Vada Pinson, baseball player, 256 home runs, 1958-1975

Vada Pinson

Born: 8/11/1938 in Memphis, TN, USA

Died: 10/21/1995 in Oakland, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1958-04-15 | Final Game: 1975-09-28

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

Full name: Vada Edward Pinson

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Biography

Vada Pinson was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, known for his exceptional hitting and speed on the bases. Born in 1938, Pinson's career spanned from 1958 to 1975, during which he became one of the most consistent offensive threats of his era. Over the course of 2,469 games, he amassed 2,757 hits, 256 home runs, and 1,169 RBIs, showcasing his ability to drive in runs while maintaining a solid batting average of .286. Pinson's prowess on the base paths was highlighted by his 305 stolen bases, making him a dual threat as both a hitter and a runner. A four-time All-Star, Pinson played the majority of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, where he was known for his dynamic playing style and ability to hit for both average and power. He emerged as a key player during a transformative time in baseball, contributing significantly to the game before the onset of the steroid era. His combination of speed and hitting made him a valuable asset, and his legacy endures as one of the great outfielders of his time, remembered for his contributions to the teams he played for and the sport as a whole.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2469 9645 1365 2757 485 127 256 1169 305 574 1196 0.286 0.327 0.442 0.769 17762.6

Career AVG .286 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +13.8% above league average.

Career OBP .327 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .442 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — +18.1% above league average.

Career OPS 0.769 vs. league average 0.692 across their career seasons — +11.1% 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
1958 CIN NL 27 96 20 26 7 0 1 8 2 11 18 0.271 .257 (+5%) .324 (+8%) .394 (-5%) .719 (+1%) 45.5
1959 CIN NL 154 648 131 205 47 9 20 84 21 55 98 0.316 .256 (+23%) .323 (+14%) .392 (+30%) .715 (+23%) 2923.4
1960 CIN NL 154 652 107 187 37 12 20 61 32 47 96 0.287 .255 (+12%) .323 (+5%) .387 (+22%) .711 (+14%) 1676.5
1961 CIN NL 154 607 101 208 34 8 16 87 23 39 63 0.343 .258 (+33%) .328 (+15%) .399 (+26%) .727 (+21%) 2487.2
1962 CIN NL 155 619 107 181 31 7 23 100 26 45 68 0.292 .257 (+13%) .326 (+4%) .393 (+21%) .719 (+14%) 1520.4
1963 CIN NL 162 652 96 204 37 14 22 106 27 36 80 0.313 .246 (+27%) .308 (+12%) .371 (+38%) .680 (+26%) 3007.7
1964 CIN NL 156 625 99 166 23 11 23 84 8 42 99 0.266 .250 (+6%) .312 (+1%) .377 (+19%) .690 (+11%) 1114.8
1965 CIN NL 159 669 97 204 34 10 22 94 21 43 81 0.305 .245 (+24%) .310 (+13%) .371 (+30%) .682 (+22%) 2766.3
1966 CIN NL 156 618 70 178 35 6 16 76 18 33 83 0.288 .248 (+16%) .309 (+5%) .376 (+17%) .685 (+12%) 1258.8
1967 CIN NL 158 650 90 187 28 13 18 66 26 26 86 0.288 .242 (+19%) .306 (+4%) .357 (+27%) .663 (+16%) 1676.6
1968 CIN NL 130 499 60 135 29 6 5 48 17 32 59 0.271 .236 (+14%) .298 (+4%) .340 (+12%) .638 (+9%) 585.2
1969 STL NL 132 495 58 126 22 6 10 70 4 35 63 0.255 .248 (+3%) .320 (-5%) .369 (+4%) .689 (avg) -244.5
1970 CLE AL 148 574 74 164 28 6 24 82 7 28 69 0.286 .253 (+13%) .325 (-2%) .385 (+25%) .711 (+12%) 1116.1
1971 CLE AL 146 566 60 149 23 4 11 35 25 21 58 0.263 .249 (+6%) .316 (-7%) .365 (+3%) .682 (-2%) -342.6
1972 LAA AL 136 484 56 133 24 2 7 49 17 30 54 0.275 .243 (+13%) .310 (+3%) .353 (+6%) .664 (+5%) 371.9
1973 LAA AL 124 466 56 121 14 6 8 57 5 20 55 0.260 .256 (+1%) .325 (-12%) .378 (-3%) .703 (-7%) -852.6
1974 KCR AL 115 406 46 112 18 2 6 41 21 21 45 0.276 .256 (+7%) .324 (-4%) .369 (+1%) .693 (-1%) -182.1
1975 KCR AL 103 319 37 71 14 5 4 21 5 10 21 0.223 .257 (-14%) .327 (-24%) .374 (-10%) .701 (-17%) -1166.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
5 22 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.091

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1961 WS CIN 5 22 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.091

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 16 1 48 1 0 4
OF 2403 2335 5097 172 101 29

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1958 CIN OF 27 25 50 4 0 1
1959 CIN OF 154 154 423 11 7 4
1960 CIN OF 154 154 401 11 8 1
1961 CIN OF 153 151 391 19 10 4
1962 CIN OF 152 151 344 13 4 1
1963 CIN OF 162 162 357 9 8 0
1964 CIN OF 156 154 299 14 9 1
1965 CIN OF 159 159 354 9 3 1
1966 CIN OF 154 153 344 9 13 1
1967 CIN OF 157 156 341 4 5 1
1968 CIN OF 123 119 258 7 6 0
1969 SLN OF 124 123 218 6 1 2
1970 CLE 1B 7 0 19 1 0 2
1970 CLE OF 141 132 265 8 5 3
1971 CLE 1B 3 0 10 0 0 2
1971 CLE OF 141 133 305 11 7 2
1972 CAL 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1972 CAL OF 134 122 205 11 2 3
1973 CAL OF 120 113 210 11 8 2
1974 KCA 1B 1 1 10 0 0 0
1974 KCA OF 110 100 188 9 4 2
1975 KCA 1B 4 0 7 0 0 0
1975 KCA OF 82 74 144 6 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 16
Left Field 253
Center Field 1680
Right Field 549
Designated Hitter 7

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1961 Gold Glove OF

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1964 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 6.0 280 0
1963 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 32.0 280 0
1961 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 104.0 224 0
1960 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 6.0 336 0
1959 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 11.0 336 0