Luis Salazar
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1980-1992)
Luis Salazar was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1992 for 4 teams, including the San Diego Padres, a span of 13 seasons. In 1,302 career games, he hit .261 with 1,070 hits, 94 home runs, and 455 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
- Position
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 180 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1980-08-15
- Last Game
- 1992-10-04
Full name: Luis Ernesto Salazar
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,302 | 4,101 | 438 | 1,070 | 144 | 33 | 94 | 455 | 117 | 179 | 653 | .261 | .293 | .381 | .673 | -3,748 |
Career AVG .261 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .293 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 9.6% below league average.
Career SLG .381 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .673 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — 5.2% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | SDN | NL | 44 | 169 | 28 | 57 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 25 | 11 | 9 | 25 | .337 | .264 (+27%) | .326 (+14%) | .387 (+19%) | .714 (+17%) | 440.8 |
| 1981 | SDN | NL | 109 | 400 | 37 | 121 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 38 | 11 | 16 | 72 | .302 | .255 (+18%) | .320 (+3%) | .368 (+9%) | .688 (+6%) | 340.5 |
| 1982 | SDN | NL | 145 | 524 | 55 | 127 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 62 | 32 | 23 | 80 | .242 | .261 (-7%) | .324 (-15%) | .388 (-14%) | .712 (-14%) | -1280.3 |
| 1983 | SDN | NL | 134 | 481 | 52 | 124 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 45 | 24 | 17 | 80 | .258 | .260 (-1%) | .324 (-12%) | .389 (-1%) | .714 (-6%) | -547.0 |
| 1984 | SDN | NL | 93 | 228 | 20 | 55 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 38 | .241 | .259 (-7%) | .322 (-19%) | .384 (-15%) | .707 (-17%) | -630.5 |
| 1985 | CHA | AL | 122 | 327 | 39 | 80 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 45 | 14 | 12 | 60 | .245 | .257 (-5%) | .323 (-17%) | .390 (+3%) | .714 (-6%) | -459.4 |
| 1986 | CHA | AL | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | SDN | NL | 84 | 189 | 13 | 48 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 30 | .254 | .262 (-3%) | .331 (-9%) | .415 (-21%) | .746 (-16%) | -475.5 |
| 1988 | DET | AL | 130 | 452 | 61 | 122 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 62 | 6 | 21 | 70 | .270 | .254 (+6%) | .317 (-4%) | .377 (+2%) | .695 (-1%) | -112.2 |
| 1989 | SDN | NL | 95 | 246 | 27 | 66 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 22 | 1 | 11 | 44 | .268 | .254 (+6%) | .319 (-5%) | .375 (+9%) | .694 (+3%) | 59.8 |
| 1989 | CHN | NL | 26 | 80 | 7 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 13 | .325 | .254 (+28%) | .319 (+12%) | .375 (+13%) | .694 (+13%) | 59.8 |
| 1990 | CHN | NL | 115 | 410 | 44 | 104 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 47 | 3 | 19 | 59 | .254 | .257 (-2%) | .324 (-10%) | .385 (+1%) | .710 (-4%) | -334.4 |
| 1991 | CHN | NL | 103 | 333 | 34 | 86 | 14 | 1 | 14 | 38 | 0 | 15 | 45 | .258 | .255 (+1%) | .323 (-10%) | .384 (+12%) | .708 (+2%) | 43.9 |
| 1992 | CHN | NL | 98 | 255 | 20 | 53 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 25 | 1 | 11 | 34 | .208 | .255 (-19%) | .322 (-26%) | .377 (-18%) | .699 (-22%) | -949.2 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 1,302 | 4,101 | 438 | 1,070 | 144 | 33 | 94 | 455 | 117 | 179 | 653 | .261 | — | — | — | — | -3,844 | ||
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.
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | SDN | NL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.50 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.50 | — | 0 | ||
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 (1304 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 653 | 2041 | 232 | 545 | 53 | 228 | .267 |
| Away | 649 | 2060 | 206 | 525 | 41 | 227 | .255 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.50 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-10-04 | CHC | WSN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992-10-03 | CHC | WSN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992-10-02 | CHC | WSN | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992-09-30 | CHC | PIT | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992-09-29 | CHC | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992-09-28 | CHC | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992-09-27 | CHC | WSN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992-09-26 | CHC | WSN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1992-09-24 | CHC | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992-09-23 | CHC | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Last 2 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-07-29 | SDP | CIN | — | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987-06-10 | SDP | HOU | — | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 25 | 13 | 115 | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| 2B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 3B | 863 | 730 | 555 | 1562 | 111 | 119 |
| OF | 293 | 197 | 460 | 16 | 12 | 5 |
| P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 121 | 82 | 156 | 229 | 20 | 45 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | SDN | 3B | 42 | 42 | 29 | 88 | 7 | 7 |
| 1980 | SDN | OF | 4 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | SDN | 3B | 94 | 88 | 63 | 189 | 12 | 16 |
| 1981 | SDN | OF | 23 | 18 | 45 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1982 | SDN | 3B | 129 | 123 | 104 | 291 | 26 | 28 |
| 1982 | SDN | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | SDN | SS | 18 | 14 | 28 | 35 | 3 | 4 |
| 1983 | SDN | 3B | 118 | 110 | 102 | 250 | 19 | 17 |
| 1983 | SDN | SS | 19 | 9 | 20 | 24 | 2 | 5 |
| 1984 | SDN | 3B | 58 | 39 | 41 | 90 | 4 | 5 |
| 1984 | SDN | OF | 24 | 10 | 43 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984 | SDN | SS | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | CHA | 1B | 6 | 6 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 1985 | CHA | 3B | 39 | 27 | 22 | 52 | 6 | 5 |
| 1985 | CHA | OF | 84 | 53 | 118 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 1987 | SDN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | SDN | 3B | 38 | 23 | 17 | 49 | 3 | 4 |
| 1987 | SDN | OF | 10 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | SDN | P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | SDN | SS | 22 | 17 | 27 | 45 | 6 | 7 |
| 1988 | DET | 1B | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | DET | 2B | 5 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 1988 | DET | 3B | 31 | 29 | 12 | 55 | 1 | 2 |
| 1988 | DET | OF | 68 | 52 | 127 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 1988 | DET | SS | 37 | 28 | 51 | 84 | 8 | 18 |
| 1989 | SDN | 1B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1989 | SDN | 3B | 72 | 42 | 37 | 116 | 5 | 10 |
| 1989 | SDN | OF | 14 | 9 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989 | SDN | SS | 9 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 6 |
| 1989 | CHN | 3B | 25 | 16 | 8 | 27 | 3 | 1 |
| 1989 | CHN | OF | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | CHN | 3B | 91 | 83 | 55 | 136 | 10 | 12 |
| 1990 | CHN | OF | 28 | 21 | 41 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1991 | CHN | 1B | 7 | 4 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1991 | CHN | 3B | 86 | 78 | 46 | 151 | 9 | 5 |
| 1991 | CHN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | CHN | 1B | 5 | 3 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 1992 | CHN | 3B | 40 | 30 | 19 | 68 | 6 | 7 |
| 1992 | CHN | OF | 34 | 26 | 47 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1992 | CHN | SS | 12 | 8 | 14 | 26 | 0 | 5 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 2 |
| First Base | 25 |
| Second Base | 5 |
| Third Base | 863 |
| Shortstop | 121 |
| Left Field | 161 |
| Center Field | 114 |
| Right Field | 36 |
| Designated Hitter | 10 |
Salary History
Luis Salazar's recorded salaries total $3,000,000 over 8 seasons, 1985 to 1992. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Salazar's career ran from 1980 to 1992. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | CHN | NL | $600,000 |
| 1991 | CHN | NL | $575,000 |
| 1990 | CHN | NL | $550,000 |
| 1989 | SDN | NL | $400,000 |
| 1988 | DET | AL | $150,000 |
| 1987 | SDN | NL | $75,000 |
| 1986 | CHN | NL | $325,000 |
| 1985 | CHA | AL | $325,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $3,000,000 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Luis Salazar (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Luis Salazar: the record in brief
According to the bio, Luis Salazar debuted on August 15, 1980 and played a final game on October 4, 1992. By club, Salazar's seasons break down as the San Diego Padres (1980 to 1989), the Chicago White Sox (1985 through 1986), the Detroit Tigers (1988), and the Chicago Cubs (1989 to 1992). Salazar is listed as a third baseman at 5'9" and 180 pounds. The bio says Salazar batted and threw right-handed. Salazar was born on May 19, 1956, in Barcelona, Anzoátegui, Venezuela. The bio lists the given name Luis Ernesto.
The batting record for Salazar: 1,302 games, 1,070 hits in 4,101 at bats, and a .261 average, plus 94 home runs, 455 runs batted in, and 117 stolen bases. Salazar got on base at a .293 rate and slugged .381 (.673 OPS). Salazar hit .261 while the league hit .258 over the same span, a figure close to average. The OPS comparison is .673 to a league .710, 5.2% below average. The single-season home run high is 14, set in 1983.
Frequently Asked Questions about Luis Salazar
- What years did Luis Salazar play?
- Luis Salazar played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1992.
- Was Luis Salazar a pitcher?
- No. Luis Salazar was a position player (Third Baseman), though he did pitch in 2 career games.
- How many home runs did Luis Salazar hit?
- Luis Salazar hit 94 career home runs with 1,070 hits.
- What teams did Luis Salazar play for?
- Luis Salazar played for 4 teams: the San Diego Padres (1980–1984, 1987, 1989), the Chicago White Sox (1985–1986), the Detroit Tigers (1988), and the Chicago Cubs (1989–1992).
- What were Luis Salazar's career stats?
- In 1,302 games, Luis Salazar had 1,070 hits, 94 home runs, 455 RBI, 438 runs, and 117 stolen bases, with a .261 batting average.
- How much did Luis Salazar earn in his career?
- Luis Salazar's recorded salaries total $3,000,000 over 8 seasons, 1985 to 1992. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Salazar's career ran from 1980 to 1992. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
- What was Luis Salazar's salary?
- Luis Salazar's last recorded salary was $600,000, in 1992. His highest recorded salary was $600,000, in 1992, and his lowest was $75,000, in 1987. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1992.
- What position did Luis Salazar play?
- Luis Salazar played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Luis Salazar and how much did he weigh?
- Luis Salazar was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Luis Salazar hit each season?
- Luis Salazar's home runs by season: 1 in 1980, 3 in 1981, 8 in 1982, 14 in 1983, 3 in 1984, 10 in 1985, 0 in 1986, 3 in 1987, 12 in 1988, 9 in 1989, 12 in 1990, 14 in 1991, and 5 in 1992. His most in one season was 14, in 1983 and 1991.
- What was Luis Salazar's career batting average?
- Luis Salazar batted .261 over his career, with 1,070 hits in 4,101 at bats.
- How many RBI did Luis Salazar have?
- Luis Salazar drove in 455 runs in his career.
- What was Luis Salazar's career ERA?
- Luis Salazar finished with a 4.50 career ERA, going 0-0 with 0 strikeouts.
- Is Luis Salazar in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Luis Salazar has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.