Eric Soderholm

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1971-1980)

Eric Soderholm was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1980 for 4 teams, including the Minnesota Twins, a span of 10 seasons. In 894 career games, he hit .264 with 764 hits, 102 home runs, and 383 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,107.

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 .264
HR 102
RBI 383
H 764
OPS .756
PIV 4,107
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'11" / 187 lb
Born
9/24/1948 in Cortland, NY, USA
MLB Debut
1971-09-03
Last Game
1980-10-05

Full name: Eric Thane Soderholm

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Career Batting Statistics

Eric Soderholm — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
894 2,894 402 764 120 14 102 383 18 295 359 .264 .335 .421 .756 4,107

Career AVG .264 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .335 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .421 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — +11.0% above league average.

Career OPS .756 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — +7.5% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Eric Soderholm Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1971 MIN AL 21 64 9 10 4 0 1 4 0 10 17 .156 .249 (-37%) .316 (-6%) .365 (-27%) .682 (-17%) -134.7
1972 MIN AL 93 287 28 54 10 0 13 39 3 19 48 .188 .243 (-23%) .310 (-21%) .353 (+1%) .664 (-9%) -458.6
1973 MIN AL 35 111 22 33 7 2 1 9 1 21 16 .297 .256 (+16%) .325 (+27%) .378 (+12%) .703 (+19%) 430.7
1974 MIN AL 141 464 63 128 18 3 10 51 7 48 68 .276 .256 (+7%) .324 (+8%) .369 (+6%) .693 (+7%) 695.2
1975 MIN AL 117 419 62 120 17 2 11 58 3 53 66 .286 .257 (+11%) .327 (+12%) .374 (+11%) .701 (+11%) 985.4
1977 CHA AL 130 460 77 129 20 3 25 67 2 47 47 .280 .264 (+6%) .329 (+6%) .401 (+25%) .730 (+16%) 1483.4
1978 CHA AL 143 457 57 118 17 1 20 67 2 39 44 .258 .257 (avg) .323 (-2%) .378 (+14%) .702 (+7%) 502.9
1979 CHA AL 56 210 31 53 8 2 6 34 0 19 19 .252 .265 (-5%) .329 (-5%) .397 (-1%) .727 (-3%) -101.3
1979 TEX AL 63 147 15 40 6 0 4 19 0 12 9 .272 .265 (+2%) .329 (-1%) .397 (-1%) .727 (-1%) -101.3
1980 NYA AL 95 275 38 79 13 1 11 35 0 27 25 .287 .264 (+9%) .326 (+8%) .387 (+19%) .714 (+14%) 740.4
Career · 10 seasons 894 2,894 402 764 120 14 102 383 18 295 359 .264 — — — — 4,042

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

Eric Soderholm — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167

Playoff Batting by Year

Eric Soderholm — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1980 ALCS NYA 2 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .167

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (894 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Eric Soderholm — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home433138019538250191.277
Away461151420738252192.252

Last 10 Games — Batting

Eric Soderholm — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1980-10-05 NYYDETW 311001200
1980-09-30 NYYCLEL 423001110
1980-09-28 NYYDETL 301000100
1980-09-26 NYYDETW 513001401
1980-09-25 NYYCLEL 300000010
1980-09-24 NYYCLEW 200000000
1980-09-23 NYYCLEW 101000200
1980-09-22 NYYCLEW 100000000
1980-09-21 NYYBOSW 300000001
1980-09-17 NYYTORW 000000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Eric Soderholm — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 2 9 1 1 0
2B 1 0 0 4 0 0
3B 759 712 620 1589 88 113
SS 2 0 1 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Eric Soderholm — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1971 MIN 3B 20 20 17 48 4 2
1972 MIN 3B 79 75 66 163 14 17
1973 MIN 3B 33 29 26 67 8 5
1973 MIN SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1974 MIN 3B 130 123 100 273 17 19
1974 MIN SS 1 0 1 0 0 0
1975 MIN 3B 113 110 94 277 12 14
1977 CHA 3B 126 124 99 249 8 18
1978 CHA 2B 1 0 0 4 0 0
1978 CHA 3B 128 127 128 245 14 17
1979 CHA 3B 56 55 55 154 3 12
1979 TEX 1B 2 2 9 1 1 0
1979 TEX 3B 37 18 20 48 4 5
1980 NYA 3B 37 31 15 65 4 4

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Eric Soderholm Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 2
Third Base 760
Shortstop 2
Designated Hitter 87

Awards & Honors

Eric Soderholm — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1977 TSN Comeback Player of the Year

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Eric Soderholm (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Mike Ivie
    .269 avg, 81 HR
  2. 96
    Felix Mantilla
    .261 avg, 89 HR
  3. 96
    Sid Bream
    .264 avg, 90 HR
  4. 91
    Ray Jablonski
    .268 avg, 83 HR
  5. 90
    Pete Ward
    .254 avg, 98 HR
  6. 89
    Mike Lamb
    .276 avg, 69 HR

Eric Soderholm: the record in brief

Between the debut on September 3, 1971 and the final game on October 5, 1980, Eric Soderholm built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Minnesota Twins (1971 to 1975), the Chicago White Sox (1977 through 1979), the Texas Rangers (1979), and the New York Yankees (1980). Born on September 24, 1948, in Cortland, NY, USA, Soderholm is listed as a third baseman and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds. The given name on file is Eric Thane Soderholm.

Soderholm's career batting table shows 894 games, 2,894 at bats and 764 hits, a .264 average, along with 102 home runs and 383 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .335 and .421 give Soderholm a career OPS of .756. The .264 career average is close to the .258 the league hit across the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .756 to a league .703, 7.5% above average. For power, 1977 stands out: 25 home runs with the Chicago White Sox.

Frequently Asked Questions about Eric Soderholm

What years did Eric Soderholm play?
Eric Soderholm played in Major League Baseball from 1971 to 1980.
Was Eric Soderholm a pitcher?
No. Eric Soderholm was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Eric Soderholm hit?
Eric Soderholm hit 102 career home runs with 764 hits.
What teams did Eric Soderholm play for?
Eric Soderholm played for 4 teams: the Minnesota Twins (1971–1975), the Chicago White Sox (1977–1979), the Texas Rangers (1979), and the New York Yankees (1980).
What were Eric Soderholm's career stats?
In 894 games, Eric Soderholm had 764 hits, 102 home runs, 383 RBI, 402 runs, and 18 stolen bases, with a .264 batting average.
What position did Eric Soderholm play?
Eric Soderholm played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Eric Soderholm and how much did he weigh?
Eric Soderholm was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 187 pounds.
How many home runs did Eric Soderholm hit each season?
Eric Soderholm's home runs by season: 1 in 1971, 13 in 1972, 1 in 1973, 10 in 1974, 11 in 1975, 25 in 1977, 20 in 1978, 10 in 1979, and 11 in 1980. His most in one season was 25, in 1977.
What was Eric Soderholm's career batting average?
Eric Soderholm batted .264 over his career, with 764 hits in 2,894 at bats.
How many RBI did Eric Soderholm have?
Eric Soderholm drove in 383 runs in his career.
Is Eric Soderholm in the Hall of Fame?
No. Eric Soderholm has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.