Willie Wilson

Born: 7/9/1955 in Montgomery, AL, USA

MLB Debut: 1976-09-04 | Final Game: 1994-05-16

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Willie James Wilson

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Biography

Willie Wilson was a prominent Major League Baseball player whose career spanned from 1976 to 1994. Born in 1955, Wilson became well-known for his speed and versatility as a position player. Over the course of his career, he played in 2,154 games and compiled a remarkable 2,207 hits, demonstrating consistent offensive production with a career batting average of .285. Wilson was an exceptional base stealer, finishing his career with 668 stolen bases, which showcased his ability to change the dynamics of a game with his speed on the bases. He contributed significantly to his teams, driving in 585 runs and hitting 41 home runs. An All-Star selection twice during his career, Wilson was a key figure for the Kansas City Royals, where he played the majority of his career. He was integral to the team's success in the 1980s, including their run to the World Series title in 1985. Known for his electrifying playing style and clutch performances, Wilson's contributions extended beyond statistics; he became a beloved figure in the game. His achievements reflect the era of baseball characterized by a heightened focus on speed and athleticism, and he left a lasting legacy as one of the premier leadoff hitters of his time.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
2154	7731	1169	2207	281	147	41	585	668	425	1144	0.285	0.326	0.376	0.702	-3008.6

Career AVG .285 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +9.9% above league average.

Career OBP .326 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .376 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.702 vs. league average 0.714 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
1976	KCR	AL	12	6	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	0.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
1977	KCR	AL	13	34	10	11	2	0	0	1	6	1	8	0.324	—	—	—	—	0.0
1978	KCR	AL	127	198	43	43	8	2	0	16	46	16	33	0.217	.257 (-16%)	.323 (-14%)	.378 (-27%)	.702 (-21%)	-785.8
1979	KCR	AL	154	588	113	185	18	13	6	49	83	28	92	0.315	.265 (+19%)	.329 (+6%)	.397 (+6%)	.727 (+6%)	648.1
1980	KCR	AL	161	705	133	230	28	15	3	49	79	28	81	0.326	.264 (+23%)	.326 (+9%)	.387 (+9%)	.714 (+9%)	1188.0
1981	KCR	AL	102	439	54	133	10	7	1	32	34	18	42	0.303	.255 (+18%)	.320 (+5%)	.368 (-1%)	.688 (+2%)	104.8
1982	KCR	AL	136	585	87	194	19	15	3	46	37	26	81	0.332	.261 (+27%)	.324 (+13%)	.388 (+11%)	.712 (+12%)	1266.6
1983	KCR	AL	137	576	90	159	22	8	2	33	59	33	75	0.276	.260 (+6%)	.324 (-3%)	.389 (-9%)	.714 (-6%)	-739.0
1984	KCR	AL	128	541	81	163	24	9	2	44	47	39	56	0.301	.259 (+16%)	.322 (+8%)	.384 (+1%)	.707 (+5%)	481.5
1985	KCR	AL	141	605	87	168	25	21	4	43	43	29	94	0.278	.257 (+8%)	.323 (-2%)	.390 (+4%)	.714 (+1%)	-54.0
1986	KCR	AL	156	631	77	170	20	7	9	44	34	31	97	0.269	.257 (+5%)	.325 (-4%)	.395 (-7%)	.720 (-6%)	-784.3
1987	KCR	AL	146	610	97	170	18	15	4	30	59	32	88	0.279	.262 (+6%)	.331 (-3%)	.415 (-9%)	.746 (-7%)	-891.2
1988	KCR	AL	147	591	81	155	17	11	1	37	35	22	106	0.262	.254 (+3%)	.317 (-9%)	.377 (-12%)	.695 (-11%)	-1376.5
1989	KCR	AL	112	383	58	97	17	7	3	43	24	27	78	0.253	.254 (avg)	.319 (-6%)	.375 (-5%)	.694 (-5%)	-498.6
1990	KCR	AL	115	307	49	89	13	3	2	42	24	30	57	0.290	.257 (+12%)	.324 (+9%)	.385 (-4%)	.710 (+2%)	178.7
1991	OAK	AL	113	294	38	70	14	4	0	28	20	18	43	0.238	.255 (-7%)	.323 (-10%)	.384 (-19%)	.708 (-15%)	-841.7
1992	OAK	AL	132	396	38	107	15	5	0	37	28	35	65	0.270	.255 (+6%)	.322 (+2%)	.377 (-12%)	.699 (-5%)	-376.1
1993	CHC	NL	105	221	29	57	11	3	1	11	7	11	40	0.258	.265 (-3%)	.332 (-9%)	.403 (-14%)	.735 (-12%)	-529.1
1994	CHC	NL	17	21	4	5	0	2	0	0	1	1	6	0.238	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
38	150	12	40	4	2	1	10	9	32	0.267

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1992	ALCS	OAK	6	22	0	5	1	0	0	0	1	5	0.227
1985	ALCS	KCA	7	29	5	9	0	0	1	2	1	5	0.310
1985	WS	KCA	7	30	2	11	0	1	0	3	1	4	0.367
1984	ALCS	KCA	3	13	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	2	0.154
1981	AWDIV	KCA	3	13	0	4	0	0	0	1	0	0	0.308
1980	ALCS	KCA	3	13	2	4	2	1	0	4	1	2	0.308
1980	WS	KCA	6	26	3	4	1	0	0	0	4	12	0.154
1978	ALCS	KCA	3	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.250

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	2031	1792	5060	76	67	15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1976	KCA	OF	6	1	6	1	1	0
1977	KCA	OF	9	6	24	0	1	0
1978	KCA	OF	112	45	171	6	4	2
1979	KCA	OF	152	135	384	12	6	0
1980	KCA	OF	159	157	482	9	6	1
1981	KCA	OF	101	100	299	14	4	3
1982	KCA	OF	135	135	376	4	5	0
1983	KCA	OF	136	132	354	3	9	0
1984	KCA	OF	128	128	383	6	4	2
1985	KCA	OF	140	140	378	4	2	1
1986	KCA	OF	155	149	408	4	3	2
1987	KCA	OF	143	142	342	3	1	1
1988	KCA	OF	142	141	365	1	4	0
1989	KCA	OF	108	95	252	2	6	0
1990	KCA	OF	106	81	187	2	0	1
1991	OAK	OF	87	63	176	2	3	0
1992	OAK	OF	120	100	355	2	7	2
1993	CHN	OF	82	39	109	1	1	0
1994	CHN	OF	10	3	9	0	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Left Field	676
Center Field	1357
Right Field	31
Designated Hitter	28

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1982	Silver Slugger	OF
1981	Player of the Month	September
1980	Gold Glove	OF
1980	Silver Slugger	OF
1979	Player of the Week	Week of 1979-08-24

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
1994	CHN	NL	$700,000
1993	CHN	NL	$700,000
1992	OAK	AL	$1,100,000
1991	OAK	AL	$1,000,000
1990	KCA	AL	$800,000
1989	KCA	AL	$2,112,205
1988	KCA	AL	$1,383,712
1987	KCA	AL	$1,389,706
1986	KCA	AL	$1,175,000
1985	KCA	AL	$843,750
Total Career Earnings			$11,204,373

Award Voting History

Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1984	Most Valuable Player	AL	10th	61.0	392	0
1982	Most Valuable Player	AL	15th	16.0	392	0
1980	Most Valuable Player	AL	4th	169.0	392	1
1979	Most Valuable Player	AL	17th	15.0	392	0