A. J. Pierzynski
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1998-2016)
A. J. Pierzynski was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2016 for 7 teams, including the Minnesota Twins, a span of 19 seasons. In 2,059 career games, he hit .280 with 2,043 hits, 188 home runs, and 909 RBI. A. J. Pierzynski was a 2-time All-Star and a Silver Slugger.
- 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 250 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1998-09-09
- Last Game
- 2016-09-10
- Awards
- 2× All-Star · Silver Slugger
Full name: Anthony John Pierzynski
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,059 | 7,290 | 807 | 2,043 | 407 | 24 | 188 | 909 | 15 | 308 | 895 | .280 | .319 | .420 | .739 | -836 |
Career AVG .280 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — +7.1% above league average.
Career OBP .319 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .420 vs. league average .416 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .739 vs. league average .746 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 | MIN | AL | 7 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .300 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1999 | MIN | AL | 9 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2000 | MIN | AL | 33 | 88 | 12 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 14 | .307 | .270 (+13%) | .344 (+3%) | .437 (+4%) | .782 (+3%) | 44.9 |
| 2001 | MIN | AL | 114 | 381 | 51 | 110 | 33 | 2 | 7 | 55 | 1 | 16 | 57 | .289 | .263 (+9%) | .332 (-3%) | .426 (+3%) | .758 (+1%) | -55.3 |
| 2002 | MIN | AL | 130 | 440 | 54 | 132 | 31 | 6 | 6 | 49 | 1 | 13 | 61 | .300 | .261 (+15%) | .331 (+1%) | .416 (+5%) | .747 (+3%) | 189.9 |
| 2003 | MIN | AL | 137 | 487 | 63 | 152 | 35 | 3 | 11 | 74 | 3 | 24 | 55 | .312 | .264 (+18%) | .332 (+8%) | .422 (+10%) | .754 (+9%) | 895.0 |
| 2004 | SFN | NL | 131 | 471 | 45 | 128 | 28 | 2 | 11 | 77 | 0 | 19 | 27 | .272 | .266 (+2%) | .335 (-5%) | .427 (-4%) | .762 (-4%) | -380.6 |
| 2005 | CHA | AL | 128 | 460 | 61 | 118 | 21 | 0 | 18 | 56 | 0 | 23 | 68 | .257 | .264 (-3%) | .330 (-7%) | .418 (avg) | .749 (-3%) | -224.9 |
| 2006 | CHA | AL | 140 | 509 | 65 | 150 | 24 | 0 | 16 | 64 | 1 | 22 | 72 | .295 | .269 (+9%) | .336 (-1%) | .431 (+1%) | .768 (avg) | 17.7 |
| 2007 | CHA | AL | 136 | 472 | 54 | 124 | 24 | 0 | 14 | 50 | 1 | 25 | 66 | .263 | .268 (-2%) | .335 (-8%) | .422 (-5%) | .758 (-6%) | -517.9 |
| 2008 | CHA | AL | 134 | 534 | 66 | 150 | 31 | 1 | 13 | 60 | 1 | 19 | 71 | .281 | .263 (+6%) | .333 (-6%) | .416 (avg) | .749 (-3%) | -358.3 |
| 2009 | CHA | AL | 138 | 504 | 57 | 151 | 22 | 1 | 13 | 49 | 1 | 24 | 52 | .300 | .262 (+14%) | .332 (-1%) | .417 (+2%) | .750 (+1%) | 3.1 |
| 2010 | CHA | AL | 128 | 474 | 43 | 128 | 29 | 0 | 9 | 56 | 3 | 15 | 39 | .270 | .257 (+5%) | .325 (-8%) | .402 (-4%) | .728 (-6%) | -491.4 |
| 2011 | CHA | AL | 129 | 464 | 38 | 133 | 29 | 1 | 8 | 48 | 0 | 23 | 33 | .287 | .255 (+12%) | .320 (+1%) | .399 (+2%) | .719 (+1%) | 30.0 |
| 2012 | CHA | AL | 135 | 479 | 68 | 133 | 18 | 4 | 27 | 77 | 0 | 28 | 78 | .278 | .254 (+9%) | .318 (+2%) | .405 (+24%) | .724 (+14%) | 1225.2 |
| 2013 | TEX | AL | 134 | 503 | 48 | 137 | 24 | 1 | 17 | 70 | 1 | 11 | 76 | .272 | .253 (+7%) | .317 (-7%) | .396 (+7%) | .714 (+1%) | -47.4 |
| 2014 | BOS | AL | 72 | 256 | 19 | 65 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 9 | 40 | .254 | .251 (+1%) | .313 (-9%) | .386 (-10%) | .700 (-10%) | -418.3 |
| 2014 | SLN | NL | 30 | 82 | 6 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 14 | .244 | .251 (-3%) | .313 (-6%) | .386 (-21%) | .700 (-14%) | -418.3 |
| 2015 | ATL | NL | 113 | 407 | 38 | 122 | 24 | 1 | 9 | 49 | 0 | 19 | 37 | .300 | .254 (+18%) | .316 (+7%) | .404 (+6%) | .721 (+7%) | 507.1 |
| 2016 | ATL | NL | 81 | 247 | 15 | 54 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 1 | 6 | 29 | .219 | .255 (-14%) | .321 (-24%) | .417 (-27%) | .738 (-26%) | -1089.5 |
| Career · 20 seasons | 2,059 | 7,290 | 807 | 2,043 | 407 | 24 | 188 | 909 | 15 | 308 | 895 | .280 | — | — | — | — | -1,089 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | 106 | 16 | 31 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 11 | 14 | .292 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | NLCS | SLN | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .167 |
| 2008 | ALDS2 | CHA | 4 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .385 |
| 2005 | ALCS | CHA | 5 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | .167 |
| 2005 | ALDS1 | CHA | 3 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | .444 |
| 2005 | WS | CHA | 4 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | .267 |
| 2003 | ALDS1 | MIN | 4 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .231 |
| 2002 | ALCS | MIN | 5 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .250 |
| 2002 | ALDS2 | MIN | 5 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .438 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2057 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1045 | 3617 | 428 | 1026 | 106 | 458 | .284 |
| Away | 1012 | 3666 | 379 | 1017 | 82 | 451 | .277 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-09-10 | ATL | NYN | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-09-09 | ATL | NYN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016-09-07 | ATL | WAS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016-09-06 | ATL | WAS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-09-05 | ATL | WAS | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-09-04 | ATL | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-09-02 | ATL | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-08-16 | ATL | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2016-08-13 | ATL | WAS | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-08-10 | ATL | MIL | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1936 | 1832 | 12600 | 823 | 68 | 101 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | MIN | C | 6 | 4 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1999 | MIN | C | 9 | 6 | 35 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2000 | MIN | C | 32 | 27 | 160 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| 2001 | MIN | C | 110 | 102 | 611 | 44 | 10 | 7 |
| 2002 | MIN | C | 124 | 118 | 757 | 41 | 3 | 3 |
| 2003 | MIN | C | 135 | 131 | 843 | 45 | 6 | 6 |
| 2004 | SFN | C | 118 | 117 | 697 | 56 | 1 | 6 |
| 2005 | CHA | C | 128 | 124 | 803 | 48 | 1 | 8 |
| 2006 | CHA | C | 132 | 126 | 795 | 62 | 3 | 4 |
| 2007 | CHA | C | 130 | 116 | 796 | 46 | 2 | 6 |
| 2008 | CHA | C | 131 | 127 | 913 | 54 | 9 | 8 |
| 2009 | CHA | C | 131 | 124 | 879 | 50 | 5 | 8 |
| 2010 | CHA | C | 127 | 123 | 865 | 61 | 5 | 5 |
| 2011 | CHA | C | 120 | 112 | 817 | 65 | 4 | 4 |
| 2012 | CHA | C | 126 | 121 | 899 | 71 | 6 | 8 |
| 2013 | TEX | C | 119 | 111 | 892 | 65 | 2 | 8 |
| 2014 | BOS | C | 64 | 60 | 464 | 28 | 3 | 2 |
| 2014 | SLN | C | 23 | 20 | 155 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 2015 | ATL | C | 107 | 104 | 729 | 44 | 2 | 7 |
| 2016 | ATL | C | 64 | 59 | 457 | 23 | 4 | 5 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1936 |
| Designated Hitter | 32 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Silver Slugger | C |
| 2008 | Player of the Week | Week of 2008-04-05 |
Salary History
A. J. Pierzynski's recorded salaries total $63,675,000 over 16 seasons, 2001 to 2016. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Pierzynski's career ran from 1998 to 2016. No salary is recorded for 1998, 1999, and 2000.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | ATL | NL | $3,000,000 |
| 2015 | ATL | NL | $2,000,000 |
| 2014 | BOS | AL | $8,250,000 |
| 2013 | TEX | AL | $7,500,000 |
| 2012 | CHA | AL | $6,000,000 |
| 2011 | CHA | AL | $2,000,000 |
| 2010 | CHA | AL | $6,750,000 |
| 2009 | CHA | AL | $6,250,000 |
| 2008 | CHA | AL | $5,850,000 |
| 2007 | CHA | AL | $5,500,000 |
| 2006 | CHA | AL | $4,000,000 |
| 2005 | CHA | AL | $2,250,000 |
| 2004 | SFN | NL | $3,500,000 |
| 2003 | MIN | AL | $365,000 |
| 2002 | MIN | AL | $250,000 |
| 2001 | MIN | AL | $210,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $63,675,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 30th | 1.0 | 392 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
A. J. Pierzynski (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
A. J. Pierzynski: the record in brief
A. J. Pierzynski played a first major league game on September 9, 1998 and a last one on September 10, 2016. The season rows list, in order, the Minnesota Twins (1998 through 2003), the San Francisco Giants (2004), the Chicago White Sox (2005 through 2012), the Texas Rangers (2013), the Boston Red Sox (2014), the St. Louis Cardinals (2014), and the Atlanta Braves (2015 to 2016). Pierzynski, born on December 30, 1976, in Bridgehampton, NY, USA, is listed as a catcher and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The bio gives 6'3" and 250 pounds. On the record, A. J. Pierzynski was born Anthony John Pierzynski.
The batting record for Pierzynski: 2,059 games, 2,043 hits in 7,290 at bats, and a .280 average, along with 188 homers and 909 RBI. Pierzynski's career OPS of .739 combines a .319 on-base mark with .420 slugging. Measured against the leagues Pierzynski played in, the .280 career average compares with a .262 league average over the same seasons, 7.1% above the league. The home run peak was 27 in 2012 with the Chicago White Sox.
Frequently Asked Questions about A. J. Pierzynski
- What years did A. J. Pierzynski play?
- A. J. Pierzynski played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2016.
- Was A. J. Pierzynski a pitcher?
- No. A. J. Pierzynski was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did A. J. Pierzynski hit?
- A. J. Pierzynski hit 188 career home runs with 2,043 hits.
- What teams did A. J. Pierzynski play for?
- A. J. Pierzynski played for 7 teams: the Minnesota Twins (1998–2003), the San Francisco Giants (2004), the Chicago White Sox (2005–2012), the Texas Rangers (2013), the Boston Red Sox (2014), the St. Louis Cardinals (2014), and the Atlanta Braves (2015–2016).
- Did A. J. Pierzynski win an MVP award?
- No. A. J. Pierzynski did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did A. J. Pierzynski win?
- A. J. Pierzynski won the Silver Slugger award (2012). He was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were A. J. Pierzynski's career stats?
- In 2,059 games, A. J. Pierzynski had 2,043 hits, 188 home runs, 909 RBI, 807 runs, and 15 stolen bases, with a .280 batting average.
- How much did A. J. Pierzynski earn in his career?
- A. J. Pierzynski's recorded salaries total $63,675,000 over 16 seasons, 2001 to 2016. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Pierzynski's career ran from 1998 to 2016. No salary is recorded for 1998, 1999, and 2000.
- What was A. J. Pierzynski's salary?
- A. J. Pierzynski's last recorded salary was $3,000,000, in 2016. His highest recorded salary was $8,250,000, in 2014, and his lowest was $210,000, in 2001. The Salary History table lists each season from 2001 to 2016.
- What position did A. J. Pierzynski play?
- A. J. Pierzynski played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was A. J. Pierzynski and how much did he weigh?
- A. J. Pierzynski was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 250 pounds.
- How many home runs did A. J. Pierzynski hit each season?
- A. J. Pierzynski's home runs by season: 0 in 1998, 0 in 1999, 2 in 2000, 7 in 2001, 6 in 2002, 11 in 2003, 11 in 2004, 18 in 2005, 16 in 2006, 14 in 2007, 13 in 2008, 13 in 2009, 9 in 2010, 8 in 2011, 27 in 2012, 17 in 2013, 5 in 2014, 9 in 2015, and 2 in 2016. His most in one season was 27, in 2012.
- What was A. J. Pierzynski's career batting average?
- A. J. Pierzynski batted .280 over his career, with 2,043 hits in 7,290 at bats.
- How many RBI did A. J. Pierzynski have?
- A. J. Pierzynski drove in 909 runs in his career.