Wilbur Cooper, baseball player, 1912-1926

Wilbur Cooper

Born: 2/24/1892 in Bearsville, WV, USA

Died: 8/7/1973 in Encino, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1912-08-29 | Final Game: 1926-07-21

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Arley Wilbur Cooper

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Wilbur Cooper was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1912 to 1926. Born in 1892, Cooper made a significant impact on the game during an era marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offense-driven style of play. He played the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he developed a reputation for his durability and consistency on the mound. Cooper finished his career with a record of 216 wins and 178 losses, showcasing his effectiveness as a starting pitcher. His earned run average (ERA) of 2.89 reflected his ability to limit scoring, while he accumulated 1,252 strikeouts over his career, highlighting his skill in overpowering hitters. Additionally, he recorded 14 saves, demonstrating versatility in his pitching role. Wilbur Cooper’s contributions to the game have solidified his legacy as one of the notable pitchers of his time, making him a respected figure in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
216 178 517 408 279 35 14 3480.0 3415 1119 103 853 1252 2.89 0

Career ERA 2.89 vs. league average 3.51 across their career seasons — 17.5% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1912 PIT NL 3 0 6 4 3 2 0 38.0 32 7 15 30 1.66 3.36 (+51%) 524.4
1913 PIT NL 5 3 30 9 3 1 0 93.0 98 34 45 39 3.29 3.07 (-7%) -479.7
1914 PIT NL 16 15 40 34 19 0 0 266.7 246 63 79 102 2.13 2.93 (+27%) 646.7
1915 PIT NL 5 16 38 21 11 1 4 185.7 180 68 52 71 3.30 2.90 (-14%) -105.0
1916 PIT NL 12 11 42 23 16 2 2 246.0 189 51 74 111 1.87 2.78 (+33%) 945.2
1917 PIT NL 17 11 40 34 23 7 1 297.7 276 78 54 99 2.36 2.69 (+12%) 2508.3
1918 PIT NL 19 14 38 29 26 2 3 273.3 219 64 65 117 2.11 2.83 (+25%) 3448.9
1919 PIT NL 19 13 35 32 27 4 1 286.7 229 85 74 106 2.67 3.09 (+14%) -505.3
1920 PIT NL 24 15 44 37 28 3 2 327.0 307 87 52 114 2.39 3.45 (+31%) 5357.9
1921 PIT NL 22 14 38 38 29 2 0 327.0 341 118 80 134 3.25 4.02 (+19%) 4293.2
1922 PIT NL 23 14 41 37 27 4 0 294.7 330 104 61 129 3.18 4.18 (+24%) 4655.8
1923 PIT NL 17 19 39 38 26 1 0 294.7 331 117 71 77 3.57 4.03 (+11%) 1578.1
1924 PIT NL 20 14 38 35 25 4 1 268.7 296 98 40 62 3.28 4.13 (+20%) 1784.1
1925 CHC NL 12 14 32 26 13 0 0 212.3 249 101 61 41 4.28 4.55 (+6%) -
1926 CHC NL 2 1 8 8 3 2 0 55.0 65 27 21 18 4.42 4.11 (-8%) -
1926 DET AL 0 4 8 3 0 0 0 13.7 27 17 9 2 11.20 4.11 (-173%) -446.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
521 1227 111 293 34 17 6 106 12 47 140 0.239 0.269 0.309 0.578 -3394.7

Career AVG .239 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — 11.4% below league average.

Career OBP .269 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 19.1% below league average.

Career SLG .309 vs. league average .364 across their career seasons — 15.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.578 vs. league average 0.697 across their career seasons — 17.1% below 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
1912 PIT NL 6 13 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0.154 — — — — 0.0
1913 PIT NL 30 26 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 9 0.077 — — — — 0.0
1914 PIT NL 40 92 5 19 1 1 0 16 0 2 17 0.207 .255 (-19%) .322 (-31%) .339 (-29%) .661 (-30%) -463.0
1915 PIT NL 38 60 1 7 1 0 0 3 0 1 5 0.117 .250 (-53%) .318 (-59%) .332 (-60%) .651 (-59%) -567.4
1916 PIT NL 44 79 4 17 2 0 0 4 0 0 20 0.215 .248 (-13%) .314 (-31%) .326 (-26%) .640 (-29%) -377.0
1917 PIT NL 41 103 8 21 5 1 0 5 0 6 20 0.204 .248 (-18%) .312 (-21%) .323 (-16%) .635 (-18%) -316.0
1918 PIT NL 38 95 8 23 2 2 0 5 2 3 6 0.242 .255 (-5%) .318 (-17%) .326 (-6%) .645 (-12%) -206.7
1919 PIT NL 36 101 9 29 2 2 0 7 5 4 9 0.287 .262 (+10%) .322 (-1%) .347 (avg) .670 (avg) -22.4
1920 PIT NL 44 113 11 25 1 3 0 2 0 5 19 0.221 .271 (-19%) .331 (-23%) .363 (-22%) .694 (-23%) -454.1
1921 PIT NL 38 122 11 31 5 2 0 9 0 3 7 0.254 .286 (-11%) .344 (-18%) .395 (-17%) .739 (-17%) -389.6
1922 PIT NL 41 108 18 29 5 1 4 15 0 6 6 0.269 .285 (-6%) .345 (-11%) .397 (+12%) .743 (+1%) -13.5
1923 PIT NL 39 107 9 28 3 1 0 10 2 5 8 0.262 .282 (-8%) .344 (-14%) .390 (-21%) .734 (-18%) -341.1
1924 PIT NL 38 104 11 36 5 2 0 15 2 5 8 0.346 .283 (+22%) .345 (+9%) .389 (+11%) .734 (+10%) 164.2
1925 CHC NL 32 82 12 17 2 1 2 10 0 1 4 0.207 .288 (-28%) .349 (-35%) .407 (-19%) .756 (-27%) -408.1
1926 CHC NL 8 18 2 7 0 1 0 2 1 2 0 0.389 — — — — 0.0
1926 DET AL 8 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 2 0 0 0 1 0
P 517 0 102 785 41 27

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1912 PIT P 6 0 0 8 0 0
1913 PIT P 30 0 0 18 2 1
1914 PIT P 40 0 12 72 8 2
1915 PIT P 38 0 6 58 6 0
1916 PIT OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1916 PIT P 42 0 15 58 5 2
1917 PIT OF 1 0 0 0 1 0
1917 PIT P 40 0 11 71 3 4
1918 PIT P 38 0 4 68 0 0
1919 PIT P 35 0 4 63 5 0
1920 PIT P 44 0 11 75 1 2
1921 PIT P 38 0 10 68 3 4
1922 PIT P 41 0 7 55 0 5
1923 PIT P 39 0 11 63 2 2
1924 PIT P 38 0 6 51 4 4
1925 CHN P 32 0 4 42 1 1
1926 CHN P 8 0 1 11 1 0
1926 DET P 8 0 0 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 517
Left Field 1
Right Field 1

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1924 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1922 Baseball Magazine All-Star P1
1921 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1920 Baseball Magazine All-Star P3
1917 Baseball Magazine All-Star P2