Darrell Porter
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1971-1987)
Darrell Porter was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1987 for 4 teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers, a span of 17 seasons. In 1,782 career games, he hit .247 with 1,369 hits, 188 home runs, and 826 RBI. Darrell Porter was a 4-time All-Star, a World Series MVP, and an NLCS MVP. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 10,538.
- 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
- 6'0" / 193 lb
- Died
- 8/5/2002 in Sugar Creek, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1971-09-02
- Last Game
- 1987-10-04
- Awards
- 4× All-Star · World Series MVP · NLCS MVP
Full name: Darrell Ray Porter
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,782 | 5,539 | 765 | 1,369 | 237 | 48 | 188 | 826 | 39 | 905 | 1,025 | .247 | .354 | .409 | .763 | 10,538 |
Career AVG .247 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .354 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — +9.2% above league average.
Career SLG .409 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +6.8% above league average.
Career OPS .763 vs. league average .707 across their career seasons — +7.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | ML4 | AL | 22 | 70 | 4 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 20 | .214 | .249 (-14%) | .316 (-5%) | .365 (-10%) | .682 (-8%) | -78.4 |
| 1972 | ML4 | AL | 18 | 56 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 21 | .125 | .243 (-49%) | .310 (-32%) | .353 (-45%) | .664 (-39%) | -317.1 |
| 1973 | ML4 | AL | 117 | 350 | 50 | 89 | 19 | 2 | 16 | 67 | 5 | 57 | 85 | .254 | .256 (-1%) | .325 (+12%) | .378 (+21%) | .703 (+17%) | 1208.7 |
| 1974 | ML4 | AL | 131 | 432 | 59 | 104 | 15 | 4 | 12 | 56 | 8 | 50 | 88 | .241 | .256 (-6%) | .324 (avg) | .369 (+2%) | .693 (+1%) | 172.3 |
| 1975 | ML4 | AL | 130 | 409 | 66 | 95 | 12 | 5 | 18 | 60 | 2 | 89 | 77 | .232 | .257 (-10%) | .327 (+13%) | .374 (+12%) | .701 (+12%) | 1249.4 |
| 1976 | ML4 | AL | 119 | 389 | 43 | 81 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 32 | 2 | 51 | 61 | .208 | .255 (-18%) | .320 (-7%) | .360 (-20%) | .681 (-14%) | -759.6 |
| 1977 | KCA | AL | 130 | 425 | 61 | 117 | 21 | 3 | 16 | 60 | 1 | 53 | 70 | .275 | .264 (+4%) | .329 (+7%) | .401 (+13%) | .730 (+10%) | 878.0 |
| 1978 | KCA | AL | 150 | 520 | 77 | 138 | 27 | 6 | 18 | 78 | 0 | 75 | 75 | .265 | .257 (+3%) | .323 (+11%) | .378 (+17%) | .702 (+14%) | 1567.8 |
| 1979 | KCA | AL | 157 | 533 | 101 | 155 | 23 | 10 | 20 | 112 | 3 | 121 | 65 | .291 | .265 (+10%) | .329 (+28%) | .397 (+22%) | .727 (+24%) | 3217.6 |
| 1980 | KCA | AL | 118 | 418 | 51 | 104 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 51 | 1 | 69 | 50 | .249 | .264 (-6%) | .326 (+8%) | .387 (-12%) | .714 (-3%) | 26.6 |
| 1981 | SLN | NL | 61 | 174 | 22 | 39 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 31 | 1 | 39 | 32 | .224 | .255 (-12%) | .320 (+14%) | .368 (+11%) | .688 (+12%) | 461.2 |
| 1982 | SLN | NL | 120 | 373 | 46 | 86 | 18 | 5 | 12 | 48 | 1 | 66 | 66 | .231 | .261 (-12%) | .324 (+7%) | .388 (+3%) | .712 (+5%) | 502.9 |
| 1983 | SLN | NL | 145 | 443 | 57 | 116 | 24 | 3 | 15 | 66 | 1 | 68 | 94 | .262 | .260 (avg) | .324 (+12%) | .389 (+11%) | .714 (+11%) | 1167.1 |
| 1984 | SLN | NL | 127 | 422 | 56 | 98 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 68 | 5 | 60 | 79 | .232 | .259 (-11%) | .322 (+2%) | .384 (-6%) | .707 (-2%) | -39.0 |
| 1985 | SLN | NL | 84 | 240 | 30 | 53 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 36 | 6 | 41 | 48 | .221 | .257 (-14%) | .323 (+3%) | .390 (+6%) | .714 (+5%) | 254.7 |
| 1986 | TEX | AL | 68 | 155 | 21 | 41 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 29 | 1 | 22 | 51 | .265 | .257 (+3%) | .325 (+10%) | .395 (+36%) | .720 (+24%) | 691.3 |
| 1987 | TEX | AL | 85 | 130 | 19 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 30 | 43 | .238 | .262 (-9%) | .331 (+17%) | .415 (+2%) | .746 (+8%) | 334.4 |
| Career · 17 seasons | 1,782 | 5,539 | 765 | 1,369 | 237 | 48 | 188 | 826 | 39 | 905 | 1,025 | .247 | — | — | — | — | 10,538 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 120 | 12 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 22 | 19 | .267 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | NLCS | SLN | 5 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | .267 |
| 1985 | WS | SLN | 5 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | .133 |
| 1982 | NLCS | SLN | 3 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | .556 |
| 1982 | WS | SLN | 7 | 28 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .286 |
| 1980 | ALCS | KCA | 3 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .100 |
| 1980 | WS | KCA | 5 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .143 |
| 1978 | ALCS | KCA | 4 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | .357 |
| 1977 | ALCS | KCA | 5 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .333 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1782 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 886 | 2674 | 369 | 662 | 77 | 412 | .248 |
| Away | 896 | 2865 | 396 | 707 | 111 | 414 | .247 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-10-04 | TEX | SEA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1987-10-01 | TEX | SEA | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1987-09-27 | TEX | SEA | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-09-25 | TEX | SEA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-09-23 | TEX | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987-09-20 | TEX | LAA | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1987-09-19 | TEX | LAA | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987-09-16 | TEX | OAK | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987-09-15 | TEX | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1987-09-14 | TEX | OAK | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 5 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| C | 1506 | 1430 | 6756 | 754 | 134 | 104 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | ML4 | C | 22 | 21 | 108 | 18 | 3 | 2 |
| 1972 | ML4 | C | 18 | 17 | 113 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
| 1973 | ML4 | C | 90 | 83 | 373 | 47 | 10 | 9 |
| 1974 | ML4 | C | 117 | 114 | 484 | 60 | 12 | 8 |
| 1975 | ML4 | C | 124 | 121 | 532 | 82 | 13 | 10 |
| 1976 | ML4 | C | 111 | 105 | 491 | 52 | 14 | 7 |
| 1977 | KCA | C | 125 | 121 | 663 | 61 | 13 | 4 |
| 1978 | KCA | C | 145 | 141 | 608 | 62 | 8 | 10 |
| 1979 | KCA | C | 141 | 141 | 628 | 68 | 13 | 15 |
| 1980 | KCA | C | 81 | 79 | 322 | 37 | 8 | 6 |
| 1981 | SLN | C | 52 | 51 | 206 | 31 | 5 | 2 |
| 1982 | SLN | C | 111 | 108 | 469 | 64 | 9 | 8 |
| 1983 | SLN | C | 133 | 121 | 578 | 70 | 7 | 8 |
| 1984 | SLN | C | 122 | 115 | 620 | 58 | 11 | 6 |
| 1985 | SLN | C | 82 | 68 | 386 | 26 | 4 | 4 |
| 1986 | TEX | C | 25 | 23 | 165 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 1987 | TEX | 1B | 5 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1987 | TEX | C | 7 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1506 |
| First Base | 5 |
| Designated Hitter | 142 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | NLCS MVP | |
| 1982 | World Series MVP | |
| 1979 | TSN All-Star | C |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | TEX | AL | $162,500 |
| 1985 | SLN | NL | $740,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $902,500 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 9th | 52.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1978 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 48.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1973 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 3rd | 2.0 | 24 | 2 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Darrell Porter (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Darrell Porter
Darrell Porter: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 2, 1971 and the final game on October 4, 1987, Darrell Porter built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the Milwaukee Brewers (1971 to 1976), the Kansas City Royals (1977 through 1980), the St. Louis Cardinals (1981 through 1985), and the Texas Rangers (1986 through 1987). Porter is listed as a catcher at 6-foot-0 and 193 pounds. The bio says Porter threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Porter was born on January 17, 1952, in Joplin, MO, USA. Porter died on August 5, 2002, in Sugar Creek, MO, USA. Porter's full given name, per the bio, is Darrell Ray Porter.
In 1,782 games and 5,539 at bats, Porter batted .247 with 1,369 hits, plus 188 homers, 826 RBI, and 39 stolen bases. Porter got on base at a .354 rate and slugged .409 (.763 OPS). The .247 career average is close to the .258 the league hit across the same seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions about Darrell Porter
- What years did Darrell Porter play?
- Darrell Porter played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1987.
- Was Darrell Porter a pitcher?
- No. Darrell Porter was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Darrell Porter hit?
- Darrell Porter hit 188 career home runs with 1369 hits.
- What was Darrell Porter's career batting average?
- Darrell Porter batted .247 over his career, with 1,369 hits in 5,539 at bats.
- How many RBI did Darrell Porter have?
- Darrell Porter drove in 826 runs in his career.
- Is Darrell Porter in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Darrell Porter has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.