Garry Templeton was born on Saturday, March 24, 1956, in Lockney, Texas. Templeton was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on August 9, 1976, with the St. Louis Cardinals. 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 Garry Templeton baseball stats page.
"He (Garry Templeton) doesn't want to play in St. Louis. He doesn't want to play on turf. He doesn't want to play when we go into Montreal. He doesn't want to play in the Astrodome. He doesn't want to play in the rain. The other eighty games he's all right." - St. Louis Cardinals Manager Whitey Herzog in The St. Louis Dispatch (Dan O'Neill, 07/22/2010, 'Herzog and Templeton: No grudges, no regrets', Source)
Garry TempletonGarry Templeton Autograph on a 1991 Score Baseball Card (#117 | Checklist) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Garry TempletonGarry Templeton Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
- | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
Garry TempletonGarry Templeton Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1976 | 20 | Cardinals | 53 | 213 | 32 | 62 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .291 | .314 | .362 |
1977 | 21 | Cardinals | 153 | 621 | 94 | 200 | 19 | 18 | 8 | 0 | 79 | 15 | 3 | 70 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 9 | .322 | .336 | .449 |
1978 | 22 | Cardinals | 155 | 647 | 82 | 181 | 31 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 22 | 3 | 87 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | .280 | .303 | .377 |
1979 | 23 | Cardinals | 154 | 672 | 105 | 211 | 32 | 19 | 9 | 0 | 62 | 18 | 4 | 91 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | .314 | .331 | .458 |
1980 | 24 | Cardinals | 118 | 504 | 83 | 161 | 19 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 18 | 6 | 43 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | .319 | .342 | .417 |
1981 | 25 | Cardinals | 80 | 333 | 47 | 96 | 16 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 14 | 3 | 55 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | .288 | .315 | .393 |
1982 | 26 | Padres | 141 | 563 | 76 | 139 | 25 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 64 | 26 | 7 | 82 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 19 | .247 | .279 | .352 |
1983 | 27 | Padres | 126 | 460 | 39 | 121 | 20 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 21 | 7 | 57 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 16 | .263 | .294 | .335 |
1984 | 28 | Padres | 148 | 493 | 40 | 127 | 19 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 35 | 39 | 23 | 81 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 10 | .258 | .312 | .320 |
1985 | 29 | Padres | 148 | 546 | 63 | 154 | 30 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 55 | 41 | 24 | 88 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | .282 | .332 | .377 |
1986 | 30 | Padres | 147 | 510 | 42 | 126 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 35 | 21 | 86 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 12 | .247 | .296 | .308 |
1987 | 31 | Padres | 148 | 510 | 42 | 113 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 48 | 42 | 11 | 92 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 15 | .222 | .281 | .296 |
1988 | 32 | Padres | 110 | 362 | 35 | 90 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 20 | 10 | 50 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | .249 | .286 | .354 |
1989 | 33 | Padres | 142 | 506 | 43 | 129 | 26 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 40 | 23 | 12 | 80 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 15 | .255 | .286 | .354 |
1990 | 34 | Padres | 144 | 505 | 45 | 125 | 25 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 59 | 24 | 7 | 59 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 17 | .248 | .280 | .362 |
1991 | 35 | Padres | 32 | 57 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .193 | .203 | .298 |
1991 | 35 | Mets | 80 | 219 | 20 | 50 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 3 | 29 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | .228 | .257 | .306 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
16 Years | 2,079 | 7,721 | 893 | 2,096 | 329 | 106 | 70 | 3 | 728 | 375 | 144 | 1,092 | 57 | 46 | 9 | 167 | .271 | .304 | .369 |
Garry TempletonGarry Templeton Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1976 Cardinals | SS | 53 | 51 | 1,326 | 307 | 5.8 | 283 | 111 | 172 | 24 | 41 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .922 | 5.76 |
1977 Cardinals | SS | 151 | 146 | 3,792 | 770 | 5.1 | 738 | 285 | 453 | 32 | 98 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .958 | 5.25 |
1978 Cardinals | SS | 155 | 153 | 405 | 848 | 5.5 | 808 | 285 | 523 | 40 | 108 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .953 | 53.87 |
1979 Cardinals | SS | 150 | 150 | 3,942 | 851 | 5.7 | 817 | 292 | 525 | 34 | 102 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .960 | 5.60 |
1980 Cardinals | SS | 115 | 114 | 2,973 | 703 | 6.1 | 674 | 223 | 451 | 29 | 85 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .959 | 6.12 |
1981 Cardinals | SS | 76 | 76 | 1,971 | 450 | 5.9 | 432 | 160 | 272 | 18 | 54 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .960 | 5.92 |
1982 Padres | SS | 136 | 135 | 3,612 | 668 | 4.9 | 642 | 220 | 422 | 26 | 70 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .961 | 4.80 |
1983 Padres | SS | 123 | 122 | 3,117 | 598 | 4.9 | 574 | 219 | 355 | 24 | 66 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .960 | 4.97 |
1984 Padres | SS | 146 | 143 | 3,573 | 658 | 4.5 | 632 | 225 | 407 | 26 | 79 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .960 | 4.78 |
1985 Padres | SS | 148 | 148 | 3,828 | 728 | 4.9 | 705 | 245 | 460 | 23 | 96 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .968 | 4.97 |
1986 Padres | SS | 144 | 134 | 3,570 | 585 | 4.1 | 565 | 207 | 358 | 20 | 60 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .966 | 4.27 |
1987 Padres | SS | 146 | 141 | 3,729 | 720 | 4.9 | 700 | 253 | 447 | 20 | 77 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .972 | 5.07 |
1988 Padres | 3B | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 9.00 |
1988 Padres | SS | 105 | 99 | 2,694 | 500 | 4.8 | 484 | 168 | 316 | 16 | 62 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .968 | 4.85 |
1989 Padres | SS | 140 | 136 | 3,579 | 661 | 4.7 | 641 | 232 | 409 | 20 | 74 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .970 | 4.84 |
1990 Padres | SS | 135 | 132 | 3,501 | 607 | 4.5 | 581 | 214 | 367 | 26 | 74 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .957 | 4.48 |
1991 Padres | 3B | 15 | 8 | 261 | 20 | 1.3 | 19 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .950 | 1.97 |
1991 Padres | SS | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.25 |
1991 Mets | 1B | 25 | 18 | 504 | 165 | 6.6 | 164 | 152 | 12 | 1 | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .994 | 8.79 |
1991 Mets | 3B | 2 | 2 | 51 | 10 | 5.0 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 5.29 |
1991 Mets | RF | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 |
1991 Mets | SS | 40 | 30 | 837 | 163 | 4.1 | 157 | 53 | 104 | 6 | 18 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .963 | 5.06 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
SS Totals | 1,964 | 1,910 | 46,461 | 9,818 | 5.0 | 9,434 | 3,393 | 6,041 | 384 | 1,164 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .961 | 5.48 | |
1B Totals | 25 | 18 | 504 | 165 | 6.6 | 164 | 152 | 12 | 1 | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .994 | 8.79 | |
3B Totals | 19 | 10 | 318 | 32 | 1.7 | 31 | 6 | 25 | 1 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .969 | 2.63 | |
RF Totals | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .000 | 0.00 | |
16 Years | 2,010 | 1,938 | 47,295 | 10,015 | 5.0 | 9,629 | 3,551 | 6,078 | 386 | 1,176 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .961 | 5.50 |
Garry TempletonGarry Templeton Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1976 Cardinals | 11 | 7 | .611 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 213.0 | 6.5 | 12.5 | - | - | - |
1977 Cardinals | 28 | 24 | .538 | 2 | 3 | n/a | 77.6 | 8.9 | 7.9 | - | - | - |
1978 Cardinals | 34 | 11 | .756 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 323.5 | 7.4 | 13.8 | - | - | - |
1979 Cardinals | 26 | 10 | .722 | 1 | 2 | n/a | 74.7 | 7.4 | 10.8 | - | - | - |
1980 Cardinals | 31 | 15 | .674 | 3 | 1 | n/a | 126.0 | 11.7 | 11.7 | - | - | - |
1981 Cardinals | 8 | 12 | .400 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 333.0 | 6.1 | 10.1 | - | - | - |
1982 Padres | 27 | 16 | .628 | 6 | 0 | n/a | 93.8 | 6.9 | 8.8 | - | - | - |
1983 Padres | 16 | 6 | .727 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 153.3 | 8.1 | 11.5 | - | - | - |
1984 Padres | 8 | 3 | .727 | 2 | 1 | n/a | 246.5 | 6.1 | 14.1 | - | - | - |
1985 Padres | 16 | 6 | .727 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 91.0 | 6.2 | 9.9 | - | - | - |
1986 Padres | 10 | 5 | .667 | 10 | 0 | n/a | 255.0 | 5.9 | 11.6 | - | - | - |
1987 Padres | 14 | 3 | .824 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 102.0 | 5.5 | 10.6 | - | - | - |
1988 Padres | 8 | 2 | .800 | 6 | 1 | n/a | 120.7 | 7.2 | 10.1 | - | - | - |
1989 Padres | 1 | 3 | .250 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 84.3 | 6.3 | 12.7 | - | - | - |
1990 Padres | 1 | 4 | .200 | 10 | 0 | n/a | 56.1 | 8.6 | 8.6 | - | - | - |
1991 Padres | 0 | 1 | .000 | 20 | 0 | n/a | 57.0 | 6.3 | 9.5 | - | - | - |
1991 Mets | 3 | 1 | .750 | 18 | 2 | n/a | 109.5 | 7.6 | 11.0 | - | - | - |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
16 Years | 242 | 129 | .652 | 93 | 10 | n/a | 110.3 | 7.1 | 10.6 | - | - | - |
Garry TempletonGarry Templeton Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1976 St. Louis Cardinals | 19 | $19,000.00 | - | - |
1977 St. Louis Cardinals | 1 | $30,000.00 | Stats | - |
1978 St. Louis Cardinals | 1 | $100,000.00 | - | - |
1979 St. Louis Cardinals | 1 | $130,000.00 | Stats | - |
1980 St. Louis Cardinals | 1 | $793,333.00 | - | - |
1981 St. Louis Cardinals | 1 | $793,333.00 | - | - |
1982 San Diego Padres | 1 | $793,333.00 | - | - |
1983 San Diego Padres | 1 | $793,333.00 | - | - |
1984 San Diego Padres | 1 | $793,333.00 | - | Stats |
1985 San Diego Padres | 1 | $1,137,000.00 | Stats | - |
1986 San Diego Padres | 1 | $1,103,018.00 | - | - |
1987 San Diego Padres | 1 | $1,143,225.00 | - | - |
1988 San Diego Padres | 1 | $1,143,502.00 | - | - |
1989 San Diego Padres | 1 | $700,000.00 | - | - |
1990 San Diego Padres | 1 | $550,000.00 | - | - |
1991 San Diego Padres | 1 | $530,000.00 | - | - |
1991 New York Mets | 11 | " " | - | - |
Garry Templeton Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Garry Templeton was the 10th switch-hitter in history to collect 200-or-more hits in a season (1977, 1979); joining Buck Weaver (1920), Frankie Frisch (1921, 1923, 1927), Dave Bancroft (1922), Max Carey (1922), Ripper Collins (1934), Augie Galan (1935), Red Schoendienst (1957), Maury Wills (1962) and Pete Rose (1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979).
Garry Templeton Baseball Card | 1980 Topps (#5)Baseball Almanac Research Library
Topps Chewing Gum wrote (on back of card above / the front of the card is below), "When Cardinals Garry Templeton surprised Mets with Bunt Single tonight, it marked his 100th Hit from right side of plate. He thus becomes the 1st switch-hitter in big league history with 100 Hits from each side." The Los Angeles Times had a bit more space than the back of a baseball card, and wrote the following wonderful piece:
It is an axiom in baseball that hitters are born, not made.
Except switch-hitters. They are as fabricated as aluminum siding. No one comes out of the womb with equal ability to hit the ball from both sides of the plate. It is what the geneticists call an acquired characteristic.
For proof, ask yourself how many people can throw from both sides of their bodies?
A switch-hitter is an impostor from one side of the plate. He has conditioned himself to do something unnatural. It is like a bear roller-skating. You are not only surprised it is done well, you are surprised it can be done at all.
The greatest switch-hitter of all the ages of the grand game is certifiably Peter Edward Rose. Pete has more than 3,000 hits left-handed and 1,100 right-handed. Pete is, of course, by definition, the most prolific hitter in the history of the game.
Switch-hitters are, ordinarily, banjoists by trade. Often, they are so ineffective batting the way God intended that that is precisely why management turns them around. They usually have nothing to lose.
Maury Wills languished in the minor leagues nine years as a right-hander until Bobby Bragan suggested that he might as well miss the ball left-handed, too. Instead, Maury became a Hall of Fame ballplayer--in my book, at least--and the Dodgers became chronic pennant winners.
Not all switchers are slap-and-run. In addition to Pete Rose who, after all, has hit 160 home runs in a career where he was only trying to make singles, there was Mickey Mantle. Mickey slugged 536 home runs, 373 of them left-handed and 163 right. It was not that Mantle was stronger one way. Switch-hitters just naturally face more right- handed pitching.
Mickey also topped all switch-hitters for average in a single season. He hit .365 in 1957.
Frankie Frisch probably has the highest lifetime average of any switch-hitter, .316, unless the Cardinals' Willie McGee puts together another .353 season this year.
Lots of switch-hitters got 200 hits a season. Pete Rose did it 10 times. Frisch did it three. Mantle never did it.
But only two switch-hitters have ever had 100 or more hits from each side of the plate.
Garry Templeton was the first when, in 1979, he collected 111 hits left-handed and 100 right. Willie Wilson became the second--and the first American Leaguer--to do it when he got 130 hits left-handed and 100 right the next season.
Source of excerpt: The Los Angeles Times. Jim Murray. June 29, 1986. Templeton Has Made a Big Switch. Full Story.
Garry Templeton Baseball Card | 1980 Topps (#5)Baseball Almanac Research Library
Did you know that when Garry Templeton hit .319 in 1980, it was the third highest (Top 25) batting average in the National League that season, tops amongst shortstops, earning "Jump Steady" the Silver Slugger Award? An American League Silver Slugger and National League Silver Slugger is given annually to the best offensive player at each position in each league, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball, and it was first awarded in 1980 - making Templeton the first National League shortstop to receive the honor.
Why did Garry Templeton once say, "If I ain't startin', I ain't departin'"? The Cardinals Encyclopedia (Michael Eisenbath, Temple University Press, 05/14/1999, Page 291) wrote, "It wasn't always that easy for the oft-tempestuous Templeton. For instance, in 1979 he wasn't elected to start in the All-Star game when he was fourth in the voting - behind .182-hitting Ozzie Smith, among others - and said he wouldn't go as a reserve."