Lou Whitaker
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1977-1995)
Lou Whitaker was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1995 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 19 seasons. In 2,390 career games, he hit .276 with 2,369 hits, 244 home runs, and 1,084 RBI. Lou Whitaker was a 5-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year, a 3-time Gold Glove, and a 4-time Silver Slugger. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 19,796.
- 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 160 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1977-09-09
- Last Game
- 1995-10-01
- Awards
- 5× All-Star · Rookie of the Year · 3× Gold Glove · 4× Silver Slugger
Full name: Louis Rodman Whitaker
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,390 | 8,570 | 1,386 | 2,369 | 420 | 65 | 244 | 1,084 | 143 | 1,197 | 1,099 | .276 | .363 | .426 | .789 | 19,796 |
Career AVG .276 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +6.2% above league average.
Career OBP .363 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — +11.3% above league average.
Career SLG .426 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — +8.7% above league average.
Career OPS .789 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — +9.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | DET | AL | 11 | 32 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | DET | AL | 139 | 484 | 71 | 138 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 58 | 7 | 61 | 65 | .285 | .257 (+11%) | .323 (+12%) | .378 (-6%) | .702 (+2%) | 373.8 |
| 1979 | DET | AL | 127 | 423 | 75 | 121 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 42 | 20 | 78 | 66 | .286 | .265 (+8%) | .329 (+20%) | .397 (-5%) | .727 (+6%) | 866.1 |
| 1980 | DET | AL | 145 | 477 | 68 | 111 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 8 | 73 | 79 | .233 | .264 (-12%) | .326 (+1%) | .387 (-27%) | .714 (-14%) | -862.8 |
| 1981 | DET | AL | 109 | 335 | 48 | 88 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 5 | 40 | 42 | .263 | .255 (+3%) | .320 (+6%) | .368 (+1%) | .688 (+4%) | 274.0 |
| 1982 | DET | AL | 152 | 560 | 76 | 160 | 22 | 8 | 15 | 65 | 11 | 48 | 58 | .286 | .261 (+9%) | .324 (+5%) | .388 (+12%) | .712 (+9%) | 928.5 |
| 1983 | DET | AL | 161 | 643 | 94 | 206 | 40 | 6 | 12 | 72 | 17 | 67 | 70 | .320 | .260 (+23%) | .324 (+17%) | .389 (+17%) | .714 (+17%) | 2312.1 |
| 1984 | DET | AL | 143 | 558 | 90 | 161 | 25 | 1 | 13 | 56 | 6 | 62 | 63 | .289 | .259 (+11%) | .322 (+11%) | .384 (+6%) | .707 (+8%) | 996.0 |
| 1985 | DET | AL | 152 | 609 | 102 | 170 | 29 | 8 | 21 | 73 | 6 | 80 | 56 | .279 | .257 (+9%) | .323 (+12%) | .390 (+17%) | .714 (+15%) | 1883.8 |
| 1986 | DET | AL | 144 | 584 | 95 | 157 | 26 | 6 | 20 | 73 | 13 | 63 | 70 | .269 | .257 (+4%) | .325 (+4%) | .395 (+11%) | .720 (+7%) | 842.8 |
| 1987 | DET | AL | 149 | 604 | 110 | 160 | 38 | 6 | 16 | 59 | 13 | 71 | 108 | .265 | .262 (+1%) | .331 (+3%) | .415 (+3%) | .746 (+3%) | 373.6 |
| 1988 | DET | AL | 115 | 403 | 54 | 111 | 18 | 2 | 12 | 55 | 2 | 66 | 61 | .275 | .254 (+8%) | .317 (+18%) | .377 (+11%) | .695 (+14%) | 1305.8 |
| 1989 | DET | AL | 148 | 509 | 77 | 128 | 21 | 1 | 28 | 85 | 6 | 89 | 59 | .251 | .254 (-1%) | .319 (+13%) | .375 (+23%) | .694 (+18%) | 2013.9 |
| 1990 | DET | AL | 132 | 472 | 75 | 112 | 22 | 2 | 18 | 60 | 8 | 74 | 71 | .237 | .257 (-8%) | .324 (+4%) | .385 (+6%) | .710 (+5%) | 541.4 |
| 1991 | DET | AL | 138 | 470 | 94 | 131 | 26 | 2 | 23 | 78 | 4 | 90 | 45 | .279 | .255 (+9%) | .323 (+21%) | .384 (+27%) | .708 (+24%) | 2503.7 |
| 1992 | DET | AL | 130 | 453 | 77 | 126 | 26 | 0 | 19 | 71 | 6 | 81 | 46 | .278 | .255 (+9%) | .322 (+20%) | .377 (+22%) | .699 (+21%) | 2094.9 |
| 1993 | DET | AL | 119 | 383 | 72 | 111 | 32 | 1 | 9 | 67 | 3 | 78 | 46 | .290 | .265 (+9%) | .332 (+24%) | .403 (+11%) | .735 (+17%) | 1611.3 |
| 1994 | DET | AL | 92 | 322 | 67 | 97 | 21 | 2 | 12 | 43 | 2 | 41 | 47 | .301 | .269 (+12%) | .338 (+11%) | .424 (+16%) | .763 (+14%) | 876.9 |
| 1995 | DET | AL | 84 | 249 | 36 | 73 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 44 | 4 | 31 | 41 | .293 | .266 (+10%) | .337 (+10%) | .417 (+24%) | .755 (+18%) | 860.0 |
| Career · 19 seasons | 2,390 | 8,570 | 1,386 | 2,369 | 420 | 65 | 244 | 1,084 | 143 | 1,197 | 1,099 | .276 | — | — | — | — | 19,796 | ||
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 (2390 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1209 | 4204 | 731 | 1172 | 146 | 574 | .279 |
| Away | 1181 | 4366 | 655 | 1197 | 98 | 510 | .274 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-10-01 | DET | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995-09-23 | DET | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995-09-21 | DET | BAL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1995-09-18 | DET | BAL | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1995-09-17 | DET | TEX | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-09-14 | DET | MIL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-09-13 | DET | MIL | W | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1995-09-12 | DET | MIL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-08-30 | DET | CHW | L | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995-08-29 | DET | CHW | W | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 2308 | 2146 | 4771 | 6653 | 189 | 1527 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | DET | 2B | 9 | 9 | 17 | 18 | 0 | 2 |
| 1978 | DET | 2B | 136 | 124 | 301 | 458 | 17 | 95 |
| 1979 | DET | 2B | 126 | 114 | 280 | 369 | 9 | 103 |
| 1980 | DET | 2B | 143 | 130 | 340 | 428 | 12 | 93 |
| 1981 | DET | 2B | 108 | 104 | 227 | 354 | 9 | 77 |
| 1982 | DET | 2B | 149 | 144 | 331 | 470 | 10 | 120 |
| 1983 | DET | 2B | 160 | 151 | 299 | 447 | 13 | 92 |
| 1984 | DET | 2B | 142 | 131 | 290 | 405 | 15 | 83 |
| 1985 | DET | 2B | 150 | 146 | 314 | 414 | 11 | 101 |
| 1986 | DET | 2B | 141 | 136 | 276 | 421 | 11 | 98 |
| 1987 | DET | 2B | 148 | 146 | 275 | 416 | 17 | 99 |
| 1988 | DET | 2B | 110 | 103 | 218 | 284 | 8 | 53 |
| 1989 | DET | 2B | 146 | 137 | 327 | 393 | 11 | 99 |
| 1990 | DET | 2B | 130 | 117 | 286 | 372 | 6 | 98 |
| 1991 | DET | 2B | 135 | 119 | 255 | 361 | 4 | 91 |
| 1992 | DET | 2B | 119 | 112 | 256 | 312 | 9 | 72 |
| 1993 | DET | 2B | 110 | 97 | 236 | 322 | 11 | 75 |
| 1994 | DET | 2B | 83 | 73 | 136 | 246 | 12 | 44 |
| 1995 | DET | 2B | 63 | 53 | 107 | 163 | 4 | 32 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 2306 |
| Designated Hitter | 32 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
| 1985 | Gold Glove | 2B |
| 1985 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
| 1984 | Gold Glove | 2B |
| 1984 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
| 1984 | TSN All-Star | 2B |
| 1983 | Gold Glove | 2B |
| 1983 | Player of the Month | June |
| 1983 | Player of the Week | Week of 1983-06-10 |
| 1983 | Silver Slugger | 2B |
| 1983 | TSN All-Star | 2B |
| 1978 | Rookie of the Year |
Salary History
Lou Whitaker's recorded salaries total $19,760,000 over 11 seasons, 1985 to 1995. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Whitaker's career ran from 1977 to 1995. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | DET | AL | $3,783,334 |
| 1994 | DET | AL | $2,783,333 |
| 1993 | DET | AL | $3,433,333 |
| 1992 | DET | AL | $2,200,000 |
| 1991 | DET | AL | $2,000,000 |
| 1990 | DET | AL | $1,800,000 |
| 1989 | DET | AL | $1,025,000 |
| 1988 | DET | AL | $975,000 |
| 1987 | DET | AL | $420,000 |
| 1986 | DET | AL | $670,000 |
| 1985 | DET | AL | $670,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $19,760,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 8th | 84.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1978 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 1st | 21.0 | 28 | 21 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Lou Whitaker (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Lou Whitaker
Lou Whitaker: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 9, 1977 and the final game on October 1, 1995, Lou Whitaker built the record summarized on this page. The team column never changes: it is the Detroit Tigers from 1977 to 1995. Whitaker, born on May 12, 1957, in Brooklyn, NY, USA, is listed as a second baseman and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Whitaker's listed size is 5 feet, 11 inches and 160 pounds. Whitaker's full given name, per the bio, is Louis Rodman Whitaker.
In 2,390 games and 8,570 at bats, Whitaker batted .276 with 2,369 hits; the totals also include 244 home runs, 1,084 RBI, and 143 stolen bases. Whitaker's career OPS of .789 combines a .363 on-base mark with .426 slugging. Whitaker's .276 average ran 6.2% above the .260 that the league posted over the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 9.9% above league average (.789 against .718). Whitaker's most home runs in a season came in 1989, when the total reached 28 for the Detroit Tigers.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lou Whitaker
- What years did Lou Whitaker play?
- Lou Whitaker played in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1995.
- Was Lou Whitaker a pitcher?
- No. Lou Whitaker was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Lou Whitaker hit?
- Lou Whitaker hit 244 career home runs with 2,369 hits.
- What teams did Lou Whitaker play for?
- Lou Whitaker played for one team, the Detroit Tigers (1977–1995).
- Did Lou Whitaker win an MVP award?
- No. Lou Whitaker did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Lou Whitaker win?
- Lou Whitaker won the Rookie of the Year award (1978), 3 Gold Gloves (1983, 1984, and 1985), and 4 Silver Slugger awards (1983, 1984, 1985, and 1987). He was selected to 5 All-Star Games.
- What were Lou Whitaker's career stats?
- In 2,390 games, Lou Whitaker had 2,369 hits, 244 home runs, 1,084 RBI, 1,386 runs, and 143 stolen bases, with a .276 batting average.
- How much did Lou Whitaker earn in his career?
- Lou Whitaker's recorded salaries total $19,760,000 over 11 seasons, 1985 to 1995. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Whitaker's career ran from 1977 to 1995. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
- What was Lou Whitaker's salary?
- Lou Whitaker's last recorded salary was $3,783,334, in 1995. His highest recorded salary was $3,783,334, in 1995, and his lowest was $420,000, in 1987. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1995.
- What position did Lou Whitaker play?
- Lou Whitaker played primarily as a second baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Lou Whitaker and how much did he weigh?
- Lou Whitaker was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 160 pounds.
- How many home runs did Lou Whitaker hit each season?
- Lou Whitaker's home runs by season: 0 in 1977, 3 in 1978, 3 in 1979, 1 in 1980, 5 in 1981, 15 in 1982, 12 in 1983, 13 in 1984, 21 in 1985, 20 in 1986, 16 in 1987, 12 in 1988, 28 in 1989, 18 in 1990, 23 in 1991, 19 in 1992, 9 in 1993, 12 in 1994, and 14 in 1995. His most in one season was 28, in 1989.
- What was Lou Whitaker's career batting average?
- Lou Whitaker batted .276 over his career, with 2,369 hits in 8,570 at bats.
- How many RBI did Lou Whitaker have?
- Lou Whitaker drove in 1,084 runs in his career.