Joel Youngblood
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1976-1989)
Joel Youngblood was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1989 for 5 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,408 career games, he hit .265 with 969 hits, 80 home runs, and 422 RBI. Joel Youngblood was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,370.
- 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
- 6'0" / 180 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1976-04-13
- Last Game
- 1989-09-27
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Joel Randolph Youngblood
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,408 | 3,659 | 453 | 969 | 180 | 23 | 80 | 422 | 60 | 332 | 589 | .265 | .329 | .392 | .721 | 1,370 |
Career AVG .265 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .329 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .392 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .721 vs. league average .712 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | CIN | NL | 55 | 57 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | .193 | .255 (-24%) | .320 (-27%) | .360 (-32%) | .681 (-30%) | -261.0 |
| 1977 | SLN | NL | 25 | 27 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | .185 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | NYN | NL | 70 | 182 | 16 | 46 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 13 | 40 | .253 | .264 (-4%) | .329 (-9%) | .401 (-19%) | .730 (-14%) | 0.0 |
| 1978 | NYN | NL | 113 | 266 | 40 | 67 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 30 | 4 | 16 | 39 | .252 | .257 (-2%) | .323 (-9%) | .378 (+15%) | .702 (+4%) | 36.9 |
| 1979 | NYN | NL | 158 | 590 | 90 | 162 | 37 | 5 | 16 | 60 | 18 | 60 | 84 | .275 | .265 (+3%) | .329 (+5%) | .397 (+10%) | .727 (+8%) | 937.3 |
| 1980 | NYN | NL | 146 | 514 | 58 | 142 | 26 | 2 | 8 | 69 | 14 | 52 | 69 | .276 | .264 (+4%) | .326 (+4%) | .387 (-2%) | .714 (+1%) | 127.1 |
| 1981 | NYN | NL | 43 | 143 | 16 | 50 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 2 | 12 | 19 | .350 | .255 (+37%) | .320 (+24%) | .368 (+44%) | .688 (+35%) | 790.5 |
| 1982 | NYN | NL | 80 | 202 | 21 | 52 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 0 | 8 | 37 | .257 | .261 (-1%) | .324 (-7%) | .388 (-7%) | .712 (-7%) | -218.4 |
| 1982 | MON | NL | 40 | 90 | 16 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 21 | .200 | .261 (-23%) | .324 (-10%) | .388 (-43%) | .712 (-28%) | -218.4 |
| 1983 | SFN | NL | 124 | 373 | 59 | 109 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 53 | 7 | 33 | 59 | .292 | .260 (+12%) | .324 (+10%) | .389 (+28%) | .714 (+20%) | 1392.0 |
| 1984 | SFN | NL | 134 | 469 | 50 | 119 | 17 | 1 | 10 | 51 | 5 | 48 | 86 | .254 | .259 (-2%) | .322 (+2%) | .384 (-7%) | .707 (-3%) | -109.5 |
| 1985 | SFN | NL | 95 | 230 | 24 | 62 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 3 | 30 | 37 | .270 | .257 (+5%) | .323 (+10%) | .390 (-11%) | .714 (-2%) | 53.3 |
| 1986 | SFN | NL | 97 | 184 | 20 | 47 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 28 | 1 | 18 | 34 | .255 | .257 (-1%) | .325 (-2%) | .395 (+2%) | .720 (avg) | -14.5 |
| 1987 | SFN | NL | 69 | 91 | 9 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 13 | .253 | .262 (-4%) | .331 (-11%) | .415 (-7%) | .746 (-9%) | -142.4 |
| 1988 | SFN | NL | 83 | 123 | 12 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 10 | 17 | .252 | .254 (-1%) | .317 (-4%) | .377 (-25%) | .695 (-15%) | -276.2 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | 76 | 118 | 13 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 21 | .212 | .254 (-17%) | .319 (-7%) | .375 (-12%) | .694 (-9%) | -157.2 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,408 | 3,659 | 453 | 969 | 180 | 23 | 80 | 422 | 60 | 332 | 589 | .265 | — | — | — | — | 1,939 | ||
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 (1408 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 701 | 1817 | 213 | 478 | 37 | 204 | .263 |
| Away | 707 | 1842 | 240 | 491 | 43 | 218 | .267 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-09-27 | CIN | SDP | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-09-26 | CIN | SDP | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1989-09-24 | CIN | ATL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1989-09-19 | CIN | SDP | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-09-16 | CIN | HOU | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-09-12 | CIN | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-09-11 | CIN | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-09-09 | CIN | ATL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1989-08-29 | CIN | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-08-25 | CIN | PIT | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 7 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 2B | 173 | 115 | 267 | 350 | 30 | 75 |
| 3B | 218 | 183 | 148 | 326 | 55 | 21 |
| C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OF | 745 | 543 | 1242 | 71 | 26 | 14 |
| SS | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | CIN | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | CIN | 3B | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1976 | CIN | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | CIN | OF | 9 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1977 | SLN | 3B | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977 | SLN | OF | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | NYN | 2B | 33 | 21 | 54 | 70 | 6 | 19 |
| 1977 | NYN | 3B | 10 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 2 |
| 1977 | NYN | OF | 22 | 11 | 36 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978 | NYN | 2B | 39 | 23 | 67 | 72 | 3 | 19 |
| 1978 | NYN | 3B | 9 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 1 |
| 1978 | NYN | OF | 50 | 29 | 86 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 1978 | NYN | SS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | NYN | 2B | 13 | 6 | 21 | 22 | 2 | 6 |
| 1979 | NYN | 3B | 12 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| 1979 | NYN | OF | 147 | 139 | 308 | 18 | 5 | 3 |
| 1980 | NYN | 2B | 6 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 2 | 2 |
| 1980 | NYN | 3B | 21 | 16 | 15 | 33 | 6 | 3 |
| 1980 | NYN | OF | 121 | 109 | 292 | 18 | 5 | 6 |
| 1981 | NYN | OF | 41 | 37 | 70 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 1982 | NYN | 2B | 8 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 3 | 2 |
| 1982 | NYN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | NYN | OF | 63 | 40 | 88 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| 1982 | NYN | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982 | MON | OF | 35 | 23 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | SFN | 2B | 64 | 54 | 97 | 142 | 13 | 26 |
| 1983 | SFN | 3B | 28 | 25 | 22 | 38 | 5 | 2 |
| 1983 | SFN | OF | 22 | 14 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984 | SFN | 2B | 5 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| 1984 | SFN | 3B | 117 | 114 | 87 | 195 | 36 | 11 |
| 1984 | SFN | OF | 11 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | SFN | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | SFN | OF | 56 | 49 | 103 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 1986 | SFN | 1B | 7 | 2 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 1986 | SFN | 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | SFN | 3B | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | SFN | OF | 45 | 25 | 49 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1986 | SFN | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987 | SFN | 3B | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | SFN | OF | 22 | 14 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | SFN | OF | 45 | 17 | 48 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989 | CIN | OF | 45 | 22 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1 |
| First Base | 7 |
| Second Base | 172 |
| Third Base | 220 |
| Shortstop | 3 |
| Left Field | 236 |
| Center Field | 107 |
| Right Field | 456 |
Salary History
Joel Youngblood's recorded salaries total $1,915,000 over 5 seasons, 1985 to 1989. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Youngblood's career ran from 1976 to 1989. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | CIN | NL | $320,000 |
| 1988 | SFN | NL | $320,000 |
| 1987 | SFN | NL | $450,000 |
| 1986 | SFN | NL | $450,000 |
| 1985 | SFN | NL | $375,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $1,915,000 | ||
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Joel Youngblood (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Joel Youngblood: the record in brief
Joel Youngblood played a first major league game on April 13, 1976 and a last one on September 27, 1989. The season rows list, in order, the Cincinnati Reds (1976 to 1989), the St. Louis Cardinals (1977), the New York Mets (1977 through 1982), the Montreal Expos (1982), and the San Francisco Giants (1983 to 1988). Youngblood played primarily as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. Born on August 28, 1951, in Houston, TX, USA, Youngblood was listed at 6'0" and 180 pounds. Joel Youngblood was the playing name; the full given name is Joel Randolph.
In 1,408 games and 3,659 at bats, Youngblood batted .265 with 969 hits; the totals also include 80 home runs, 422 runs batted in, and 60 stolen bases. Youngblood's career OPS of .721 combines a .329 on-base mark with .392 slugging. Against a .260 league average for those years, Youngblood's .265 average was near the norm. The single-season home run high is 17, set in 1983. The highest hit total in a season was 162, in 1979.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joel Youngblood
- What years did Joel Youngblood play?
- Joel Youngblood played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1989.
- Was Joel Youngblood a pitcher?
- No. Joel Youngblood was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Joel Youngblood hit?
- Joel Youngblood hit 80 career home runs with 969 hits.
- What teams did Joel Youngblood play for?
- Joel Youngblood played for 5 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1976, 1989), the St. Louis Cardinals (1977), the New York Mets (1977–1982), the Montreal Expos (1982), and the San Francisco Giants (1983–1988).
- Did Joel Youngblood win an MVP award?
- No. Joel Youngblood did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Joel Youngblood win?
- Joel Youngblood was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Joel Youngblood's career stats?
- In 1,408 games, Joel Youngblood had 969 hits, 80 home runs, 422 RBI, 453 runs, and 60 stolen bases, with a .265 batting average.
- How much did Joel Youngblood earn in his career?
- Joel Youngblood's recorded salaries total $1,915,000 over 5 seasons, 1985 to 1989. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Youngblood's career ran from 1976 to 1989. His seasons before 1985 are not included.
- What was Joel Youngblood's salary?
- Joel Youngblood's last recorded salary was $320,000, in 1989. His highest recorded salary was $450,000, in 1986, and his lowest was $320,000, in 1988. The Salary History table lists each season from 1985 to 1989.
- What position did Joel Youngblood play?
- Joel Youngblood played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Joel Youngblood and how much did he weigh?
- Joel Youngblood was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
- How many home runs did Joel Youngblood hit each season?
- Joel Youngblood's home runs by season: 0 in 1976, 0 in 1977, 7 in 1978, 16 in 1979, 8 in 1980, 4 in 1981, 3 in 1982, 17 in 1983, 10 in 1984, 4 in 1985, 5 in 1986, 3 in 1987, 0 in 1988, and 3 in 1989. His most in one season was 17, in 1983.
- What was Joel Youngblood's career batting average?
- Joel Youngblood batted .265 over his career, with 969 hits in 3,659 at bats.
- How many RBI did Joel Youngblood have?
- Joel Youngblood drove in 422 runs in his career.