Garry Templeton Stats

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.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"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 Templeton

Garry Templeton Autograph on a 1991 Score Baseball Card (#117 | <a href='../baseball_cards/baseball_cards_oneset.php?s=1991sco01' title='1991 Score Baseball Card Checklist'>Checklist</a>)

Garry Templeton Autograph on a 1991 Score Baseball Card (#117 | Checklist)

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Birth Name:   Garry Lewis Templeton
Nickname:   Jump Steady
Born On:   03-24-1956  (Aries)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Lockney, Texas
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:   Valley High School (Santa Ana, CA)
College:   None Attended
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Both   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   5-11   Player Weight Chart Weight:   190
First Game:   08-09-1976 (Age 20)
Last Game:   10-05-1991
Draft:   1974 : 1st Round (13th)

Garry Templeton

Garry Templeton Pitching Stats

- - Did Not Pitch - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Garry Templeton

Garry Templeton Hitting Stats

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
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 Templeton

Garry Templeton Fielding Stats

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
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 Templeton

Garry Templeton Miscellaneous Stats

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 - - -
16 Years 242 129 .652 93 10 n/a 110.3 7.1 10.6 - - -

Garry Templeton

Garry Templeton Miscellaneous Items of Interest

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 "     "     - -

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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 | Baseball Almanac

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 | Baseball Almanac

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."