Chris Sabo
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1988-1996)
Chris Sabo was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 1996 for 4 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 9 seasons. In 911 career games, he hit .268 with 898 hits, 116 home runs, and 426 RBI. Chris Sabo was a 3-time All-Star and a Rookie of the Year. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,646.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1988-04-04
- Last Game
- 1996-09-02
- Awards
- 3× All-Star · Rookie of the Year
Full name: Christopher Andrew Sabo
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 911 | 3,354 | 494 | 898 | 214 | 17 | 116 | 426 | 120 | 274 | 460 | .268 | .326 | .445 | .772 | 4,646 |
Career AVG .268 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .326 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .445 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — +12.3% above league average.
Career OPS .772 vs. league average .725 across their career seasons — +6.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | CIN | NL | 137 | 538 | 74 | 146 | 40 | 2 | 11 | 44 | 46 | 29 | 52 | .271 | .254 (+7%) | .317 (-1%) | .377 (+10%) | .695 (+5%) | 341.6 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | 82 | 304 | 40 | 79 | 21 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 14 | 25 | 33 | .260 | .254 (+2%) | .319 (-1%) | .375 (+5%) | .694 (+2%) | 84.1 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | 148 | 567 | 95 | 153 | 38 | 2 | 25 | 71 | 25 | 61 | 58 | .270 | .257 (+5%) | .324 (+6%) | .385 (+24%) | .710 (+15%) | 1698.4 |
| 1991 | CIN | NL | 153 | 582 | 91 | 175 | 35 | 3 | 26 | 88 | 19 | 44 | 79 | .301 | .255 (+18%) | .323 (+10%) | .384 (+31%) | .708 (+21%) | 2377.2 |
| 1992 | CIN | NL | 96 | 344 | 42 | 84 | 19 | 3 | 12 | 43 | 4 | 30 | 54 | .244 | .255 (-5%) | .322 (-6%) | .377 (+12%) | .699 (+3%) | 80.3 |
| 1993 | CIN | NL | 148 | 552 | 86 | 143 | 33 | 2 | 21 | 82 | 6 | 43 | 105 | .259 | .265 (-2%) | .332 (-5%) | .403 (+9%) | .735 (+3%) | 142.1 |
| 1994 | BAL | AL | 68 | 258 | 41 | 66 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 42 | 1 | 20 | 38 | .256 | .269 (-5%) | .338 (-5%) | .424 (+10%) | .763 (+3%) | 94.6 |
| 1995 | CHA | AL | 20 | 71 | 10 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 12 | .254 | .266 (-5%) | .337 (-13%) | .417 (-12%) | .755 (-12%) | -169.2 |
| 1995 | SLN | NL | 5 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .154 | — | — | — | — | -169.2 |
| 1996 | CIN | NL | 54 | 125 | 15 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 27 | .256 | .269 (-5%) | .340 (+4%) | .426 (-6%) | .767 (-2%) | -3.3 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 911 | 3,354 | 494 | 898 | 214 | 17 | 116 | 426 | 120 | 274 | 460 | .268 | — | — | — | — | 4,477 | ||
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
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (911 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 464 | 1661 | 262 | 458 | 65 | 228 | .276 |
| Away | 447 | 1693 | 232 | 440 | 51 | 198 | .260 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-09-02 | CIN | ATL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996-08-10 | CIN | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996-08-09 | CIN | LAD | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996-07-29 | CIN | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-07-23 | CIN | PHI | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1996-07-22 | CIN | PHI | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996-07-22 | CIN | PHI | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996-07-21 | CIN | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-07-16 | CIN | STL | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996-07-11 | CIN | PIT | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 3 | 3 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3B | 831 | 815 | 453 | 1514 | 76 | 123 |
| OF | 22 | 22 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | CIN | 3B | 135 | 131 | 75 | 318 | 14 | 31 |
| 1988 | CIN | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | CIN | 3B | 76 | 76 | 36 | 145 | 11 | 12 |
| 1990 | CIN | 3B | 146 | 144 | 70 | 273 | 12 | 17 |
| 1991 | CIN | 3B | 151 | 149 | 86 | 255 | 12 | 24 |
| 1992 | CIN | 3B | 93 | 94 | 60 | 159 | 9 | 13 |
| 1993 | CIN | 3B | 148 | 148 | 79 | 242 | 11 | 16 |
| 1994 | BAL | 3B | 37 | 34 | 20 | 48 | 3 | 4 |
| 1994 | BAL | OF | 22 | 22 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1995 | CHA | 1B | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1995 | CHA | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | SLN | 1B | 2 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1995 | SLN | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | CIN | 3B | 43 | 37 | 27 | 72 | 4 | 6 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 3 |
| Third Base | 831 |
| Shortstop | 2 |
| Left Field | 9 |
| Right Field | 13 |
| Designated Hitter | 25 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Player of the Week | Week of 1989-05-27 |
| 1988 | Player of the Week | Week of 1988-06-17 |
| 1988 | Rookie of the Year |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | CIN | NL | $200,000 |
| 1995 | CHA | AL | $550,000 |
| 1995 | SLN | NL | $109,000 |
| 1994 | BAL | AL | $2,000,000 |
| 1993 | CIN | NL | $3,100,000 |
| 1992 | CIN | NL | $2,750,000 |
| 1991 | CIN | NL | $1,250,500 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | $200,000 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | $155,000 |
| 1988 | CIN | NL | $62,500 |
| Total Career Earnings | $10,377,000 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor | MI | 1981, 1982, 1983 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 20th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1990 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 13th | 11.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1988 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 1st | 79.0 | 120 | 11 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Chris Sabo (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Chris Sabo
Chris Sabo: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 4, 1988 and the final game on September 2, 1996, Chris Sabo built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Cincinnati Reds (1988 through 1996), the Baltimore Orioles (1994), the Chicago White Sox (1995), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1995). Sabo, a third baseman by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. Sabo was born on January 19, 1962, in Detroit, MI, USA. Sabo's full given name, per the bio, is Christopher Andrew Sabo.
In 911 games and 3,354 at bats, Sabo batted .268 with 898 hits; the totals also include 116 home runs, 426 runs batted in, and 120 stolen bases. Sabo got on base at a .326 rate and slugged .445 (.772 OPS). Against a .261 league average for those years, Sabo's .268 average was near the norm. By OPS the gap is 6.5% above league average (.772 against .725).
Frequently Asked Questions about Chris Sabo
- What years did Chris Sabo play?
- Chris Sabo played in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 1996.
- Was Chris Sabo a pitcher?
- No. Chris Sabo was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Chris Sabo hit?
- Chris Sabo hit 116 career home runs with 898 hits.
- What was Chris Sabo's career batting average?
- Chris Sabo batted .268 over his career, with 898 hits in 3,354 at bats.
- How many RBI did Chris Sabo have?
- Chris Sabo drove in 426 runs in his career.
- Is Chris Sabo in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Chris Sabo has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.