Away | 239 | 738 | 96 | 188 | 32 | 112 | .255 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09-28 | STL | CIN | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008-09-25 | STL | AZ | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008-09-24 | STL | AZ | W | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008-09-23 | STL | AZ | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008-09-21 | STL | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008-09-20 | STL | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008-09-14 | STL | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008-09-13 | STL | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008-09-12 | STL | PIT | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008-09-11 | STL | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 86 | 56 | 505 | 22 | 8 | 42 |
| C | 12 | 6 | 38 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | TOR | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | TOR | C | 7 | 4 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | TOR | 1B | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2003 | TOR | 1B | 8 | 8 | 55 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 2004 | TOR | 1B | 12 | 11 | 101 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 2004 | CLE | 1B | 8 | 7 | 43 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2005 | TBA | 1B | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2007 | NYA | 1B | 29 | 20 | 167 | 9 | 3 | 16 |
| 2007 | NYA | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | PIT | 1B | 22 | 8 | 107 | 5 | 0 | 12 |
| 2007 | PIT | C | 3 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | SLN | 1B | 4 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008 | SLN | OF | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 12 |
| First Base | 86 |
| Left Field | 3 |
| Right Field | 2 |
| Designated Hitter | 308 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Rookie of the Month | August |
| 2002 | Rookie of the Month | September |
Salary History
Josh Phelps's recorded salaries total $2,062,000 over 4 seasons, 2003 to 2007. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Phelps's career ran from 2000 to 2008. No salary is recorded for 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2008.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | NYA | AL | $600,000 |
| 2005 | TBA | AL | $800,000 |
| 2004 | TOR | AL | $342,000 |
| 2003 | TOR | AL | $320,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $2,062,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 6th | 3.0 | 140 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Josh Phelps (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Josh Phelps: the record in brief
June 13, 2000 and September 28, 2008 bracket Josh Phelps's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Toronto Blue Jays (2000 through 2004), the Cleveland Indians (2004), the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005), the New York Yankees (2007), the Pittsburgh Pirates (2007), and the St. Louis Cardinals (2008). Phelps played primarily as a designated hitter and batted and threw right-handed. Born on May 12, 1978, in Anchorage, AK, USA, Phelps was listed at 225 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame. Phelps's full given name, per the bio, is Joshua Lee Phelps.
The batting record for Phelps: 465 games, 380 hits in 1,394 at bats, and a .273 average, along with 64 home runs and 244 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .343 and the slugging percentage .472, for an OPS of .815. The .273 career average is close to the .265 the league hit across the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 7.5% above league average (.815 against .758).
Frequently Asked Questions about Josh Phelps
- What years did Josh Phelps play?
- Josh Phelps played in Major League Baseball from 2000 to 2008.
- Was Josh Phelps a pitcher?
- No. Josh Phelps was a position player (Designated Hitter).
- How many home runs did Josh Phelps hit?
- Josh Phelps hit 64 career home runs with 380 hits.
- What teams did Josh Phelps play for?
- Josh Phelps played for 6 teams: the Toronto Blue Jays (2000–2004), the Cleveland Indians (2004), the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2005), the New York Yankees (2007), the Pittsburgh Pirates (2007), and the St. Louis Cardinals (2008).
- What were Josh Phelps's career stats?
- In 465 games, Josh Phelps had 380 hits, 64 home runs, 244 RBI, 198 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .273 batting average.
- How much did Josh Phelps earn in his career?
- Josh Phelps's recorded salaries total $2,062,000 over 4 seasons, 2003 to 2007. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Phelps's career ran from 2000 to 2008. No salary is recorded for 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2008.
- What was Josh Phelps's salary?
- Josh Phelps's last recorded salary was $600,000, in 2007. His highest recorded salary was $800,000, in 2005, and his lowest was $320,000, in 2003. The Salary History table lists each season from 2003 to 2007.
- What position did Josh Phelps play?
- Josh Phelps played primarily as a designated hitter, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Josh Phelps and how much did he weigh?
- Josh Phelps was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 225 pounds.
- How many home runs did Josh Phelps hit each season?
- Josh Phelps's home runs by season: 0 in 2000, 0 in 2001, 15 in 2002, 20 in 2003, 17 in 2004, 5 in 2005, 7 in 2007, and 0 in 2008. His most in one season was 20, in 2003.
- What was Josh Phelps's career batting average?
- Josh Phelps batted .273 over his career, with 380 hits in 1,394 at bats.
- How many RBI did Josh Phelps have?
- Josh Phelps drove in 244 runs in his career.
- Is Josh Phelps in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Josh Phelps has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.