Maury Wills, baseball player, 1959-1972

Maury Wills

Born: 10/2/1932 in Washington, DC, USA

Died: 9/19/2022 in Sedona, AZ, USA

MLB Debut: 1959-06-06 | Final Game: 1972-10-04

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: Maurice Morning Wills

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Biography

Maury Wills was a prominent Major League Baseball player who made a significant impact on the game during his career from 1959 to 1972. Born in 1932, Wills was best known for his electrifying speed and exceptional base-running skills, which redefined the role of the leadoff hitter in the late 20th century. He played primarily as a shortstop and was a key figure for the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he became known for his innovative approach to stealing bases. Wills accumulated a remarkable 586 stolen bases over his career, a testament to his ability to disrupt opposing pitchers and defenses. Wills played in a total of 1,942 games and achieved 2,134 hits, resulting in a career batting average of .281. His offensive contributions included 20 home runs and 458 RBIs, but it was his speed that truly set him apart. He earned seven selections to the All-Star Game and was named the All-Star Game MVP during his illustrious career. Wills' influence extended beyond his statistics; he was a catalyst for the Dodgers' success during the 1960s, helping them secure three World Series titles. He played in an era transitioning from the deadball period into a more offensively driven game, and his legacy continues to be felt in the modern game, where base-stealing remains a valued skill.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1942 7588 1067 2134 177 71 20 458 586 552 684 0.281 0.330 0.331 0.661 -4929.8

Career AVG .281 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — +12.8% above league average.

Career OBP .330 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .331 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — 11.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.661 vs. league average 0.689 across their career seasons — near 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 LAD NL 83 242 27 63 5 2 0 7 7 13 27 0.260 .256 (+1%) .323 (-8%) .392 (-24%) .715 (-17%) -727.7
1960 LAD NL 148 516 75 152 15 2 0 27 50 35 47 0.295 .255 (+15%) .323 (+6%) .387 (-15%) .711 (-5%) -443.9
1961 LAD NL 148 613 105 173 12 10 1 31 35 59 50 0.282 .258 (+9%) .328 (+5%) .399 (-15%) .727 (-6%) -567.8
1962 LAD NL 165 695 130 208 13 10 6 48 104 51 57 0.299 .257 (+16%) .326 (+6%) .393 (-5%) .719 (avg) 60.9
1963 LAD NL 134 527 83 159 19 3 0 34 40 44 48 0.302 .246 (+23%) .308 (+15%) .371 (-6%) .680 (+3%) 483.9
1964 LAD NL 158 630 81 173 15 5 2 34 53 41 73 0.275 .250 (+10%) .312 (+2%) .377 (-14%) .690 (-7%) -820.0
1965 LAD NL 158 650 92 186 14 7 0 33 94 40 64 0.286 .245 (+17%) .310 (+6%) .371 (-11%) .682 (-3%) -333.2
1966 LAD NL 143 594 60 162 14 2 1 39 38 34 60 0.273 .248 (+10%) .309 (+2%) .376 (-18%) .685 (-9%) -927.1
1967 PIT NL 149 616 92 186 12 9 3 45 29 31 44 0.302 .242 (+25%) .306 (+9%) .357 (+2%) .663 (+5%) 561.2
1968 PIT NL 153 627 76 174 12 6 0 31 52 45 57 0.278 .236 (+17%) .298 (+9%) .340 (-7%) .638 (+1%) 163.9
1969 WSN NL 47 189 23 42 3 0 0 8 15 20 21 0.222 .248 (-10%) .320 (-8%) .369 (-36%) .689 (-23%) -659.6
1969 LAD NL 104 434 57 129 7 8 4 39 25 39 40 0.297 .248 (+20%) .320 (+11%) .369 (+2%) .689 (+6%) -659.6
1970 LAD NL 132 522 77 141 19 3 0 34 28 50 34 0.270 .253 (+6%) .325 (+2%) .385 (-17%) .711 (-8%) -739.6
1971 LAD NL 149 601 73 169 14 3 3 44 15 40 44 0.281 .249 (+13%) .316 (+2%) .365 (-10%) .682 (-4%) -503.1
1972 LAD NL 71 132 16 17 3 1 0 4 1 10 18 0.129 .243 (-47%) .310 (-39%) .353 (-53%) .664 (-46%) -1026.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
21 78 6 19 3 0 0 4 5 12 0.244

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1966 WS LAN 4 13 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 3 0.077
1965 WS LAN 7 30 3 11 3 0 0 3 1 3 0.367
1963 WS LAN 4 15 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.133
1959 WS LAN 6 20 2 5 0 0 0 1 0 3 0.250

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
3B 362 320 236 708 47 69
SS 1555 1512 2550 4804 284 859

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1959 LAN SS 82 70 121 220 12 39
1960 LAN SS 145 141 260 431 40 78
1961 LAN SS 148 146 253 428 29 104
1962 LAN SS 165 164 295 493 36 86
1963 LAN 3B 33 27 26 59 5 7
1963 LAN SS 109 104 171 322 21 47
1964 LAN 3B 6 4 2 6 0 0
1964 LAN SS 149 147 273 422 27 77
1965 LAN SS 155 154 267 535 25 89
1966 LAN 3B 4 4 4 7 0 1
1966 LAN SS 139 137 227 453 23 79
1967 PIT 3B 144 142 98 343 24 31
1967 PIT SS 2 1 4 3 0 1
1968 PIT 3B 141 140 105 276 17 27
1968 PIT SS 10 9 10 32 1 5
1969 MON 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1969 MON SS 46 46 72 139 11 31
1969 LAN SS 104 103 168 357 17 61
1970 LAN 3B 4 0 0 1 0 0
1970 LAN SS 126 124 171 396 24 58
1971 LAN 3B 4 0 0 2 1 1
1971 LAN SS 144 139 220 484 16 86
1972 LAN 3B 26 3 1 14 0 2
1972 LAN SS 31 27 38 89 2 18

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 1
Third Base 364
Shortstop 1555

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1965 TSN All-Star SS
1962 All-Star Game MVP 2nd Game
1962 Gold Glove SS
1962 Most Valuable Player
1962 TSN All-Star SS
1962 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1962 TSN Player of the Year
1961 Gold Glove SS
1961 TSN All-Star SS

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 74.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 17.0 336 0
1966 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 5.0 280 0
1965 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 164.0 280 5
1963 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 9.0 280 0
1962 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 209.0 280 8
1961 Most Valuable Player NL 9th 36.0 224 0
1960 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 7.0 336 0