Willie Horton, baseball player, 325 home runs, 1963-1980

Willie Horton

Born: 10/18/1942 in Arno, VA, USA

MLB Debut: 1963-09-10 | Final Game: 1980-10-05

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 209 lbs

Full name: William Wattison Horton

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Biography

Willie Horton, born in 1942, was a prominent American baseball player whose career spanned from 1963 to 1980. Known for his powerful hitting and strong presence in the outfield, Horton played primarily as a position player. Over the course of 2,028 games, he achieved 1,993 hits, 325 home runs, and 1,163 RBIs, finishing his career with a batting average of .273. His ability to drive in runs and his consistent offensive production made him a key player in Major League Baseball during his era. Horton was selected as an All-Star four times, underscoring his status as one of the top players in the league. He played during a transformative period in baseball, where power-hitting became increasingly valued, and he was part of a generation that helped popularize the home run as a centerpiece of the game. With 20 stolen bases to his name, Horton also showcased an ability to contribute on the bases, adding another dimension to his playing style. His legacy is remembered not only for his statistical achievements but also for his impact on the teams he played for, particularly the Detroit Tigers, where he spent a significant portion of his career.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2028 7298 873 1993 284 40 325 1163 20 620 1313 0.273 0.332 0.457 0.789 18091.7

Career AVG .273 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +7.9% above league average.

Career OBP .332 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .457 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — +22.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.789 vs. league average 0.693 across their career seasons — +13.8% 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
1963 DET AL 15 43 6 14 2 1 1 4 2 0 8 0.326 — — — — 0.0
1964 DET AL 25 80 6 13 1 3 1 10 0 11 20 0.163 .250 (-35%) .312 (-13%) .377 (-24%) .690 (-19%) -238.2
1965 DET AL 143 512 69 140 20 2 29 104 5 48 101 0.273 .245 (+11%) .310 (+9%) .371 (+32%) .682 (+22%) 2070.6
1966 DET AL 146 526 72 138 22 6 27 100 1 44 103 0.262 .248 (+6%) .309 (+4%) .376 (+28%) .685 (+17%) 1581.7
1967 DET AL 122 401 47 110 20 3 19 67 0 36 80 0.274 .242 (+13%) .306 (+10%) .357 (+35%) .663 (+23%) 1622.5
1968 DET AL 143 512 68 146 20 2 36 85 0 49 110 0.285 .236 (+20%) .298 (+18%) .340 (+60%) .638 (+40%) 3592.5
1969 DET AL 141 508 66 133 17 1 28 91 3 52 93 0.262 .248 (+5%) .320 (+4%) .369 (+26%) .689 (+16%) 1434.1
1970 DET AL 96 371 53 113 18 2 17 69 0 28 43 0.305 .253 (+20%) .325 (+9%) .385 (+30%) .711 (+20%) 1295.0
1971 DET AL 119 450 64 130 25 1 22 72 1 37 75 0.289 .249 (+16%) .316 (+10%) .365 (+36%) .682 (+24%) 1894.3
1972 DET AL 108 333 44 77 9 5 11 36 0 27 47 0.231 .243 (-5%) .310 (-6%) .353 (+9%) .664 (+2%) 63.3
1973 DET AL 111 411 42 130 19 3 17 53 1 23 57 0.316 .256 (+23%) .325 (+11%) .378 (+32%) .703 (+23%) 1659.8
1974 DET AL 72 238 32 71 8 1 15 47 0 21 36 0.298 .256 (+16%) .324 (+11%) .369 (+43%) .693 (+28%) 1144.2
1975 DET AL 159 615 62 169 13 1 25 92 1 44 109 0.275 .257 (+7%) .327 (-2%) .374 (+13%) .701 (+6%) 522.6
1976 DET AL 114 401 40 105 17 0 14 56 0 49 63 0.262 .255 (+3%) .320 (+7%) .360 (+13%) .681 (+10%) 815.1
1977 DET AL 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1977 TEX AL 139 519 55 150 23 3 15 75 2 42 117 0.289 .264 (+9%) .329 (+3%) .401 (+8%) .730 (+5%) 0.0
1978 CLE AL 50 169 15 42 7 0 5 22 3 15 25 0.249 .257 (-4%) .323 (-3%) .378 (avg) .702 (-1%) -29.9
1978 OAK AL 32 102 11 32 8 0 3 19 0 9 15 0.314 .257 (+22%) .323 (+14%) .378 (+27%) .702 (+21%) -29.9
1978 TOR AL 33 122 12 25 6 0 3 19 0 4 29 0.205 .257 (-21%) .323 (-29%) .378 (-13%) .702 (-21%) -29.9
1979 SEA AL 162 646 77 180 19 5 29 106 1 42 112 0.279 .265 (+5%) .329 (-1%) .397 (+15%) .727 (+8%) 934.6
1980 SEA AL 97 335 32 74 10 1 8 36 0 39 70 0.221 .264 (-17%) .326 (-6%) .387 (-15%) .714 (-11%) -635.5

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
12 33 6 8 1 1 1 3 6 9 0.242

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1972 ALCS DET 5 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.100
1968 WS DET 7 23 6 7 1 1 1 3 5 6 0.304

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
3B 1 0 0 2 0 0
OF 1190 1167 1921 58 58 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1963 DET OF 9 9 13 0 0 0
1964 DET OF 23 21 33 0 2 0
1965 DET 3B 1 0 0 2 0 0
1965 DET OF 141 138 249 7 3 1
1966 DET OF 137 133 233 4 5 1
1967 DET OF 110 108 165 5 5 2
1968 DET OF 139 137 212 6 6 2
1969 DET OF 136 135 272 8 8 0
1970 DET OF 96 96 154 10 3 1
1971 DET OF 118 117 176 8 7 1
1972 DET OF 98 93 131 6 0 0
1973 DET OF 107 106 160 2 10 0
1974 DET OF 64 64 106 2 6 0
1977 DET OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
1977 TEX OF 10 9 15 0 1 0
1978 OAK OF 1 0 1 0 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Third Base 1
Left Field 1112
Right Field 126
Designated Hitter 753

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1979 Outstanding DH Award
1979 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1976 Player of the Month April
1976 Player of the Week Week of 1976-04-23
1975 Outstanding DH Award
1975 Player of the Week Week of 1975-08-01
1975 TSN All-Star DH
1968 TSN All-Star OF

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1979 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 3.0 392 0
1973 Most Valuable Player AL 29th 3.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 102.0 280 0
1966 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 4.0 280 0
1965 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 24.0 280 0