Ted Williams, baseball player, 521 home runs, 1939-1960

Ted Williams

⭐ Hall of Fame 1966

Born: 8/30/1918 in San Diego, CA, USA

Died: 7/5/2002 in Inverness, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1939-04-20 | Final Game: 1960-09-28

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: Theodore Samuel Williams

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Biography

Ted Williams, born in 1918, was one of the most iconic figures in baseball history, renowned for his exceptional hitting ability and keen understanding of the game. He played his entire career from 1939 to 1960, amassing an impressive total of 2,292 games. Throughout his tenure, Williams recorded 2,654 hits, 521 home runs, and 1,839 RBIs, culminating in a remarkable career batting average of .344. His prowess at the plate established him as a dominant force in Major League Baseball, and he was selected as an All-Star 19 times, underscoring his consistent excellence and popularity among fans. Williams' career was marked by his commitment to the sport, as well as his time serving in the military during World War II, which interrupted his playing career. He was known for his disciplined batting approach and powerful swing, earning the nickname "The Splendid Splinter." His legacy was further cemented when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, reflecting his status as one of the greatest hitters of all time. Ted Williams remains a symbol of the golden age of baseball, celebrated for both his on-field achievements and his profound impact on the game.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
5.0 4.0 2.0 3.0 1.0 0 1.0 4.0 1.0 0 0 0.750 0.800 1.750 2.550

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1941 5.0 4.0 2.0 3.0 1.0 0 1.0 4.0 1.0 0 0 0.750 0.800 1.750 2.550

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2292 7706 1798 2654 525 71 521 1839 24 2021 709 0.344 0.482 0.634 1.116 96302.4

Career AVG .344 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +32.1% above league average.

Career OBP .482 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — +44.8% above league average.

Career SLG .634 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +65.2% above league average.

Career OPS 1.116 vs. league average 0.716 across their career seasons — +55.7% 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
1939 BOS AL 149 565 131 185 44 11 31 145 2 107 64 0.327 .274 (+19%) .342 (+27%) .393 (+55%) .735 (+42%) 5195.5
1940 BOS AL 144 561 134 193 43 14 23 113 4 96 54 0.344 .267 (+29%) .335 (+32%) .387 (+53%) .722 (+43%) 5169.0
1941 BOS AL 143 456 135 185 33 3 37 120 2 147 27 0.406 .262 (+55%) .332 (+66%) .373 (+97%) .705 (+82%) 8671.5
1942 BOS AL 150 522 141 186 34 5 36 137 3 145 51 0.356 .253 (+41%) .323 (+54%) .349 (+85%) .672 (+70%) 8055.9
1946 BOS AL 150 514 142 176 37 8 38 123 0 156 44 0.342 .256 (+33%) .328 (+51%) .358 (+86%) .687 (+69%) 7956.4
1947 BOS AL 156 528 125 181 40 9 32 114 0 162 47 0.343 .262 (+31%) .336 (+48%) .376 (+69%) .712 (+59%) 7347.0
1948 BOS AL 137 509 124 188 44 3 25 127 4 126 41 0.369 .263 (+40%) .340 (+46%) .379 (+62%) .719 (+55%) 6287.9
1949 BOS AL 155 566 150 194 39 3 43 159 1 162 48 0.343 .262 (+30%) .343 (+43%) .384 (+69%) .727 (+57%) 7558.5
1950 BOS AL 89 334 82 106 24 1 28 97 3 82 21 0.317 .265 (+19%) .346 (+31%) .401 (+61%) .747 (+47%) 3261.8
1951 BOS AL 148 531 109 169 28 4 30 126 1 144 45 0.318 .260 (+22%) .336 (+38%) .385 (+44%) .721 (+41%) 5247.0
1952 BOS AL 6 10 2 4 0 1 1 3 0 2 2 0.400 — — — — 0.0
1953 BOS AL 37 91 17 37 6 0 13 34 0 19 10 0.407 .264 (+54%) .335 (+52%) .397 (+127%) .733 (+92%) 1496.8
1954 BOS AL 117 386 93 133 23 1 29 89 0 136 32 0.345 .261 (+32%) .333 (+54%) .390 (+63%) .723 (+59%) 5416.6
1955 BOS AL 98 320 77 114 21 3 28 83 2 91 24 0.356 .258 (+38%) .332 (+49%) .393 (+78%) .726 (+65%) 4449.0
1956 BOS AL 136 400 71 138 28 2 24 82 0 102 39 0.345 .258 (+34%) .331 (+45%) .397 (+52%) .728 (+49%) 4547.9
1957 BOS AL 132 420 96 163 28 1 38 87 0 119 43 0.388 .257 (+51%) .323 (+62%) .391 (+87%) .715 (+76%) 7182.5
1958 BOS AL 129 411 81 135 23 2 26 85 1 98 49 0.328 .257 (+27%) .324 (+41%) .394 (+48%) .719 (+45%) 4201.9
1959 BOS AL 103 272 32 69 15 0 10 43 0 52 27 0.254 .256 (-1%) .323 (+15%) .392 (+7%) .715 (+10%) 688.5
1960 BOS AL 113 310 56 98 15 0 29 72 1 75 41 0.316 .255 (+24%) .323 (+39%) .387 (+66%) .711 (+54%) 3568.6

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 1 0 0 1 4.50 0

Career ERA 4.50 vs. league average 4.21 across their career seasons — 6.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1940 BOS AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 1 0 1 4.50 — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 25 2 5 0 0 0 1 5 5 0.200

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1946 WS BOS 7 25 2 5 0 0 0 1 5 5 0.200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 2151 717 4158 140 113 30
P 1 0 0 2 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1939 BOS OF 149 0 318 11 19 3
1940 BOS OF 143 0 302 13 13 2
1940 BOS P 1 0 0 2 0 0
1941 BOS OF 133 0 262 11 11 2
1942 BOS OF 150 0 312 15 4 4
1946 BOS OF 150 0 325 7 10 2
1947 BOS OF 156 0 347 10 9 2
1948 BOS OF 134 0 289 9 5 2
1949 BOS OF 155 0 337 12 6 3
1950 BOS OF 86 0 165 7 8 0
1951 BOS OF 147 0 315 12 4 6
1952 BOS OF 2 0 4 0 0 0
1953 BOS OF 26 0 31 1 1 1
1954 BOS OF 115 113 213 5 4 0
1955 BOS OF 93 93 170 5 2 0
1956 BOS OF 110 110 174 7 5 2
1957 BOS OF 125 125 215 2 1 0
1958 BOS OF 114 114 154 3 7 0
1959 BOS OF 76 75 94 4 3 0
1960 BOS OF 87 87 131 6 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 1
Left Field 1982
Right Field 169

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1958 TSN All-Star OF
1957 TSN All-Star OF
1957 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1957 TSN Player of the Year
1956 TSN All-Star OF
1955 TSN All-Star OF
1951 TSN All-Star OF
1950 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1949 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1949 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1949 Most Valuable Player
1949 TSN All-Star OF
1949 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1949 TSN Player of the Year
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1948 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1948 TSN All-Star OF
1947 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1947 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1947 Triple Crown
1947 TSN All-Star OF
1947 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1946 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1946 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1946 Most Valuable Player
1946 TSN All-Star OF
1942 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1942 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1942 Triple Crown
1942 TSN All-Star OF
1942 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1941 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1941 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1941 TSN All-Star OF
1941 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1940 TSN All-Star OF
1939 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1939 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1939 TSN All-Star OF

Featured In Rankings

#3
Top 30 Outfielders in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 3 of 30
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Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1960 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 25.0 336 0
1959 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 2.0 336 0
1958 Most Valuable Player AL 7th 89.0 336 0
1957 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 209.0 336 5
1956 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 70.0 336 0
1955 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 143.0 336 1
1954 Most Valuable Player AL 7th 65.0 336 0
1953 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 1.0 336 0
1951 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 35.0 336 0
1950 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 7.0 336 0
1949 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 272.0 336 13
1948 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 171.0 336 0
1947 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 201.0 336 3
1946 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 224.0 336 9
1942 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 249.0 336 9
1941 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 254.0 336 8
1940 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 16.0 336 0
1939 Most Valuable Player AL 4th 126.0 336 0