Mickey Rivers
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1970-1984)
Mickey Rivers was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1984 for the California Angels, the New York Yankees, and the Texas Rangers, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,468 career games, he hit .295 with 1,660 hits, 61 home runs, and 499 RBI. Mickey Rivers was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,109.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 165 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1970-08-04
- Last Game
- 1984-09-30
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: John Milton Rivers
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,468 | 5,629 | 785 | 1,660 | 247 | 71 | 61 | 499 | 267 | 266 | 471 | .295 | .327 | .397 | .724 | 2,109 |
Career AVG .295 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — +14.4% above league average.
Career OBP .327 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .397 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .724 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | CAL | AL | 17 | 25 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | .320 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | CAL | AL | 79 | 268 | 31 | 71 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 38 | .265 | .249 (+6%) | .316 (avg) | .365 (-8%) | .682 (-4%) | -178.0 |
| 1972 | CAL | AL | 58 | 159 | 18 | 34 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 26 | .214 | .243 (-12%) | .310 (-18%) | .353 (-22%) | .664 (-20%) | -486.2 |
| 1973 | CAL | AL | 30 | 129 | 26 | 45 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 11 | .349 | .256 (+36%) | .325 (+20%) | .378 (+21%) | .703 (+21%) | 418.5 |
| 1974 | CAL | AL | 118 | 466 | 69 | 133 | 19 | 11 | 3 | 31 | 30 | 39 | 47 | .285 | .256 (+11%) | .324 (+5%) | .369 (+6%) | .693 (+6%) | 451.3 |
| 1975 | CAL | AL | 155 | 616 | 70 | 175 | 17 | 13 | 1 | 53 | 70 | 43 | 42 | .284 | .257 (+10%) | .327 (+1%) | .374 (-4%) | .701 (-2%) | -223.8 |
| 1976 | NYA | AL | 137 | 590 | 95 | 184 | 31 | 8 | 8 | 67 | 43 | 13 | 51 | .312 | .255 (+22%) | .320 (+2%) | .360 (+20%) | .681 (+12%) | 973.9 |
| 1977 | NYA | AL | 138 | 565 | 79 | 184 | 18 | 5 | 12 | 69 | 22 | 18 | 45 | .326 | .264 (+23%) | .329 (+6%) | .401 (+9%) | .730 (+8%) | 840.5 |
| 1978 | NYA | AL | 141 | 559 | 78 | 148 | 25 | 8 | 11 | 48 | 25 | 29 | 51 | .265 | .257 (+3%) | .323 (-7%) | .378 (+5%) | .702 (avg) | -210.3 |
| 1979 | NYA | AL | 74 | 286 | 37 | 82 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 25 | 3 | 13 | 21 | .287 | .265 (+8%) | .329 (-5%) | .397 (+5%) | .727 (avg) | -88.1 |
| 1979 | TEX | AL | 58 | 247 | 35 | 74 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 25 | 7 | 9 | 18 | .300 | .265 (+13%) | .329 (-2%) | .397 (+9%) | .727 (+4%) | -88.1 |
| 1980 | TEX | AL | 147 | 630 | 96 | 210 | 32 | 6 | 7 | 60 | 18 | 20 | 34 | .333 | .264 (+26%) | .326 (+8%) | .387 (+13%) | .714 (+11%) | 1164.6 |
| 1981 | TEX | AL | 99 | 399 | 62 | 114 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 26 | 9 | 24 | 31 | .286 | .255 (+12%) | .320 (+2%) | .368 (+1%) | .688 (+1%) | 71.4 |
| 1982 | TEX | AL | 19 | 68 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | .235 | .261 (-10%) | .324 (-28%) | .388 (-17%) | .712 (-22%) | -261.8 |
| 1983 | TEX | AL | 96 | 309 | 37 | 88 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 21 | .285 | .260 (+9%) | .324 (-5%) | .389 (-10%) | .714 (-8%) | -417.9 |
| 1984 | TEX | AL | 102 | 313 | 40 | 94 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 33 | 5 | 9 | 23 | .300 | .259 (+16%) | .322 (-1%) | .384 (avg) | .707 (avg) | -42.7 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,468 | 5,629 | 785 | 1,660 | 247 | 71 | 61 | 499 | 267 | 266 | 471 | .295 | — | — | — | — | 1,923 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 120 | 14 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | .308 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | ALCS | NYA | 4 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .455 |
| 1978 | WS | NYA | 5 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .333 |
| 1977 | ALCS | NYA | 5 | 23 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .391 |
| 1977 | WS | NYA | 6 | 27 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .222 |
| 1976 | ALCS | NYA | 5 | 23 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .348 |
| 1976 | WS | NYA | 4 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .167 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1467 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 725 | 2680 | 375 | 762 | 34 | 233 | .284 |
| Away | 742 | 2947 | 409 | 897 | 27 | 266 | .304 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-09-30 | TEX | LAA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1984-09-28 | TEX | LAA | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984-09-27 | TEX | LAA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-26 | TEX | OAK | L | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-25 | TEX | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-24 | TEX | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-23 | TEX | LAA | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-22 | TEX | LAA | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1984-09-21 | TEX | LAA | L | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984-09-18 | TEX | OAK | L | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1253 | 1196 | 3150 | 95 | 61 | 21 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | CAL | OF | 5 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | CAL | OF | 76 | 67 | 160 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| 1972 | CAL | OF | 48 | 38 | 105 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1973 | CAL | OF | 29 | 29 | 60 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1974 | CAL | OF | 116 | 114 | 309 | 9 | 2 | 3 |
| 1975 | CAL | OF | 152 | 150 | 371 | 13 | 9 | 3 |
| 1976 | NYA | OF | 136 | 131 | 407 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 1977 | NYA | OF | 136 | 129 | 380 | 11 | 7 | 1 |
| 1978 | NYA | OF | 138 | 135 | 384 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
| 1979 | NYA | OF | 69 | 68 | 147 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 1979 | TEX | OF | 57 | 55 | 153 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 1980 | TEX | OF | 141 | 138 | 342 | 19 | 8 | 4 |
| 1981 | TEX | OF | 97 | 94 | 225 | 12 | 1 | 3 |
| 1983 | TEX | OF | 23 | 20 | 48 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984 | TEX | OF | 30 | 24 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 81 |
| Center Field | 1144 |
| Right Field | 42 |
| Designated Hitter | 128 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | TSN All-Star | OF |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade College - North Campus | Miami | FL | 1968, 1969 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 18th | 7.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1978 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 25th | 6.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 59.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1976 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 3rd | 179.0 | 336 | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Mickey Rivers (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Mickey Rivers: the record in brief
August 4, 1970 and September 30, 1984 bracket Mickey Rivers's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the California Angels (1970 through 1975), the New York Yankees (1976 to 1979), and the Texas Rangers (1979 through 1984). Listed as an outfielder, Rivers both batted and threw left-handed. Rivers is listed at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds. Rivers was born on October 30, 1948, in Miami, FL, USA. Rivers's full given name, per the bio, is John Milton Rivers.
Rivers collected 1,660 hits in 5,629 at bats across 1,468 games, good for a .295 batting average, along with 61 home runs, 499 RBI, and 267 stolen bases. Rivers got on base at a .327 rate and slugged .397 (.724 OPS). Rivers's .295 average ran 14.4% above the .258 that the league posted over the same seasons. The home run peak was 12 in 1977 with the New York Yankees. 1980 produced Rivers's most hits, 210 of them for the Texas Rangers.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mickey Rivers
- What years did Mickey Rivers play?
- Mickey Rivers played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1984.
- Was Mickey Rivers a pitcher?
- No. Mickey Rivers was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Mickey Rivers hit?
- Mickey Rivers hit 61 career home runs with 1660 hits.
- What was Mickey Rivers's career batting average?
- Mickey Rivers batted .295 over his career, with 1,660 hits in 5,629 at bats.
- How many RBI did Mickey Rivers have?
- Mickey Rivers drove in 499 runs in his career.
- Is Mickey Rivers in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Mickey Rivers has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.