Matt Stairs
Born: 2/27/1968 in Fredericton, NB, CAN
MLB Debut: 1992-05-29 | Final Game: 2011-07-22
Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 200 lbs
Full name: Matthew Wade Stairs
Biography
Matt Stairs, born in 1968, was a versatile position player who had a notable career in Major League Baseball from 1992 to 2011. Over the course of his 19-year career, Stairs played in 1,895 games, accumulating 1,366 hits and 265 home runs, while driving in 899 runs. Known for his power-hitting abilities, he boasted a career batting average of .262 and added 30 stolen bases to his impressive offensive repertoire. Stairs was particularly recognized for his clutch performances, often delivering key hits in critical moments, which made him a valuable asset to every team he played for.
Stairs played for several teams throughout his career, including the Philadelphia Phillies, where he achieved significant postseason success. His career spanned a transformative era in baseball, marked by an increased emphasis on power hitting and offensive production. Stairs' ability to hit for power while maintaining a respectable batting average earned him a reputation as a dependable slugger, and he remains a memorable figure for fans who witnessed his contributions to the game.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1895 | 5204 | 770 | 1366 | 294 | 13 | 265 | 899 | 30 | 717 | 1122 | 0.262 | 0.356 | 0.477 | 0.832 | 11071.2 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | WSN | NL | 13 | 30 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0.167 | 0.0 |
| 1993 | WSN | NL | 6 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.375 | 0.0 |
| 1995 | BOS | AL | 39 | 88 | 8 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 0.261 | -155.0 |
| 1996 | OAK | AL | 61 | 137 | 21 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 23 | 1 | 19 | 23 | 0.277 | 495.4 |
| 1997 | OAK | AL | 133 | 352 | 62 | 105 | 19 | 0 | 27 | 73 | 3 | 50 | 60 | 0.298 | 2077.2 |
| 1998 | OAK | AL | 149 | 523 | 88 | 154 | 33 | 1 | 26 | 106 | 8 | 59 | 93 | 0.294 | 1864.3 |
| 1999 | OAK | AL | 146 | 531 | 94 | 137 | 26 | 3 | 38 | 102 | 2 | 89 | 124 | 0.258 | 1850.0 |
| 2000 | OAK | AL | 143 | 476 | 74 | 108 | 26 | 0 | 21 | 81 | 5 | 78 | 122 | 0.227 | -433.8 |
| 2001 | CHC | NL | 128 | 340 | 48 | 85 | 21 | 0 | 17 | 61 | 2 | 52 | 76 | 0.250 | 672.6 |
| 2002 | MIL | NL | 107 | 270 | 41 | 66 | 15 | 0 | 16 | 41 | 2 | 36 | 50 | 0.244 | 626.9 |
| 2003 | PIT | NL | 121 | 305 | 49 | 89 | 20 | 1 | 20 | 57 | 0 | 45 | 64 | 0.292 | 1677.5 |
| 2004 | KCR | AL | 126 | 439 | 48 | 117 | 21 | 3 | 18 | 66 | 1 | 49 | 92 | 0.267 | 416.6 |
| 2005 | KCR | AL | 127 | 396 | 55 | 109 | 26 | 1 | 13 | 66 | 1 | 60 | 69 | 0.275 | 886.2 |
| 2006 | DET | AL | 14 | 41 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0.244 | 0.0 |
| 2006 | KCR | AL | 77 | 226 | 31 | 59 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 32 | 0 | 31 | 52 | 0.261 | 0.0 |
| 2006 | TEX | AL | 26 | 81 | 6 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 0.210 | 0.0 |
| 2007 | TOR | AL | 125 | 357 | 58 | 103 | 28 | 1 | 21 | 64 | 2 | 44 | 66 | 0.289 | 1509.8 |
| 2008 | PHI | NL | 16 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.294 | 0.0 |
| 2008 | TOR | AL | 105 | 320 | 42 | 80 | 11 | 1 | 11 | 44 | 1 | 41 | 87 | 0.250 | 0.0 |
| 2009 | PHI | NL | 99 | 103 | 15 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 23 | 30 | 0.194 | 47.5 |
| 2010 | SDP | NL | 78 | 99 | 14 | 23 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 11 | 32 | 0.232 | 104.0 |
| 2011 | WAS | NL | 56 | 65 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 23 | 0.154 | -437.2 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 0.125 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | NLDS2 | PHI | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 2009 | NLCS | PHI | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 2009 | WS | PHI | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.125 |
| 2008 | WS | PHI | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
| 2008 | NLDS2 | PHI | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| 2008 | NLCS | PHI | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2000 | ALDS1 | OAK | 3 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.111 |
| 1995 | ALDS1 | BOS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 294 | 244 | 1979 | 157 | 20 | 189 |
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 776 | 691 | 1180 | 58 | 20 | 10 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | MON | OF | 10 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | MON | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | BOS | OF | 23 | 19 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1996 | OAK | 1B | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 | OAK | OF | 44 | 32 | 59 | 8 | 1 | 3 |
| 1997 | OAK | 1B | 7 | 1 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 1997 | OAK | OF | 89 | 67 | 122 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 1998 | OAK | 1B | 6 | 5 | 45 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
| 1998 | OAK | OF | 12 | 11 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | OAK | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | OAK | OF | 139 | 139 | 245 | 13 | 5 | 1 |
| 2000 | OAK | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | OAK | OF | 103 | 96 | 185 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 2001 | CHN | 1B | 89 | 74 | 516 | 51 | 4 | 38 |
| 2001 | CHN | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | CHN | OF | 22 | 19 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | MIL | OF | 84 | 75 | 129 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003 | PIT | 1B | 31 | 27 | 212 | 10 | 2 | 16 |
| 2003 | PIT | OF | 55 | 50 | 73 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | KCA | 1B | 30 | 25 | 208 | 11 | 3 | 25 |
| 2004 | KCA | OF | 71 | 68 | 131 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 2005 | KCA | 1B | 64 | 61 | 499 | 37 | 4 | 60 |
| 2005 | KCA | OF | 15 | 12 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | KCA | 1B | 11 | 9 | 67 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 2006 | KCA | OF | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | TEX | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2006 | TEX | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | TOR | 1B | 45 | 37 | 377 | 31 | 6 | 32 |
| 2007 | TOR | OF | 57 | 48 | 66 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | PHI | OF | 4 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | TOR | OF | 15 | 14 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | PHI | OF | 15 | 12 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2010 | SDN | 1B | 3 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2010 | SDN | OF | 14 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | WAS | 1B | 4 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 294 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 237 |
| Center Field | 2 |
| Right Field | 548 |
| Designated Hitter | 435 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Player of the Week | Week of 1997-07-19 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | WAS | NL | $850,000 |
| 2010 | SDN | NL | $700,000 |
| 2009 | PHI | NL | $1,625,000 |
| 2008 | TOR | AL | $1,625,000 |
| 2007 | TOR | AL | $850,000 |
| 2006 | KCA | AL | $1,350,000 |
| 2005 | KCA | AL | $1,200,000 |
| 2004 | KCA | AL | $1,000,000 |
| 2003 | PIT | NL | $900,000 |
| 2002 | MIL | NL | $500,000 |
| 2001 | CHN | NL | $3,200,000 |
| 2000 | OAK | AL | $3,050,000 |
| 1999 | OAK | AL | $1,950,000 |
| 1998 | OAK | AL | $325,000 |
| 1997 | OAK | AL | $165,000 |
| 1996 | OAK | AL | $130,000 |
| 1995 | BOS | AL | $115,000 |
| 1993 | MON | NL | $110,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $19,645,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 17th | 2.0 | 392 | 0 |