Rusty Staub
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1963-1985)
Rusty Staub was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1985 for 5 teams, including the Houston Astros, a span of 23 seasons. In 2,951 career games, he hit .279 with 2,716 hits, 292 home runs, and 1,466 RBI. Rusty Staub was a 6-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 30,346.
- 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
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 190 lb
- Died
- 3/29/2018 in West Palm Beach, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1963-04-09
- Last Game
- 1985-10-06
- Awards
- 6× All-Star
Full name: Daniel Joseph Staub
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,951 | 9,720 | 1,189 | 2,716 | 499 | 47 | 292 | 1,466 | 47 | 1,255 | 888 | .279 | .362 | .431 | .793 | 30,346 |
Career AVG .279 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — +9.8% above league average.
Career OBP .362 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +13.3% above league average.
Career SLG .431 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — +14.3% above league average.
Career OPS .793 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — +13.8% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | HOU | NL | 150 | 513 | 43 | 115 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 45 | 0 | 59 | 58 | .224 | .246 (-9%) | .308 (avg) | .371 (-17%) | .680 (-9%) | -588.6 |
| 1964 | HOU | NL | 89 | 292 | 26 | 63 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 35 | 1 | 21 | 31 | .216 | .250 (-14%) | .312 (-13%) | .377 (-8%) | .690 (-11%) | -520.1 |
| 1965 | HOU | NL | 131 | 410 | 43 | 105 | 20 | 1 | 14 | 63 | 3 | 52 | 57 | .256 | .245 (+4%) | .310 (+9%) | .371 (+11%) | .682 (+10%) | 837.9 |
| 1966 | HOU | NL | 153 | 554 | 60 | 155 | 28 | 3 | 13 | 81 | 2 | 58 | 61 | .280 | .248 (+13%) | .309 (+11%) | .376 (+9%) | .685 (+10%) | 1145.4 |
| 1967 | HOU | NL | 149 | 546 | 71 | 182 | 44 | 1 | 10 | 74 | 0 | 60 | 47 | .333 | .242 (+38%) | .306 (+30%) | .357 (+32%) | .663 (+31%) | 3320.4 |
| 1968 | HOU | NL | 161 | 591 | 54 | 172 | 37 | 1 | 6 | 72 | 2 | 73 | 57 | .291 | .236 (+23%) | .298 (+25%) | .340 (+14%) | .638 (+19%) | 2398.4 |
| 1969 | MON | NL | 158 | 549 | 89 | 166 | 26 | 5 | 29 | 79 | 3 | 110 | 61 | .302 | .248 (+22%) | .320 (+33%) | .369 (+43%) | .689 (+38%) | 4666.9 |
| 1970 | MON | NL | 160 | 569 | 98 | 156 | 23 | 7 | 30 | 94 | 12 | 112 | 93 | .274 | .253 (+8%) | .325 (+21%) | .385 (+29%) | .711 (+25%) | 3267.9 |
| 1971 | MON | NL | 162 | 599 | 94 | 186 | 34 | 6 | 19 | 97 | 9 | 74 | 42 | .311 | .249 (+25%) | .316 (+24%) | .365 (+32%) | .682 (+28%) | 3471.3 |
| 1972 | NYN | NL | 66 | 239 | 32 | 70 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 38 | 0 | 31 | 13 | .293 | .243 (+20%) | .310 (+20%) | .353 (+28%) | .664 (+24%) | 995.0 |
| 1973 | NYN | NL | 152 | 585 | 77 | 163 | 36 | 1 | 15 | 76 | 1 | 74 | 52 | .279 | .256 (+8%) | .325 (+11%) | .378 (+11%) | .703 (+11%) | 1416.0 |
| 1974 | NYN | NL | 151 | 561 | 65 | 145 | 22 | 2 | 19 | 78 | 2 | 77 | 39 | .258 | .256 (+1%) | .324 (+7%) | .369 (+10%) | .693 (+9%) | 1064.0 |
| 1975 | NYN | NL | 155 | 574 | 93 | 162 | 30 | 4 | 19 | 105 | 2 | 77 | 55 | .282 | .257 (+10%) | .327 (+13%) | .374 (+20%) | .701 (+17%) | 2027.5 |
| 1976 | DET | AL | 161 | 589 | 73 | 176 | 28 | 3 | 15 | 96 | 3 | 83 | 49 | .299 | .255 (+17%) | .320 (+20%) | .360 (+20%) | .681 (+20%) | 2586.0 |
| 1977 | DET | AL | 158 | 623 | 84 | 173 | 34 | 3 | 22 | 101 | 1 | 59 | 47 | .278 | .264 (+5%) | .329 (+2%) | .401 (+12%) | .730 (+7%) | 841.6 |
| 1978 | DET | AL | 162 | 642 | 75 | 175 | 30 | 1 | 24 | 121 | 3 | 76 | 35 | .273 | .257 (+6%) | .323 (+7%) | .378 (+15%) | .702 (+11%) | 1492.3 |
| 1979 | DET | AL | 68 | 246 | 32 | 58 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 40 | 1 | 32 | 18 | .236 | .265 (-11%) | .329 (avg) | .397 (+1%) | .727 (+1%) | 65.2 |
| 1979 | MON | NL | 38 | 86 | 9 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 10 | .267 | .265 (+1%) | .329 (+11%) | .397 (+2%) | .727 (+6%) | 65.2 |
| 1980 | TEX | AL | 109 | 340 | 42 | 102 | 23 | 2 | 9 | 55 | 1 | 39 | 18 | .300 | .264 (+13%) | .326 (+13%) | .387 (+18%) | .714 (+16%) | 1046.8 |
| 1981 | NYN | NL | 70 | 161 | 9 | 51 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 22 | 12 | .317 | .255 (+24%) | .320 (+24%) | .368 (+26%) | .688 (+25%) | 768.2 |
| 1982 | NYN | NL | 112 | 219 | 11 | 53 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 0 | 24 | 10 | .242 | .261 (-7%) | .324 (-5%) | .388 (-17%) | .712 (-11%) | -387.6 |
| 1983 | NYN | NL | 104 | 115 | 5 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 0 | 14 | 10 | .296 | .260 (+13%) | .324 (+14%) | .389 (+9%) | .714 (+12%) | 282.5 |
| 1984 | NYN | NL | 78 | 72 | 2 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 9 | .264 | .259 (+2%) | .322 (-10%) | .384 (-6%) | .707 (-8%) | -120.0 |
| 1985 | NYN | NL | 54 | 45 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 4 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 138.6 |
| Career · 24 seasons | 2,951 | 9,720 | 1,189 | 2,716 | 499 | 47 | 292 | 1,466 | 47 | 1,255 | 888 | .279 | — | — | — | — | 30,281 | ||
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 (2951 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1497 | 4830 | 598 | 1345 | 144 | 766 | .278 |
| Away | 1454 | 4890 | 591 | 1371 | 148 | 700 | .280 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-10-06 | NYN | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-10-05 | NYN | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-09-28 | NYN | PIT | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985-09-27 | NYN | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-09-21 | NYN | PIT | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-09-20 | NYN | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-09-18 | NYN | CHC | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-09-08 | NYN | LAD | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-09-07 | NYN | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-09-06 | NYN | LAD | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 426 | 400 | 3554 | 237 | 37 | 271 |
| OF | 1675 | 1634 | 3018 | 165 | 103 | 35 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | HOU | 1B | 109 | 94 | 881 | 58 | 10 | 52 |
| 1963 | HOU | OF | 49 | 46 | 82 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1964 | HOU | 1B | 49 | 47 | 442 | 27 | 4 | 34 |
| 1964 | HOU | OF | 38 | 32 | 70 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 1965 | HOU | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | HOU | OF | 112 | 105 | 202 | 12 | 11 | 1 |
| 1966 | HOU | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966 | HOU | OF | 148 | 147 | 289 | 13 | 12 | 2 |
| 1967 | HOU | OF | 144 | 144 | 269 | 10 | 11 | 2 |
| 1968 | HOU | 1B | 147 | 146 | 1313 | 93 | 11 | 100 |
| 1968 | HOU | OF | 15 | 14 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1969 | MON | OF | 156 | 154 | 265 | 16 | 10 | 2 |
| 1970 | MON | OF | 160 | 156 | 308 | 14 | 5 | 4 |
| 1971 | MON | OF | 162 | 155 | 290 | 20 | 18 | 5 |
| 1972 | NYN | OF | 65 | 65 | 108 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 1973 | NYN | OF | 152 | 150 | 297 | 17 | 7 | 5 |
| 1974 | NYN | OF | 147 | 146 | 262 | 19 | 5 | 5 |
| 1975 | NYN | OF | 153 | 153 | 267 | 15 | 4 | 3 |
| 1976 | DET | OF | 126 | 125 | 218 | 8 | 7 | 3 |
| 1979 | MON | 1B | 22 | 22 | 155 | 7 | 1 | 11 |
| 1979 | MON | OF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980 | TEX | 1B | 30 | 27 | 243 | 10 | 6 | 27 |
| 1980 | TEX | OF | 14 | 9 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1981 | NYN | 1B | 41 | 40 | 339 | 20 | 4 | 26 |
| 1982 | NYN | 1B | 18 | 18 | 129 | 15 | 0 | 12 |
| 1982 | NYN | OF | 27 | 27 | 43 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1983 | NYN | 1B | 5 | 5 | 36 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 1983 | NYN | OF | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984 | NYN | 1B | 3 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1985 | NYN | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 425 |
| Left Field | 77 |
| Center Field | 10 |
| Right Field | 1605 |
| Designated Hitter | 478 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Player of the Week | Week of 1983-06-17 |
| 1978 | Outstanding DH Award | |
| 1978 | TSN All-Star | DH |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | NYN | NL | $300,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $300,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 5th | 88.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1975 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 14th | 20.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1972 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 25th | 2.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1971 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 11.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1969 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 36th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1967 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 16th | 12.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1966 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 22th | 4.0 | 280 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Rusty Staub (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Rusty Staub
Rusty Staub: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 9, 1963 and the final game on October 6, 1985, Rusty Staub built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the Houston Colt .45's (1963 to 1964), the Houston Astros (1965 to 1968), the Montreal Expos (1969 through 1979), the New York Mets (1972 through 1985), the Detroit Tigers (1976 through 1979), and the Texas Rangers (1980). Staub, an outfielder by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Height and weight on file: 6 feet, 2 inches and 190 pounds. The birth record reads April 1, 1944, in New Orleans, LA, USA. Staub died on March 29, 2018, in West Palm Beach, FL, USA. Staub's full given name, per the bio, is Daniel Joseph Staub.
Staub's career batting table shows 2,951 games, 9,720 at bats and 2,716 hits, a .279 average; the totals also include 292 home runs, 1,466 runs batted in, and 47 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .362 clip and slugging .431, Staub finished with a .793 OPS.
Frequently Asked Questions about Rusty Staub
- What years did Rusty Staub play?
- Rusty Staub played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1985.
- Was Rusty Staub a pitcher?
- No. Rusty Staub was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Rusty Staub hit?
- Rusty Staub hit 292 career home runs with 2716 hits.
- What was Rusty Staub's career batting average?
- Rusty Staub batted .279 over his career, with 2,716 hits in 9,720 at bats.
- How many RBI did Rusty Staub have?
- Rusty Staub drove in 1,466 runs in his career.
- Is Rusty Staub in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Rusty Staub has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.