Gary Thurman
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1987-1997)
Gary Thurman was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 1997 for 4 teams, including the Kansas City Royals, a span of 11 seasons. In 424 career games, he hit .243 with 194 hits, 2 home runs, and 64 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
- 5'10" / 170 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1987-08-30
- Last Game
- 1997-05-26
Full name: Gary Montez Thurman
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 424 | 798 | 121 | 194 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 64 | 65 | 61 | 187 | .243 | .297 | .299 | .597 | -1,925 |
Career AVG .243 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 6.5% below league average.
Career OBP .297 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 9.3% below league average.
Career SLG .299 vs. league average .395 across their career seasons — 24.2% below league average.
Career OPS .597 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — 17.5% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | KCA | AL | 27 | 81 | 12 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 20 | .296 | .262 (+13%) | .331 (+9%) | .415 (-23%) | .746 (-9%) | -82.3 |
| 1988 | KCA | AL | 35 | 66 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 20 | .167 | .254 (-34%) | .317 (-33%) | .377 (-52%) | .695 (-43%) | -429.5 |
| 1989 | KCA | AL | 72 | 87 | 24 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 15 | 26 | .195 | .254 (-23%) | .319 (-3%) | .375 (-36%) | .694 (-21%) | -238.5 |
| 1990 | KCA | AL | 23 | 60 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | .233 | .257 (-10%) | .324 (-21%) | .385 (-26%) | .710 (-24%) | -227.6 |
| 1991 | KCA | AL | 80 | 184 | 24 | 51 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 42 | .277 | .255 (+8%) | .323 (-1%) | .384 (-7%) | .708 (-4%) | -121.7 |
| 1992 | KCA | AL | 88 | 200 | 25 | 49 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 34 | .245 | .255 (-4%) | .322 (-13%) | .377 (-19%) | .699 (-16%) | -519.0 |
| 1993 | DET | AL | 75 | 89 | 22 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 30 | .213 | .265 (-19%) | .332 (-11%) | .403 (-30%) | .735 (-21%) | -306.1 |
| 1995 | SEA | AL | 13 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | .320 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1997 | NYN | NL | 11 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 424 | 798 | 121 | 194 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 64 | 65 | 61 | 187 | .243 | — | — | — | — | -1,925 | ||
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 (424 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 208 | 391 | 55 | 83 | 1 | 28 | .212 |
| Away | 216 | 407 | 66 | 111 | 1 | 36 | .273 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-05-26 | NYN | WSN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-05-24 | NYN | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-05-22 | NYN | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-05-20 | NYN | MIA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-05-19 | NYN | COL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-05-18 | NYN | COL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-05-16 | NYN | COL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-05-11 | NYN | STL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-05-08 | NYN | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997-05-06 | NYN | COL | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | KCA | OF | 27 | 25 | 61 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1988 | KCA | OF | 32 | 17 | 36 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989 | KCA | OF | 60 | 21 | 54 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1990 | KCA | OF | 21 | 16 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | KCA | OF | 72 | 44 | 129 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 1992 | KCA | OF | 67 | 55 | 138 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 1993 | DET | OF | 53 | 25 | 54 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 1995 | SEA | OF | 9 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | NYN | OF | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 132 |
| Center Field | 85 |
| Right Field | 146 |
| Designated Hitter | 21 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | SEA | AL | $250,000 |
| 1993 | DET | AL | $425,000 |
| 1992 | KCA | AL | $287,500 |
| 1990 | KCA | AL | $100,000 |
| 1988 | KCA | AL | $62,500 |
| 1987 | KCA | AL | $62,500 |
| Total Career Earnings | $1,187,500 | ||
Gary Thurman: the record in brief
Gary Thurman played a first major league game on August 30, 1987 and a last one on May 26, 1997. The team column moves through the Kansas City Royals (1987 to 1992), the Detroit Tigers (1993), the Seattle Mariners (1995), and the New York Mets (1997). Listed as an outfielder, Thurman batted and threw right-handed. Thurman is listed at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. The birth record reads November 12, 1964, in Indianapolis, IN, USA. The bio lists the given name Gary Montez.
Thurman collected 194 hits in 798 at bats across 424 games, good for a .243 batting average; the totals also include 2 homers, 64 RBI, and 65 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .297 and the slugging percentage .299, for an OPS of .597. The league as a whole hit .260 across Thurman's seasons, which puts the .243 career mark 6.5% below average. By OPS the gap is 17.5% below league average (.597 against .723). No season topped the 51 hits of 1991. Thurman drove in a season-high 20 runs in 1992. 1991 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .277 against a league .255, an 8% edge.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gary Thurman
- What years did Gary Thurman play?
- Gary Thurman played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 1997.
- Was Gary Thurman a pitcher?
- No. Gary Thurman was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Gary Thurman hit?
- Gary Thurman hit 2 career home runs with 194 hits.
- What was Gary Thurman's career batting average?
- Gary Thurman batted .243 over his career, with 194 hits in 798 at bats.
- How many RBI did Gary Thurman have?
- Gary Thurman drove in 64 runs in his career.
- Is Gary Thurman in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Gary Thurman has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.