Del Unser
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1968-1982)
Del Unser was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1982 for 5 teams, including the Washington Senators, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,799 career games, he hit .258 with 1,344 hits, 87 home runs, and 481 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
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 180 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1968-04-10
- Last Game
- 1982-06-06
Full name: Delbert Bernard Unser
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,799 | 5,215 | 617 | 1,344 | 179 | 42 | 87 | 481 | 64 | 481 | 675 | .258 | .319 | .358 | .677 | -498 |
Career AVG .258 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .319 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .358 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .677 vs. league average .698 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | WS2 | AL | 156 | 635 | 66 | 146 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 30 | 11 | 46 | 66 | .230 | .236 (-3%) | .298 (-5%) | .340 (-19%) | .638 (-12%) | -1105.8 |
| 1969 | WS2 | AL | 153 | 581 | 69 | 166 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 57 | 8 | 58 | 54 | .286 | .248 (+15%) | .320 (+9%) | .369 (+3%) | .689 (+6%) | 718.3 |
| 1970 | WS2 | AL | 119 | 322 | 37 | 83 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 30 | 1 | 30 | 29 | .258 | .253 (+2%) | .325 (-2%) | .385 (-15%) | .711 (-9%) | -429.0 |
| 1971 | WS2 | AL | 153 | 581 | 63 | 148 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 41 | 11 | 59 | 68 | .255 | .249 (+2%) | .316 (+2%) | .365 (-3%) | .682 (avg) | 8.2 |
| 1972 | CLE | AL | 132 | 383 | 29 | 91 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 28 | 46 | .238 | .243 (-3%) | .310 (-7%) | .353 (-22%) | .664 (-15%) | -834.6 |
| 1973 | PHI | NL | 136 | 440 | 64 | 127 | 20 | 4 | 11 | 52 | 5 | 47 | 55 | .289 | .256 (+12%) | .325 (+9%) | .378 (+13%) | .703 (+11%) | 910.2 |
| 1974 | PHI | NL | 142 | 454 | 72 | 120 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 61 | 6 | 50 | 62 | .264 | .256 (+3%) | .324 (+4%) | .369 (+8%) | .693 (+6%) | 550.5 |
| 1975 | NYN | NL | 147 | 531 | 65 | 156 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 53 | 4 | 37 | 76 | .294 | .257 (+14%) | .327 (+3%) | .374 (+5%) | .701 (+4%) | 361.2 |
| 1976 | NYN | NL | 77 | 276 | 28 | 63 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 25 | 4 | 18 | 40 | .228 | .255 (-11%) | .320 (-14%) | .360 (-5%) | .681 (-9%) | -449.1 |
| 1976 | MON | NL | 69 | 220 | 29 | 50 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 44 | .227 | .255 (-11%) | .320 (-19%) | .360 (+2%) | .681 (-8%) | -449.1 |
| 1977 | MON | NL | 113 | 289 | 33 | 79 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 40 | 2 | 33 | 41 | .273 | .264 (+3%) | .329 (+5%) | .401 (+13%) | .730 (+9%) | 540.1 |
| 1978 | MON | NL | 130 | 179 | 16 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 24 | 29 | .196 | .257 (-24%) | .323 (-10%) | .378 (-32%) | .702 (-22%) | -549.5 |
| 1979 | PHI | NL | 95 | 141 | 26 | 42 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 29 | 2 | 14 | 33 | .298 | .265 (+12%) | .329 (+7%) | .397 (+21%) | .727 (+15%) | 376.5 |
| 1980 | PHI | NL | 96 | 110 | 15 | 29 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 21 | .264 | .264 (avg) | .326 (-2%) | .387 (+1%) | .714 (avg) | -44.3 |
| 1981 | PHI | NL | 62 | 59 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 9 | .153 | .255 (-40%) | .320 (-6%) | .368 (-45%) | .688 (-27%) | -208.6 |
| 1982 | PHI | NL | 19 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,799 | 5,215 | 617 | 1,344 | 179 | 42 | 87 | 481 | 64 | 481 | 675 | .258 | — | — | — | — | -605 | ||
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
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1799 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 899 | 2517 | 313 | 659 | 34 | 230 | .262 |
| Away | 900 | 2698 | 304 | 685 | 53 | 250 | .254 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-06-06 | PHI | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-06-04 | PHI | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-06-01 | PHI | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982-05-31 | PHI | CIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-05-30 | PHI | ATL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-05-24 | PHI | CIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-05-19 | PHI | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-05-13 | PHI | SFG | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-05-12 | PHI | LAD | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-05-10 | PHI | 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 | 168 | 27 | 520 | 45 | 3 | 49 |
| OF | 1407 | 1205 | 3123 | 112 | 52 | 26 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | WS2 | 1B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968 | WS2 | OF | 156 | 154 | 388 | 22 | 5 | 10 |
| 1969 | WS2 | OF | 149 | 139 | 339 | 8 | 10 | 3 |
| 1970 | WS2 | OF | 103 | 71 | 173 | 8 | 3 | 2 |
| 1971 | WS2 | OF | 151 | 143 | 394 | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| 1972 | CLE | OF | 119 | 91 | 248 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| 1973 | PHI | OF | 132 | 113 | 329 | 14 | 4 | 4 |
| 1974 | PHI | OF | 135 | 120 | 300 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| 1975 | NYN | OF | 144 | 129 | 362 | 13 | 5 | 2 |
| 1976 | NYN | OF | 77 | 73 | 180 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1976 | MON | OF | 65 | 54 | 108 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| 1977 | MON | 1B | 27 | 12 | 160 | 11 | 0 | 15 |
| 1977 | MON | OF | 72 | 57 | 120 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1978 | MON | 1B | 64 | 9 | 162 | 10 | 1 | 16 |
| 1978 | MON | OF | 33 | 24 | 70 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979 | PHI | 1B | 22 | 5 | 74 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| 1979 | PHI | OF | 30 | 17 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980 | PHI | 1B | 31 | 1 | 67 | 13 | 0 | 7 |
| 1980 | PHI | OF | 23 | 16 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | PHI | 1B | 18 | 0 | 44 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| 1981 | PHI | OF | 16 | 4 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | PHI | 1B | 5 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982 | PHI | OF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 168 |
| Left Field | 118 |
| Center Field | 1117 |
| Right Field | 232 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | TSN Rookie Player of the Year |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State University | Mississippi State | MS | 1964, 1965, 1966 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 23th | 5.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1968 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 2nd | 3.0 | 20 | 3 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Del Unser (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Del Unser: the record in brief
The profile opens with Del Unser's first major league game on April 10, 1968; the last one listed came on June 6, 1982. Unser played for the Washington Senators (1968 through 1971), the Cleveland Indians (1972), the Philadelphia Phillies (1973 through 1982), the New York Mets (1975 through 1976), and the Montreal Expos (1976 to 1978). The bio lists Unser as an outfielder who threw and hit left-handed. Unser is listed at 6'1" and 180 pounds. The birth record reads December 9, 1944, in Decatur, IL, USA. The bio lists the given name Delbert Bernard.
Unser's career batting table shows 1,799 games, 5,215 at bats and 1,344 hits, a .258 average, adding 87 homers, 481 runs batted in, and 64 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .319 and .358 give Unser a career OPS of .677. Unser hit .258 while the league hit .256 over the same span, a figure close to average. 1977 was Unser's biggest home run year, with 12. No season topped the 166 hits of 1969. 1974 brought the most runs batted in, 61.
Frequently Asked Questions about Del Unser
- What years did Del Unser play?
- Del Unser played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1982.
- Was Del Unser a pitcher?
- No. Del Unser was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Del Unser hit?
- Del Unser hit 87 career home runs with 1344 hits.
- What was Del Unser's career batting average?
- Del Unser batted .258 over his career, with 1,344 hits in 5,215 at bats.
- How many RBI did Del Unser have?
- Del Unser drove in 481 runs in his career.
- Is Del Unser in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Del Unser has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.