Willie Stargell, baseball player, 475 home runs, 1962-1982

Willie Stargell

⭐ Hall of Fame 1988

Born: 3/6/1940 in Earlsboro, OK, USA

Died: 4/9/2001 in Wilmington, NC, USA

MLB Debut: 1962-09-16 | Final Game: 1982-10-03

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 188 lbs

Full name: Wilver Dornel Stargell

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Biography

Willie Stargell, born in 1940, was a legendary position player who had a profound impact on Major League Baseball during his career from 1962 to 1982. Known for his powerful hitting and charismatic personality, Stargell played his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, becoming one of the franchise's most iconic figures. Over the course of 2,360 games, he accumulated 2,232 hits, 475 home runs, and 1,540 RBIs, finishing with a batting average of .282. His prowess at the plate, combined with a tenacious spirit, made him a key player in the National League during an era that saw the rise of offensive power. Stargell's contributions were recognized through several accolades, including seven All-Star selections and significant postseason achievements, such as being named the NLCS MVP and the World Series MVP. He played a pivotal role in leading the Pirates to two World Series titles in the early 1970s, cementing his legacy as a clutch performer. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988, Stargell's influence extended beyond his statistics, as he became a beloved figure in baseball, known for his leadership and mentorship to younger players. His lasting impact on the game continues to be celebrated by fans and players alike.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2360 7927 1194 2232 423 55 475 1540 17 937 1936 0.282 0.360 0.529 0.889 42803.1

Career AVG .282 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — +10.9% above league average.

Career OBP .360 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +12.7% above league average.

Career SLG .529 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — +40.8% above league average.

Career OPS 0.889 vs. league average 0.695 across their career seasons — +27.9% 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
1962 PIT NL 10 31 1 9 3 1 0 4 0 3 10 0.290 — — — — 0.0
1963 PIT NL 108 304 34 74 11 6 11 47 0 19 85 0.243 .246 (-1%) .308 (-6%) .371 (+15%) .680 (+5%) 163.4
1964 PIT NL 117 421 53 115 19 7 21 78 1 17 92 0.273 .250 (+9%) .312 (-3%) .377 (+33%) .690 (+17%) 1059.6
1965 PIT NL 144 533 68 145 25 8 27 107 1 39 127 0.272 .245 (+11%) .310 (+6%) .371 (+35%) .682 (+21%) 1996.6
1966 PIT NL 140 485 84 153 30 0 33 102 2 48 109 0.315 .248 (+27%) .309 (+23%) .376 (+55%) .685 (+40%) 3693.3
1967 PIT NL 134 462 54 125 18 6 20 73 1 67 103 0.271 .242 (+12%) .306 (+19%) .357 (+30%) .663 (+25%) 2277.2
1968 PIT NL 128 435 57 103 15 1 24 67 5 47 105 0.237 .236 (avg) .298 (+5%) .340 (+30%) .638 (+18%) 1372.5
1969 PIT NL 145 522 89 160 31 6 29 92 1 61 120 0.307 .248 (+24%) .320 (+19%) .369 (+50%) .689 (+36%) 3570.1
1970 PIT NL 136 474 70 125 18 3 31 85 0 44 119 0.264 .253 (+4%) .325 (+1%) .385 (+32%) .711 (+18%) 1508.8
1971 PIT NL 141 511 104 151 26 0 48 125 0 83 154 0.295 .249 (+19%) .316 (+26%) .365 (+72%) .682 (+50%) 5020.1
1972 PIT NL 138 495 74 145 28 2 33 112 1 65 129 0.293 .243 (+20%) .310 (+20%) .353 (+58%) .664 (+40%) 3616.3
1973 PIT NL 148 522 106 156 43 3 44 119 0 80 129 0.299 .256 (+16%) .325 (+21%) .378 (+70%) .703 (+47%) 4849.3
1974 PIT NL 140 508 90 153 37 4 25 96 0 87 106 0.301 .256 (+17%) .324 (+25%) .369 (+46%) .693 (+36%) 3768.4
1975 PIT NL 124 461 71 136 32 2 22 90 0 58 109 0.295 .257 (+15%) .327 (+14%) .374 (+38%) .701 (+27%) 2360.9
1976 PIT NL 117 428 54 110 20 3 20 65 2 50 101 0.257 .255 (+1%) .320 (+6%) .360 (+27%) .681 (+17%) 1320.7
1977 PIT NL 63 186 29 51 12 0 13 35 0 31 55 0.274 .264 (+4%) .329 (+16%) .401 (+37%) .730 (+28%) 974.2
1978 PIT NL 122 390 60 115 18 2 28 97 3 50 93 0.295 .257 (+14%) .323 (+18%) .378 (+50%) .702 (+35%) 2653.7
1979 PIT NL 126 424 60 119 19 0 32 82 0 47 105 0.281 .265 (+6%) .329 (+7%) .397 (+39%) .727 (+24%) 1958.0
1980 PIT NL 67 202 28 53 10 1 11 38 0 26 52 0.262 .264 (-1%) .326 (+7%) .387 (+25%) .714 (+17%) 629.4
1981 PIT NL 38 60 2 17 4 0 0 9 0 5 9 0.283 .255 (+11%) .320 (+4%) .368 (-5%) .688 (-1%) -9.1
1982 PIT NL 74 73 6 17 4 0 3 17 0 10 24 0.233 .261 (-11%) .324 (-2%) .388 (+6%) .712 (+2%) 19.6

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
36 133 18 37 10 0 7 20 17 34 0.278

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1979 NLCS PIT 3 11 2 5 2 0 2 6 3 2 0.455
1979 WS PIT 7 30 7 12 4 0 3 7 0 6 0.400
1975 NLCS PIT 3 11 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 3 0.182
1974 NLCS PIT 4 15 3 6 0 0 2 4 1 2 0.400
1972 NLCS PIT 5 16 1 1 1 0 0 1 2 5 0.062
1971 NLCS PIT 4 14 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 0.000
1971 WS PIT 7 24 3 5 1 0 0 1 7 9 0.208
1970 NLCS PIT 3 12 0 6 1 0 0 1 1 1 0.500

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 848 803 7293 384 67 701
OF 1296 1241 1985 102 84 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1962 PIT OF 9 7 12 1 1 0
1963 PIT 1B 16 16 148 9 5 18
1963 PIT OF 65 55 78 3 4 0
1964 PIT 1B 50 49 486 22 1 50
1964 PIT OF 59 55 79 2 9 0
1965 PIT 1B 7 6 60 2 0 5
1965 PIT OF 137 130 208 12 8 3
1966 PIT 1B 15 12 120 4 0 17
1966 PIT OF 127 115 180 9 11 0
1967 PIT 1B 37 33 307 15 1 25
1967 PIT OF 98 92 140 12 10 1
1968 PIT 1B 13 11 110 7 0 12
1968 PIT OF 113 108 144 12 9 0
1969 PIT 1B 23 21 174 10 2 20
1969 PIT OF 116 112 159 4 5 1
1970 PIT 1B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1970 PIT OF 125 122 184 16 5 1
1971 PIT OF 138 137 237 8 4 4
1972 PIT 1B 101 99 881 40 15 96
1972 PIT OF 32 32 50 1 2 0
1973 PIT OF 142 141 261 14 7 1
1974 PIT 1B 1 1 3 0 0 0
1974 PIT OF 135 135 253 8 9 1
1975 PIT 1B 122 122 1121 54 10 112
1976 PIT 1B 111 110 1037 53 13 76
1977 PIT 1B 55 49 449 27 7 26
1978 PIT 1B 112 104 875 57 6 76
1979 PIT 1B 113 105 949 47 3 102
1980 PIT 1B 54 52 460 33 4 54
1981 PIT 1B 9 9 70 0 0 10
1982 PIT 1B 8 4 43 3 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 847
Left Field 1229
Center Field 8
Right Field 69

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1979 Babe Ruth Award 1B
1979 Most Valuable Player
1979 NLCS MVP
1979 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1979 World Series MVP
1978 Hutch Award
1978 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-05-06
1974 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1974 Roberto Clemente Award
1973 Player of the Week Week of 1973-08-10
1972 TSN All-Star 1B
1971 TSN All-Star OF
1966 TSN All-Star OF
1965 TSN All-Star OF

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1979 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 216.0 336 4
1978 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 39.0 336 0
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 69.0 336 0
1974 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 43.0 336 0
1973 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 250.0 336 10
1972 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 201.0 336 2
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 222.0 336 3
1970 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 20.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 7.0 336 0
1966 Most Valuable Player NL 15th 19.0 280 0
1965 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 15.0 280 0