Gene Richards

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1977-1984)

Gene Richards was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1984 for the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants, a span of 8 seasons. In 1,026 career games, he hit .290 with 1,028 hits, 26 home runs, and 255 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,463.

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 .290
HR 26
RBI 255
H 1,028
OPS .739
PIV 3,463
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'0" / 175 lb
Born
9/29/1953 in Monticello, SC, USA
MLB Debut
1977-04-06
Last Game
1984-09-30

Full name: Eugene Richards

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Career Batting Statistics

Gene Richards — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,026 3,549 502 1,028 127 63 26 255 247 356 436 .290 .357 .383 .739 3,463

Career AVG .290 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +10.8% above league average.

Career OBP .357 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.

Career SLG .383 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .739 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Gene Richards — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1977 SDN NL 146 525 79 152 16 11 5 32 56 60 80 .290 .264 (+10%) .329 (+10%) .401 (-3%) .730 (+3%) 490.9
1978 SDN NL 154 555 90 171 26 12 4 45 37 64 80 .308 .257 (+19%) .323 (+18%) .378 (+11%) .702 (+14%) 1691.6
1979 SDN NL 150 545 77 152 17 9 4 41 24 47 62 .279 .265 (+5%) .329 (+4%) .397 (-8%) .727 (-3%) -148.2
1980 SDN NL 158 642 91 193 26 8 4 41 61 61 73 .301 .264 (+14%) .326 (+11%) .387 (-1%) .714 (+5%) 795.5
1981 SDN NL 104 393 47 113 14 12 3 42 20 53 44 .288 .255 (+12%) .320 (+16%) .368 (+10%) .688 (+13%) 1051.8
1982 SDN NL 132 521 63 149 13 8 3 28 30 36 52 .286 .261 (+9%) .324 (+3%) .388 (-8%) .712 (-3%) -207.2
1983 SDN NL 95 233 37 64 11 3 3 22 14 17 17 .275 .260 (+5%) .324 (avg) .389 (-1%) .714 (avg) -25.9
1984 SFN NL 87 135 18 34 4 0 0 4 5 18 28 .252 .259 (-3%) .322 (+5%) .384 (-27%) .707 (-12%) -185.4
Career · 8 seasons 1,026 3,549 502 1,028 127 63 26 255 247 356 436 .290 — — — — 3,463

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.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1026 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Gene Richards — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home51017032324806125.282
Away516184627054820130.297

Last 10 Games — Batting

Gene Richards — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1984-09-30 SFGLADL 100000000
1984-09-29 SFGLADL 101000000
1984-09-24 SFGSDPL 100000000
1984-09-19 SFGSDPL 100000000
1984-09-16 SFGATLL 100000001
1984-09-15 SFGATLL 100000000
1984-09-14 SFGATLW 101000000
1984-09-12 SFGCINL 100000000
1984-09-11 SFGCINL 100000000
1984-09-09 SFGATLW 010000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Gene Richards — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 83 75 657 46 20 63
OF 806 763 1550 74 47 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Gene Richards — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1977 SDN 1B 32 29 223 22 5 23
1977 SDN OF 109 92 193 13 8 0
1978 SDN 1B 26 22 211 12 9 23
1978 SDN OF 124 114 210 8 8 0
1979 SDN OF 132 129 320 7 9 2
1980 SDN OF 156 155 307 21 7 4
1981 SDN OF 102 101 178 14 5 1
1982 SDN 1B 25 24 223 12 6 17
1982 SDN OF 103 102 200 8 5 1
1983 SDN OF 54 51 96 2 2 0
1984 SFN OF 26 19 46 1 3 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Gene Richards — Career Games by Position
Position Games
First Base 83
Left Field 628
Center Field 186
Right Field 14

Awards & Honors

Gene Richards — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-09-16

College History

Gene Richards — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
South Carolina State University Orangeburg SC 1972, 1973, 1974

Award Voting History

Gene Richards — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1980 Most Valuable Player NL 22th 1.0 336 0
1977 Rookie of the Year NL 3rd 4.0 24 4

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Gene Richards (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Danny Green
    .293 avg, 29 HR
  2. 88
    Eddie Burke
    .280 avg, 30 HR
  3. 79
    George Stone
    .301 avg, 23 HR
  4. 78
    Carson Bigbee
    .287 avg, 17 HR
  5. 77
    Johnny Bates
    .278 avg, 25 HR
  6. 73
    Doc Gessler
    .280 avg, 14 HR

Gene Richards: the record in brief

Gene Richards played a first major league game on April 6, 1977 and a last one on September 30, 1984. By club, Richards's seasons break down as the San Diego Padres (1977 to 1983) and the San Francisco Giants (1984). Richards, an outfielder by primary position, both batted and threw left-handed. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 0 inches and 175 pounds. The birth record reads September 29, 1953, in Monticello, SC, USA. Richards's full given name, per the bio, is Eugene Richards.

Richards finished with 1,028 hits from 3,549 at bats in 1,026 games, which works out to .290, plus 26 home runs, 255 runs batted in, and 247 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .357 clip and slugging .383, Richards finished with a .739 OPS. Richards's .290 average ran 10.8% above the .261 that the league posted over the same seasons. The hits column peaks at 193, in 1980. The RBI column peaks at 45 in 1978. 1980 brought a season-best 61 stolen bases.

Frequently Asked Questions about Gene Richards

What years did Gene Richards play?
Gene Richards played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1984.
Was Gene Richards a pitcher?
No. Gene Richards was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Gene Richards hit?
Gene Richards hit 26 career home runs with 1,028 hits.
What teams did Gene Richards play for?
Gene Richards played for 2 teams: the San Diego Padres (1977–1983) and the San Francisco Giants (1984).
What were Gene Richards's career stats?
In 1,026 games, Gene Richards had 1,028 hits, 26 home runs, 255 RBI, 502 runs, and 247 stolen bases, with a .290 batting average.
What position did Gene Richards play?
Gene Richards played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Gene Richards and how much did he weigh?
Gene Richards was listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds.
How many home runs did Gene Richards hit each season?
Gene Richards's home runs by season: 5 in 1977, 4 in 1978, 4 in 1979, 4 in 1980, 3 in 1981, 3 in 1982, 3 in 1983, and 0 in 1984. His most in one season was 5, in 1977.
What was Gene Richards's career batting average?
Gene Richards batted .290 over his career, with 1,028 hits in 3,549 at bats.
How many RBI did Gene Richards have?
Gene Richards drove in 255 runs in his career.
Is Gene Richards in the Hall of Fame?
No. Gene Richards has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.