Rick Rhoden

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1989)

Rick Rhoden was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1989 for 4 teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, a span of 16 seasons. Across 413 career appearances, he went 151-125 with a 3.59 ERA and 1,419 strikeouts. He also batted .238 with 9 home runs. Rick Rhoden was a 2-time All-Star and a 3-time Silver Slugger. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 17069.7.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 151–125
ERA 3.59
WHIP 1.31
SO 1,419
Pitcher PIV 17069.7
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'3" / 195 lb
Born
5/16/1953 in Boynton Beach, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1974-07-05
Last Game
1989-09-29
Awards
2× All-Star · 3× Silver Slugger

Full name: Richard Alan Rhoden

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Rick Rhoden — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
151 125 413 380 69 17 1 2593.2 2,606 1,036 198 801 1,419 3.59 17069.7

Career ERA 3.59 vs. league average 3.83 across their career seasons — 6.1% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rick Rhoden Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1974 LAN NL 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 9.0 5 2 4 7 2.00 3.63 (+45%) 0.0
1975 LAN NL 3 3 26 11 1 0 0 99.1 94 34 32 40 3.08 3.71 (+17%) -284.7
1976 LAN NL 12 3 27 26 10 3 0 181.0 165 60 53 77 2.98 3.51 (+15%) -1735.8
1977 LAN NL 16 10 31 31 4 1 0 216.1 223 90 63 122 3.74 4.00 (+6%) 1610.7
1978 LAN NL 10 8 30 23 6 3 0 164.2 160 67 51 79 3.66 3.69 (+1%) 219.3
1979 PIT NL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 5.0 5 4 2 2 7.20 — 0.0
1980 PIT NL 7 5 20 19 2 0 0 126.2 133 54 40 70 3.84 3.84 (avg) 820.8
1981 PIT NL 9 4 21 21 4 2 0 136.1 147 59 53 76 3.89 3.58 (-9%) 1106.5
1982 PIT NL 11 14 35 35 6 1 0 230.1 239 106 70 128 4.14 3.86 (-7%) 3195.7
1983 PIT NL 13 13 36 35 7 2 1 244.1 256 84 68 153 3.09 3.87 (+20%) 5251.4
1984 PIT NL 14 9 33 33 6 3 0 238.1 216 72 62 136 2.72 3.81 (+29%) 4262.6
1985 PIT NL 10 15 35 35 2 0 0 213.1 254 106 69 128 4.47 3.89 (-15%) 1434.1
1986 PIT NL 15 12 34 34 12 1 0 253.2 211 80 76 159 2.84 3.97 (+29%) 4413.3
1987 NYA AL 16 10 30 29 4 0 0 181.2 184 78 61 107 3.86 4.29 (+10%) -139.6
1988 NYA AL 12 12 30 30 5 1 0 197.0 206 94 56 94 4.29 3.73 (-15%) -1849.1
1989 HOU NL 2 6 20 17 0 0 0 96.2 108 46 41 41 4.28 3.71 (-15%) -1235.3
Career · 16 seasons 151 125 413 380 69 17 1 2,593.2 2,606 1,036 801 1,419 3.59 — 17,070

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Rick Rhoden — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
427 761 58 181 38 0 9 75 0 17 114 .238 .253 .323 .576 -1,820

Career AVG .238 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 8.3% below league average.

Career OBP .253 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 22.1% below league average.

Career SLG .323 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — 16.1% below league average.

Career OPS .576 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — 18.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Rick Rhoden 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
1974 LAN NL 4 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .500 — — — — 0.0
1975 LAN NL 26 28 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 .071 — — — — 0.0
1976 LAN NL 27 65 6 20 3 0 1 9 0 1 12 .308 .255 (+20%) .320 (-1%) .360 (+11%) .681 (+5%) 38.1
1977 LAN NL 32 78 8 18 3 0 3 12 0 0 13 .231 .264 (-13%) .329 (-30%) .401 (-4%) .730 (-16%) -219.6
1978 LAN NL 30 52 5 7 1 0 0 4 0 3 14 .135 .257 (-48%) .323 (-45%) .378 (-59%) .702 (-53%) -434.7
1979 PIT NL 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 — — — — 0.0
1980 PIT NL 20 40 3 15 3 0 1 11 0 1 2 .375 — — — — 0.0
1981 PIT NL 21 48 4 9 2 0 0 0 0 1 7 .188 — — — — 0.0
1982 PIT NL 36 83 10 22 6 0 3 12 0 3 8 .265 .261 (+1%) .324 (-11%) .388 (+15%) .712 (+3%) 0.5
1983 PIT NL 36 86 2 13 1 0 0 5 0 0 19 .151 .260 (-42%) .324 (-53%) .389 (-58%) .714 (-56%) -756.1
1984 PIT NL 35 84 9 28 6 0 0 4 0 2 10 .333 .259 (+28%) .322 (+7%) .384 (+5%) .707 (+6%) 62.6
1985 PIT NL 37 74 2 14 3 0 0 6 0 2 7 .189 .257 (-26%) .323 (-35%) .390 (-41%) .714 (-38%) -450.8
1986 PIT NL 41 90 9 25 9 0 1 10 0 3 13 .278 .257 (+8%) .325 (-9%) .395 (+4%) .720 (-2%) -60.0
1987 NYA AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 NYA AL 31 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 HOU NL 20 29 0 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .207 — — — — 0.0
Career · 16 seasons 427 761 58 181 38 0 9 75 0 17 114 .238 — — — — -1,820

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

Rick Rhoden — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .250

Playoff Batting by Year

Rick Rhoden — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1978 NLCS LAN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 NLCS LAN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1977 WS LAN 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .500

Playoff Career Pitching

Rick Rhoden — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 4 0 0 15.1 8 3 4 8 1.76

Playoff Pitching by Year

Rick Rhoden — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1978 NLCS LAN 0 0 1 0 0 4.0 2 1 1 3 2.25
1977 NLCS LAN 0 0 1 0 0 4.1 2 0 2 0 0.00
1977 WS LAN 0 1 2 0 0 7.0 4 2 1 5 2.57

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (840 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Rick Rhoden — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home22838632101545.262
Away1993752680430.213

Pitching — Home / Away

Rick Rhoden — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2191432.013835374177653.38
Away1941161.212234993846543.87

Last 10 Games — Batting

Rick Rhoden — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1989-09-29 HOUCINL 200000001
1989-09-20 HOUATLW 101000000
1989-09-15 HOUCINW 201000000
1989-09-10 HOUSFGL 000000000
1989-09-05 HOULADW 100000000
1989-09-02 HOUSTLL 000000000
1989-08-26 HOUSTLL 100000000
1989-08-22 HOUPITL 000000000
1989-08-16 HOUPITL 000000000
1989-08-11 HOUCINL 202000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Rick Rhoden — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1989-09-29 HOUCIN — 5.0633240
1989-09-20 HOUATL — 2.1544200
1989-09-15 HOUCIN W 7.0211440
1989-09-10 HOUSFG L 1.2444320
1989-09-05 HOULAD — 6.0622120
1989-09-02 HOUSTL — 2.0211011
1989-08-26 HOUSTL L 6.2744411
1989-08-22 HOUPIT — 2.0100010
1989-08-16 HOUPIT — 5.0933310
1989-08-11 HOUCIN L 7.0944172

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Rick Rhoden — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 413 380 173 386 6 23

Season-by-Season Fielding

Rick Rhoden — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1974 LAN P 4 0 0 1 0 0
1975 LAN P 26 11 5 16 1 1
1976 LAN P 27 26 9 20 1 0
1977 LAN P 31 31 8 22 0 1
1978 LAN P 30 23 5 23 0 0
1979 PIT P 1 1 1 1 0 0
1980 PIT P 20 19 6 22 1 1
1981 PIT P 21 21 8 25 0 4
1982 PIT P 35 35 21 44 0 1
1983 PIT P 36 35 14 38 0 4
1984 PIT P 33 33 14 44 2 2
1985 PIT P 35 35 13 30 0 1
1986 PIT P 34 34 32 34 0 4
1987 NYA P 30 29 14 24 1 2
1988 NYA P 30 30 17 22 0 2
1989 HOU P 20 17 6 20 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Rick Rhoden Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 413
Designated Hitter 1

Awards & Honors

Rick Rhoden — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1986 Pitcher of the Month June
1986 Silver Slugger P
1985 Silver Slugger P
1984 Silver Slugger P

Salary History

Rick Rhoden's recorded salaries total $3,665,000 over 5 seasons, 1985 to 1989. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Rhoden's career ran from 1974 to 1989. His seasons before 1985 are not included.

Rick Rhoden — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1989 HOU NL $900,000
1988 NYA AL $900,000
1987 NYA AL $600,000
1986 PIT NL $620,000
1985 PIT NL $645,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $3,665,000

Award Voting History

Rick Rhoden — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1986 Cy Young Award NL 5th 2.0 120 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Rick Rhoden (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bob Knepper
    146-155, 3.68 ERA
  2. 95
    Jim Lonborg
    157-137, 3.86 ERA
  3. 88
    Charlie Leibrandt
    140-119, 3.71 ERA
  4. 86
    Ken Holtzman
    174-150, 3.49 ERA
  5. 81
    Doug Drabek
    155-134, 3.73 ERA
  6. 80
    Dock Ellis
    138-119, 3.46 ERA

Rick Rhoden: the record in brief

The profile opens with Rick Rhoden's first major league game on July 5, 1974; the last one listed came on September 29, 1989. By club, Rhoden's seasons break down as the Los Angeles Dodgers (1974 to 1978), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1979 through 1986), the New York Yankees (1987 through 1988), and the Houston Astros (1989). Born on May 16, 1953, in Boynton Beach, FL, USA, Rhoden is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6 feet, 3 inches and 195 pounds. Rick Rhoden was the playing name; the full given name is Richard Alan.

Rhoden went 151-125 with a 3.59 ERA in 413 games, 380 of them starts. The same table counts 1,419 strikeouts, 69 complete games, and 17 shutouts. Against a 3.83 league ERA for the same years, Rhoden was 6.1% better. The best win total was 16, in 1977. The strikeout high was 159 in 1986. 1984 was Rhoden's sharpest full season, a 2.72 ERA against the league's 3.81.

Frequently Asked Questions about Rick Rhoden

What years did Rick Rhoden play?
Rick Rhoden played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1989.
Was Rick Rhoden a pitcher?
Yes. Rick Rhoden pitched in the major leagues, recording 151 wins and 1419 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Rick Rhoden hit?
Rick Rhoden hit 9 career home runs with 181 hits.
What teams did Rick Rhoden play for?
Rick Rhoden played for 4 teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers (1974–1978), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1979–1986), the New York Yankees (1987–1988), and the Houston Astros (1989).
Did Rick Rhoden win a Cy Young Award?
No. Rick Rhoden did not win the Cy Young Award.
What awards did Rick Rhoden win?
Rick Rhoden won 3 Silver Slugger awards (1984, 1985, and 1986). He was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
What were Rick Rhoden's career stats?
In 413 games, Rick Rhoden went 151-125 with a 3.59 ERA, 1,419 strikeouts, 2,593.2 innings pitched, and 1 saves. At the plate he had 181 hits and 9 home runs.
How much did Rick Rhoden earn in his career?
Rick Rhoden's recorded salaries total $3,665,000 over 5 seasons, 1985 to 1989. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Rhoden's career ran from 1974 to 1989. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
What was Rick Rhoden's salary?
Rick Rhoden's last recorded salary was $900,000, in 1989. His highest recorded salary was $900,000, in 1988, and his lowest was $600,000, in 1987. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1989.
What position did Rick Rhoden play?
Rick Rhoden played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Rick Rhoden and how much did he weigh?
Rick Rhoden was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 195 pounds.
What was Rick Rhoden's career ERA?
Rick Rhoden finished with a 3.59 career ERA, going 151-125 with 1,419 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Rick Rhoden have?
Rick Rhoden recorded 1,419 career strikeouts.
Is Rick Rhoden in the Hall of Fame?
No. Rick Rhoden has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.