Rich Reese

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1964-1973)

Rich Reese was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1973 for the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 10 seasons. In 866 career games, he hit .253 with 512 hits, 52 home runs, and 245 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 798.

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 .253
HR 52
RBI 245
H 512
OPS .695
PIV 798
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'3" / 185 lb
Born
9/29/1941 in Leipsic, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1964-09-04
Last Game
1973-09-29

Full name: Richard Benjamin Reese

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Career Batting Statistics

Rich Reese — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
866 2,020 248 512 73 17 52 245 16 158 270 .253 .312 .384 .695 798

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .312 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .384 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .695 vs. league average .682 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rich Reese 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
1964 MIN AL 10 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1965 MIN AL 14 7 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 .286 — — — — 0.0
1966 MIN AL 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000 — — — — 0.0
1967 MIN AL 95 101 13 25 5 0 4 20 0 8 17 .248 .242 (+2%) .306 (-2%) .357 (+16%) .663 (+8%) 111.2
1968 MIN AL 126 332 40 86 15 2 4 28 3 18 36 .259 .236 (+9%) .298 (+1%) .340 (+4%) .638 (+2%) 83.8
1969 MIN AL 132 419 52 135 24 4 16 69 1 23 57 .322 .248 (+30%) .320 (+13%) .369 (+39%) .689 (+27%) 1974.8
1970 MIN AL 153 501 63 131 15 5 10 56 5 48 70 .261 .253 (+3%) .325 (+2%) .385 (-4%) .711 (-1%) -51.9
1971 MIN AL 120 329 40 72 8 3 10 39 7 20 35 .219 .249 (-12%) .316 (-15%) .365 (-3%) .682 (-9%) -522.8
1972 MIN AL 132 197 23 43 3 2 5 26 0 25 27 .218 .243 (-10%) .310 (-2%) .353 (-7%) .664 (-4%) -102.4
1973 DET AL 59 102 10 14 1 0 2 4 0 7 17 .137 .256 (-47%) .325 (-41%) .378 (-46%) .703 (-43%) -694.4
1973 MIN AL 22 23 7 4 1 1 1 3 0 6 6 .174 — — — — -694.4
Career · 11 seasons 866 2,020 248 512 73 17 52 245 16 158 270 .253 — — — — 104

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

Rich Reese — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 19 0 3 0 0 0 2 2 2 .158

Playoff Batting by Year

Rich Reese — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1970 ALCS MIN 2 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .143
1969 ALCS MIN 3 12 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 1 .167

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (866 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Rich Reese — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home439103414227825132.269
Away42798610623427113.237

Last 10 Games — Batting

Rich Reese — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1973-09-29 MINLAAL 400000021
1973-09-27 MINLAAL 100000001
1973-09-26 MINOAKW 000000000
1973-09-25 MINOAKW 000000000
1973-09-24 MINOAKW 110000001
1973-09-22 MINLAAW 000000000
1973-09-20 MINOAKW 100000000
1973-09-17 MINKCRW 010000010
1973-09-15 MINCHWL 000000010
1973-09-12 MINTEXL 111010000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Rich Reese — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 640 399 4007 266 33 353
OF 74 61 102 3 3 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Rich Reese — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1964 MIN 1B 1 0 3 0 0 0
1965 MIN 1B 6 0 14 1 0 0
1965 MIN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1967 MIN 1B 36 4 93 3 1 5
1967 MIN OF 10 9 14 1 0 0
1968 MIN 1B 87 64 620 38 6 36
1968 MIN OF 15 13 22 0 0 0
1969 MIN 1B 117 95 924 56 7 97
1969 MIN OF 5 3 5 1 0 0
1970 MIN 1B 146 127 1118 82 10 94
1971 MIN 1B 95 76 673 43 4 71
1971 MIN OF 9 6 6 1 0 0
1972 MIN 1B 98 26 392 30 5 35
1972 MIN OF 13 12 27 0 2 0
1973 DET 1B 37 3 106 7 0 7
1973 DET OF 21 18 28 0 1 0
1973 MIN 1B 17 4 64 6 0 8

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Rich Reese Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 641
Left Field 73
Right Field 2

Award Voting History

Rich Reese — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 29th 2.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Rich Reese (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Johnny Vergez
    .255 avg, 52 HR
  2. 84
    Greg Dobbs
    .261 avg, 46 HR
  3. 84
    Keith Lockhart
    .261 avg, 44 HR
  4. 83
    Luis Rengifo
    .248 avg, 66 HR
  5. 82
    Kyle Farmer
    .247 avg, 63 HR
  6. 81
    Shane Halter
    .246 avg, 45 HR

Rich Reese: the record in brief

Rich Reese's major league career runs from a debut on September 4, 1964 to a final game on September 29, 1973. Reese played for the Minnesota Twins (1964 through 1973) and the Detroit Tigers (1973). At 6'3" and 185 pounds, Reese is listed as a first baseman. Reese both batted and threw left-handed, per the bio block. Reese was born on September 29, 1941, in Leipsic, OH, USA. The given name on file is Richard Benjamin Reese.

Across 866 games at the plate, Reese's career line reads 512 hits in 2,020 at bats for a .253 average, plus 52 home runs and 245 runs batted in. Reese got on base at a .312 rate and slugged .384 (.695 OPS). Reese hit .253 while the league hit .248 over the same span, a figure close to average. Reese's most home runs in a season came in 1969, when the total reached 16 for the Minnesota Twins. The highest hit total in a season was 135, in 1969.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rich Reese

What years did Rich Reese play?
Rich Reese played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1973.
Was Rich Reese a pitcher?
No. Rich Reese was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Rich Reese hit?
Rich Reese hit 52 career home runs with 512 hits.
What teams did Rich Reese play for?
Rich Reese played for 2 teams: the Minnesota Twins (1964–1973) and the Detroit Tigers (1973).
What were Rich Reese's career stats?
In 866 games, Rich Reese had 512 hits, 52 home runs, 245 RBI, 248 runs, and 16 stolen bases, with a .253 batting average.
What position did Rich Reese play?
Rich Reese played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Rich Reese and how much did he weigh?
Rich Reese was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did Rich Reese hit each season?
Rich Reese's home runs by season: 0 in 1964, 0 in 1965, 0 in 1966, 4 in 1967, 4 in 1968, 16 in 1969, 10 in 1970, 10 in 1971, 5 in 1972, and 3 in 1973. His most in one season was 16, in 1969.
What was Rich Reese's career batting average?
Rich Reese batted .253 over his career, with 512 hits in 2,020 at bats.
How many RBI did Rich Reese have?
Rich Reese drove in 245 runs in his career.
Is Rich Reese in the Hall of Fame?
No. Rich Reese has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.