Placido Polanco

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1998-2013)

Placido Polanco was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2013 for 4 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 16 seasons. In 1,927 career games, he hit .297 with 2,142 hits, 104 home runs, and 723 RBI. Placido Polanco was a 2-time All-Star, an ALCS MVP, a 3-time Gold Glove, 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

AVG .297
HR 104
RBI 723
H 2,142
OPS .740
PIV -487
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 190 lb
Born
10/10/1975 in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, D.R.
MLB Debut
1998-07-03
Last Game
2013-09-28
Awards
2× All-Star · ALCS MVP · 3× Gold Glove · Silver Slugger

Full name: Placido Enrique Polanco

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Career Batting Statistics

Placido Polanco — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,927 7,214 1,009 2,142 348 32 104 723 81 429 538 .297 .343 .397 .740 -487

Career AVG .297 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — +12.8% above league average.

Career OBP .343 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .397 vs. league average .419 across their career seasons — 5.1% below league average.

Career OPS .740 vs. league average .750 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Placido Polanco Stats, Bio & Career Records
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 SLN NL 45 114 10 29 3 2 1 11 2 5 9 .254 .266 (-4%) .335 (-13%) .420 (-19%) .755 (-16%) -310.7
1999 SLN NL 88 220 24 61 9 3 1 19 1 15 24 .277 .271 (+2%) .344 (-7%) .433 (-17%) .778 (-13%) -493.3
2000 SLN NL 118 323 50 102 12 3 5 39 4 16 26 .316 .270 (+17%) .344 (+1%) .437 (-4%) .782 (-2%) -144.9
2001 SLN NL 144 564 87 173 26 4 3 38 12 25 43 .307 .263 (+16%) .332 (+3%) .426 (-10%) .758 (-4%) -370.3
2002 SLN NL 94 342 47 97 19 1 5 27 3 12 27 .284 .261 (+9%) .331 (-5%) .416 (-7%) .747 (-6%) -340.6
2002 PHI NL 53 206 28 61 13 1 4 22 2 14 14 .296 .261 (+13%) .331 (+6%) .416 (+3%) .747 (+4%) -340.6
2003 PHI NL 122 492 87 142 30 3 14 63 14 42 38 .289 .264 (+9%) .332 (+6%) .422 (+6%) .754 (+6%) 596.0
2004 PHI NL 126 503 74 150 21 0 17 55 7 27 39 .298 .266 (+12%) .335 (+3%) .427 (+3%) .762 (+3%) 316.8
2005 PHI NL 43 158 26 50 7 0 3 20 0 12 9 .316 .264 (+20%) .330 (+14%) .418 (avg) .749 (+6%) 218.8
2005 DET AL 86 343 58 116 20 2 6 36 4 21 16 .338 .264 (+28%) .330 (+17%) .418 (+10%) .749 (+13%) 218.8
2006 DET AL 110 461 58 136 18 1 4 52 1 17 27 .295 .269 (+10%) .336 (-2%) .431 (-16%) .768 (-10%) -718.7
2007 DET AL 142 587 105 200 36 3 9 67 7 37 30 .341 .268 (+27%) .335 (+16%) .422 (+8%) .758 (+12%) 1516.7
2008 DET AL 141 580 90 178 34 3 8 58 7 35 43 .307 .263 (+16%) .333 (+5%) .416 (avg) .749 (+2%) 286.3
2009 DET AL 153 618 82 176 31 4 10 72 7 36 46 .285 .262 (+9%) .332 (-1%) .417 (-5%) .750 (-3%) -339.6
2010 PHI NL 132 554 76 165 27 2 6 52 5 32 47 .298 .257 (+16%) .325 (+4%) .402 (-4%) .728 (avg) -46.0
2011 PHI NL 122 469 46 130 14 0 5 50 3 42 44 .277 .255 (+9%) .320 (+5%) .399 (-15%) .719 (-6%) -386.0
2012 PHI NL 90 303 28 78 15 0 2 19 0 18 25 .257 .254 (+1%) .318 (-5%) .405 (-19%) .724 (-13%) -607.7
2013 MIA NL 118 377 33 98 13 0 1 23 2 23 31 .260 .253 (+3%) .317 (-1%) .396 (-24%) .714 (-14%) -729.0
Career · 18 seasons 1,927 7,214 1,009 2,142 348 32 104 723 81 429 538 .297 — — — — -1,674

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

Placido Polanco — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
38 129 11 32 4 0 0 13 11 9 .248

Playoff Batting by Year

Placido Polanco — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2011 NLDS1 PHI 5 19 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 .105
2010 NLCS PHI 6 20 3 5 2 0 0 5 3 1 .250
2010 NLDS1 PHI 2 9 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .111
2006 ALCS DET 4 17 2 9 1 0 0 2 2 1 .529
2006 ALDS1 DET 4 17 3 7 1 0 0 2 1 1 .412
2006 WS DET 5 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000
2001 NLDS2 SLN 5 15 1 4 0 0 0 1 1 1 .267
2000 NLCS SLN 4 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 .200
2000 NLDS1 SLN 3 10 1 3 0 0 0 3 1 0 .300

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1926 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Placido Polanco — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home9863602540110762389.307
Away9403606469103442334.287

Last 10 Games — Batting

Placido Polanco — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
2013-09-28 MIADETW 000000000
2013-09-27 MIADETW 311000010
2013-09-25 MIAPHIW 413100000
2013-09-24 MIAPHIL 100000000
2013-09-23 MIAPHIW 311100010
2013-09-22 MIAWASW 402000000
2013-09-19 MIAWASL 401000000
2013-09-18 MIAPHIW 101000000
2013-09-17 MIAPHIL 100000001
2013-09-16 MIAPHIL 101000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Placido Polanco — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 2 1 0 0
2B 1027 943 2131 2794 36 718
3B 751 667 475 1421 32 138
OF 5 4 10 0 0 0
SS 122 81 149 289 8 58

Season-by-Season Fielding

Placido Polanco — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1998 SLN 2B 14 8 34 21 1 10
1998 SLN SS 28 21 38 81 6 18
1999 SLN 2B 66 39 116 122 5 32
1999 SLN 3B 9 2 0 8 1 0
1999 SLN SS 9 7 7 20 2 5
2000 SLN 1B 1 0 2 1 0 0
2000 SLN 2B 51 32 80 107 3 18
2000 SLN 3B 35 19 18 41 0 8
2000 SLN SS 29 14 31 53 0 11
2001 SLN 2B 15 10 22 36 0 10
2001 SLN 3B 103 93 60 199 4 16
2001 SLN SS 42 29 51 109 0 16
2002 SLN 2B 6 5 11 17 1 7
2002 SLN 3B 78 63 52 139 5 18
2002 SLN SS 13 9 19 24 0 7
2002 PHI 3B 53 52 38 133 3 15
2003 PHI 2B 99 99 213 301 4 69
2003 PHI 3B 21 21 10 37 2 5
2004 PHI 2B 109 105 264 304 3 76
2004 PHI 3B 13 11 15 26 0 4
2005 PHI 2B 29 26 57 74 0 26
2005 PHI 3B 8 5 6 17 0 2
2005 PHI OF 5 4 10 0 0 0
2005 PHI SS 1 1 3 2 0 1
2005 DET 2B 84 83 187 248 3 69
2005 DET 3B 1 1 1 3 0 0
2006 DET 2B 108 107 224 325 6 81
2007 DET 2B 141 138 294 389 0 101
2008 DET 2B 141 136 323 374 8 100
2009 DET 2B 151 146 290 439 2 112
2010 PHI 2B 12 9 15 37 0 7
2010 PHI 3B 123 121 88 258 5 32
2011 PHI 2B 1 0 1 0 0 0
2011 PHI 3B 118 115 78 259 8 15
2012 PHI 3B 80 72 57 148 2 10
2013 MIA 3B 109 92 52 153 2 13

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Placido Polanco Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 1
Second Base 1027
Third Base 751
Shortstop 122
Left Field 5
Designated Hitter 3

Awards & Honors

Placido Polanco — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
2011 Gold Glove 3B
2009 Gold Glove 2B
2007 Gold Glove 2B
2007 Silver Slugger 2B
2007 TSN All-Star 2B
2007 This Year in Baseball Defensive Player of the Year MLB.com GIBBY
2006 ALCS MVP

Salary History

Placido Polanco's recorded salaries total $52,034,998 over 15 seasons, 1998 to 2013. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Polanco's career ran from 1998 to 2013. No salary is recorded for 1999.

Placido Polanco — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
2013 MIA NL $2,750,000
2012 PHI NL $6,416,666
2011 PHI NL $5,416,666
2010 PHI NL $5,166,666
2009 DET AL $4,600,000
2008 DET AL $4,600,000
2007 DET AL $4,600,000
2006 DET AL $4,600,000
2005 PHI NL $4,600,000
2004 PHI NL $3,950,000
2003 PHI NL $2,875,000
2002 SLN NL $1,750,000
2001 SLN NL $320,000
2000 SLN NL $220,000
1998 SLN NL $170,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $52,034,998

College History

Placido Polanco — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Miami-Dade College - Wolfson Campus Miami FL 1993, 1994

Award Voting History

Placido Polanco — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2009 Most Valuable Player AL 25th 2.0 392 0
2007 Most Valuable Player AL 17th 4.0 392 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Placido Polanco (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Harvey Kuenn
    .303 avg, 87 HR
  2. 97
    Al Dark
    .289 avg, 126 HR
  3. 96
    Mark Grudzielanek
    .289 avg, 90 HR
  4. 91
    Mark Loretta
    .295 avg, 76 HR
  5. 88
    Tony Cuccinello
    .280 avg, 94 HR
  6. 87
    Pinky Whitney
    .295 avg, 93 HR

Placido Polanco: the record in brief

July 3, 1998 and September 28, 2013 bracket Placido Polanco's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the St. Louis Cardinals (1998 to 2002), the Philadelphia Phillies (2002 to 2012), the Detroit Tigers (2005 to 2009), and the Miami Marlins (2013). Born on October 10, 1975, in Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, D.R., Polanco is listed as a second baseman and threw and hit right-handed. Polanco's listed size is 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds. Polanco's full given name, per the bio, is Placido Enrique Polanco.

Polanco's career batting table shows 1,927 games, 7,214 at bats and 2,142 hits, a .297 average, plus 104 homers, 723 runs batted in, and 81 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .343 and .397 give Polanco a career OPS of .740. Measured against the leagues Polanco played in, the .297 career average compares with a .263 league average over the same seasons, 12.8% above the league. 2004 was Polanco's biggest home run year, with 17.

Frequently Asked Questions about Placido Polanco

What years did Placido Polanco play?
Placido Polanco played in Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2013.
Was Placido Polanco a pitcher?
No. Placido Polanco was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Placido Polanco hit?
Placido Polanco hit 104 career home runs with 2,142 hits.
What teams did Placido Polanco play for?
Placido Polanco played for 4 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1998–2002), the Philadelphia Phillies (2002–2005, 2010–2012), the Detroit Tigers (2005–2009), and the Miami Marlins (2013).
Did Placido Polanco win an MVP award?
No. Placido Polanco did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Placido Polanco win?
Placido Polanco won 3 Gold Gloves (2007, 2009, and 2011) and the Silver Slugger award (2007). He was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
What were Placido Polanco's career stats?
In 1,927 games, Placido Polanco had 2,142 hits, 104 home runs, 723 RBI, 1,009 runs, and 81 stolen bases, with a .297 batting average.
How much did Placido Polanco earn in his career?
Placido Polanco's recorded salaries total $52,034,998 over 15 seasons, 1998 to 2013. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Polanco's career ran from 1998 to 2013. No salary is recorded for 1999.
What was Placido Polanco's salary?
Placido Polanco's last recorded salary was $2,750,000, in 2013. His highest recorded salary was $6,416,666, in 2012, and his lowest was $170,000, in 1998. The Salary History table lists each season from 1998 to 2013.
What position did Placido Polanco play?
Placido Polanco played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Placido Polanco and how much did he weigh?
Placido Polanco was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Placido Polanco hit each season?
Placido Polanco's home runs by season: 1 in 1998, 1 in 1999, 5 in 2000, 3 in 2001, 9 in 2002, 14 in 2003, 17 in 2004, 9 in 2005, 4 in 2006, 9 in 2007, 8 in 2008, 10 in 2009, 6 in 2010, 5 in 2011, 2 in 2012, and 1 in 2013. His most in one season was 17, in 2004.
What was Placido Polanco's career batting average?
Placido Polanco batted .297 over his career, with 2,142 hits in 7,214 at bats.
How many RBI did Placido Polanco have?
Placido Polanco drove in 723 runs in his career.