Walker Cooper, baseball player, 173 home runs, 1940-1957

Walker Cooper

Born: 1/8/1915 in Atherton, MO, USA

Died: 4/11/1991 in Scottsdale, AZ, USA

MLB Debut: 1940-09-25 | Final Game: 1957-09-20

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 210 lbs

Full name: William Walker Cooper

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Biography

Walker Cooper, born in 1915, was a prominent Major League Baseball player who enjoyed a successful career from 1940 until his retirement in 1957. Primarily recognized as a position player, Cooper played in 1,473 games, where he showcased his exceptional batting skills, accumulating 1,341 hits and achieving a notable batting average of .285. His offensive prowess included 173 home runs and 812 RBIs, making him a key contributor to his teams' lineups during his time in the league. Additionally, Cooper demonstrated speed on the bases with 18 stolen bases, reflecting a well-rounded athletic ability. A celebrated player during the post-war era of baseball, Cooper was selected as an All-Star eight times, underscoring his status as one of the elite players of his generation. His career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball history, marked by the integration of the sport and the evolution of playing styles. Walker Cooper's legacy is defined not only by his impressive statistics but also by the impact he had on the game, solidifying his place in the annals of baseball history.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
6.0 5.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 1.0 0 .000 0.167 .000 0.167

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1935 5.0 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 .000 0.200 .000 0.200
1941 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1473 4702 573 1341 240 40 173 812 18 309 357 0.285 0.332 0.464 0.796 9955.5

Career AVG .285 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.

Career OBP .332 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .464 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — +23.2% above league average.

Career OPS 0.796 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — +12.3% 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
1940 STL NL 6 19 3 6 1 0 0 2 1 2 2 0.316 — — — — 0.0
1941 STL NL 68 200 19 49 9 1 1 20 1 13 14 0.245 .262 (-7%) .332 (-12%) .373 (-16%) .705 (-14%) -523.4
1942 STL NL 125 438 58 123 32 7 7 65 4 29 29 0.281 .253 (+11%) .323 (+1%) .349 (+24%) .672 (+13%) 847.0
1943 STL NL 122 449 52 143 30 4 9 81 1 19 19 0.318 .255 (+24%) .324 (+7%) .346 (+34%) .671 (+21%) 1505.2
1944 STL NL 112 397 56 126 25 5 13 72 4 20 19 0.317 .261 (+21%) .325 (+8%) .357 (+41%) .683 (+25%) 1634.6
1945 STL NL 4 18 3 7 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.389 — — — — 0.0
1946 NY1 NL 87 280 29 75 10 1 8 46 0 17 12 0.268 .256 (+4%) .328 (-6%) .358 (+11%) .687 (+3%) 54.4
1947 NY1 NL 140 515 79 157 24 8 35 122 2 24 43 0.305 .262 (+16%) .336 (+1%) .376 (+56%) .712 (+30%) 2667.0
1948 NY1 NL 91 290 40 77 12 0 16 54 1 28 29 0.266 .263 (+1%) .340 (-2%) .379 (+25%) .719 (+12%) 573.5
1949 NY1 NL 42 147 14 31 4 2 4 21 0 7 8 0.211 .262 (-20%) .343 (-24%) .384 (-10%) .727 (-16%) -472.9
1949 CIN NL 82 307 34 86 9 2 16 62 0 21 24 0.280 .262 (+7%) .343 (-4%) .384 (+25%) .727 (+11%) -472.9
1950 CIN NL 15 47 3 9 3 0 0 4 0 0 5 0.191 — — — — 0.0
1950 BSN NL 102 337 52 111 19 3 14 60 1 30 26 0.329 .265 (+24%) .346 (+12%) .401 (+31%) .747 (+23%) 0.0
1951 BSN NL 109 342 42 107 14 1 18 59 1 28 18 0.313 .260 (+20%) .336 (+9%) .385 (+34%) .721 (+22%) 1401.2
1952 BSN NL 102 349 33 82 12 1 10 55 1 22 32 0.235 .252 (-7%) .326 (-14%) .369 (-2%) .696 (-8%) -584.6
1953 ATL NL 53 137 12 30 6 0 3 16 1 12 15 0.219 .264 (-17%) .335 (-15%) .397 (-17%) .733 (-16%) -400.4
1954 PIT NL 14 15 0 3 2 0 0 1 0 2 1 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1954 CHC NL 57 158 21 49 10 2 7 32 0 21 23 0.310 .261 (+19%) .333 (+19%) .390 (+36%) .723 (+28%) 0.0
1955 CHC NL 54 111 11 31 8 1 7 15 0 6 19 0.279 .258 (+8%) .332 (-3%) .393 (+42%) .726 (+21%) 356.7
1956 STL NL 40 68 5 18 5 1 2 14 0 3 8 0.265 .258 (+3%) .331 (-11%) .397 (+15%) .728 (+3%) 4.4
1957 STL NL 48 78 7 21 5 1 3 10 0 5 10 0.269 .257 (+5%) .323 (-4%) .391 (+21%) .715 (+10%) 91.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
16 60 5 18 3 1 0 6 3 4 0.300

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1944 WS SLN 6 22 1 7 2 1 0 2 3 2 0.318
1943 WS SLN 5 17 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.294
1942 WS SLN 5 21 3 6 1 0 0 4 0 1 0.286

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
C 1223 89 5166 589 138 80

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1940 SLN C 6 0 19 4 0 0
1941 SLN C 63 0 247 39 10 11
1942 SLN C 115 0 519 62 17 6
1943 SLN C 112 0 504 49 14 5
1944 SLN C 97 0 442 40 10 7
1945 SLN C 4 0 27 1 1 0
1946 NY1 C 73 0 277 38 9 3
1947 NY1 C 132 0 561 51 13 8
1948 NY1 C 79 0 307 21 7 3
1949 NY1 C 40 0 148 18 3 2
1949 CIN C 77 0 316 43 8 3
1950 CIN C 13 0 62 7 2 0
1950 BSN C 88 0 386 47 12 9
1951 BSN C 90 0 367 57 8 9
1952 BSN C 89 0 417 55 8 8
1953 ML1 C 35 0 165 6 3 1
1954 PIT C 2 1 6 0 0 0
1954 CHN C 48 43 190 31 5 4
1955 CHN C 31 21 88 11 4 1
1956 SLN C 16 12 56 4 1 0
1957 SLN C 13 12 62 5 3 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1223

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1947 TSN All-Star C
1944 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1944 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1944 TSN All-Star C
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star C
1943 TSN All-Star C

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1952 Most Valuable Player NL 40th 1.0 336 0
1947 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 19.0 336 0
1944 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 72.0 336 1
1943 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 192.0 336 5
1942 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 28.0 336 0