Harry Spilman, baseball player, 1978-1989

Harry Spilman

Born: 7/18/1954 in Albany, GA, USA

MLB Debut: 1978-09-11 | Final Game: 1989-09-30

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: William Harry Spilman

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Biography

Harry Spilman, born in 1954, was a professional baseball player who had a career spanning from 1978 to 1989. Primarily known as a position player, Spilman appeared in 563 games over his time in Major League Baseball. He finished his career with a batting average of .237, accumulating 192 hits, including 18 home runs and 117 runs batted in (RBIs). Spilman's tenure in the league coincided with a transformative period in baseball, during which the game began to embrace more power-hitting strategies, yet he maintained a versatile playing style that contributed to his teams in various capacities. Despite not being known for speed, Spilman managed to steal 1 base throughout his career, highlighting his strategic approach to the game. His contributions on the field were significant during his era, as he played alongside and against some of the game's greats in a changing landscape of baseball. After retiring, Spilman left behind a legacy as a reliable and consistent player during a decade that saw the evolution of offensive production in the sport.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
563 810 96 192 34 1 18 117 1 81 126 0.237 0.306 0.348 0.654 -873.9

Career AVG .237 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 8.6% below league average.

Career OBP .306 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.

Career SLG .348 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 10.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.654 vs. league average 0.712 across their career seasons — 8.2% 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
1978 CIN NL 4 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1979 CIN NL 43 56 7 12 3 0 0 5 0 7 5 0.214 .265 (-19%) .329 (-2%) .397 (-33%) .727 (-19%) -150.2
1980 CIN NL 65 101 14 27 4 0 4 19 0 9 19 0.267 .264 (+1%) .326 (avg) .387 (+10%) .714 (+5%) 87.5
1981 CIN NL 23 24 4 4 1 0 0 3 0 3 7 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1981 HOU NL 28 34 5 10 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 0.294 — — — — 0.0
1982 HOU NL 38 61 7 17 2 0 3 11 0 5 10 0.279 .261 (+7%) .324 (+3%) .388 (+18%) .712 (+11%) 113.0
1983 HOU NL 42 78 7 13 3 0 1 9 0 5 12 0.167 .260 (-36%) .324 (-35%) .389 (-37%) .714 (-36%) -508.7
1984 HOU NL 32 72 14 19 2 0 2 15 0 12 10 0.264 .259 (+2%) .322 (+10%) .384 (-3%) .707 (+3%) 59.1
1985 HOU NL 44 66 3 9 1 0 1 4 0 3 7 0.136 .257 (-47%) .323 (-46%) .390 (-50%) .714 (-48%) -543.7
1986 DET AL 24 49 6 12 2 0 3 8 0 3 8 0.245 — — — — 26.9
1986 SFG NL 58 94 12 27 7 0 2 22 0 12 13 0.287 .257 (+11%) .325 (+13%) .395 (+8%) .720 (+10%) 26.9
1987 SFG NL 83 90 5 24 5 0 1 14 1 9 20 0.267 .262 (+1%) .331 (-1%) .415 (-14%) .746 (-9%) -149.2
1988 SFG NL 40 40 4 7 1 1 1 3 0 4 6 0.175 — — — — 0.0
1988 HOU NL 7 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1989 HOU NL 32 36 7 10 3 0 0 3 0 7 2 0.278 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0.200

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1987 NLCS SFN 3 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0.500
1981 NWDIV HOU 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1979 NLCS CIN 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 157 98 974 61 9 73
2B 1 0 1 1 0 0
3B 25 8 9 21 2 1
C 23 3 33 5 0 0
OF 4 2 0 1 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1979 CIN 1B 12 5 62 2 0 3
1979 CIN 3B 4 3 2 9 0 0
1980 CIN 1B 18 14 132 13 2 11
1980 CIN 3B 1 0 0 2 0 0
1980 CIN C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1980 CIN OF 2 1 0 0 0 0
1981 CIN 1B 2 1 12 1 1 0
1981 CIN 3B 3 1 4 2 0 0
1981 HOU 1B 13 4 46 2 0 3
1982 HOU 1B 11 10 86 5 1 5
1983 HOU 1B 19 11 124 7 0 5
1983 HOU C 6 1 14 1 0 0
1984 HOU 1B 18 16 130 6 3 14
1984 HOU C 8 2 13 3 0 0
1985 HOU 1B 19 14 131 4 0 15
1985 HOU C 2 0 3 0 0 0
1986 DET 1B 1 0 4 0 0 0
1986 DET 3B 2 1 1 1 0 0
1986 DET C 1 0 2 0 0 0
1986 SFN 1B 19 16 138 15 1 8
1986 SFN 2B 1 0 1 1 0 0
1986 SFN 3B 5 0 1 1 1 0
1986 SFN C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1986 SFN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1987 SFN 1B 9 3 39 1 1 4
1987 SFN 3B 10 3 1 6 1 1
1987 SFN C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1988 SFN 1B 6 0 18 1 0 3
1988 SFN C 2 0 1 1 0 0
1988 SFN OF 1 1 0 1 1 0
1988 HOU 1B 1 0 5 0 0 0
1989 HOU 1B 9 4 47 4 0 2
1989 HOU C 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 23
First Base 157
Second Base 1
Third Base 25
Left Field 4
Designated Hitter 11

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1989 HOU NL $150,000
1988 SFN NL $225,000
1987 SFN NL $175,000
1986 DET AL $60,000
1985 HOU NL $160,000
Total Career Earnings $770,000