Billy Williams, baseball player, 426 home runs, 1959-1976

Billy Williams

⭐ Hall of Fame 1987

Born: 6/15/1938 in Whistler, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1959-08-06 | Final Game: 1976-10-02

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: Billy Leo Williams

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Biography

Billy Williams, born in 1938, was a distinguished Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1959 to 1976. A left-handed outfielder and designated hitter, Williams became known for his consistency at the plate and his ability to drive in runs. Over the course of 2,488 games, he amassed 2,711 hits, 426 home runs, and 1,475 RBIs, finishing his career with an impressive batting average of .29. His offensive prowess, coupled with an agile playing style, made him a critical asset to the Chicago Cubs, where he spent the majority of his career. Williams also demonstrated speed on the basepaths, recording 90 stolen bases throughout his time in the league. Williams was recognized for his talents early in his career, winning both the Rookie of the Year and TSN Rookie of the Year honors. He earned six All-Star selections and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, solidifying his legacy as one of the game's greats. His contributions came during a transformative era in baseball, as the sport began to see a shift towards more dynamic offensive play. Williams’ enduring impact on the game is remembered not only through his impressive statistics but also through his commitment to excellence and sportsmanship on and off the field.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2488 9350 1410 2711 434 88 426 1475 90 1045 1046 0.290 0.361 0.492 0.853 44008.5

Career AVG .290 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +15.5% above league average.

Career OBP .361 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — +13.7% above league average.

Career SLG .492 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — +31.9% above league average.

Career OPS 0.853 vs. league average 0.691 across their career seasons — +23.5% 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
1959 CHC NL 18 33 0 5 0 1 0 2 0 1 7 0.152 — — — — 0.0
1960 CHC NL 12 47 4 13 0 2 2 7 0 5 12 0.277 — — — — 122.9
1961 CHC NL 146 529 75 147 20 7 25 86 6 45 70 0.278 .258 (+8%) .328 (+3%) .399 (+21%) .727 (+13%) 1275.6
1962 CHC NL 159 618 94 184 22 8 22 91 9 70 72 0.298 .257 (+16%) .326 (+13%) .393 (+18%) .719 (+16%) 2082.7
1963 CHC NL 161 612 87 175 36 9 25 95 7 68 78 0.286 .246 (+16%) .308 (+16%) .371 (+34%) .680 (+25%) 3010.8
1964 CHC NL 162 645 100 201 39 2 33 98 10 59 84 0.312 .250 (+24%) .312 (+18%) .377 (+41%) .690 (+31%) 3834.8
1965 CHC NL 164 645 115 203 39 6 34 108 10 65 76 0.315 .245 (+28%) .310 (+21%) .371 (+48%) .682 (+36%) 4474.8
1966 CHC NL 162 648 100 179 23 5 29 91 6 69 61 0.276 .248 (+11%) .309 (+12%) .376 (+23%) .685 (+18%) 2311.3
1967 CHC NL 162 634 92 176 21 12 28 84 6 68 67 0.278 .242 (+15%) .306 (+13%) .357 (+35%) .663 (+25%) 2894.6
1968 CHC NL 163 642 91 185 30 8 30 98 4 48 53 0.288 .236 (+22%) .298 (+13%) .340 (+47%) .638 (+31%) 3366.3
1969 CHC NL 163 642 103 188 33 10 21 95 3 59 70 0.293 .248 (+18%) .320 (+11%) .369 (+28%) .689 (+20%) 2419.2
1970 CHC NL 161 636 137 205 34 4 42 129 7 72 65 0.322 .253 (+27%) .325 (+20%) .385 (+52%) .711 (+37%) 4764.3
1971 CHC NL 157 594 86 179 27 5 28 93 7 77 44 0.301 .249 (+21%) .316 (+21%) .365 (+38%) .682 (+30%) 3588.7
1972 CHC NL 150 574 95 191 34 6 37 122 3 62 59 0.333 .243 (+36%) .310 (+28%) .353 (+71%) .664 (+51%) 5414.9
1973 CHC NL 156 576 72 166 22 2 20 86 4 76 72 0.288 .256 (+12%) .325 (+13%) .378 (+16%) .703 (+15%) 1816.0
1974 CHC NL 117 404 55 113 22 0 16 68 4 67 44 0.280 .256 (+9%) .324 (+18%) .369 (+23%) .693 (+20%) 1729.4
1975 OAK AL 155 520 68 127 20 1 23 81 0 76 68 0.244 .257 (-5%) .327 (+4%) .374 (+12%) .701 (+8%) 976.5
1976 OAK AL 120 351 36 74 12 0 11 41 4 58 44 0.211 .255 (-17%) .320 (avg) .360 (-6%) .681 (-3%) -74.5

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1975 ALCS OAK 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 96 93 805 76 12 72
OF 2088 2068 3562 143 101 24

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1959 CHN OF 10 7 18 0 0 0
1960 CHN OF 12 12 25 0 1 0
1961 CHN OF 135 133 220 9 11 3
1962 CHN OF 159 159 273 18 10 4
1963 CHN OF 160 160 298 13 4 2
1964 CHN OF 162 161 233 14 13 0
1965 CHN OF 164 164 296 10 10 2
1966 CHN OF 162 162 319 9 8 3
1967 CHN OF 162 162 271 3 3 1
1968 CHN OF 163 163 261 4 9 0
1969 CHN OF 159 159 250 15 12 2
1970 CHN OF 160 159 259 13 3 1
1971 CHN OF 154 152 284 8 7 3
1972 CHN 1B 5 5 42 4 0 5
1972 CHN OF 144 142 233 9 4 0
1973 CHN 1B 19 19 167 20 2 14
1973 CHN OF 138 132 253 14 4 1
1974 CHN 1B 65 64 566 49 9 48
1974 CHN OF 43 41 69 4 2 2
1975 OAK 1B 7 5 30 3 1 5
1976 OAK OF 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 96
Left Field 1738
Center Field 31
Right Field 381
Designated Hitter 251

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-06-14
1973 Player of the Week Week of 1973-09-07
1972 TSN All-Star OF
1972 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1972 TSN Player of the Year
1970 TSN All-Star OF
1968 TSN All-Star OF
1964 TSN All-Star OF
1961 Rookie of the Year
1961 TSN Rookie of the Year non-Pitcher

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1973 Most Valuable Player NL 29th 2.0 336 0
1972 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 211.0 336 5
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 10.0 336 0
1970 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 218.0 336 2
1969 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 6.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 48.0 280 0
1965 Most Valuable Player NL 12th 21.0 280 0
1964 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 6.0 280 0
1961 Rookie of the Year NL 1st 10.0 16 10