Steve Bilko
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1949-1962)
Steve Bilko was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1962 for 6 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 14 seasons. In 600 career games, he hit .249 with 432 hits, 76 home runs, and 276 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,702.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 230 lb
- Died
- 3/7/1978 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1949-09-22
- Last Game
- 1962-08-23
Full name: Stephen Thomas Bilko
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600 | 1,738 | 220 | 432 | 85 | 13 | 76 | 276 | 2 | 234 | 395 | .249 | .336 | .444 | .780 | 2,702 |
Career AVG .249 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .336 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .444 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — +13.6% above league average.
Career OPS .780 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — +7.9% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | SLN | NL | 6 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 6 | .294 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | SLN | NL | 10 | 33 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | SLN | NL | 21 | 72 | 5 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 9 | 10 | .222 | .260 (-15%) | .336 (-8%) | .385 (-6%) | .721 (-7%) | -86.0 |
| 1952 | SLN | NL | 20 | 72 | 7 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 15 | .264 | .252 (+4%) | .326 (-7%) | .369 (+13%) | .696 (+3%) | 3.3 |
| 1953 | SLN | NL | 154 | 570 | 72 | 143 | 23 | 3 | 21 | 84 | 0 | 70 | 125 | .251 | .264 (-5%) | .335 (-1%) | .397 (+4%) | .733 (+2%) | 225.4 |
| 1954 | SLN | NL | 8 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | CHN | NL | 47 | 92 | 11 | 22 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 11 | 24 | .239 | .261 (-8%) | .333 (-4%) | .390 (+23%) | .723 (+10%) | 0.0 |
| 1958 | CIN | NL | 31 | 87 | 12 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 20 | .264 | .257 (+2%) | .324 (+2%) | .394 (+25%) | .719 (+15%) | 170.5 |
| 1958 | LAN | NL | 47 | 101 | 13 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 37 | .208 | .257 (-19%) | .324 (-19%) | .394 (+18%) | .719 (+1%) | 170.5 |
| 1960 | DET | AL | 78 | 222 | 20 | 46 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 25 | 0 | 27 | 31 | .207 | .255 (-19%) | .323 (-10%) | .387 (+2%) | .711 (-3%) | -144.1 |
| 1961 | LAA | AL | 114 | 294 | 49 | 82 | 16 | 1 | 20 | 59 | 1 | 58 | 81 | .279 | .258 (+8%) | .328 (+20%) | .399 (+36%) | .727 (+29%) | 1801.4 |
| 1962 | LAA | AL | 64 | 164 | 26 | 47 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 38 | 1 | 25 | 35 | .287 | .257 (+11%) | .326 (+15%) | .393 (+27%) | .719 (+21%) | 618.5 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 600 | 1,738 | 220 | 432 | 85 | 13 | 76 | 276 | 2 | 234 | 395 | .249 | — | — | — | — | 2,759 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (600 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 292 | 836 | 125 | 220 | 37 | 136 | .263 |
| Away | 308 | 902 | 96 | 212 | 39 | 140 | .235 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-08-23 | LAA | NYY | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1962-08-22 | LAA | NYY | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-08-14 | LAA | BOS | L | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1962-08-12 | LAA | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962-08-10 | LAA | MIN | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1962-08-08 | LAA | CHW | W | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-08-01 | LAA | CLE | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1962-07-29 | LAA | DET | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1962-07-29 | LAA | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962-07-27 | LAA | DET | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 479 | 245 | 3913 | 359 | 36 | 384 |
| OF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | SLN | 1B | 5 | 0 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1950 | SLN | 1B | 9 | 0 | 81 | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| 1951 | SLN | 1B | 19 | 0 | 170 | 13 | 3 | 18 |
| 1952 | SLN | 1B | 20 | 0 | 177 | 24 | 1 | 14 |
| 1953 | SLN | 1B | 154 | 0 | 1446 | 124 | 15 | 145 |
| 1954 | SLN | 1B | 6 | 4 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| 1954 | CHN | 1B | 22 | 21 | 182 | 28 | 0 | 17 |
| 1958 | CIN | 1B | 21 | 21 | 172 | 11 | 1 | 19 |
| 1958 | LAN | 1B | 25 | 25 | 173 | 17 | 1 | 20 |
| 1960 | DET | 1B | 62 | 59 | 501 | 36 | 5 | 47 |
| 1961 | LAA | 1B | 86 | 72 | 577 | 61 | 7 | 56 |
| 1961 | LAA | OF | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | LAA | 1B | 50 | 43 | 371 | 28 | 2 | 36 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 478 |
| Right Field | 3 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Steve Bilko (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Steve Bilko: the record in brief
Between the debut on September 22, 1949 and the final game on August 23, 1962, Steve Bilko built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the St. Louis Cardinals (1949 to 1954), the Chicago Cubs (1954), the Cincinnati Redlegs (1958), the Los Angeles Dodgers (1958), the Detroit Tigers (1960), and the Los Angeles Angels (1961 through 1962). Bilko is listed as a first baseman at 6 feet, 1 inch and 230 pounds. The bio says Bilko both batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is November 13, 1928, in Nanticoke, PA, USA. Bilko's death is recorded on March 7, 1978, in Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA. The given name on file is Stephen Thomas Bilko.
Bilko collected 432 hits in 1,738 at bats across 600 games, good for a .249 batting average, plus 76 homers and 276 runs batted in. Bilko got on base at a .336 rate and slugged .444 (.780 OPS). Against a .260 league average for those years, Bilko's .249 average was near the norm.
Frequently Asked Questions about Steve Bilko
- What years did Steve Bilko play?
- Steve Bilko played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1962.
- Was Steve Bilko a pitcher?
- No. Steve Bilko was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Steve Bilko hit?
- Steve Bilko hit 76 career home runs with 432 hits.
- What was Steve Bilko's career batting average?
- Steve Bilko batted .249 over his career, with 432 hits in 1,738 at bats.
- How many RBI did Steve Bilko have?
- Steve Bilko drove in 276 runs in his career.
- Is Steve Bilko in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Steve Bilko has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.