Bill Melton

Born: 7/7/1945 in Gulfport, MS, USA

Died: 12/5/2024 in Phoenix, AZ, USA

MLB Debut: 1968-05-04 | Final Game: 1977-08-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: William Edwin Melton

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Biography

Bill Melton was a prominent American professional baseball player born in 1945, who made a significant impact in Major League Baseball during his career from 1968 to 1977. Primarily known for his role as a position player, Melton played a total of 1,144 games, where he showcased his power-hitting abilities and contributed to his teams with a career total of 1,004 hits. His offensive prowess was highlighted by his 160 home runs and 591 RBIs, alongside a batting average of .253. Melton also displayed a measure of speed on the basepaths, recording 23 stolen bases over his career. Melton achieved notable recognition during his time in the league, including an All-Star selection, which underscored his status as one of the top players of his era. He played primarily during a transitional period in baseball, where the game began to shift towards a greater emphasis on power hitting. Melton's contributions were particularly significant in an era that saw the emergence of more specialized pitching and a focus on offensive production. His legacy remains as a reliable slugger and a key figure in the history of the teams he represented.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1144	3971	496	1004	162	9	160	591	23	479	669	0.253	0.337	0.419	0.756	7288.7

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .337 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +5.1% above league average.

Career SLG .419 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — +13.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.756 vs. league average 0.691 across their career seasons — +9.3% 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
1968	CHW	AL	34	109	5	29	8	0	2	16	1	10	32	0.266	.236 (+12%)	.298 (+8%)	.340 (+16%)	.638 (+12%)	183.8
1969	CHW	AL	157	556	67	142	26	2	23	87	1	56	106	0.255	.248 (+3%)	.320 (+2%)	.369 (+17%)	.689 (+10%)	1014.7
1970	CHW	AL	141	514	74	135	15	1	33	96	2	56	107	0.263	.253 (+3%)	.325 (+4%)	.385 (+27%)	.711 (+16%)	1611.6
1971	CHW	AL	150	543	72	146	18	2	33	86	3	61	87	0.269	.249 (+8%)	.316 (+11%)	.365 (+35%)	.682 (+24%)	2502.9
1972	CHW	AL	57	208	22	51	5	0	7	30	1	23	31	0.245	.243 (+1%)	.310 (+3%)	.353 (+5%)	.664 (+4%)	150.7
1973	CHW	AL	152	560	83	155	29	1	20	87	4	75	66	0.277	.256 (+8%)	.325 (+12%)	.378 (+16%)	.703 (+14%)	1682.7
1974	CHW	AL	136	495	63	120	17	0	21	63	3	59	60	0.242	.256 (-6%)	.324 (avg)	.369 (+9%)	.693 (+5%)	519.2
1975	CHW	AL	149	512	62	123	16	0	15	70	5	78	106	0.240	.257 (-7%)	.327 (+6%)	.374 (-4%)	.701 (+1%)	300.3
1976	LAA	AL	118	341	31	71	17	3	6	42	2	44	53	0.208	.255 (-18%)	.320 (-6%)	.360 (-9%)	.681 (-8%)	-464.5
1977	CLE	AL	50	133	17	32	11	0	0	14	1	17	21	0.241	.264 (-9%)	.329 (+1%)	.401 (-19%)	.730 (-10%)	-212.7

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	45	38	354	23	2	30
3B	901	881	700	2045	147	184
OF	82	80	124	11	0	3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1968	CHA	3B	33	32	17	75	3	5
1969	CHA	3B	148	139	112	322	22	36
1969	CHA	OF	11	9	13	3	0	0
1970	CHA	3B	70	70	47	179	18	19
1970	CHA	OF	71	71	111	8	0	3
1971	CHA	3B	148	148	116	371	16	26
1972	CHA	3B	56	56	47	125	12	12
1973	CHA	3B	151	151	115	347	23	31
1974	CHA	3B	123	123	100	272	24	29
1975	CHA	3B	138	138	131	313	26	23
1976	CAL	1B	30	27	220	15	2	20
1976	CAL	3B	21	14	7	21	1	2
1977	CLE	1B	15	11	134	8	0	10
1977	CLE	3B	13	10	8	20	2	1