Ellis Valentine
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1975-1985)
Ellis Valentine was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1985 for 4 teams, including the Montreal Expos, a span of 11 seasons. In 894 career games, he hit .278 with 881 hits, 123 home runs, and 474 RBI. Ellis Valentine was an All-Star and a Gold Glove. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,107.
- 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
- 6'4" / 205 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1975-09-03
- Last Game
- 1985-10-02
- Awards
- All-Star · Gold Glove
Full name: Ellis Clarence Valentine
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 894 | 3,166 | 380 | 881 | 169 | 15 | 123 | 474 | 59 | 180 | 462 | .278 | .315 | .458 | .773 | 4,107 |
Career AVG .278 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +6.9% above league average.
Career OBP .315 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .458 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — +19.0% above league average.
Career OPS .773 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — +8.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | MON | NL | 12 | 33 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .364 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1976 | MON | NL | 94 | 305 | 36 | 85 | 15 | 2 | 7 | 39 | 14 | 30 | 51 | .279 | .255 (+9%) | .320 (+6%) | .360 (+14%) | .681 (+10%) | 512.5 |
| 1977 | MON | NL | 127 | 508 | 63 | 149 | 28 | 2 | 25 | 76 | 13 | 30 | 58 | .293 | .264 (+11%) | .329 (+1%) | .401 (+26%) | .730 (+14%) | 1284.4 |
| 1978 | MON | NL | 151 | 570 | 75 | 165 | 35 | 2 | 25 | 76 | 13 | 35 | 88 | .289 | .257 (+12%) | .323 (+2%) | .378 (+29%) | .702 (+17%) | 1654.8 |
| 1979 | MON | NL | 146 | 548 | 73 | 151 | 29 | 3 | 21 | 82 | 11 | 22 | 74 | .276 | .265 (+4%) | .329 (-8%) | .397 (+14%) | .727 (+4%) | 237.4 |
| 1980 | MON | NL | 86 | 311 | 40 | 98 | 22 | 2 | 13 | 67 | 5 | 25 | 44 | .315 | .264 (+19%) | .326 (+13%) | .387 (+35%) | .714 (+25%) | 1343.2 |
| 1981 | MON | NL | 22 | 76 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 11 | .211 | .255 (-18%) | .320 (-19%) | .368 (avg) | .688 (-9%) | -144.1 |
| 1981 | NYN | NL | 48 | 169 | 15 | 35 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 38 | .207 | .255 (-19%) | .320 (-29%) | .368 (-4%) | .688 (-15%) | -144.1 |
| 1982 | NYN | NL | 111 | 337 | 33 | 97 | 14 | 1 | 8 | 48 | 1 | 5 | 38 | .288 | .261 (+10%) | .324 (-9%) | .388 (+5%) | .712 (-2%) | -224.7 |
| 1983 | CAL | AL | 86 | 271 | 30 | 65 | 10 | 2 | 13 | 43 | 2 | 18 | 48 | .240 | .260 (-8%) | .324 (-13%) | .389 (+12%) | .714 (+1%) | -77.2 |
| 1985 | TEX | AL | 11 | 38 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .211 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 11 seasons | 894 | 3,166 | 380 | 881 | 169 | 15 | 123 | 474 | 59 | 180 | 462 | .278 | — | — | — | — | 4,442 | ||
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 (894 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 442 | 1557 | 193 | 444 | 58 | 238 | .285 |
| Away | 452 | 1609 | 187 | 437 | 65 | 236 | .272 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-10-02 | TEX | OAK | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985-09-23 | TEX | SEA | W | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985-09-21 | TEX | SEA | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-09-20 | TEX | SEA | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-09-17 | TEX | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985-09-16 | TEX | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985-09-13 | TEX | LAA | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985-09-12 | TEX | LAA | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1985-09-11 | TEX | OAK | W | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1985-09-10 | TEX | OAK | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 856 | 804 | 1570 | 85 | 47 | 17 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | MON | OF | 11 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1976 | MON | OF | 88 | 80 | 162 | 12 | 5 | 4 |
| 1977 | MON | OF | 126 | 125 | 232 | 9 | 7 | 1 |
| 1978 | MON | OF | 146 | 147 | 296 | 24 | 10 | 3 |
| 1979 | MON | OF | 144 | 144 | 281 | 10 | 5 | 2 |
| 1980 | MON | OF | 83 | 83 | 154 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 1981 | MON | OF | 21 | 21 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | NYN | OF | 47 | 43 | 83 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| 1982 | NYN | OF | 98 | 79 | 159 | 10 | 3 | 4 |
| 1983 | CAL | OF | 85 | 69 | 152 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| 1985 | TEX | OF | 7 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 27 |
| Center Field | 60 |
| Right Field | 777 |
| Designated Hitter | 4 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Gold Glove | OF |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 21th | 3.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ellis Valentine (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ellis Valentine: the record in brief
September 3, 1975 and October 2, 1985 bracket Ellis Valentine's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Montreal Expos (1975 to 1981), the New York Mets (1981 through 1982), the California Angels (1983), and the Texas Rangers (1985). Valentine, an outfielder by primary position, both batted and threw right-handed. Valentine is listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds. Valentine was born on July 30, 1954, in Helena, AR, USA. The given name on file is Ellis Clarence Valentine.
The batting record for Valentine: 894 games, 881 hits in 3,166 at bats, and a .278 average, plus 123 home runs, 474 RBI, and 59 stolen bases. Valentine's career OPS of .773 combines a .315 on-base mark with .458 slugging. Over the seasons Valentine played, league hitters batted .260; the .278 career figure is 6.9% above that. In OPS terms, Valentine's .773 stands 8.9% above the league's .710. The home run peak was 25 in 1977 with the Montreal Expos.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ellis Valentine
- What years did Ellis Valentine play?
- Ellis Valentine played in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1985.
- Was Ellis Valentine a pitcher?
- No. Ellis Valentine was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Ellis Valentine hit?
- Ellis Valentine hit 123 career home runs with 881 hits.
- What teams did Ellis Valentine play for?
- Ellis Valentine played for 4 teams: the Montreal Expos (1975–1981), the New York Mets (1981–1982), the California Angels (1983), and the Texas Rangers (1985).
- Did Ellis Valentine win an MVP award?
- No. Ellis Valentine did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Ellis Valentine win?
- Ellis Valentine won the Gold Glove (1978). He was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Ellis Valentine's career stats?
- In 894 games, Ellis Valentine had 881 hits, 123 home runs, 474 RBI, 380 runs, and 59 stolen bases, with a .278 batting average.
- What position did Ellis Valentine play?
- Ellis Valentine played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ellis Valentine and how much did he weigh?
- Ellis Valentine was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 205 pounds.
- How many home runs did Ellis Valentine hit each season?
- Ellis Valentine's home runs by season: 1 in 1975, 7 in 1976, 25 in 1977, 25 in 1978, 21 in 1979, 13 in 1980, 8 in 1981, 8 in 1982, 13 in 1983, and 2 in 1985. His most in one season was 25, in 1977 and 1978.
- What was Ellis Valentine's career batting average?
- Ellis Valentine batted .278 over his career, with 881 hits in 3,166 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ellis Valentine have?
- Ellis Valentine drove in 474 runs in his career.
- Is Ellis Valentine in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ellis Valentine has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Ellis Valentine make?
- Ellis Valentine was selected to 1 All-Star Game.