Willard Nixon, baseball player, 1950-1958

Willard Nixon

Born: 6/17/1928 in Taylorsville, GA, USA

Died: 12/10/2000 in Rome, GA, USA

MLB Debut: 1950-07-07 | Final Game: 1958-07-04

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Willard Lee Nixon

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Biography

Willard Nixon, born in 1928, was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1950 until 1958. Known for his competitive spirit and determination on the mound, Nixon finished his career with a record of 69 wins and 72 losses, an earned run average (ERA) of 4.39, and a total of 616 strikeouts. His contributions to the game were marked by his ability to consistently challenge hitters and keep games competitive, despite the ups and downs reflected in his win-loss record. Nixon's playing career unfolded during a transformative era in baseball, characterized by the growing influence of television and the increasing integration of the sport. As a right-handed pitcher, he was known for his versatility, managing to secure three saves in addition to his starting and relief appearances. While he may not have reached the heights of some of his contemporaries, Nixon remains a respected figure in baseball history, representing the dedication and resilience of pitchers who labored through the challenges of the game during the 1950s.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
69 72 225 177 51 9 3 1234.0 1277 602 90 530 616 4.39 0

Career ERA 4.39 vs. league average 3.98 across their career seasons — 10.4% worse 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
1950 BOS AL 8 6 22 15 2 0 2 101.3 126 68 58 57 6.04 4.36 (-39%) 251.3
1951 BOS AL 7 4 33 14 2 1 1 125.0 136 68 56 70 4.90 4.04 (-21%) -254.9
1952 BOS AL 5 4 23 13 5 0 0 103.7 115 56 61 50 4.86 3.70 (-31%) -2939.2
1953 BOS AL 4 8 23 15 5 1 0 116.7 114 51 59 57 3.93 4.14 (+5%) 932.6
1954 BOS AL 11 12 31 30 8 2 0 199.7 182 90 87 102 4.06 3.90 (-4%) 191.6
1955 BOS AL 12 10 31 31 7 3 0 208.0 207 94 85 95 4.07 4.00 (-2%) 3530.2
1956 BOS AL 9 8 23 22 9 1 0 145.3 142 68 57 74 4.21 3.96 (-6%) 1749.1
1957 BOS AL 12 13 29 29 11 1 0 191.0 207 78 56 96 3.68 3.83 (+4%) 3538.0
1958 BOS AL 1 7 10 8 2 0 0 43.3 48 29 11 15 6.02 3.86 (-56%) -857.4

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
239 459 42 111 17 1 2 41 0 42 97 0.242 0.305 0.296 0.601 -719.7

Career AVG .242 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 6.9% below league average.

Career OBP .305 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — 8.3% below league average.

Career SLG .296 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 24.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.601 vs. league average 0.724 across their career seasons — 16.9% 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
1950 BOS AL 22 36 3 5 0 0 0 2 0 5 7 0.139 — — — — 0.0
1951 BOS AL 34 45 7 13 3 0 1 8 0 3 9 0.289 — — — — 0.0
1952 BOS AL 33 53 3 11 3 0 0 7 0 4 8 0.208 .252 (-18%) .326 (-19%) .369 (-29%) .696 (-24%) -216.7
1953 BOS AL 23 42 4 8 1 0 0 3 0 5 9 0.190 — — — — 0.0
1954 BOS AL 31 68 6 18 3 0 1 3 0 8 17 0.265 .261 (+1%) .333 (+3%) .390 (-10%) .723 (-4%) -27.0
1955 BOS AL 31 69 7 18 4 1 0 7 0 8 20 0.261 .258 (+1%) .332 (+2%) .393 (-12%) .726 (-6%) -57.5
1956 BOS AL 23 54 4 11 1 0 0 5 0 3 6 0.204 .258 (-21%) .331 (-27%) .397 (-44%) .728 (-36%) -336.4
1957 BOS AL 32 75 7 22 1 0 0 4 0 6 16 0.293 .257 (+14%) .323 (+7%) .391 (-22%) .715 (-9%) -82.0
1958 BOS AL 10 17 1 5 1 0 0 2 0 0 5 0.294 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 225 120 74 217 7 27

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1950 BOS P 22 0 7 14 1 3
1951 BOS P 33 0 2 23 1 1
1952 BOS P 23 0 7 18 0 4
1953 BOS P 23 0 7 18 2 1
1954 BOS P 31 30 17 34 1 6
1955 BOS P 31 31 18 43 1 3
1956 BOS P 23 22 7 31 1 4
1957 BOS P 29 29 8 28 0 4
1958 BOS P 10 8 1 8 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 225

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Auburn University Auburn AL 1947, 1948