Robin Yount

Shortstop

Class of 1999

Robin Yount

Shortstop

Class of 1999
A power-hitting shortstop, Robin Yount collected more hits than any other player in the 1980s with 1,731.

Games

Birth year

About Robin Yount

Robin Yount left everything on the field during his 20-year big league career with the Milwaukee Brewers.

In fact, Yount left it all over the field – winning the American League Most Valuable Player Award at two positions and establishing himself as one of the most versatile players in history.

Drafted by the Brewers with the third overall pick in the 1973 MLB Draft, Yount made his debut for Milwaukee at the age of 18 on Opening Day in 1974 as the Brewers’ starting shortstop. With almost two full seasons as a regular before he turned 20, set new big league record with his 242nd game as a teenager on Sept. 14, 1975, breaking Mel Ott's longstanding mark.

By 1980, Yount had established himself as a power-hitting shortstop, blasting a big league-best 49 doubles with 10 triples and 23 home runs. It started a streak of 11-of-12 seasons posting double-digit home run totals from 1980-1991. He also collected more hits – 1,731 – than any other player in the 1980s.

In 1982, Yount led the big leagues with 210 hits and 46 doubles for a MLB-best .578 slugging percentage, won a Gold Glove Award at shortstop and also led the Brewers to their first pennant. Milwaukee lost the 1982 World Series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals, but Yount hit a blistering .414 with a home run, six runs scored and six RBI.

Yount was a near-unanimous pick for AL MVP in 1982, becoming the fourth AL shortstop to win the MVP Award.

A shoulder injury short-circuited Yount’s career at shortstop and forced him to move to the outfield in 1985. He proved a quick study, and in 1989 Yount won his second MVP award – at the time only the third player to win MVPs at two different positions. That season, Yount hit .318 with 21 home runs and 103 RBI.

The durable Yount averaged better than 142 games per season over 20 years, and his career totals continued to mount into his 30s. In the seventh inning of the Brewers’ Sept. 9, 1992 game against the Indians, Yount singled for his 3,000th hit, becoming the 17th player – and the third-youngest – to achieve that mark.

Yount was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999.

The Basics

Year inducted
1999
Birth Place
Danville, Illinois
Birth Year
1955

Career at a Glance

Primary Team
Milwaukee Brewers
Primary Position
Shortstop
Played For
Milwaukee Brewers, 1974-1993

Career MLB Stats

Games
2,856
At bats
11,008
Hits
3,142
Walks
966
Runs
1,632
Doubles
583
Triples
126
Home Runs
251
RBI
1,406
Stolen Bases
271
Batting Average
.285
Ops
.772
On Base %
.342
Slugging %
.430

Robin Yount Stories

Explore the archives and go deep into the lives, careers, and stories of the Hall of Fame's honorees.

Brett, Ryan, Yount express mutual respect after first-ballot elections

Larry Yount, King of the One Game Wonders

Robin Yount and Dave Winfield were picked No. 3 and No. 4 overall in the MLB Draft

Robin Yount named AL Most Valuable Player

Robin Yount plays his 242nd game as a teenager, breaking Mel Ott’s record