What years did Fernando Valenzuela play?

Fernando Valenzuela played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1997.

Was Fernando Valenzuela a pitcher?

Yes. Fernando Valenzuela pitched in the major leagues, recording 173 wins and 2074 strikeouts.

How many home runs did Fernando Valenzuela hit?

Fernando Valenzuela hit 10 career home runs with 187 hits.

How many Cy Young Awards did Fernando Valenzuela win?

Fernando Valenzuela won 1 Cy Young Award, in 1981.

What awards did Fernando Valenzuela win?

Fernando Valenzuela won the Cy Young Award (1981), the Rookie of the Year award (1981), the Gold Glove (1986), and 2 Silver Slugger awards (1981 and 1983). He was selected to 6 All-Star Games.

What were Fernando Valenzuela's career stats?

In 453 games, Fernando Valenzuela went 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA, 2,074 strikeouts, 2,930.0 innings pitched, and 2 saves. At the plate he had 187 hits and 10 home runs.

What was Fernando Valenzuela's salary?

Fernando Valenzuela's last recorded salary was $1,650,000, in 1997. His highest recorded salary was $2,050,000, in 1988, and his lowest was $275,000, in 1994. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1997.

What position did Fernando Valenzuela play?

Fernando Valenzuela played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Fernando Valenzuela and how much did he weigh?

Fernando Valenzuela was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 180 pounds.

What was Fernando Valenzuela's career ERA?

Fernando Valenzuela finished with a 3.54 career ERA, going 173-153 with 2,074 strikeouts.

How many strikeouts did Fernando Valenzuela have?

Fernando Valenzuela recorded 2,074 career strikeouts.

Is Fernando Valenzuela in the Hall of Fame?

No. Fernando Valenzuela has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fernando Valenzuela

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1980-1997)

Fernando Valenzuela was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1997 for 6 teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, a span of 18 seasons. Across 453 career appearances, he went 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA and 2,074 strikeouts. He also batted .200 with 10 home runs. Fernando Valenzuela was a 6-time All-Star, a Cy Young, a Rookie of the Year, a Gold Glove, and a 2-time Silver Slugger. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 30101.6.

W (Wins):: Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):: Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):: For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):: Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated October 17, 2026

W–L 173–153

ERA 3.54

WHIP 1.32

SO 2,074

Pitcher PIV 30101.6

Position: Pitcher
Bats / Throws: L / L
Height / Weight: 5'11" / 180 lb
Born: 11/1/1960 in Navojoa, Sonora, México
Died: 10/22/2024 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 1980-09-15
Last Game: 1997-07-14
Awards: 6× All-Star · Cy Young · Rookie of the Year · Gold Glove · 2× Silver Slugger

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Career Pitching Statistics

Fernando Valenzuela — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
173	153	453	424	113	31	2	2930.0	2,718	1,154	226	1,151	2,074	3.54	30101.6

Career ERA 3.54 vs. league average 4.04 across their career seasons — 12.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Fernando Valenzuela Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1980	LAN	NL	2	0	10	0	0	0	1	17.2	8	0	5	16	0.00	3.84 (+100%)	909.5
1981	LAN	NL	13	7	25	25	11	8	0	192.1	140	53	61	180	2.48	3.58 (+31%)	5720.6
1982	LAN	NL	19	13	37	37	18	4	0	285.0	247	91	83	199	2.87	3.86 (+26%)	7958.6
1983	LAN	NL	15	10	35	35	9	4	0	257.0	245	107	99	189	3.75	3.87 (+3%)	3978.6
1984	LAN	NL	12	17	34	34	12	2	0	261.0	218	88	106	240	3.03	3.81 (+20%)	6484.7
1985	LAN	NL	17	10	35	35	14	5	0	272.1	211	74	101	208	2.45	3.89 (+37%)	6792.7
1986	LAN	NL	21	11	34	34	20	3	0	269.1	226	94	85	242	3.14	3.97 (+21%)	8327.2
1987	LAN	NL	14	14	34	34	12	1	0	251.0	254	111	124	190	3.98	4.29 (+7%)	737.2
1988	LAN	NL	5	8	23	22	3	0	1	142.1	142	67	76	64	4.24	3.73 (-13%)	-2642.5
1989	LAN	NL	10	13	31	31	3	0	0	196.2	185	75	98	116	3.43	3.71 (+8%)	-616.6
1990	LAN	NL	13	13	33	33	5	2	0	204.0	223	104	77	115	4.59	3.86 (-19%)	-829.8
1991	CAL	AL	0	2	2	2	0	0	0	6.2	14	9	3	5	12.15	—	0.0
1993	BAL	AL	8	10	32	31	5	2	0	178.2	179	98	79	78	4.94	4.19 (-18%)	-2804.9
1994	PHI	NL	1	2	8	7	0	0	0	45.0	42	15	7	19	3.00	4.51 (+34%)	-621.8
1995	SDN	NL	8	3	29	15	0	0	0	90.1	101	50	34	57	4.98	4.45 (-12%)	-1856.2
1996	SDN	NL	13	8	33	31	0	0	0	171.2	177	69	67	95	3.62	4.61 (+22%)	390.5
1997	SDN	NL	2	8	13	13	1	0	0	66.1	84	35	32	51	4.75	4.39 (-8%)	-1276.9
1997	SLN	NL	0	4	5	5	0	0	0	22.2	22	14	14	10	5.56	4.39 (-27%)	-549.5
Career · 18 seasons			173	153	453	424	113	31	2	2,930.0	2,718	1,154	1,151	2,074	3.54	—	30,102

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Fernando Valenzuela — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
474	936	56	187	26	1	10	84	0	8	145	.200	.205	.262	.467	-4,818

Career AVG .200 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 23.5% below league average.

Career OBP .205 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 37.4% below league average.

Career SLG .262 vs. league average .397 across their career seasons — 34.0% below league average.

Career OPS .467 vs. league average .724 across their career seasons — 35.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Fernando Valenzuela Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1980	LAN	NL	10	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1981	LAN	NL	25	64	3	16	0	1	0	7	1	9	.250	.255 (-2%)	.320 (-18%)	.368 (-24%)	.688 (-21%)	-213.3
1982	LAN	NL	38	95	6	16	0	0	1	9	3	16	.168	.261 (-36%)	.324 (-41%)	.388 (-49%)	.712 (-45%)	-694.6
1983	LAN	NL	36	91	5	17	3	0	1	9	1	23	.187	.260 (-28%)	.324 (-40%)	.389 (-35%)	.714 (-38%)	-559.2
1984	LAN	NL	35	79	5	15	3	0	3	7	1	11	.190	.259 (-27%)	.322 (-38%)	.384 (-11%)	.707 (-23%)	-313.0
1985	LAN	NL	35	97	7	21	2	0	1	7	0	9	.216	.257 (-16%)	.323 (-34%)	.390 (-31%)	.714 (-32%)	-514.2
1986	LAN	NL	39	109	5	24	4	0	0	7	0	11	.220	.257 (-15%)	.325 (-33%)	.395 (-35%)	.720 (-34%)	-610.4
1987	LAN	NL	38	92	4	13	1	0	1	8	0	11	.141	.262 (-46%)	.331 (-57%)	.415 (-56%)	.746 (-56%)	-849.1
1988	LAN	NL	23	44	2	8	2	0	0	1	1	5	.182	—	—	—	—	0.0
1989	LAN	NL	34	66	3	12	2	0	0	6	0	11	.182	.254 (-28%)	.319 (-43%)	.375 (-43%)	.694 (-43%)	-444.6
1990	LAN	NL	35	69	8	21	5	0	1	11	1	12	.304	.257 (+18%)	.324 (-5%)	.385 (+9%)	.710 (+3%)	1.7
1991	CAL	AL	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1993	BAL	AL	32	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1994	PHI	NL	8	12	0	3	1	0	0	0	0	2	.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1995	SDN	NL	29	32	3	8	1	0	2	8	0	6	.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1996	SDN	NL	36	63	4	9	2	0	0	2	0	15	.143	.269 (-47%)	.340 (-58%)	.426 (-59%)	.767 (-59%)	-621.6
1997	SDN	NL	14	17	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	3	.176	—	—	—	—	0.0
1997	SLN	NL	5	5	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.200	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 18 seasons			474	936	56	187	26	1	10	84	8	145	.200	—	—	—	—	-4,818

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

Fernando Valenzuela — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
9	20	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	1	.050

Playoff Batting by Year

Fernando Valenzuela — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	H	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1996	NLDS2	SDN	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
1985	NLCS	LAN	2	5	1	0	0	0	.200
1983	NLCS	LAN	1	3	0	0	1	0	.000
1981	NLCS	LAN	2	5	0	1	0	0	.000
1981	NWDIV	LAN	2	4	0	0	0	1	.000
1981	WS	LAN	1	3	0	0	1	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

Fernando Valenzuela — Playoff Career Pitching
W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
5	1	9	8	0	63.2	47	14	31	44	1.98

Playoff Pitching by Year

Fernando Valenzuela — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1996	NLDS2	SDN	0	0	1	0	0.2	0	0	2	0	0.00
1985	NLCS	LAN	1	0	2	2	14.1	11	3	10	13	1.88
1983	NLCS	LAN	1	0	1	1	8.0	7	1	4	5	1.12
1981	NLCS	LAN	1	1	2	2	14.2	10	4	5	10	2.45
1981	NWDIV	LAN	1	0	2	2	17.0	10	2	3	10	1.06
1981	WS	LAN	1	0	1	1	9.0	9	4	7	6	4.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (925 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Fernando Valenzuela — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	238	445	25	86	4	31	.193
Away	235	491	31	101	6	53	.206

Pitching — Home / Away

Fernando Valenzuela — Pitching — Home / Away
Split	G	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
Home	225	1493.0	1379	533	531	1010	3.21
Away	227	1435.0	1338	621	620	1063	3.89

Last 10 Games — Batting

Fernando Valenzuela — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	RBI
1997-07-14	STL	CIN	L	0	0	0	0
1997-07-03	STL	PIT	L	2	0	0	0
1997-06-28	STL	CIN	W	2	1	1	1
1997-06-23	STL	CHC	L	1	0	0	0
1997-06-17	STL	MIL	L	0	0	0	0
1997-06-08	SDP	HOU	L	1	0	0	0
1997-06-03	SDP	ATL	W	2	0	0	0
1997-05-29	SDP	HOU	L	1	0	1	1
1997-05-26	SDP	ATL	L	1	0	1	0
1997-05-23	SDP	MIA	W	2	0	0	0

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Fernando Valenzuela — Last 10 Games — Pitching
Date	Tm	Opp	Dec	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR
1997-07-14	STL	CIN	L	2.2	2	3	3	6	1	0
1997-07-03	STL	PIT	L	5.0	4	3	3	3	1	0
1997-06-28	STL	CIN	—	4.0	6	6	4	2	3	0
1997-06-23	STL	CHC	L	6.0	5	3	1	0	2	1
1997-06-17	STL	MIL	L	5.0	5	4	3	3	3	1
1997-06-08	SDP	HOU	L	5.2	10	7	7	2	3	3
1997-06-03	SDP	ATL	—	6.0	6	2	2	4	8	0
1997-05-29	SDP	HOU	L	2.2	5	3	3	3	2	0
1997-05-23	SDP	MIA	W	5.2	5	0	0	2	4	0
1997-05-18	SDP	CIN	L	3.0	5	3	2	3	4	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Fernando Valenzuela — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	1	0	2	0	0	0
OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
P	453	424	200	586	30	31

Season-by-Season Fielding

Fernando Valenzuela — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1980	LAN	P	10	0	0	3	0	1
1981	LAN	P	25	25	12	33	3	2
1982	LAN	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1982	LAN	P	37	37	20	64	2	4
1983	LAN	P	35	35	20	54	2	5
1984	LAN	P	34	34	21	48	2	4
1985	LAN	P	35	35	18	45	0	0
1986	LAN	P	34	34	29	47	1	2
1987	LAN	P	34	34	15	53	4	2
1988	LAN	P	23	22	6	38	1	2
1989	LAN	1B	1	0	2	0	0	0
1989	LAN	P	31	31	18	35	5	4
1990	LAN	P	33	33	5	31	3	2
1991	CAL	P	2	2	0	1	0	0
1993	BAL	P	32	31	11	37	4	1
1994	PHI	P	8	7	2	8	0	0
1995	SDN	P	29	15	7	27	0	2
1996	SDN	P	33	31	11	38	1	0
1997	SDN	P	13	13	4	16	1	0
1997	SLN	P	5	5	1	8	1	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Fernando Valenzuela Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	453
First Base	1
Left Field	1
Right Field	1

Awards & Honors

Fernando Valenzuela — Awards & Honors
Year	Award	Notes
1993	Pitcher of the Month	July
1990	Player of the Week	Week of 1990-06-30
1986	Gold Glove	P
1986	Player of the Week	Week of 1986-05-02
1986	Player of the Week	Week of 1986-05-23
1986	TSN All-Star	LHP
1985	Pitcher of the Month	April
1985	Pitcher of the Month	July
1983	Silver Slugger	P
1981	Cy Young Award
1981	Pitcher of the Month	April
1981	Player of the Week	Week of 1981-04-10
1981	Player of the Week	Week of 1981-09-04
1981	Rookie of the Year
1981	Silver Slugger	P
1981	TSN All-Star	LHP
1981	TSN Major League Player of the Year
1981	TSN Pitcher of the Year
1981	TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year

Salary History

Fernando Valenzuela's recorded salaries total $14,850,000 over 12 seasons, 1985 to 1997. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Valenzuela's career ran from 1980 to 1997. His seasons before 1985 are not included.

Fernando Valenzuela — Salary History
Year	Team	League	Salary
1997	SDN	NL	$1,650,000
1996	SDN	NL	$1,000,000
1995	SDN	NL	$425,000
1994	SDN	NL	$275,000
1993	BAL	AL	$650,000
1991	CAL	AL	$300,000
1990	LAN	NL	$2,000,000
1989	LAN	NL	$1,850,000
1988	LAN	NL	$2,050,000
1987	LAN	NL	$1,850,000
1986	LAN	NL	$1,600,000
1985	LAN	NL	$1,200,000
Total recorded salary (partial)			$14,850,000

Award Voting History

Fernando Valenzuela — Award Voting History
Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1986	Cy Young Award	NL	2nd	88.0	120	9
1986	Most Valuable Player	NL	19th	4.0	336	0
1985	Cy Young Award	NL	5th	4.0	120	0
1985	Most Valuable Player	NL	23th	1.0	336	0
1982	Cy Young Award	NL	3rd	25.0	120	1
1982	Most Valuable Player	NL	21th	3.0	336	0
1981	Cy Young Award	NL	1st	70.0	120	8
1981	Most Valuable Player	NL	5th	90.0	336	1
1981	Rookie of the Year	NL	1st	107.0	120	17

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Fernando Valenzuela (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

Compare Fernando Valenzuela

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Fernando Valenzuela: the record in brief

According to the bio, Fernando Valenzuela debuted on September 15, 1980 and played a final game on July 14, 1997. By club, Valenzuela's seasons break down as the Los Angeles Dodgers (1980 through 1990), the California Angels (1991), the Baltimore Orioles (1993), the Philadelphia Phillies (1994), the San Diego Padres (1995 through 1997), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1997). Valenzuela played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on November 1, 1960, in Navojoa, Sonora, México and a listed size of 180 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Valenzuela's death is recorded on October 22, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Valenzuela went 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA in 453 games, 424 of them starts. The same table counts 2,074 strikeouts, 113 complete games, and 31 shutouts. That 3.54 ERA compares with a 4.04 league average across the same seasons, 12.2% better. No season topped the 21 wins of 1986.

Frequently Asked Questions about Fernando Valenzuela

What years did Fernando Valenzuela play?: Fernando Valenzuela played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1997.
Was Fernando Valenzuela a pitcher?: Yes. Fernando Valenzuela pitched in the major leagues, recording 173 wins and 2074 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Fernando Valenzuela hit?: Fernando Valenzuela hit 10 career home runs with 187 hits.
What teams did Fernando Valenzuela play for?: Fernando Valenzuela played for 6 teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers (1980–1990), the California Angels (1991), the Baltimore Orioles (1993), the Philadelphia Phillies (1994), the San Diego Padres (1995–1997), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1997).
How many Cy Young Awards did Fernando Valenzuela win?: Fernando Valenzuela won 1 Cy Young Award, in 1981.
What awards did Fernando Valenzuela win?: Fernando Valenzuela won the Cy Young Award (1981), the Rookie of the Year award (1981), the Gold Glove (1986), and 2 Silver Slugger awards (1981 and 1983). He was selected to 6 All-Star Games.
What were Fernando Valenzuela's career stats?: In 453 games, Fernando Valenzuela went 173-153 with a 3.54 ERA, 2,074 strikeouts, 2,930.0 innings pitched, and 2 saves. At the plate he had 187 hits and 10 home runs.
How much did Fernando Valenzuela earn in his career?: Fernando Valenzuela's recorded salaries total $14,850,000 over 12 seasons, 1985 to 1997. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Valenzuela's career ran from 1980 to 1997. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
What was Fernando Valenzuela's salary?: Fernando Valenzuela's last recorded salary was $1,650,000, in 1997. His highest recorded salary was $2,050,000, in 1988, and his lowest was $275,000, in 1994. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1997.
What position did Fernando Valenzuela play?: Fernando Valenzuela played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Fernando Valenzuela and how much did he weigh?: Fernando Valenzuela was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 180 pounds.
What was Fernando Valenzuela's career ERA?: Fernando Valenzuela finished with a 3.54 career ERA, going 173-153 with 2,074 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Fernando Valenzuela have?: Fernando Valenzuela recorded 2,074 career strikeouts.
Is Fernando Valenzuela in the Hall of Fame?: No. Fernando Valenzuela has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.