Mike Witt
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1981-1993)
Mike Witt was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1993 for the California Angels and the New York Yankees, a span of 13 seasons. Across 341 career appearances, he went 117-116 with a 3.83 ERA and 1,373 strikeouts. Mike Witt was a 2-time All-Star. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 11802.7.
- 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'7" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1981-04-11
- Last Game
- 1993-06-17
- Awards
- 2× All-Star
Full name: Michael Atwater Witt
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | CAL | AL | 8 | 9 | 22 | 21 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 129.0 | 123 | 47 | 47 | 75 | 3.28 | 3.58 (+8%) | -354.0 |
| 1982 | CAL | AL | 8 | 6 | 33 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 179.2 | 177 | 70 | 47 | 85 | 3.51 | 3.86 (+9%) | 2850.7 |
| 1983 | CAL | AL | 7 | 14 | 43 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 154.0 | 173 | 84 | 75 | 77 | 4.91 | 3.87 (-27%) | -2473.3 |
| 1984 | CAL | AL | 15 | 11 | 34 | 34 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 246.2 | 227 | 95 | 84 | 196 | 3.47 | 3.81 (+9%) | 4235.1 |
| 1985 | CAL | AL | 15 | 9 | 35 | 35 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 250.0 | 228 | 99 | 98 | 180 | 3.56 | 3.89 (+8%) | 1847.6 |
| 1986 | CAL | AL | 18 | 10 | 34 | 34 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 269.0 | 218 | 85 | 73 | 208 | 2.84 | 3.97 (+28%) | 5941.6 |
| 1987 | CAL | AL | 16 | 14 | 36 | 36 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 247.0 | 252 | 110 | 84 | 192 | 4.01 | 4.29 (+7%) | 771.1 |
| 1988 | CAL | AL | 13 | 16 | 34 | 34 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 249.2 | 263 | 115 | 87 | 133 | 4.15 | 3.73 (-11%) | 1283.7 |
| 1989 | CAL | AL | 9 | 15 | 33 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 220.0 | 252 | 111 | 48 | 123 | 4.54 | 3.71 (-22%) | -838.9 |
| 1990 | CAL | AL | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20.1 | 19 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 1.77 | 3.86 (+54%) | -139.7 |
| 1990 | NYA | AL | 5 | 6 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 96.2 | 87 | 48 | 34 | 60 | 4.47 | 3.86 (-16%) | 96.6 |
| 1991 | NYA | AL | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 10.12 | — | 0.0 |
| 1993 | NYA | AL | 3 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41.0 | 39 | 24 | 22 | 30 | 5.27 | 4.19 (-26%) | -1417.7 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 117 | 116 | 341 | 299 | 72 | 11 | 6 | 2,108.1 | 2,066 | 898 | 713 | 1,373 | 3.83 | — | 11,803 | ||
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | CAL | AL | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1982 | CAL | AL | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1983 | CAL | AL | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1984 | CAL | AL | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1985 | CAL | AL | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | CAL | AL | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | CAL | AL | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | CAL | AL | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | CAL | AL | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1990 | CAL | AL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1990 | NYA | AL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1991 | NYA | AL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1993 | NYA | AL | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 341 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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 (682 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 169 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Away | 172 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 169 | 1100.0 | 1022 | 427 | 346 | 701 | 3.49 |
| Away | 172 | 1008.1 | 1044 | 471 | 367 | 672 | 4.20 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-06-17 | NYY | MIN | — | 5.1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1993-06-01 | NYY | CLE | L | 0.1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1993-05-27 | NYY | BAL | — | 4.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1993-05-22 | NYY | BOS | W | 5.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 1993-05-16 | NYY | TOR | L | 1.1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 1993-05-11 | NYY | MIL | W | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| 1993-05-06 | NYY | LAA | — | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1993-05-01 | NYY | SEA | W | 7.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 1993-04-25 | NYY | SEA | — | 4.0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 1991-06-13 | NYY | MIN | L | 0.1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | CAL | P | 22 | 21 | 7 | 16 | 3 | 0 |
| 1982 | CAL | P | 33 | 26 | 14 | 24 | 4 | 3 |
| 1983 | CAL | P | 43 | 19 | 6 | 24 | 1 | 2 |
| 1984 | CAL | P | 34 | 34 | 16 | 27 | 2 | 0 |
| 1985 | CAL | P | 35 | 35 | 16 | 33 | 2 | 2 |
| 1986 | CAL | P | 34 | 34 | 22 | 39 | 1 | 5 |
| 1987 | CAL | P | 36 | 36 | 18 | 29 | 3 | 2 |
| 1988 | CAL | P | 34 | 34 | 19 | 32 | 2 | 2 |
| 1989 | CAL | P | 33 | 33 | 18 | 49 | 4 | 4 |
| 1990 | CAL | P | 10 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1990 | NYA | P | 16 | 16 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991 | NYA | P | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | NYA | P | 9 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 341 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Player of the Week | Week of 1988-06-17 |
| 1987 | Player of the Week | Week of 1987-06-06 |
| 1986 | Pitcher of the Month | August |
| 1984 | Player of the Week | Week of 1984-09-28 |
Salary History
Mike Witt's recorded salaries total $14,350,000 over 9 seasons, 1985 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Witt's career ran from 1981 to 1993. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | NYA | AL | $2,166,667 |
| 1992 | NYA | AL | $2,916,667 |
| 1991 | NYA | AL | $2,416,667 |
| 1990 | CAL | AL | $1,300,000 |
| 1989 | CAL | AL | $1,400,000 |
| 1988 | CAL | AL | $1,400,000 |
| 1987 | CAL | AL | $1,133,333 |
| 1986 | CAL | AL | $933,333 |
| 1985 | CAL | AL | $683,333 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $14,350,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Cy Young Award | AL | 3rd | 35.0 | 140 | 0 |
| 1986 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 12th | 34.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1981 | Rookie of the Year | AL | 5th | 4.0 | 140 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Mike Witt (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Mike Witt: the record in brief
According to the bio, Mike Witt debuted on April 11, 1981 and played a final game on June 17, 1993. The team column moves through the California Angels (1981 to 1990) and the New York Yankees (1990 through 1993). Witt played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Born on July 20, 1960, in Fullerton, CA, USA, Witt was listed at 185 pounds on a 6-foot-7 frame. Witt's full given name, per the bio, is Michael Atwater Witt.
Witt's career pitching line is 117 wins, 116 losses and a 3.83 ERA over 341 appearances. The same table counts 1,373 strikeouts, 72 complete games, and 11 shutouts. Witt's 3.83 ERA was close to the 3.90 league figure for those seasons. 1986 brought Witt a season-high 18 wins. In 1986, one of the busiest seasons, Witt posted a 2.84 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.97. Pitcher PIV, the site's era-adjusted run-prevention measure, totals 11,802.7 for Witt's career.
Witt's awards table lists Pitcher of the Month and Player of the Week (1984, 1986, 1987, and 1988). Witt's All-Star record, per the bio, is 2× All-Star. The voting table's high point is a 3rd-place Cy Young Award finish in 1986.
Witt made 3 postseason pitching appearances, with a 1-0 record and 3.05 ERA. Those appearances came in 1982 and 1986.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mike Witt
- What years did Mike Witt play?
- Mike Witt played in Major League Baseball from 1981 to 1993.
- Was Mike Witt a pitcher?
- Yes. Mike Witt pitched in the major leagues, recording 117 wins and 1373 strikeouts.
- What teams did Mike Witt play for?
- Mike Witt played for 2 teams: the California Angels (1981–1990) and the New York Yankees (1990–1991, 1993).
- Did Mike Witt win a Cy Young Award?
- No. Mike Witt did not win the Cy Young Award.
- What awards did Mike Witt win?
- Mike Witt was selected to 2 All-Star Games.
- What were Mike Witt's career stats?
- In 341 games, Mike Witt went 117-116 with a 3.83 ERA, 1,373 strikeouts, 2,108.1 innings pitched, and 6 saves.
- How much did Mike Witt earn in his career?
- Mike Witt's recorded salaries total $14,350,000 over 9 seasons, 1985 to 1993. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Witt's career ran from 1981 to 1993. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
- What was Mike Witt's salary?
- Mike Witt's last recorded salary was $2,166,667, in 1993. His highest recorded salary was $2,916,667, in 1992, and his lowest was $683,333, in 1985. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1993.
- What position did Mike Witt play?
- Mike Witt played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Mike Witt and how much did he weigh?
- Mike Witt was listed at 6 feet 7 inches and 185 pounds.
- What was Mike Witt's career ERA?
- Mike Witt finished with a 3.83 career ERA, going 117-116 with 1,373 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Mike Witt have?
- Mike Witt recorded 1,373 career strikeouts.
- Is Mike Witt in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Mike Witt has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Mike Witt make?
- Mike Witt was selected to 2 All-Star Games.