Don Zimmer

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1954-1965)

Don Zimmer was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1965 for 6 teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,095 career games, he hit .235 with 773 hits, 91 home runs, and 352 RBI. Don Zimmer was an All-Star.

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

AVG .235
HR 91
RBI 352
H 773
OPS .662
PIV -3,704
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 165 lb
Born
1/17/1931 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
Died
6/4/2014 in Dunedin, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1954-07-02
Last Game
1965-10-02
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Donald William Zimmer

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Career Batting Statistics

Don Zimmer — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,095 3,283 353 773 130 22 91 352 45 246 678 .235 .290 .372 .662 -3,704

Career AVG .235 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 7.6% below league average.

Career OBP .290 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 10.0% below league average.

Career SLG .372 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .662 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — 6.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Don Zimmer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1954 BRO NL 24 33 3 6 0 1 0 0 2 3 8 .182 — — — — 0.0
1955 BRO NL 88 280 38 67 10 1 15 50 5 19 66 .239 .258 (-7%) .332 (-13%) .393 (+12%) .726 (+1%) -75.6
1956 BRO NL 17 20 4 6 1 0 0 2 0 0 7 .300 — — — — 0.0
1957 BRO NL 84 269 23 59 9 1 6 19 1 16 63 .219 .257 (-15%) .323 (-19%) .391 (-16%) .715 (-18%) -780.9
1958 LAN NL 127 455 52 119 15 2 17 60 14 28 92 .262 .257 (+1%) .324 (-6%) .394 (+5%) .719 (avg) -64.3
1959 LAN NL 97 249 21 41 7 1 4 28 3 37 56 .165 .256 (-36%) .323 (-15%) .392 (-36%) .715 (-27%) -1006.7
1960 CHN NL 132 368 37 95 16 7 6 35 8 27 56 .258 .255 (+1%) .323 (-5%) .387 (avg) .711 (-2%) -204.6
1961 CHN NL 128 477 57 120 25 4 13 40 5 25 70 .252 .258 (-3%) .328 (-11%) .399 (+1%) .727 (-5%) -470.4
1962 NYN NL 14 52 3 4 1 0 0 1 0 3 10 .077 .257 (-70%) .326 (-61%) .393 (-76%) .719 (-69%) -570.7
1962 CIN NL 63 192 16 48 11 2 2 16 1 14 30 .250 .257 (-3%) .326 (-7%) .393 (-9%) .719 (-8%) -570.7
1963 LAN NL 22 23 4 5 1 0 1 2 0 3 10 .217 — — — — 0.0
1963 WS2 AL 83 298 37 74 12 1 13 44 3 18 57 .248 .246 (+1%) .308 (-4%) .371 (+15%) .680 (+6%) 0.0
1964 WS2 AL 121 341 38 84 16 2 12 38 1 27 94 .246 .250 (-2%) .312 (-4%) .377 (+9%) .690 (+3%) 150.5
1965 WS2 AL 95 226 20 45 6 0 2 17 2 26 59 .199 .245 (-19%) .310 (-9%) .371 (-32%) .682 (-21%) -683.8
Career · 14 seasons 1,095 3,283 353 773 130 22 91 352 45 246 678 .235 — — — — -4,277

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

Don Zimmer — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 10 0 2 0 0 0 2 2 5 .200

Playoff Batting by Year

Don Zimmer — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1959 WS LAN 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1955 WS BRO 4 9 0 2 0 0 0 2 2 5 .222

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1095 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Don Zimmer — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home522150817436937166.245
Away573177517940454186.228

Last 10 Games — Batting

Don Zimmer — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1965-10-02 TEXDETL 100000000
1965-09-28 TEXKC1L 100000000
1965-09-26 TEXMINL 401000003
1965-09-23 TEXKC1L 000000000
1965-09-18 TEXMINL 100000000
1965-09-11 TEXLAAL 000000000
1965-09-10 TEXLAAW 100000000
1965-09-08 TEXNYYL 100000000
1965-09-03 TEXDETL 300000000
1965-09-01 TEXBOSW 300000012

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Don Zimmer — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 294 257 660 772 38 192
3B 375 316 340 649 62 46
C 35 27 150 18 6 1
OF 8 3 3 0 0 0
SS 288 237 488 783 50 179

Season-by-Season Fielding

Don Zimmer — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1954 BRO SS 13 8 14 32 3 6
1955 BRO 2B 62 62 154 166 8 54
1955 BRO 3B 8 1 2 8 0 0
1955 BRO SS 21 12 28 33 4 9
1956 BRO 2B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1956 BRO 3B 3 0 2 1 0 1
1956 BRO SS 8 3 8 9 1 3
1957 BRO 2B 5 5 15 16 2 4
1957 BRO 3B 39 35 44 68 5 3
1957 BRO SS 37 34 55 102 8 17
1958 LAN 2B 1 0 4 3 0 1
1958 LAN 3B 12 11 12 20 3 1
1958 LAN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1958 LAN SS 114 110 265 372 23 100
1959 LAN 2B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1959 LAN 3B 5 4 5 13 0 0
1959 LAN SS 88 70 115 226 10 43
1960 CHN 2B 75 66 170 215 8 25
1960 CHN 3B 45 28 38 51 8 5
1960 CHN OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1960 CHN SS 5 0 3 8 0 1
1961 CHN 2B 116 108 282 323 17 99
1961 CHN 3B 5 4 2 9 3 1
1961 CHN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1962 NYN 3B 14 14 12 37 2 3
1962 CIN 2B 17 8 20 26 3 5
1962 CIN 3B 43 39 45 66 6 6
1962 CIN SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1963 LAN 2B 1 0 0 2 0 0
1963 LAN 3B 10 3 3 11 1 0
1963 LAN SS 1 0 0 1 1 0
1963 WS2 2B 2 2 2 4 0 1
1963 WS2 3B 78 76 88 173 18 17
1964 WS2 2B 1 1 1 1 0 0
1964 WS2 3B 87 77 68 143 10 6
1964 WS2 C 2 0 0 0 0 0
1964 WS2 OF 4 3 3 0 0 0
1965 WS2 2B 12 5 12 14 0 3
1965 WS2 3B 26 24 19 49 6 3
1965 WS2 C 33 27 150 18 6 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Don Zimmer Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 35
Second Base 295
Third Base 375
Shortstop 288
Left Field 5
Right Field 4

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Don Zimmer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Orlando Arcia
    .240 avg, 91 HR
  2. 93
    Nick Ahmed
    .233 avg, 72 HR
  3. 74
    Gordon Beckham
    .237 avg, 80 HR
  4. 63
    Dale Sveum
    .236 avg, 69 HR
  5. 61
    Kevin Elster
    .228 avg, 88 HR
  6. 58
    Clint Barmes
    .245 avg, 89 HR

Don Zimmer: the record in brief

Between the debut on July 2, 1954 and the final game on October 2, 1965, Don Zimmer built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Brooklyn Dodgers (1954 through 1957), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1958 through 1963), the Chicago Cubs (1960 through 1961), the New York Mets (1962), the Cincinnati Reds (1962), and the Washington Senators (1963 through 1965). Zimmer played primarily as a third baseman and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on January 17, 1931, in Cincinnati, OH, USA and a listed size of 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds. The bio records the death on June 4, 2014, in Dunedin, FL, USA. Don Zimmer was the playing name; the full given name is Donald William.

Zimmer collected 773 hits in 3,283 at bats across 1,095 games, good for a .235 batting average, along with 91 homers, 352 RBI, and 45 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .290 and the slugging percentage .372, for an OPS of .662.

Frequently Asked Questions about Don Zimmer

What years did Don Zimmer play?
Don Zimmer played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1965.
Was Don Zimmer a pitcher?
No. Don Zimmer was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Don Zimmer hit?
Don Zimmer hit 91 career home runs with 773 hits.
What teams did Don Zimmer play for?
Don Zimmer played for 5 teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers (1954–1959, 1963), the Chicago Cubs (1960–1961), the New York Mets (1962), the Cincinnati Reds (1962), and the Washington Senators (1963–1965).
Did Don Zimmer win an MVP award?
No. Don Zimmer did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Don Zimmer win?
Don Zimmer was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
What were Don Zimmer's career stats?
In 1,095 games, Don Zimmer had 773 hits, 91 home runs, 352 RBI, 353 runs, and 45 stolen bases, with a .235 batting average.
What position did Don Zimmer play?
Don Zimmer played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Don Zimmer and how much did he weigh?
Don Zimmer was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 165 pounds.
How many home runs did Don Zimmer hit each season?
Don Zimmer's home runs by season: 0 in 1954, 15 in 1955, 0 in 1956, 6 in 1957, 17 in 1958, 4 in 1959, 6 in 1960, 13 in 1961, 2 in 1962, 14 in 1963, 12 in 1964, and 2 in 1965. His most in one season was 17, in 1958.
What was Don Zimmer's career batting average?
Don Zimmer batted .235 over his career, with 773 hits in 3,283 at bats.
How many RBI did Don Zimmer have?
Don Zimmer drove in 352 runs in his career.
Is Don Zimmer in the Hall of Fame?
No. Don Zimmer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
How many All-Star Games did Don Zimmer make?
Don Zimmer was selected to 1 All-Star Game.