Ernie Riles

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1985-1993)

Ernie Riles was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1993 for 5 teams, including the Milwaukee Brewers, a span of 9 seasons. In 919 career games, he hit .254 with 637 hits, 48 home runs, and 284 RBI.

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 .254
HR 48
RBI 284
H 637
OPS .684
PIV -1,584
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 180 lb
Born
10/2/1960 in Cairo, GA, USA
MLB Debut
1985-05-14
Last Game
1993-10-03

Full name: Earnest Riles

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Career Batting Statistics

Ernie Riles — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
919 2,504 309 637 92 20 48 284 20 244 409 .254 .319 .365 .684 -1,584

Career AVG .254 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .319 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .365 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 6.4% below league average.

Career OPS .684 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ernie Riles 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
1985 ML4 AL 116 448 54 128 12 7 5 45 2 36 54 .286 .257 (+11%) .323 (+5%) .390 (-4%) .714 (avg) 54.2
1986 ML4 AL 145 524 69 132 24 2 9 47 7 54 80 .252 .257 (-2%) .325 (-1%) .395 (-10%) .720 (-6%) -450.7
1987 ML4 AL 83 276 38 72 11 1 4 38 3 30 47 .261 .262 (-1%) .331 (-1%) .415 (-15%) .746 (-9%) -389.4
1988 ML4 AL 41 127 7 32 6 1 1 9 2 7 26 .252 .254 (-1%) .317 (-8%) .377 (-10%) .695 (-9%) -195.9
1988 SFN NL 79 187 26 55 7 2 3 28 1 10 33 .294 .254 (+16%) .317 (+2%) .377 (+6%) .695 (+4%) -195.9
1989 SFN NL 122 302 43 84 13 2 7 40 0 28 50 .278 .254 (+9%) .319 (+6%) .375 (+8%) .694 (+7%) 394.0
1990 SFN NL 92 155 22 31 2 1 8 21 0 26 26 .200 .257 (-22%) .324 (-4%) .385 (-1%) .710 (-2%) -26.3
1991 OAK AL 108 281 30 60 8 4 5 32 3 31 42 .214 .255 (-16%) .323 (-10%) .384 (-16%) .708 (-13%) -603.5
1992 HOU NL 39 61 5 16 1 0 1 4 1 2 11 .262 .255 (+3%) .322 (-13%) .377 (-13%) .699 (-13%) -133.8
1993 BOS AL 94 143 15 27 8 0 5 20 1 20 40 .189 .265 (-29%) .332 (-12%) .403 (-13%) .735 (-13%) -310.0
Career · 10 seasons 919 2,504 309 637 92 20 48 284 20 244 409 .254 — — — — -1,857

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

Ernie Riles — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Ernie Riles — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1989 NLCS SFN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1989 WS SFN 4 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (919 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ernie Riles — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home447119716232926137.275
Away472130714730822147.236

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ernie Riles — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1993-10-03 BOSMILL 100000001
1993-10-02 BOSMILL 100000000
1993-09-29 BOSDETL 100000001
1993-09-28 BOSDETL 000000110
1993-09-26 BOSMINL 000000010
1993-09-25 BOSMINL 100000000
1993-09-23 BOSTORL 100000001
1993-09-22 BOSTORW 100000000
1993-09-18 BOSNYYL 100000001
1993-09-17 BOSNYYL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ernie Riles — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 10 6 57 6 1 3
2B 88 52 104 174 4 27
3B 301 248 184 443 31 44
OF 5 1 3 0 1 0
SS 362 301 495 823 49 180

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ernie Riles — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1985 ML4 SS 115 113 183 310 22 62
1986 ML4 SS 142 138 212 327 20 76
1987 ML4 3B 65 59 41 103 10 11
1987 ML4 SS 21 16 35 49 3 14
1988 ML4 3B 28 25 21 47 3 2
1988 ML4 SS 9 6 15 17 1 6
1988 SFN 2B 17 11 21 33 0 6
1988 SFN 3B 30 24 15 63 2 4
1988 SFN SS 16 6 10 37 1 7
1989 SFN 2B 18 7 20 31 2 2
1989 SFN 3B 83 67 45 107 6 13
1989 SFN OF 5 1 3 0 1 0
1989 SFN SS 7 0 1 6 0 1
1990 SFN 2B 24 17 28 48 2 6
1990 SFN 3B 10 4 4 8 0 0
1990 SFN SS 26 12 21 49 1 8
1991 OAK 1B 5 3 32 5 0 3
1991 OAK 2B 7 3 10 12 0 4
1991 OAK 3B 69 59 54 101 10 14
1991 OAK SS 20 10 17 25 1 5
1992 HOU 1B 4 3 24 1 1 0
1992 HOU 2B 2 1 3 5 0 1
1992 HOU 3B 5 4 1 6 0 0
1992 HOU SS 6 0 1 3 0 1
1993 BOS 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1993 BOS 2B 20 13 22 45 0 8
1993 BOS 3B 11 6 3 8 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ernie Riles Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 10
Second Base 88
Third Base 301
Shortstop 362
Left Field 2
Right Field 3
Designated Hitter 21

Salary History

Ernie Riles's recorded salaries total $3,322,500 over 8 seasons, 1986 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Riles's career ran from 1985 to 1993. No salary is recorded for 1985.

Ernie Riles — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1993 BOS AL $400,000
1992 HOU NL $400,000
1991 OAK AL $792,500
1990 SFN NL $675,000
1989 SFN NL $470,000
1988 ML4 AL $250,000
1987 ML4 AL $160,000
1986 ML4 AL $175,000
Total recorded salary (partial) $3,322,500

College History

Ernie Riles — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Middle Georgia College Cochran GA 1980, 1981

Award Voting History

Ernie Riles — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1985 Rookie of the Year AL 3rd 29.0 140 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Ernie Riles (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Andre Rodgers
    .249 avg, 45 HR
  2. 91
    Nelson Liriano
    .260 avg, 25 HR
  3. 89
    Preston Ward
    .253 avg, 50 HR
  4. 88
    Billy Myers
    .257 avg, 45 HR
  5. 88
    Rich Reese
    .253 avg, 52 HR
  6. 87
    Ramon Martinez
    .262 avg, 29 HR

Ernie Riles: the record in brief

Ernie Riles's major league career runs from a debut on May 14, 1985 to a final game on October 3, 1993. Club by club, the record runs the Milwaukee Brewers (1985 through 1988), the San Francisco Giants (1988 through 1990), the Oakland Athletics (1991), the Houston Astros (1992), and the Boston Red Sox (1993). Riles, a shortstop by primary position, hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. The recorded size is 6'1" and 180 pounds. Riles was born on October 2, 1960, in Cairo, GA, USA. Ernie Riles was the playing name; the full given name is Earnest.

Across 919 games at the plate, Riles's career line reads 637 hits in 2,504 at bats for a .254 average; the totals also include 48 homers, 284 runs batted in, and 20 stolen bases. Riles got on base at a .319 rate and slugged .365 (.684 OPS). Against a .258 league average for those years, Riles's .254 average was near the norm. The highest hit total in a season was 132, in 1986. In 1985, a season of regular play, Riles hit .286 while the league hit .257.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ernie Riles

What years did Ernie Riles play?
Ernie Riles played in Major League Baseball from 1985 to 1993.
Was Ernie Riles a pitcher?
No. Ernie Riles was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Ernie Riles hit?
Ernie Riles hit 48 career home runs with 637 hits.
What teams did Ernie Riles play for?
Ernie Riles played for 5 teams: the Milwaukee Brewers (1985–1988), the San Francisco Giants (1988–1990), the Oakland Athletics (1991), the Houston Astros (1992), and the Boston Red Sox (1993).
What were Ernie Riles's career stats?
In 919 games, Ernie Riles had 637 hits, 48 home runs, 284 RBI, 309 runs, and 20 stolen bases, with a .254 batting average.
How much did Ernie Riles earn in his career?
Ernie Riles's recorded salaries total $3,322,500 over 8 seasons, 1986 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Riles's career ran from 1985 to 1993. No salary is recorded for 1985.
What was Ernie Riles's salary?
Ernie Riles's last recorded salary was $400,000, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $792,500, in 1991, and his lowest was $160,000, in 1987. The Salary History table lists each season from 1986 to 1993.
What position did Ernie Riles play?
Ernie Riles played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Ernie Riles and how much did he weigh?
Ernie Riles was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds.
How many home runs did Ernie Riles hit each season?
Ernie Riles's home runs by season: 5 in 1985, 9 in 1986, 4 in 1987, 4 in 1988, 7 in 1989, 8 in 1990, 5 in 1991, 1 in 1992, and 5 in 1993. His most in one season was 9, in 1986.
What was Ernie Riles's career batting average?
Ernie Riles batted .254 over his career, with 637 hits in 2,504 at bats.
How many RBI did Ernie Riles have?
Ernie Riles drove in 284 runs in his career.
Is Ernie Riles in the Hall of Fame?
No. Ernie Riles has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.