Luis Valbuena
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (2008-2018)
Luis Valbuena was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 2008 to 2018 for 5 teams, including the Seattle Mariners, a span of 11 seasons. In 1,011 career games, he hit .226 with 710 hits, 114 home runs, and 367 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 215 lb
- Died
- 12/6/2018 in La Morita, Yaracuy, Venezuela
- MLB Debut
- 2008-09-02
- Last Game
- 2018-08-03
Full name: Luis Adan Valbuena
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,011 | 3,148 | 377 | 710 | 169 | 9 | 114 | 367 | 11 | 374 | 788 | .226 | .310 | .394 | .703 | -943 |
Career AVG .226 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 11.7% below league average.
Career OBP .310 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .394 vs. league average .407 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .703 vs. league average .730 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | SEA | AL | 18 | 49 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | .245 | — | — | — | — | -91.2 |
| 2009 | CLE | AL | 103 | 368 | 52 | 92 | 25 | 3 | 10 | 31 | 2 | 26 | 83 | .250 | .262 (-5%) | .332 (-10%) | .417 (avg) | .750 (-5%) | -390.5 |
| 2010 | CLE | AL | 91 | 275 | 22 | 53 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 1 | 28 | 61 | .193 | .257 (-25%) | .325 (-16%) | .402 (-36%) | .728 (-27%) | -1165.5 |
| 2011 | CLE | AL | 17 | 43 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | .209 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2012 | CHN | NL | 90 | 265 | 26 | 58 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 0 | 36 | 55 | .219 | .254 (-14%) | .318 (-3%) | .405 (-16%) | .724 (-10%) | -396.7 |
| 2013 | CHN | NL | 108 | 331 | 34 | 72 | 15 | 1 | 12 | 37 | 1 | 53 | 63 | .218 | .253 (-14%) | .317 (+4%) | .396 (-5%) | .714 (-1%) | 85.6 |
| 2014 | CHN | NL | 149 | 478 | 68 | 119 | 33 | 4 | 16 | 51 | 1 | 65 | 113 | .249 | .251 (-1%) | .313 (+9%) | .386 (+13%) | .700 (+11%) | 1106.1 |
| 2015 | HOU | AL | 132 | 434 | 62 | 97 | 18 | 0 | 25 | 56 | 1 | 50 | 106 | .224 | .254 (-12%) | .316 (-2%) | .404 (+8%) | .721 (+4%) | 340.7 |
| 2016 | HOU | AL | 90 | 292 | 38 | 76 | 17 | 1 | 13 | 40 | 1 | 44 | 81 | .260 | .255 (+2%) | .321 (+11%) | .417 (+10%) | .738 (+10%) | 652.6 |
| 2017 | LAA | AL | 117 | 347 | 42 | 69 | 15 | 0 | 22 | 65 | 0 | 48 | 106 | .199 | .254 (-22%) | .324 (-9%) | .425 (+1%) | .750 (-3%) | -233.5 |
| 2018 | LAA | AL | 96 | 266 | 23 | 53 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 33 | 3 | 19 | 100 | .199 | .247 (-20%) | .318 (-20%) | .409 (-18%) | .727 (-19%) | -850.3 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 1,011 | 3,148 | 377 | 710 | 169 | 9 | 114 | 367 | 11 | 374 | 788 | .226 | — | — | — | — | -943 | ||
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 (1011 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 505 | 1520 | 193 | 341 | 56 | 190 | .224 |
| Away | 506 | 1628 | 184 | 369 | 58 | 177 | .227 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-08-03 | LAA | CLE | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018-08-02 | LAA | TBR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018-08-01 | LAA | TBR | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2018-07-29 | LAA | SEA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018-07-28 | LAA | SEA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018-07-25 | LAA | CHW | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2018-07-24 | LAA | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018-07-23 | LAA | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018-07-22 | LAA | HOU | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2018-07-21 | LAA | HOU | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 126 | 94 | 743 | 53 | 4 | 73 |
| 2B | 210 | 189 | 368 | 585 | 10 | 150 |
| 3B | 606 | 536 | 344 | 985 | 49 | 104 |
| OF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 35 | 26 | 46 | 91 | 9 | 12 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | SEA | 2B | 16 | 15 | 21 | 41 | 0 | 11 |
| 2008 | SEA | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2009 | CLE | 2B | 77 | 75 | 162 | 228 | 6 | 64 |
| 2009 | CLE | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | CLE | SS | 28 | 22 | 37 | 73 | 5 | 6 |
| 2010 | CLE | 2B | 71 | 66 | 127 | 232 | 4 | 59 |
| 2010 | CLE | 3B | 9 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010 | CLE | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | CLE | SS | 5 | 4 | 8 | 17 | 4 | 5 |
| 2011 | CLE | 2B | 11 | 9 | 19 | 24 | 0 | 7 |
| 2011 | CLE | OF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | CLE | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | CHN | 2B | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 | CHN | 3B | 82 | 72 | 45 | 137 | 7 | 18 |
| 2013 | CHN | 2B | 6 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| 2013 | CHN | 3B | 94 | 85 | 56 | 150 | 7 | 13 |
| 2013 | CHN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | CHN | 2B | 21 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 0 | 4 |
| 2014 | CHN | 3B | 124 | 105 | 78 | 202 | 9 | 17 |
| 2015 | HOU | 1B | 31 | 27 | 205 | 13 | 1 | 12 |
| 2015 | HOU | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | HOU | 3B | 99 | 93 | 54 | 168 | 6 | 20 |
| 2016 | HOU | 1B | 8 | 7 | 61 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| 2016 | HOU | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | HOU | 3B | 81 | 77 | 54 | 143 | 6 | 17 |
| 2017 | LAA | 1B | 48 | 40 | 316 | 24 | 0 | 33 |
| 2017 | LAA | 3B | 59 | 53 | 33 | 92 | 7 | 8 |
| 2018 | LAA | 1B | 39 | 20 | 161 | 10 | 3 | 24 |
| 2018 | LAA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | LAA | 3B | 57 | 45 | 21 | 80 | 5 | 11 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 126 |
| Second Base | 210 |
| Third Base | 606 |
| Shortstop | 35 |
| Left Field | 4 |
| Designated Hitter | 16 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | HOU | AL | $6,125,000 |
| 2015 | HOU | AL | $4,200,000 |
| 2014 | CHN | NL | $1,710,000 |
| 2013 | CHN | NL | $930,000 |
| 2012 | CHN | NL | $495,200 |
| 2010 | CLE | AL | $414,700 |
| Total Career Earnings | $13,874,900 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Luis Valbuena (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Luis Valbuena: the record in brief
September 2, 2008 and August 3, 2018 bracket Luis Valbuena's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Seattle Mariners (2008), the Cleveland Indians (2009 through 2011), the Chicago Cubs (2012 to 2014), the Houston Astros (2015 to 2016), and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2017 through 2018). Valbuena is listed as a third baseman at 5 feet, 10 inches and 215 pounds. Valbuena batted left-handed and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is November 30, 1985, in Caja Seca, Zulia, Venezuela. Valbuena's death is recorded on December 6, 2018, in La Morita, Yaracuy, Venezuela. Luis Valbuena was the playing name; the full given name is Luis Adan.
In 1,011 games and 3,148 at bats, Valbuena batted .226 with 710 hits, adding 114 homers and 367 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .310 clip and slugging .394, Valbuena finished with a .703 OPS. Over the seasons Valbuena played, league hitters batted .256; the .226 career figure is 11.7% below that. No season beat the 25 home runs Valbuena hit in 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions about Luis Valbuena
- What years did Luis Valbuena play?
- Luis Valbuena played in Major League Baseball from 2008 to 2018.
- Was Luis Valbuena a pitcher?
- No. Luis Valbuena was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Luis Valbuena hit?
- Luis Valbuena hit 114 career home runs with 710 hits.
- What was Luis Valbuena's career batting average?
- Luis Valbuena batted .226 over his career, with 710 hits in 3,148 at bats.
- How many RBI did Luis Valbuena have?
- Luis Valbuena drove in 367 runs in his career.
- Is Luis Valbuena in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Luis Valbuena has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.