Joe Rudi
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1967-1982)
Joe Rudi was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1982 for 4 teams, including the Kansas City Athletics, a span of 16 seasons. In 1,547 career games, he hit .264 with 1,468 hits, 179 home runs, and 810 RBI. Joe Rudi was a 3-time All-Star and a 3-time Gold Glove. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 5,574.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 200 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1967-04-11
- Last Game
- 1982-10-03
- Awards
- 3× All-Star · 3× Gold Glove
Full name: Joseph Oden Rudi
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,547 | 5,556 | 684 | 1,468 | 287 | 39 | 179 | 810 | 25 | 369 | 870 | .264 | .311 | .427 | .738 | 5,574 |
Career AVG .264 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .311 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .427 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — +13.8% above league average.
Career OPS .738 vs. league average .696 across their career seasons — +6.1% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | KC1 | AL | 19 | 43 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | .186 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1968 | OAK | AL | 68 | 181 | 10 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 12 | 32 | .177 | .236 (-25%) | .298 (-21%) | .340 (-32%) | .638 (-27%) | -681.2 |
| 1969 | OAK | AL | 35 | 122 | 10 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 16 | .189 | .248 (-24%) | .320 (-31%) | .369 (-25%) | .689 (-28%) | -542.0 |
| 1970 | OAK | AL | 106 | 350 | 40 | 108 | 23 | 2 | 11 | 42 | 3 | 16 | 61 | .309 | .253 (+22%) | .325 (+5%) | .385 (+25%) | .711 (+15%) | 870.4 |
| 1971 | OAK | AL | 127 | 513 | 62 | 137 | 23 | 4 | 10 | 52 | 3 | 28 | 62 | .267 | .249 (+7%) | .316 (-4%) | .365 (+6%) | .682 (+1%) | -43.2 |
| 1972 | OAK | AL | 147 | 593 | 94 | 181 | 32 | 9 | 19 | 75 | 3 | 37 | 62 | .305 | .243 (+25%) | .310 (+11%) | .353 (+37%) | .664 (+25%) | 2485.6 |
| 1973 | OAK | AL | 120 | 437 | 53 | 118 | 25 | 1 | 12 | 66 | 0 | 30 | 72 | .270 | .256 (+5%) | .325 (-3%) | .378 (+9%) | .703 (+4%) | 150.6 |
| 1974 | OAK | AL | 158 | 593 | 73 | 174 | 39 | 4 | 22 | 99 | 2 | 34 | 92 | .293 | .256 (+14%) | .324 (+3%) | .369 (+31%) | .693 (+18%) | 1833.4 |
| 1975 | OAK | AL | 126 | 468 | 66 | 130 | 26 | 6 | 21 | 75 | 2 | 40 | 56 | .278 | .257 (+8%) | .327 (+3%) | .374 (+32%) | .701 (+19%) | 1504.1 |
| 1976 | OAK | AL | 130 | 500 | 54 | 135 | 32 | 3 | 13 | 94 | 6 | 41 | 71 | .270 | .255 (+6%) | .320 (+1%) | .360 (+17%) | .681 (+10%) | 734.2 |
| 1977 | CAL | AL | 64 | 242 | 48 | 64 | 13 | 2 | 13 | 53 | 1 | 22 | 48 | .264 | .264 (avg) | .329 (+1%) | .401 (+24%) | .730 (+14%) | 547.4 |
| 1978 | CAL | AL | 133 | 497 | 58 | 127 | 27 | 1 | 17 | 79 | 2 | 28 | 82 | .256 | .257 (-1%) | .323 (-9%) | .378 (+10%) | .702 (+1%) | -59.2 |
| 1979 | CAL | AL | 90 | 330 | 35 | 80 | 11 | 3 | 11 | 61 | 0 | 24 | 61 | .242 | .265 (-9%) | .329 (-11%) | .397 (-1%) | .727 (-5%) | -338.2 |
| 1980 | CAL | AL | 104 | 372 | 42 | 88 | 17 | 1 | 16 | 53 | 1 | 17 | 84 | .237 | .264 (-11%) | .326 (-15%) | .387 (+7%) | .714 (-3%) | -274.5 |
| 1981 | BOS | AL | 49 | 122 | 14 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 8 | 29 | .180 | .255 (-29%) | .320 (-25%) | .368 (-4%) | .688 (-14%) | -302.3 |
| 1982 | OAK | AL | 71 | 193 | 21 | 41 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 0 | 24 | 35 | .212 | .261 (-19%) | .324 (-7%) | .388 (-15%) | .712 (-11%) | -310.9 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,547 | 5,556 | 684 | 1,468 | 287 | 39 | 179 | 810 | 25 | 369 | 870 | .264 | — | — | — | — | 5,574 | ||
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
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | ALCS | OAK | 3 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 |
| 1974 | ALCS | OAK | 4 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | .154 |
| 1974 | WS | OAK | 5 | 18 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | .333 |
| 1973 | ALCS | OAK | 5 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | .222 |
| 1973 | WS | OAK | 7 | 27 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | .333 |
| 1972 | ALCS | OAK | 5 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .250 |
| 1972 | WS | OAK | 7 | 25 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .240 |
| 1971 | ALCS | OAK | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .143 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1547 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 763 | 2663 | 324 | 691 | 88 | 381 | .259 |
| Away | 784 | 2893 | 360 | 777 | 91 | 429 | .269 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-10-03 | OAK | KCR | W | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-09-24 | OAK | KCR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-09-19 | OAK | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1982-09-11 | OAK | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-09-04 | OAK | DET | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1982-08-29 | OAK | MIL | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1982-08-26 | OAK | MIL | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-08-22 | OAK | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-08-20 | OAK | BOS | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-08-19 | OAK | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 249 | 220 | 1873 | 99 | 19 | 168 |
| 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 1195 | 1150 | 2294 | 60 | 22 | 12 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | KC1 | 1B | 9 | 8 | 63 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1967 | KC1 | OF | 6 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968 | OAK | OF | 56 | 50 | 77 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969 | OAK | 1B | 11 | 10 | 94 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| 1969 | OAK | OF | 18 | 18 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | OAK | 1B | 28 | 23 | 196 | 13 | 2 | 16 |
| 1970 | OAK | OF | 63 | 62 | 106 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1971 | OAK | 1B | 5 | 4 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1971 | OAK | OF | 121 | 117 | 249 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 1972 | OAK | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | OAK | OF | 147 | 147 | 247 | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| 1973 | OAK | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | OAK | OF | 117 | 115 | 231 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 1974 | OAK | 1B | 27 | 23 | 182 | 11 | 1 | 21 |
| 1974 | OAK | OF | 140 | 132 | 234 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| 1975 | OAK | 1B | 91 | 86 | 732 | 36 | 7 | 64 |
| 1975 | OAK | OF | 44 | 36 | 72 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1976 | OAK | 1B | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1976 | OAK | OF | 126 | 126 | 258 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| 1977 | CAL | OF | 61 | 61 | 131 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | CAL | 1B | 10 | 8 | 61 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| 1978 | CAL | OF | 111 | 109 | 231 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 1979 | CAL | 1B | 5 | 4 | 33 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 1979 | CAL | OF | 80 | 78 | 174 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 1980 | CAL | 1B | 6 | 4 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 1980 | CAL | OF | 90 | 87 | 220 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1981 | BOS | 1B | 5 | 5 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1981 | BOS | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | OAK | 1B | 49 | 45 | 398 | 20 | 4 | 37 |
| 1982 | OAK | OF | 14 | 7 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 249 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 1158 |
| Center Field | 4 |
| Right Field | 46 |
| Designated Hitter | 51 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Player of the Week | Week of 1977-04-09 |
| 1976 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 1976 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1975 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 1974 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 1974 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1972 | TSN All-Star | OF |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 12th | 35.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1975 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 27th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1974 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 2nd | 161.0 | 336 | 5 |
| 1972 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 2nd | 164.0 | 336 | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Joe Rudi (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Rudi
- What years did Joe Rudi play?
- Joe Rudi played in Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1982.
- Was Joe Rudi a pitcher?
- No. Joe Rudi was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Joe Rudi hit?
- Joe Rudi hit 179 career home runs with 1468 hits.
- What was Joe Rudi's career batting average?
- Joe Rudi batted .264 over his career, with 1,468 hits in 5,556 at bats.
- How many RBI did Joe Rudi have?
- Joe Rudi drove in 810 runs in his career.
- Is Joe Rudi in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Joe Rudi has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.