Charlie Spikes
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1972-1980)
Charlie Spikes was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1980 for 4 teams, including the New York Yankees, a span of 9 seasons. In 670 career games, he hit .246 with 502 hits, 65 home runs, and 256 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 215 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1972-09-01
- Last Game
- 1980-10-05
Full name: Leslie Charles Spikes
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 670 | 2,039 | 240 | 502 | 72 | 12 | 65 | 256 | 27 | 154 | 388 | .246 | .304 | .389 | .693 | -27 |
Career AVG .246 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .304 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 6.1% below league average.
Career SLG .389 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .693 vs. league average .703 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | NYA | AL | 14 | 34 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 | .147 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | CLE | AL | 140 | 506 | 68 | 120 | 12 | 3 | 23 | 73 | 5 | 45 | 103 | .237 | .256 (-8%) | .325 (-7%) | .378 (+8%) | .703 (+1%) | 16.2 |
| 1974 | CLE | AL | 155 | 568 | 63 | 154 | 23 | 1 | 22 | 80 | 10 | 34 | 100 | .271 | .256 (+6%) | .324 (-2%) | .369 (+17%) | .693 (+8%) | 776.0 |
| 1975 | CLE | AL | 111 | 345 | 41 | 79 | 13 | 3 | 11 | 33 | 7 | 30 | 51 | .229 | .257 (-11%) | .327 (-11%) | .374 (+2%) | .701 (-4%) | -294.1 |
| 1976 | CLE | AL | 101 | 334 | 34 | 79 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 31 | 5 | 23 | 50 | .237 | .255 (-7%) | .320 (-8%) | .360 (-10%) | .681 (-9%) | -474.9 |
| 1977 | CLE | AL | 32 | 95 | 13 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 17 | .232 | .264 (-12%) | .329 (-2%) | .401 (-13%) | .730 (-8%) | -105.1 |
| 1978 | DET | AL | 10 | 28 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1979 | ATL | NL | 66 | 93 | 12 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 30 | .280 | .265 (+5%) | .329 (-6%) | .397 (+16%) | .727 (+6%) | 54.8 |
| 1980 | ATL | NL | 41 | 36 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 18 | .278 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 670 | 2,039 | 240 | 502 | 72 | 12 | 65 | 256 | 27 | 154 | 388 | .246 | — | — | — | — | -27 | ||
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 (670 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 328 | 974 | 118 | 265 | 36 | 137 | .272 |
| Away | 342 | 1065 | 122 | 237 | 29 | 119 | .223 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-10-05 | ATL | CIN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1980-09-17 | ATL | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-09-02 | ATL | CHC | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-08-30 | ATL | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-08-28 | ATL | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980-08-16 | ATL | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980-08-15 | ATL | SFG | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980-08-09 | ATL | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980-08-05 | ATL | LAD | W | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-08-04 | ATL | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | NYA | OF | 9 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1973 | CLE | OF | 111 | 110 | 202 | 13 | 8 | 0 |
| 1974 | CLE | OF | 154 | 154 | 284 | 16 | 10 | 3 |
| 1975 | CLE | OF | 103 | 86 | 176 | 13 | 5 | 5 |
| 1976 | CLE | OF | 98 | 90 | 185 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 1977 | CLE | OF | 27 | 24 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1978 | DET | OF | 9 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1979 | ATL | OF | 15 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1980 | ATL | OF | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 137 |
| Right Field | 399 |
| Designated Hitter | 32 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Charlie Spikes (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Charlie Spikes: the record in brief
Charlie Spikes's major league career runs from a debut on September 1, 1972 to a final game on October 5, 1980. The season rows list, in order, the New York Yankees (1972), the Cleveland Indians (1973 to 1977), the Detroit Tigers (1978), and the Atlanta Braves (1979 to 1980). Born on January 23, 1951, in Bogalusa, LA, USA, Spikes is listed as an outfielder and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6 feet, 3 inches and 215 pounds. The given name on file is Leslie Charles Spikes.
Spikes finished with 502 hits from 2,039 at bats in 670 games, which works out to .246, plus 65 home runs, 256 runs batted in, and 27 stolen bases. Spikes got on base at a .304 rate and slugged .389 (.693 OPS). Against a .258 league average for those years, Spikes's .246 average was near the norm. Spikes's most home runs in a season came in 1973, when the total reached 23 for the Cleveland Indians. The hits column peaks at 154, in 1974. Spikes drove in a season-high 80 runs in 1974.
Frequently Asked Questions about Charlie Spikes
- What years did Charlie Spikes play?
- Charlie Spikes played in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1980.
- Was Charlie Spikes a pitcher?
- No. Charlie Spikes was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Charlie Spikes hit?
- Charlie Spikes hit 65 career home runs with 502 hits.
- What teams did Charlie Spikes play for?
- Charlie Spikes played for 4 teams: the New York Yankees (1972), the Cleveland Indians (1973–1977), the Detroit Tigers (1978), and the Atlanta Braves (1979–1980).
- What were Charlie Spikes's career stats?
- In 670 games, Charlie Spikes had 502 hits, 65 home runs, 256 RBI, 240 runs, and 27 stolen bases, with a .246 batting average.
- What position did Charlie Spikes play?
- Charlie Spikes played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Charlie Spikes and how much did he weigh?
- Charlie Spikes was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 215 pounds.
- How many home runs did Charlie Spikes hit each season?
- Charlie Spikes's home runs by season: 0 in 1972, 23 in 1973, 22 in 1974, 11 in 1975, 3 in 1976, 3 in 1977, 0 in 1978, 3 in 1979, and 0 in 1980. His most in one season was 23, in 1973.
- What was Charlie Spikes's career batting average?
- Charlie Spikes batted .246 over his career, with 502 hits in 2,039 at bats.
- How many RBI did Charlie Spikes have?
- Charlie Spikes drove in 256 runs in his career.
- Is Charlie Spikes in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Charlie Spikes has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.