Cecil Cooper, baseball player, 241 home runs, 1971-1987

Cecil Cooper

Born: 12/20/1949 in Brenham, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1971-09-08 | Final Game: 1987-07-12

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Cecil Celester Cooper

📋 View Manager Career

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Cecil Cooper was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball, known for his impressive offensive skills and consistent performance during his career from 1971 to 1987. Born in 1949, Cooper played a total of 1,896 games, where he established himself as a formidable hitter with a career batting average of .298. Over his tenure, he accumulated 2,192 hits, 241 home runs, and 1,125 RBIs, making him one of the most productive first basemen of his era. His ability to combine power with a high batting average set him apart, and he showcased his talents in five All-Star selections. Cooper's playing style was characterized by a keen eye for hitting and an ability to drive in runs, which was crucial for teams that relied on offensive production during the late 1970s and 1980s. He also demonstrated speed on the base paths, finishing his career with 89 stolen bases. A key player for the Milwaukee Brewers, Cooper contributed significantly to the team's success in the 1980s, including their run to the World Series in 1982. His legacy remains a testament to the impact of skilled position players during a transformative era in baseball, where power hitting began to take center stage.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1896 7349 1012 2192 415 47 241 1125 89 448 911 0.298 0.337 0.466 0.803 16119.2

Career AVG .298 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — +15.5% above league average.

Career OBP .337 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .466 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +21.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.803 vs. league average 0.707 across their career seasons — +13.5% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1971 BOS AL 14 42 9 13 4 1 0 3 1 5 4 0.310 — — — — 0.0
1972 BOS AL 12 17 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 2 5 0.235 — — — — 0.0
1973 BOS AL 30 101 12 24 2 0 3 11 1 7 12 0.238 .256 (-8%) .325 (-13%) .378 (-8%) .703 (-10%) -186.2
1974 BOS AL 121 414 55 114 24 1 8 43 2 32 74 0.275 .256 (+7%) .324 (+1%) .369 (+7%) .693 (+4%) 282.2
1975 BOS AL 106 305 49 95 17 6 14 44 1 19 33 0.311 .257 (+21%) .327 (+8%) .374 (+46%) .701 (+28%) 1421.8
1976 BOS AL 123 451 66 127 22 6 15 78 7 16 62 0.282 .255 (+10%) .320 (-5%) .360 (+27%) .681 (+12%) 675.2
1977 ATL AL 160 643 86 193 31 7 20 78 13 28 110 0.300 .264 (+14%) .329 (-1%) .401 (+16%) .730 (+8%) 813.0
1978 ATL AL 107 407 60 127 23 2 13 54 3 32 72 0.312 .257 (+21%) .323 (+11%) .378 (+25%) .702 (+19%) 1339.2
1979 ATL AL 150 590 83 182 44 1 24 106 15 56 77 0.308 .265 (+16%) .329 (+10%) .397 (+28%) .727 (+20%) 2295.6
1980 ATL AL 153 622 96 219 33 4 25 122 17 39 42 0.352 .264 (+33%) .326 (+19%) .387 (+39%) .714 (+30%) 3570.9
1981 ATL AL 106 416 70 133 35 1 12 60 5 28 30 0.320 .255 (+25%) .320 (+13%) .368 (+34%) .688 (+25%) 1740.4
1982 ATL AL 155 654 104 205 38 3 32 121 2 32 53 0.313 .261 (+20%) .324 (+6%) .388 (+36%) .712 (+22%) 2600.4
1983 ATL AL 160 661 106 203 37 3 30 126 2 37 63 0.307 .260 (+18%) .324 (+5%) .389 (+31%) .714 (+19%) 2263.6
1984 ATL AL 148 603 63 166 28 3 11 67 8 27 59 0.275 .259 (+6%) .322 (-5%) .384 (avg) .707 (-2%) -358.3
1985 ATL AL 154 631 82 185 39 8 16 99 10 30 77 0.293 .257 (+14%) .323 (avg) .390 (+17%) .714 (+9%) 829.0
1986 ATL AL 134 542 46 140 24 1 12 75 1 41 87 0.258 .257 (avg) .325 (-5%) .395 (-6%) .720 (-5%) -619.1
1987 ATL AL 63 250 25 62 13 0 6 36 1 17 51 0.248 .262 (-6%) .331 (-12%) .415 (-10%) .746 (-11%) -548.5

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
25 95 5 20 6 0 1 15 2 15 0.211

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1982 ALCS ML4 5 20 1 3 2 0 0 4 0 6 0.150
1982 WS ML4 7 28 3 8 1 0 1 6 1 1 0.286
1981 AEDIV ML4 5 18 1 4 0 0 0 3 1 3 0.222
1975 ALCS BOS 3 10 0 4 2 0 0 1 0 2 0.400
1975 WS BOS 5 19 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 0.053

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1475 1436 13361 1000 121 1348

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1971 BOS 1B 11 11 82 3 1 6
1972 BOS 1B 3 2 19 0 0 2
1973 BOS 1B 29 29 227 17 4 25
1974 BOS 1B 74 63 637 40 12 66
1975 BOS 1B 35 19 197 20 1 20
1976 BOS 1B 66 62 600 42 4 49
1977 ML4 1B 148 147 1386 118 12 134
1978 ML4 1B 84 84 842 66 11 71
1979 ML4 1B 135 134 1323 78 10 119
1980 ML4 1B 142 142 1336 106 5 160
1981 ML4 1B 101 98 987 72 9 111
1982 ML4 1B 154 154 1428 98 5 156
1983 ML4 1B 158 157 1452 87 11 144
1984 ML4 1B 122 122 1061 98 10 106
1985 ML4 1B 123 123 1087 94 17 101
1986 ML4 1B 90 89 697 61 9 78

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 1475
Designated Hitter 373

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1983 Player of the Month July
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-07-01
1983 Player of the Week Week of 1983-09-30
1983 Roberto Clemente Award
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-06-04
1982 Silver Slugger 1B
1982 TSN All-Star 1B
1981 Player of the Month August
1981 Silver Slugger 1B
1981 TSN All-Star 1B
1980 Gold Glove 1B
1980 Player of the Month August
1980 Player of the Week Week of 1980-09-26
1980 Silver Slugger 1B
1980 TSN All-Star 1B
1979 Gold Glove 1B
1979 Player of the Month April
1979 TSN All-Star 1B
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-09-30

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1987 ML4 AL $493,224
1986 ML4 AL $607,322
1985 ML4 AL $1,176,190
Total Career Earnings $2,276,736

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1983 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 123.0 392 0
1982 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 152.0 392 0
1981 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 96.0 392 0
1980 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 160.0 392 0
1979 Most Valuable Player AL 23th 4.0 392 0