Billy O'Dell, baseball player, 1954-1967

Billy O'Dell

Born: 2/10/1933 in Whitmire, SC, USA

Died: 9/12/2018 in Newberry, SC, USA

MLB Debut: 1954-06-20 | Final Game: 1967-09-12

Bats: B | Throws: L | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: William Oliver O'Dell

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Biography

Billy O'Dell, born in 1933, was a prominent left-handed pitcher who made significant contributions to Major League Baseball from 1954 until his retirement in 1967. Known for his smooth delivery and effective breaking pitches, O'Dell showcased his talents with a career record of 105-100 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.29. Over the course of his career, he recorded 1,133 strikeouts and secured 48 saves, establishing himself as a reliable arm in various pitching rotations. O'Dell was selected as an All-Star twice, highlighting his status as one of the top pitchers of his era. O'Dell played during a transformative period in baseball history, navigating the transition from the post-war era into the more competitive landscape of the 1960s. His ability to maintain consistent performance in a league that saw the emergence of powerful hitters underscored his skill and resilience on the mound. Throughout his career, O'Dell’s contributions were not only measured in statistics but also in his leadership and influence on younger players, making him a respected figure in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
105 100 479 199 63 13 48 1817.0 1697 665 137 556 1133 3.29 0

Career ERA 3.29 vs. league average 3.72 across their career seasons — 11.4% 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
1954 BAL AL 1 1 7 2 1 0 0 16.3 15 5 5 6 2.76 3.90 (+29%) 539.1
1956 BAL AL 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 8.0 6 1 6 6 1.12 — 0.0
1957 BAL AL 4 10 35 15 2 1 4 140.3 107 42 39 97 2.69 3.83 (+30%) 2554.4
1958 BAL AL 14 11 41 25 12 3 8 221.3 201 73 51 137 2.97 3.86 (+23%) 6459.8
1959 BAL AL 10 12 38 24 6 2 1 199.3 163 65 67 88 2.93 3.90 (+25%) 242.2
1960 SFG NL 8 13 43 24 6 1 2 202.7 198 72 72 145 3.20 3.82 (+16%) -
1961 SFG NL 7 5 46 14 4 1 2 130.3 132 52 33 110 3.59 4.03 (+11%) -
1962 SFG NL 19 14 43 39 20 2 0 280.7 282 110 66 195 3.53 3.96 (+11%) -
1963 SFG NL 14 10 36 33 10 3 1 222.3 218 78 70 116 3.16 3.46 (+9%) -
1964 SFG NL 8 7 36 8 1 0 2 85.0 82 51 35 54 5.40 3.58 (-51%) -
1965 ATL NL 10 6 62 1 0 0 18 111.3 87 27 30 78 2.18 3.50 (+38%) -
1966 ATL NL 2 3 24 0 0 0 6 41.3 44 11 18 20 2.40 3.52 (+32%) -480.9
1966 PIT NL 3 2 37 2 0 0 4 71.3 74 22 23 47 2.78 3.52 (+21%) 1088.4
1967 PIT NL 5 6 27 11 1 0 0 86.7 88 56 41 34 5.82 3.30 (-76%) -3250.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
530 528 43 66 6 0 2 19 5 38 171 0.125 0.183 0.148 0.331 -2910.9

Career AVG .125 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 50.6% below league average.

Career OBP .183 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 42.6% below league average.

Career SLG .148 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — 61.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.331 vs. league average 0.703 across their career seasons — 52.9% 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
1954 BAL AL 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1956 BAL AL 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1957 BAL AL 37 34 3 5 0 0 0 1 0 1 8 0.147 — — — — 0.0
1958 BAL AL 42 72 5 8 2 0 1 1 2 6 27 0.111 .257 (-57%) .324 (-45%) .394 (-54%) .719 (-50%) -621.4
1959 BAL AL 43 60 5 5 0 0 1 2 1 4 18 0.083 .256 (-68%) .323 (-57%) .392 (-66%) .715 (-62%) -636.3
1960 SFG NL 49 56 8 6 0 0 0 0 1 11 19 0.107 .255 (-58%) .323 (-22%) .387 (-72%) .711 (-49%) -441.7
1961 SFG NL 49 39 1 4 0 0 0 2 0 1 10 0.103 — — — — 0.0
1962 SFG NL 49 90 7 12 0 0 0 6 1 6 29 0.133 .257 (-48%) .326 (-42%) .393 (-66%) .719 (-55%) -851.2
1963 SFG NL 47 78 6 16 3 0 0 3 0 4 23 0.205 .246 (-17%) .308 (-21%) .371 (-34%) .680 (-28%) -360.2
1964 SFG NL 50 22 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1965 ATL NL 62 23 1 4 1 0 0 2 0 1 11 0.174 — — — — 0.0
1966 ATL NL 26 8 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1966 PIT NL 37 16 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 5 0.062 — — — — 0.0
1967 PIT NL 28 26 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 0.115 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1962 WS SFN 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.333

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 3 1 1 12.3 12 6 3 9 4.38

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1962 WS SFN 0 1 3 1 1 12.3 12 6 3 9 4.38

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
P 479 199 88 252 13 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1954 BAL P 7 2 0 5 0 0
1956 BAL P 4 1 0 0 0 0
1957 BAL P 35 15 5 14 2 1
1958 BAL P 41 25 12 32 0 2
1959 BAL P 38 24 7 44 3 3
1960 SFN P 43 24 9 29 1 0
1961 SFN P 46 14 8 17 0 1
1962 SFN P 43 39 15 39 5 0
1963 SFN P 36 33 5 27 1 0
1964 SFN P 36 8 5 10 1 0
1965 ML1 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1965 ML1 P 62 1 12 13 0 1
1966 ATL P 24 0 1 5 0 1
1966 PIT P 37 2 6 5 0 1
1967 PIT P 27 11 3 12 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 479
First Base 1

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Clemson University Clemson SC 1952, 1953, 1954