Dave Concepcion Stats

Dave Concepcion was born on Thursday, June 17, 1948, in Ocumare de la Costa, Aragua, Venezuela. Concepcion was 21 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 6, 1970, with the Cincinnati Reds. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Dave Concepcion baseball stats page.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"Let 'em call David (Concepcion) a hot dog. And, as for the mustard, I hope he never loses it. It's part of Davey's self-confidence. You believe your good and your letting the fans know it." - Sparky Anderson in Baseball Digest (Earl Lawson, August 1992, 'Memories of a Younger Sparky Anderson', Page 17)

Dave Concepcion

Dave Concepcion Autograph on a 1972 Topps Baseball Card (#267 | <a href='../baseball_cards/baseball_cards_oneset.php?s=1972top01' title='1972 Topps Baseball Card Checklist'>Checklist</a>)

Dave Concepcion Autograph on a 1972 Topps Baseball Card (#267 | Checklist)

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Birth Name:   David Ismael Concepción Benitez (Twitter: @13concepcion)
Nickname:   Dave or Elmer or El Rey (The King)
Born On:   06-17-1948  (Gemini)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Ocumare de la Costa, Aragua, Venezuela
Year of Death Data Died On:   Still Living (1,000 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Still Living
Cemetery:   n/a
High School:   Agustin Codazzi Escuela (Aragua, Venezuela)
College:   None Attended
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Right   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   6-01   Player Weight Chart Weight:   180
First Game:   04-06-1970 (Age 21)
Last Game:   09-15-1988
Draft:   Undrafted Free Agent

Dave Concepcion

Dave Concepcion Pitching Stats

1988 40 Reds 1 0 1 0 0 .000 0.00 0 0 0 1.1 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 -
1 Year 1 0 1 0 0 .000 0.00 0 0 0 1.1 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 -

Dave Concepcion

Dave Concepcion Hitting Stats

1970 22 Reds 101 265 38 69 6 3 1 0 19 23 5 45 3 2 3 10 .260 .324 .317
1971 23 Reds 130 327 24 67 4 4 1 0 20 18 2 51 8 1 0 10 .205 .246 .251
1972 24 Reds 119 378 40 79 13 2 2 0 29 32 8 65 5 4 2 11 .209 .272 .270
1973 25 Reds 89 328 39 94 18 3 8 0 46 21 3 55 2 5 1 7 .287 .327 .433
1974 26 Reds 160 594 70 167 25 1 14 1 82 44 10 79 5 4 6 20 .281 .335 .397
1975 27 Reds 140 507 62 139 23 1 5 0 49 39 4 51 6 4 2 17 .274 .326 .353
1976 28 Reds 152 576 74 162 28 7 9 0 69 49 11 68 4 6 1 11 .281 .335 .401
1977 29 Reds 156 572 59 155 26 3 8 1 64 46 6 77 6 6 0 15 .271 .322 .369
1978 30 Reds 153 565 75 170 33 4 6 0 67 51 4 83 3 4 1 14 .301 .357 .405
1979 31 Reds 149 590 91 166 25 3 16 2 84 64 5 73 6 6 0 18 .281 .348 .415
1980 32 Reds 156 622 72 162 31 8 5 0 77 37 2 107 2 6 1 20 .260 .300 .360
1981 33 Reds 106 421 57 129 28 0 5 0 67 37 1 61 2 7 1 13 .306 .358 .409
1982 34 Reds 147 572 48 164 25 4 5 0 53 45 4 61 2 4 0 20 .287 .337 .371
1983 35 Reds 143 528 54 123 22 0 1 1 47 56 9 81 2 7 0 21 .233 .303 .280
1984 36 Reds 154 531 46 130 26 1 4 0 58 52 5 72 8 9 0 9 .245 .307 .320
1985 37 Reds 155 560 59 141 19 2 7 1 48 50 3 67 3 4 3 23 .252 .314 .330
1986 38 Reds 90 311 42 81 13 2 3 0 30 26 1 43 5 4 0 13 .260 .314 .344
1987 39 Reds 104 279 32 89 15 0 1 0 33 28 5 24 1 3 0 10 .319 .377 .384
1988 40 Reds 84 197 11 39 9 0 0 0 8 18 5 23 1 0 0 4 .198 .265 .244
19 Years 2,488 8,723 993 2,326 389 48 101 6 950 736 93 1,186 74 86 21 266 .267 .322 .357

Dave Concepcion

Dave Concepcion Fielding Stats

1970 Reds 2B 3 1 42 10 3.3 10 7 3 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 6.43
1970 Reds SS 93 74 2,002 403 4.3 381 137 244 22 51 n/a n/a n/a .945 5.14
1971 Reds 2B 10 4 130 22 2.2 21 8 13 1 3 n/a n/a n/a .955 4.36
1971 Reds 3B 7 0 35 3 0.4 3 0 3 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.31
1971 Reds CF 5 5 117 14 2.8 14 14 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 3.23
1971 Reds SS 112 86 2,333 466 4.2 454 160 294 12 62 n/a n/a n/a .974 5.25
1972 Reds 2B 1 0 9 1 1.0 1 0 1 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 3.00
1972 Reds 3B 9 1 81 10 1.1 9 3 6 1 0 n/a n/a n/a .900 3.00
1972 Reds SS 114 107 2,886 577 5.1 559 194 365 18 75 n/a n/a n/a .969 5.23
1973 Reds CF 2 0 12 2 1.0 2 2 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 4.50
1973 Reds SS 88 86 2,293 469 5.3 457 165 292 12 56 n/a n/a n/a .974 5.38
1974 Reds CF 1 0 6 1 1.0 1 1 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 4.50
1974 Reds SS 160 155 4,186 805 5.0 775 239 536 30 99 n/a n/a n/a .963 5.00
1975 Reds 3B 6 0 45 4 0.7 4 3 1 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.40
1975 Reds SS 130 125 3,345 699 5.4 683 238 445 16 102 n/a n/a n/a .977 5.51
1976 Reds SS 150 142 3,930 837 5.6 810 304 506 27 93 n/a n/a n/a .968 5.56
1977 Reds SS 156 154 4,018 781 5.0 770 280 490 11 101 n/a n/a n/a .986 5.17
1978 Reds SS 152 150 3,922 737 4.8 714 255 459 23 72 n/a n/a n/a .969 4.92
1979 Reds SS 148 148 3,892 806 5.4 779 284 495 27 102 n/a n/a n/a .967 5.40
1980 Reds 2B 1 0 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1980 Reds SS 155 153 4,044 732 4.7 716 265 451 16 98 n/a n/a n/a .978 4.78
1981 Reds SS 106 106 2,790 552 5.2 530 208 322 22 71 n/a n/a n/a .960 5.13
1982 Reds 1B 1 1 27 9 9.0 9 9 0 0 1 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.00
1982 Reds 3B 1 0 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1982 Reds SS 145 142 3,764 738 5.1 721 262 459 17 94 n/a n/a n/a .977 5.17
1983 Reds 1B 1 0 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1983 Reds 3B 6 3 80 13 2.2 13 2 11 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 4.39
1983 Reds SS 139 134 3,524 614 4.4 601 225 376 13 67 n/a n/a n/a .979 4.60
1984 Reds 1B 6 2 99 34 5.7 32 29 3 2 2 n/a n/a n/a .941 8.73
1984 Reds 3B 54 43 1,133 108 2.0 102 28 74 6 3 n/a n/a n/a .944 2.43
1984 Reds SS 104 92 2,514 412 4.0 403 156 247 9 41 n/a n/a n/a .978 4.33
1985 Reds 3B 5 0 38 3 0.6 3 2 1 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.13
1985 Reds SS 151 146 3,895 640 4.2 616 212 404 24 64 n/a n/a n/a .963 4.27
1986 Reds 1B 12 3 136 49 4.1 49 45 4 0 6 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 9.73
1986 Reds 2B 10 9 249 54 5.4 53 25 28 1 12 n/a n/a n/a .981 5.75
1986 Reds 3B 10 7 197 26 2.6 26 9 17 0 3 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 3.56
1986 Reds SS 60 58 1,505 257 4.3 248 74 174 9 32 n/a n/a n/a .965 4.45
1987 Reds 1B 26 15 446 128 4.9 128 118 10 0 3 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 7.75
1987 Reds 2B 59 41 1,203 260 4.4 258 125 133 2 36 n/a n/a n/a .992 5.79
1987 Reds 3B 13 8 254 25 1.9 25 5 20 0 2 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.66
1987 Reds SS 2 2 57 11 5.5 8 2 6 3 2 n/a n/a n/a .727 3.79
1988 Reds 1B 16 4 161 59 3.7 58 53 5 1 4 n/a n/a n/a .983 9.73
1988 Reds 2B 46 36 896 173 3.8 172 80 92 1 24 n/a n/a n/a .994 5.18
1988 Reds 3B 9 1 76 13 1.4 13 8 5 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 4.62
1988 Reds P 1 0 4 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
1988 Reds SS 13 6 239 39 3.0 39 10 29 0 8 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 4.41
SS Totals 2,178 2,066 55,139 10,575 4.9 10,264 3,670 6,594 311 1,290 n/a n/a n/a .971 5.03
2B Totals 130 91 2,532 520 4.0 515 245 270 5 76 n/a n/a n/a .990 5.49
3B Totals 120 63 1,942 205 1.7 198 60 138 7 8 n/a n/a n/a .966 2.75
1B Totals 62 25 872 279 4.5 276 254 22 3 16 n/a n/a n/a .989 8.55
CF Totals 8 5 135 17 2.1 17 17 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 3.40
P Totals 1 0 4 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a .000 0.00
19 Years 2,499 2,250 60,624 11,596 4.6 11,270 4,246 7,024 326 1,390 n/a n/a n/a .972 5.02

Dave Concepcion

Dave Concepcion Miscellaneous Stats

1970 Reds 10 2 .833 6 5 n/a 265.0 5.9 13.9 - - -
1971 Reds 9 3 .750 1 13 n/a 327.0 6.4 16.4 - - -
1972 Reds 13 6 .684 2 0 n/a 189.0 5.8 13.0 - - -
1973 Reds 22 5 .815 2 0 n/a 41.0 6.0 7.1 - - -
1974 Reds 41 6 .872 2 2 n/a 42.4 7.5 7.2 - - -
1975 Reds 33 6 .846 10 1 n/a 101.4 9.9 10.3 - - -
1976 Reds 21 10 .677 3 1 n/a 64.0 8.5 8.3 - - -
1977 Reds 29 7 .806 0 0 n/a 71.5 7.4 8.9 - - -
1978 Reds 23 10 .697 3 0 n/a 94.2 6.8 8.4 - - -
1979 Reds 19 7 .731 1 0 n/a 36.9 8.1 7.0 - - -
1980 Reds 12 2 .857 2 0 n/a 124.4 5.8 8.1 - - -
1981 Reds 4 5 .444 0 0 n/a 84.2 6.9 6.3 - - -
1982 Reds 13 6 .684 4 0 n/a 114.4 9.4 10.8 - - -
1983 Reds 14 9 .609 3 1 n/a 528.0 6.5 11.2 - - -
1984 Reds 22 6 .786 14 0 n/a 132.8 7.4 9.2 - - -
1985 Reds 16 12 .571 7 0 n/a 80.0 8.4 11.7 - - -
1986 Reds 13 2 .867 9 0 n/a 103.7 7.2 10.4 - - -
1987 Reds 4 3 .571 26 1 n/a 279.0 11.6 8.5 - - -
1988 Reds 3 2 .600 21 0 n/a 0.0 8.6 24.6 0.00 6.75 0.00
19 Years 321 109 .747 116 24 n/a 86.4 7.4 9.2 0.00 6.75 0.00

Dave Concepcion

Dave Concepcion Miscellaneous Items of Interest

1970 Cincinnati Reds 13 $12,000.00 - Stats
1971 Cincinnati Reds 13 $12,750.00 - -
1972 Cincinnati Reds 13 $13,500.00 - Stats
1973 Cincinnati Reds 13 $37,500.00 Stats -
1974 Cincinnati Reds 13 $55,000.00 - -
1975 Cincinnati Reds 13 $64,000.00 Stats Stats
1976 Cincinnati Reds 13 $85,000.00 Stats Stats
1977 Cincinnati Reds 13 $200,000.00 Stats -
1978 Cincinnati Reds 13 $200,000.00 Stats -
1979 Cincinnati Reds 13 $200,000.00 Stats -
1980 Cincinnati Reds 13 $200,000.00 Stats -
1981 Cincinnati Reds 13 $200,000.00 Stats -
1982 Cincinnati Reds 13 $926,000.00 Stats -
1983 Cincinnati Reds 13 $926,000.00 - -
1984 Cincinnati Reds 13 $926,000.00 - -
1985 Cincinnati Reds 13 $926,000.00 - -
1986 Cincinnati Reds 13 $926,000.00 - -
1987 Cincinnati Reds 13 $320,000.00 - -
1988 Cincinnati Reds 13 $370,000.00 - -

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Did you know that Davey Concepcion was the third player chosen to be the team captain for the Cincinnati Reds? For nearly thirty years, the franchise had no captain until Sparky Anderson appointed Pete Rose the second captain in 1970 (rookie Billy Myers, in 1935, was their first). Davey followed Charlie Hustle, taking that "title" in 1984, and holding it until he retired in 1988. The fourth, and to date the last, Reds team captain was Barry Larkin, named captain in 1997, and also held until his retirement (in 2004).

Did you know that when Dave Concepcion won a Silver Slugger in 1981, the best hitting shortstop in the National League, he (along with outfielder George Foster, who also won that year) was the first Cincinnati Reds player to ever receive a Silver Slugger Award?

Dave Concepcion is widely considered one of the best shortstops during the 1970s. During the decade, he was named to the National League All-Star team six of the ten seasons (and three additional times in the 1980s), and he won the Glove Glove Award five of the ten seasons. A brief glimpse at his amazing career:

David Concepcion

David Concepcion | 1967 Topps Venezuela Winter League (#89)

Following the steps of his childhood heroes Chico Carrasquel and Luis Aparicio., Concepcion, originally drafted as a pitcher, came out of Venezuela to become one of the Reds' and the National League's greatest all-time shortstops.

Davey made his big-league debut on April 6, 1970, starting at shortstop and going 0-for-4 as the Reds defeated the Montreal Expos, 5-1. He went 0-for-4 again the next day (box) against the Los Angeles Dodgers before getting his first hit on April 8, 1970, a seventh-inning double off Dodgers pitcher (and future Reds teammate) Fred Norman.

In his first three seasons, Reds manager Sparky Anderson played Concepcion part-time, sharing duties with Woody Woodward and Darrel Chaney.

In 1973, Concepcion blossomed to start the season, both at bat and in the field, being named the starting shortstop and as seen above, the Reds team captain. On May 9, in a Reds 9–7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, Johnny Bench hit three home runs and drove in seven runs against pitcher Steve Carlton. It was the second time that Bench smashed three homers against Carlton in a game. However, a Concepcion two-run tie-breaker homer in the ninth, off Barry Lersch, was the game-winner.

Concepcion was named to the NL All-Star team in 1973, his first of nine, but on July 22, two days before the game he broke his ankle (sliding into third base after moving from first base with Denis Menke base hit against the Expos in the bottom of the seventh inning at Riverfront, fracturing the fibula of left leg) and missed the second half of the year. At the time, he was batting .287, with 8 HRs, 46 RBI, 39 runs, 18 doubles, three triples and 22 stolen bases.

The Big Red Machine was fully formed by 1975, Concepcion along with Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Ken Griffey, George Foster and Cesar Geronimo formed the "Great Eight" that would help the Reds win the next two World Series titles (1975 & 1976).

Even after Concepcion had established himself in the Major Leagues as an All-Star shortstop, he continued to play winter ball in Venezuela, helping to improve his skills at the plate. After his .274, 5, 49 totals in the 1975 Major League season, Concepcion posted marks of: .281, 9, 69 (1976); .271, 8, 64 (1977); .301, 6, 67 (1978); .281, 16, 84 (1979); .260, 5, 77 (1980); .306, 5, 67 (1981); and .287, 5, 53 (1982).

On July 13, 1982, the first All-Star Game outside of the United States was held at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. Concepcion hit a two-run homer to help the National League to a 4–1 win (the National League's eleventh straight victory and nineteenth in the last twenty contests) and was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.

Later in his career, Concepcion worked with Perez and perfected the one-bounce throw to first base. Concepcion was one of the first shortstops to use this method to take advantage of the smooth artificial turf at Riverfront Stadium and other parks in the National League.

Hampered by age, an elbow injury and shoulder surgery in 1982, Concepcion had consecutive sub-par seasons from 1983–84. Grooming Barry Larkin as his successor, he became a dependable handyman at all four infield positions. He was replaced by Larkin in 1986, only forty-four games away from Larry Bowa's National League record for games played in a career at shortstop.

In 1988, which would be his final season with the Reds, (now) manager Pete Rose sent Concepcion in to pitch 1.1 innings in Dodger Stadium late in a blow-out game (box). Davey gave up two hits, no runs, and struck out one batter. The Reds released Concepcion after the 1988 season.

Concepcion attempted a twentieth Major League season in 1989, trying out for the California Angels in Spring Training, but Davey failed to make the roster and retired from playing.

David Concepcion #13

David Concepcion Retired #13 | Great American Ballpark

On August 25, 2007, the Cincinnati Reds retired #13 on behalf of Dave Concepcion. It was the eighth number retired by the franchise behind Fred Hutchinson (1965), Johnny Bench (1984), Ted Kluszewski (1998), Joe Morgan (1998), Frank Robinson (1998), Tony Perez (2000) and Sparky Anderson (2005). Honored by the Reds, the Baseball Writers didn't do the same as it relates to the Hall of Fame. His voting results: 1994 6.8%, 1995 9.3%, 1996 13.4%, 1997 12.7%, 1998 16.9%, 1999 11.9%, 2000 13.4%, 2001 14.4%, 2002 11.9%, 2003 11.1%, 2004 11.3%, 2005 10.7%, 2006 12.5%, 2007 13.6% and 2008 16.2%, his last year on the ballot. Share your thoughts about his inclusion in the Hall of Fame on Baseball Fever.