Vic Wertz, baseball player, 266 home runs, 1947-1963

Vic Wertz

Born: 2/9/1925 in York, PA, USA

Died: 7/7/1983 in Detroit, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1947-04-15 | Final Game: 1963-09-19

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 186 lbs

Full name: Victor Woodrow Wertz

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Biography

Vic Wertz was a prominent American baseball player, born in 1925 and active in Major League Baseball from 1947 until his retirement on September 19, 1963. Known for his powerful hitting and solid defensive capabilities, Wertz played primarily as a position player, appearing in 1,862 games throughout his career. He amassed a remarkable total of 1,692 hits, 266 home runs, and 1,178 RBIs, while maintaining a respectable batting average of .277. Wertz was also recognized for his contributions to the game with four All-Star selections, underscoring his status as one of the standout players of his era. Wertz played in a time that bridged the transition from the post-war period into the more dynamic offensive years of the 1950s and early 1960s. His playing style was characterized by a mix of power and consistency, making him a valuable asset to the teams he played for, including the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians. His ability to drive in runs placed him among the more productive offensive players of his time, and his legacy continues to be felt in the annals of baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1862 6099 867 1692 289 42 266 1178 9 828 842 0.277 0.364 0.469 0.833 18967.4

Career AVG .277 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.

Career OBP .364 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — +10.2% above league average.

Career SLG .469 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — +20.9% above league average.

Career OPS 0.833 vs. league average 0.719 across their career seasons — +16.0% 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
1947 DET AL 102 333 60 96 22 4 6 44 2 47 66 0.288 .262 (+10%) .336 (+12%) .376 (+15%) .712 (+13%) 888.6
1948 DET AL 119 391 49 97 19 9 7 67 0 48 70 0.248 .263 (-6%) .340 (-2%) .379 (+5%) .719 (+2%) 77.4
1949 DET AL 155 608 96 185 26 6 20 133 2 80 61 0.304 .262 (+16%) .343 (+12%) .384 (+21%) .727 (+17%) 2186.9
1950 DET AL 149 559 99 172 37 4 27 123 0 91 55 0.308 .265 (+16%) .346 (+18%) .401 (+33%) .747 (+26%) 3212.8
1951 DET AL 138 501 86 143 24 4 27 94 0 78 61 0.285 .260 (+9%) .336 (+14%) .385 (+33%) .721 (+24%) 2476.4
1952 DET AL 85 285 46 70 15 3 17 51 1 46 44 0.246 .252 (-3%) .326 (+8%) .369 (+35%) .696 (+22%) 1132.4
1952 SLA AL 37 130 22 45 5 0 6 19 0 23 20 0.346 .252 (+37%) .326 (+36%) .369 (+42%) .696 (+39%) 1132.4
1953 SLA AL 128 440 61 118 18 6 19 70 1 72 44 0.268 .264 (+1%) .335 (+12%) .397 (+17%) .733 (+15%) 1449.1
1954 BAL AL 29 94 5 19 1 0 1 13 0 11 17 0.202 .261 (-23%) .333 (-15%) .390 (-37%) .723 (-27%) -412.6
1954 CLE AL 94 295 33 81 14 2 14 48 0 34 40 0.275 .261 (+5%) .333 (+3%) .390 (+22%) .723 (+14%) -412.6
1955 CLE AL 74 257 30 65 11 2 14 55 1 32 33 0.253 .258 (-2%) .332 (avg) .393 (+20%) .726 (+11%) 458.1
1956 CLE AL 136 481 65 127 22 0 32 106 0 75 87 0.264 .258 (+2%) .331 (+10%) .397 (+28%) .728 (+20%) 2009.2
1957 CLE AL 144 515 84 145 21 0 28 105 2 78 88 0.282 .257 (+9%) .323 (+15%) .391 (+24%) .715 (+20%) 2174.3
1958 CLE AL 25 43 5 12 1 0 3 12 0 5 7 0.279 — — — — 0.0
1959 BOS AL 94 247 38 68 13 0 7 49 0 22 32 0.275 .256 (+7%) .323 (+4%) .392 (+5%) .715 (+5%) 224.1
1960 BOS AL 131 443 45 125 22 0 19 103 0 37 54 0.282 .255 (+11%) .323 (+4%) .387 (+19%) .711 (+12%) 948.9
1961 BOS AL 99 317 33 83 16 2 11 60 0 38 43 0.262 .258 (+1%) .328 (+3%) .399 (+7%) .727 (+6%) 312.3
1961 DET AL 8 6 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.167 — — — — 312.3
1962 DET AL 74 105 7 34 2 0 5 18 0 5 13 0.324 .257 (+26%) .326 (+10%) .393 (+23%) .719 (+17%) 309.9
1963 DET AL 6 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1963 MIN AL 35 44 3 6 0 0 3 7 0 6 5 0.136 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 16 2 8 2 1 1 3 2 2 0.500

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1954 WS CLE 4 16 2 8 2 1 1 3 2 2 0.500

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 715 685 5098 447 63 537
OF 889 38 1709 72 49 20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1947 DET OF 83 0 160 6 6 0
1948 DET OF 98 0 196 11 10 3
1949 DET OF 155 0 302 14 6 4
1950 DET OF 145 0 286 5 10 3
1951 DET OF 131 0 254 7 3 1
1952 DET OF 79 0 134 8 2 3
1952 SLA OF 36 0 64 0 3 0
1953 SLA OF 121 0 243 15 7 4
1954 BAL OF 27 27 47 5 2 1
1954 CLE 1B 83 79 557 52 7 57
1954 CLE OF 5 4 10 0 0 0
1955 CLE 1B 63 61 449 33 8 49
1955 CLE OF 9 7 13 1 0 1
1956 CLE 1B 133 133 971 77 9 99
1957 CLE 1B 139 138 1025 83 14 122
1958 CLE 1B 8 7 44 5 1 5
1959 BOS 1B 64 56 440 38 4 44
1960 BOS 1B 117 110 841 78 12 89
1961 BOS 1B 86 82 664 67 7 65
1962 DET 1B 16 14 75 9 1 5
1963 MIN 1B 6 5 32 5 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 715
Left Field 106
Center Field 3
Right Field 781

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1950 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1949 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1949 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1960 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 22.0 336 0
1957 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 61.0 336 0
1956 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 45.0 336 0
1950 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 50.0 336 0
1949 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 51.0 336 0