Chico Salmon
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1964-1972)
Chico Salmon was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1972 for the Cleveland Guardians and the Baltimore Orioles, a span of 9 seasons. In 658 career games, he hit .249 with 415 hits, 31 home runs, and 149 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 160 lb
- Died
- 9/17/2000 in Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Panama
- MLB Debut
- 1964-06-28
- Last Game
- 1972-08-14
Full name: Rutherford Eduardo Salmon
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 658 | 1,667 | 202 | 415 | 70 | 6 | 31 | 149 | 46 | 89 | 233 | .249 | .290 | .354 | .644 | -1,232 |
Career AVG .249 vs. league average .247 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .290 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — 7.4% below league average.
Career SLG .354 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .644 vs. league average .680 across their career seasons — 5.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | CLE | AL | 86 | 283 | 43 | 87 | 17 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 10 | 13 | 37 | .307 | .250 (+23%) | .312 (+9%) | .377 (+12%) | .690 (+11%) | 478.9 |
| 1965 | CLE | AL | 79 | 120 | 20 | 29 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 19 | .242 | .245 (-2%) | .310 (-10%) | .371 (+3%) | .682 (-3%) | -78.4 |
| 1966 | CLE | AL | 126 | 422 | 46 | 108 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 40 | 10 | 21 | 41 | .256 | .248 (+3%) | .309 (-7%) | .376 (-8%) | .685 (-7%) | -517.0 |
| 1967 | CLE | AL | 90 | 203 | 19 | 46 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 29 | .227 | .242 (-6%) | .306 (-6%) | .357 (-8%) | .663 (-7%) | -217.8 |
| 1968 | CLE | AL | 103 | 276 | 24 | 59 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 12 | 30 | .214 | .236 (-10%) | .298 (-15%) | .340 (-17%) | .638 (-16%) | -655.7 |
| 1969 | BAL | AL | 52 | 91 | 18 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 22 | .297 | .248 (+20%) | .320 (+17%) | .369 (+22%) | .689 (+20%) | 318.8 |
| 1970 | BAL | AL | 63 | 172 | 19 | 43 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 2 | 8 | 30 | .250 | .253 (-2%) | .325 (-12%) | .385 (+3%) | .711 (-4%) | -136.6 |
| 1971 | BAL | AL | 42 | 84 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 21 | .179 | .249 (-28%) | .316 (-35%) | .365 (-28%) | .682 (-32%) | -423.9 |
| 1972 | BAL | AL | 17 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .062 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 658 | 1,667 | 202 | 415 | 70 | 6 | 31 | 149 | 46 | 89 | 233 | .249 | — | — | — | — | -1,232 | ||
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 (658 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 306 | 784 | 104 | 207 | 15 | 66 | .264 |
| Away | 352 | 883 | 99 | 208 | 16 | 83 | .236 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-08-14 | BAL | OAK | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-08-02 | BAL | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-07-31 | BAL | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972-07-29 | BAL | CLE | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-07-22 | BAL | KCR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-07-18 | BAL | TEX | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972-07-09 | BAL | TEX | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-07-07 | BAL | TEX | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-06-27 | BAL | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-06-21 | BAL | LAA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 130 | 64 | 578 | 26 | 6 | 45 |
| 2B | 164 | 134 | 286 | 339 | 27 | 61 |
| 3B | 54 | 26 | 37 | 64 | 6 | 7 |
| OF | 122 | 56 | 131 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 137 | 107 | 203 | 286 | 21 | 57 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | CLE | 1B | 13 | 8 | 70 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 1964 | CLE | 2B | 32 | 23 | 51 | 62 | 2 | 10 |
| 1964 | CLE | OF | 53 | 39 | 70 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | CLE | 1B | 28 | 16 | 127 | 7 | 2 | 10 |
| 1965 | CLE | 2B | 5 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 1965 | CLE | 3B | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 1965 | CLE | OF | 17 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966 | CLE | 1B | 24 | 17 | 141 | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 1966 | CLE | 2B | 28 | 26 | 52 | 65 | 6 | 10 |
| 1966 | CLE | 3B | 6 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966 | CLE | OF | 10 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1966 | CLE | SS | 61 | 57 | 106 | 147 | 11 | 32 |
| 1967 | CLE | 1B | 24 | 11 | 96 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| 1967 | CLE | 2B | 24 | 18 | 44 | 64 | 4 | 10 |
| 1967 | CLE | 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967 | CLE | OF | 28 | 6 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1967 | CLE | SS | 14 | 10 | 28 | 33 | 0 | 9 |
| 1968 | CLE | 1B | 11 | 5 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 1968 | CLE | 2B | 45 | 37 | 76 | 92 | 5 | 18 |
| 1968 | CLE | 3B | 18 | 10 | 13 | 20 | 1 | 2 |
| 1968 | CLE | OF | 13 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968 | CLE | SS | 15 | 11 | 24 | 31 | 1 | 6 |
| 1969 | BAL | 1B | 17 | 3 | 70 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 1969 | BAL | 2B | 9 | 8 | 11 | 18 | 5 | 3 |
| 1969 | BAL | 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| 1969 | BAL | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969 | BAL | SS | 9 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 1970 | BAL | 1B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | BAL | 2B | 12 | 12 | 19 | 22 | 3 | 2 |
| 1970 | BAL | 3B | 11 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 1970 | BAL | SS | 33 | 21 | 36 | 52 | 5 | 9 |
| 1971 | BAL | 1B | 9 | 4 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 1971 | BAL | 2B | 9 | 9 | 26 | 12 | 2 | 5 |
| 1971 | BAL | 3B | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 2 |
| 1971 | BAL | SS | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| 1972 | BAL | 1B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972 | BAL | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 132 |
| Second Base | 164 |
| Third Base | 54 |
| Shortstop | 137 |
| Left Field | 57 |
| Center Field | 5 |
| Right Field | 63 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Chico Salmon (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Chico Salmon: the record in brief
Chico Salmon played a first major league game on June 28, 1964 and a last one on August 14, 1972. The team column moves through the Cleveland Indians (1964 through 1968) and the Baltimore Orioles (1969 through 1972). Salmon played primarily as a second baseman and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on December 3, 1940, in Colon, Colón, Panama and a listed size of 160 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. Salmon's death is recorded on September 17, 2000, in Almirante, Bocas del Toro, Panama. Salmon's full given name, per the bio, is Rutherford Eduardo Salmon.
Across 658 games at the plate, Salmon's career line reads 415 hits in 1,667 at bats for a .249 average, adding 31 home runs, 149 RBI, and 46 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .290 clip and slugging .354, Salmon finished with a .644 OPS. The .249 career average is close to the .247 the league hit across the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 5.3% below league average (.644 against .680). Salmon collected a career-high 108 hits in 1966.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chico Salmon
- What years did Chico Salmon play?
- Chico Salmon played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1972.
- Was Chico Salmon a pitcher?
- No. Chico Salmon was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Chico Salmon hit?
- Chico Salmon hit 31 career home runs with 415 hits.
- What teams did Chico Salmon play for?
- Chico Salmon played for 2 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1964–1968) and the Baltimore Orioles (1969–1972).
- What were Chico Salmon's career stats?
- In 658 games, Chico Salmon had 415 hits, 31 home runs, 149 RBI, 202 runs, and 46 stolen bases, with a .249 batting average.
- What position did Chico Salmon play?
- Chico Salmon played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Chico Salmon and how much did he weigh?
- Chico Salmon was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 160 pounds.
- How many home runs did Chico Salmon hit each season?
- Chico Salmon's home runs by season: 4 in 1964, 3 in 1965, 7 in 1966, 2 in 1967, 3 in 1968, 3 in 1969, 7 in 1970, 2 in 1971, and 0 in 1972. His most in one season was 7, in 1966 and 1970.
- What was Chico Salmon's career batting average?
- Chico Salmon batted .249 over his career, with 415 hits in 1,667 at bats.
- How many RBI did Chico Salmon have?
- Chico Salmon drove in 149 runs in his career.
- Is Chico Salmon in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Chico Salmon has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.