Don Wilson, baseball player, 1966-1974

Don Wilson

Born: 2/12/1945 in Monroe, LA, USA

Died: 1/5/1975 in Houston, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1966-09-29 | Final Game: 1974-09-28

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Donald Edward Wilson

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Don Wilson was a talented pitcher who made his mark in Major League Baseball during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Born in 1945, Wilson played his entire professional career from 1966 until his retirement in 1974. He was known for his impressive strikeout ability and consistency on the mound, finishing his career with a record of 104-92 and an earned run average (ERA) of 3.15. Over the course of his career, he struck out 1,283 batters and recorded 2 saves, showcasing his prowess as a key contributor to his team's pitching staff. Wilson's performance earned him recognition as an All-Star during his career, highlighting his status among the elite pitchers of his era. His contributions came during a time when Major League Baseball was evolving, as teams began to embrace more advanced strategies and training methods. Wilson's ability to maintain a strong ERA while accumulating a significant number of strikeouts positioned him as a formidable competitor, and he remains a respected figure in the history of the game.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
104 92 266 245 78 20 2 1748.3 1479 611 119 640 1283 3.15 0

Career ERA 3.15 vs. league average 3.50 across their career seasons — 10.2% better 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
1966 HOU NL 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 6.0 5 2 1 7 3.00 — 0.0
1967 HOU NL 10 9 31 28 7 3 0 184.0 141 57 69 159 2.79 3.30 (+16%) 2611.6
1968 HOU NL 13 16 33 30 9 3 0 208.7 187 76 70 175 3.28 2.98 (-10%) 3534.5
1969 HOU NL 16 12 34 34 13 1 0 225.0 210 100 97 235 4.00 3.61 (-11%) 5034.1
1970 HOU NL 11 6 29 27 3 0 0 184.3 188 80 66 94 3.91 3.89 (-1%) 102.5
1971 HOU NL 16 10 35 34 18 3 0 268.0 195 73 79 180 2.45 3.47 (+29%) 4740.5
1972 HOU NL 15 10 33 33 13 3 0 228.3 196 68 66 172 2.68 3.26 (+18%) 3389.7
1973 HOU NL 11 16 37 32 10 3 2 239.3 187 85 92 149 3.20 3.75 (+15%) 275.3
1974 HOU NL 11 13 33 27 5 4 0 204.7 170 70 100 112 3.08 3.63 (+15%) -2117.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
268 597 36 87 18 1 1 35 0 9 230 0.146 0.175 0.184 0.359 -4629.7

Career AVG .146 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 41.5% below league average.

Career OBP .175 vs. league average .316 across their career seasons — 44.5% below league average.

Career SLG .184 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — 49.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.359 vs. league average 0.683 across their career seasons — 47.3% below 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
1966 HOU NL 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1967 HOU NL 31 66 1 6 1 0 0 1 0 1 27 0.091 .242 (-62%) .306 (-53%) .357 (-70%) .663 (-63%) -635.5
1968 HOU NL 34 70 7 15 2 0 1 6 0 1 16 0.214 .236 (-9%) .298 (-21%) .340 (-16%) .638 (-18%) -204.4
1969 HOU NL 34 81 7 8 2 0 0 5 0 3 36 0.099 .248 (-60%) .320 (-48%) .369 (-67%) .689 (-58%) -781.7
1970 HOU NL 30 69 1 8 2 0 0 4 0 0 28 0.116 .253 (-54%) .325 (-61%) .385 (-62%) .711 (-62%) -708.8
1971 HOU NL 35 91 5 14 1 0 0 7 0 1 37 0.154 .249 (-38%) .316 (-43%) .365 (-55%) .682 (-49%) -719.0
1972 HOU NL 33 76 5 8 0 1 0 2 0 2 35 0.105 .243 (-57%) .310 (-59%) .353 (-63%) .664 (-61%) -734.1
1973 HOU NL 37 79 4 14 4 0 0 5 0 1 32 0.177 .256 (-31%) .325 (-42%) .378 (-40%) .703 (-41%) -553.3
1974 HOU NL 33 63 6 13 5 0 0 5 0 0 19 0.206 .256 (-20%) .324 (-30%) .369 (-23%) .693 (-26%) -292.9

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 266 245 93 191 24 12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1966 HOU P 1 0 0 1 0 1
1967 HOU P 31 28 9 17 2 0
1968 HOU P 33 30 16 22 4 0
1969 HOU P 34 34 19 25 3 0
1970 HOU P 29 27 6 17 2 2
1971 HOU P 35 34 9 26 2 4
1972 HOU P 33 33 8 37 2 1
1973 HOU P 37 32 15 25 4 3
1974 HOU P 33 27 11 21 5 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 266

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-07-05

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Compton Community College Compton CA 1964