Chris Shelton

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2004-2009)

Chris Shelton was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 2004 to 2009 for the Detroit Tigers, the Texas Rangers, and the Seattle Mariners, a span of 6 seasons. In 299 career games, he hit .273 with 254 hits, 37 home runs, and 124 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,271.

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

AVG .273
HR 37
RBI 124
H 254
OPS .802
PIV 1,271
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 220 lb
Born
6/26/1980 in Salt Lake City, UT, USA
MLB Debut
2004-04-15
Last Game
2009-07-30

Full name: Christopher Bob Shelton

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Career Batting Statistics

Chris Shelton — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
299 930 132 254 46 7 37 124 2 96 252 .273 .345 .457 .802 1,271

Career AVG .273 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .345 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .457 vs. league average .423 across their career seasons — +8.2% above league average.

Career OPS .802 vs. league average .756 across their career seasons — +6.0% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Chris Shelton — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2004 DET AL 27 46 6 9 1 0 1 3 0 9 14 .196 — — — — -145.9
2005 DET AL 107 388 61 116 22 3 18 59 0 34 87 .299 .264 (+13%) .330 (+9%) .418 (+22%) .749 (+16%) 1193.5
2006 DET AL 115 373 50 102 16 4 16 47 1 34 107 .273 .269 (+2%) .336 (+1%) .431 (+8%) .768 (+5%) 367.9
2008 TEX AL 41 97 14 21 5 0 2 11 1 17 33 .216 .263 (-18%) .333 (avg) .416 (-21%) .749 (-11%) -144.1
2009 SEA AL 9 26 1 6 2 0 0 4 0 2 11 .231 — — — — 0.0
Career · 5 seasons 299 930 132 254 46 7 37 124 2 96 252 .273 — — — — 1,271

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.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (299 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Chris Shelton — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home148463611221757.263
Away151467711322067.283

Last 10 Games — Batting

Chris Shelton — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
2009-07-30 SEATEXL 400000002
2009-07-29 SEATORW 401000003
2009-07-28 SEATORW 401100102
2009-07-27 SEATORL 302000210
2009-07-24 SEACLEL 300000012
2009-07-19 SEACLEW 511100002
2009-07-16 SEACLEL 100000000
2009-07-12 SEATEXW 101000100
2009-07-10 SEATEXL 100000000
2008-06-24 TEXHOUL 100000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Chris Shelton — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 250 215 2076 141 15 207
3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
C 6 0 10 0 0 0
OF 2 0 1 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Chris Shelton — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2004 DET 1B 8 2 22 4 0 3
2004 DET C 6 0 10 0 0 0
2004 DET OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
2005 DET 1B 84 83 778 60 6 87
2005 DET OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
2006 DET 1B 115 100 1004 55 6 93
2008 TEX 1B 39 26 241 20 3 21
2008 TEX 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
2009 SEA 1B 4 4 31 2 0 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Chris Shelton — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 6
First Base 250
Third Base 1
Left Field 1
Right Field 1
Designated Hitter 28

Awards & Honors

Chris Shelton — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
2006 Player of the Week Week of 2006-04-08

Salary History

Chris Shelton — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
2006 DET AL $365,000
2004 DET AL $300,000
Total Career Earnings $665,000

College History

Chris Shelton — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Utah Salt Lake City UT 2001
Salt Lake Community College Salt Lake City UT 1999, 2000

Chris Shelton: the record in brief

Chris Shelton played a first major league game on April 15, 2004 and a last one on July 30, 2009. The season rows list, in order, the Detroit Tigers (2004 to 2006), the Texas Rangers (2008), and the Seattle Mariners (2009). At 220 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame, Shelton is listed as a first baseman. The bio says Shelton both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is June 26, 1980, in Salt Lake City, UT, USA. The given name on file is Christopher Bob Shelton.

Across 299 games at the plate, Shelton's career line reads 254 hits in 930 at bats for a .273 average; the totals also include 37 home runs and 124 RBI. Shelton's career OPS of .802 combines a .345 on-base mark with .457 slugging. The .273 career average is close to the .265 the league hit across the same seasons. In OPS terms, Shelton's .802 stands 6.0% above the league's .756. No season beat the 18 home runs Shelton hit in 2005.

Frequently Asked Questions about Chris Shelton

What years did Chris Shelton play?
Chris Shelton played in Major League Baseball from 2004 to 2009.
Was Chris Shelton a pitcher?
No. Chris Shelton was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Chris Shelton hit?
Chris Shelton hit 37 career home runs with 254 hits.
What was Chris Shelton's career batting average?
Chris Shelton batted .273 over his career, with 254 hits in 930 at bats.
How many RBI did Chris Shelton have?
Chris Shelton drove in 124 runs in his career.
Is Chris Shelton in the Hall of Fame?
No. Chris Shelton has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.