Steve Swisher

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1974-1982)

Steve Swisher was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1982 for the Chicago Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the San Diego Padres, a span of 9 seasons. In 509 career games, he hit .216 with 305 hits, 20 home runs, and 124 RBI. Steve Swisher was an All-Star.

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 .216
HR 20
RBI 124
H 305
OPS .581
PIV -3,525
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 205 lb
Born
8/9/1951 in Parkersburg, WV, USA
MLB Debut
1974-06-14
Last Game
1982-09-26
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Steven Eugene Swisher

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Steve Swisher — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
509 1,414 108 305 49 7 20 124 4 118 322 .216 .279 .303 .581 -3,525

Career AVG .216 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 17.1% below league average.

Career OBP .279 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 14.3% below league average.

Career SLG .303 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 20.7% below league average.

Career OPS .581 vs. league average .707 across their career seasons — 17.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Steve Swisher 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
1974 CHN NL 90 280 21 60 5 0 5 27 0 37 63 .214 .256 (-17%) .324 (-5%) .369 (-23%) .693 (-14%) -549.4
1975 CHN NL 93 254 20 54 16 2 1 22 1 30 57 .213 .257 (-17%) .327 (-8%) .374 (-19%) .701 (-14%) -546.1
1976 CHN NL 109 377 25 89 13 3 5 42 2 20 82 .236 .255 (-8%) .320 (-14%) .360 (-10%) .681 (-12%) -759.7
1977 CHN NL 74 205 21 39 7 0 5 15 0 9 47 .190 .264 (-28%) .329 (-30%) .401 (-26%) .730 (-28%) -956.7
1978 SLN NL 45 115 11 32 5 1 1 10 1 8 14 .278 .257 (+8%) .323 (+2%) .378 (-4%) .702 (-1%) -9.6
1979 SLN NL 38 73 4 11 1 1 1 3 0 6 17 .151 .265 (-43%) .329 (-36%) .397 (-41%) .727 (-39%) -470.3
1980 SLN NL 18 24 2 6 1 0 0 2 0 1 7 .250 — — — — 0.0
1981 SDN NL 16 28 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 .143 — — — — 0.0
1982 SDN NL 26 58 2 10 1 0 2 3 0 5 24 .172 .261 (-34%) .324 (-27%) .388 (-25%) .712 (-25%) -233.6
Career · 9 seasons 509 1,414 108 305 49 7 20 124 4 118 322 .216 — — — — -3,525

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 (509 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Steve Swisher — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home250682601651164.242
Away25973248140960.191

Last 10 Games — Batting

Steve Swisher — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1982-09-26 SDPATLW 200000001
1982-09-24 SDPATLL 200000001
1982-09-22 SDPLADW 200000001
1982-09-19 SDPSFGL 200000001
1982-09-18 SDPSFGL 300000003
1982-09-14 SDPLADL 300000000
1982-09-07 SDPHOUL 100000000
1982-09-05 SDPCHCL 301000001
1982-08-29 SDPSTLL 300000001
1982-08-25 SDPPITL 000000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Steve Swisher — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
C 481 412 2274 203 46 24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Steve Swisher — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1974 CHN C 90 85 493 50 7 8
1975 CHN C 93 86 426 36 10 5
1976 CHN C 107 106 574 49 11 6
1977 CHN C 72 54 327 38 9 3
1978 SLN C 42 34 202 13 2 0
1979 SLN C 33 19 105 6 3 2
1980 SLN C 8 4 21 1 1 0
1981 SDN C 10 6 33 1 1 0
1982 SDN C 26 18 93 9 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Steve Swisher Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 481

Awards & Honors

Steve Swisher — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1976 Player of the Week Week of 1976-05-14

College History

Steve Swisher — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Ohio University Athens OH 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Steve Swisher (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    John Boccabella
    .219 avg, 26 HR
  2. 97
    Luke Maile
    .208 avg, 23 HR
  3. 95
    Sandy Leon
    .204 avg, 32 HR
  4. 93
    Dick Billings
    .227 avg, 16 HR
  5. 90
    Alberto Castillo
    .220 avg, 12 HR
  6. 90
    Jose Lobaton
    .213 avg, 21 HR

Steve Swisher: the record in brief

Between the debut on June 14, 1974 and the final game on September 26, 1982, Steve Swisher built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago Cubs (1974 to 1977), the St. Louis Cardinals (1978 to 1980), and the San Diego Padres (1981 to 1982). The bio lists Swisher as a catcher who threw and hit right-handed. Swisher is listed at 6'2" and 205 pounds. Swisher was born on August 9, 1951, in Parkersburg, WV, USA. The given name on file is Steven Eugene Swisher.

Across 509 games at the plate, Swisher's career line reads 305 hits in 1,414 at bats for a .216 average, adding 20 homers and 124 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .279 and .303 give Swisher a career OPS of .581. The league as a whole hit .260 across Swisher's seasons, which puts the .216 career mark 17.1% below average. The hits column peaks at 89, in 1976. The RBI column peaks at 42 in 1976.

Frequently Asked Questions about Steve Swisher

What years did Steve Swisher play?
Steve Swisher played in Major League Baseball from 1974 to 1982.
Was Steve Swisher a pitcher?
No. Steve Swisher was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Steve Swisher hit?
Steve Swisher hit 20 career home runs with 305 hits.
What teams did Steve Swisher play for?
Steve Swisher played for 3 teams: the Chicago Cubs (1974–1977), the St. Louis Cardinals (1978–1980), and the San Diego Padres (1981–1982).
Did Steve Swisher win an MVP award?
No. Steve Swisher did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Steve Swisher win?
Steve Swisher was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Steve Swisher's career stats?
In 509 games, Steve Swisher had 305 hits, 20 home runs, 124 RBI, 108 runs, and 4 stolen bases, with a .216 batting average.
What position did Steve Swisher play?
Steve Swisher played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Steve Swisher and how much did he weigh?
Steve Swisher was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 205 pounds.
How many home runs did Steve Swisher hit each season?
Steve Swisher's home runs by season: 5 in 1974, 1 in 1975, 5 in 1976, 5 in 1977, 1 in 1978, 1 in 1979, 0 in 1980, 0 in 1981, and 2 in 1982. His most in one season was 5, in 1974, 1976, and 1977.
What was Steve Swisher's career batting average?
Steve Swisher batted .216 over his career, with 305 hits in 1,414 at bats.
How many RBI did Steve Swisher have?
Steve Swisher drove in 124 runs in his career.
Is Steve Swisher in the Hall of Fame?
No. Steve Swisher has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Steve Swisher make?
Steve Swisher was selected to 1 All-Star Game.