Walker Cooper
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1940-1957)
Walker Cooper was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1957 for 7 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 18 seasons. In 1,473 career games, he hit .285 with 1,341 hits, 173 home runs, and 812 RBI. Walker Cooper was a 8-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 10,187.
- 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 210 lb
- Died
- 4/11/1991 in Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1940-09-25
- Last Game
- 1957-09-20
- Awards
- 8× All-Star
Full name: William Walker Cooper
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,473 | 4,702 | 573 | 1,341 | 240 | 40 | 173 | 812 | 18 | 309 | 357 | .285 | .332 | .464 | .796 | 10,187 |
Career AVG .285 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.
Career OBP .332 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .464 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — +23.2% above league average.
Career OPS .796 vs. league average .709 across their career seasons — +12.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | SLN | NL | 6 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .316 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | SLN | NL | 68 | 200 | 19 | 49 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 13 | 14 | .245 | .262 (-7%) | .332 (-12%) | .373 (-16%) | .705 (-14%) | -462.2 |
| 1942 | SLN | NL | 125 | 438 | 58 | 123 | 32 | 7 | 7 | 65 | 4 | 29 | 29 | .281 | .253 (+11%) | .323 (+1%) | .349 (+24%) | .672 (+13%) | 847.0 |
| 1943 | SLN | NL | 122 | 449 | 52 | 143 | 30 | 4 | 9 | 81 | 1 | 19 | 19 | .318 | .255 (+24%) | .324 (+7%) | .346 (+34%) | .671 (+21%) | 1505.2 |
| 1944 | SLN | NL | 112 | 397 | 56 | 126 | 25 | 5 | 13 | 72 | 4 | 20 | 19 | .317 | .261 (+21%) | .325 (+8%) | .357 (+41%) | .683 (+25%) | 1634.6 |
| 1945 | SLN | NL | 4 | 18 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .389 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | NY1 | NL | 87 | 280 | 29 | 75 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 46 | 0 | 17 | 12 | .268 | .256 (+4%) | .328 (-6%) | .358 (+11%) | .687 (+3%) | 54.4 |
| 1947 | NY1 | NL | 140 | 515 | 79 | 157 | 24 | 8 | 35 | 122 | 2 | 24 | 43 | .305 | .262 (+16%) | .336 (+1%) | .376 (+56%) | .712 (+30%) | 2667.0 |
| 1948 | NY1 | NL | 91 | 290 | 40 | 77 | 12 | 0 | 16 | 54 | 1 | 28 | 29 | .266 | .263 (+1%) | .340 (-2%) | .379 (+25%) | .719 (+12%) | 573.5 |
| 1949 | NY1 | NL | 42 | 147 | 14 | 31 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 8 | .211 | .262 (-20%) | .343 (-24%) | .384 (-10%) | .727 (-16%) | -437.1 |
| 1949 | CIN | NL | 82 | 307 | 34 | 86 | 9 | 2 | 16 | 62 | 0 | 21 | 24 | .280 | .262 (+7%) | .343 (-4%) | .384 (+25%) | .727 (+11%) | -437.1 |
| 1950 | CIN | NL | 15 | 47 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .191 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | BSN | NL | 102 | 337 | 52 | 111 | 19 | 3 | 14 | 60 | 1 | 30 | 26 | .329 | .265 (+24%) | .346 (+12%) | .401 (+31%) | .747 (+23%) | 0.0 |
| 1951 | BSN | NL | 109 | 342 | 42 | 107 | 14 | 1 | 18 | 59 | 1 | 28 | 18 | .313 | .260 (+20%) | .336 (+9%) | .385 (+34%) | .721 (+22%) | 1401.2 |
| 1952 | BSN | NL | 102 | 349 | 33 | 82 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 55 | 1 | 22 | 32 | .235 | .252 (-7%) | .326 (-14%) | .369 (-2%) | .696 (-8%) | -487.7 |
| 1953 | ML1 | NL | 53 | 137 | 12 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 1 | 12 | 15 | .219 | .264 (-17%) | .335 (-15%) | .397 (-17%) | .733 (-16%) | -363.0 |
| 1954 | PIT | NL | 14 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | CHN | NL | 57 | 158 | 21 | 49 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 32 | 0 | 21 | 23 | .310 | .261 (+19%) | .333 (+19%) | .390 (+36%) | .723 (+28%) | 0.0 |
| 1955 | CHN | NL | 54 | 111 | 11 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 6 | 19 | .279 | .258 (+8%) | .332 (-3%) | .393 (+42%) | .726 (+21%) | 356.7 |
| 1956 | SLN | NL | 40 | 68 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 8 | .265 | .258 (+3%) | .331 (-11%) | .397 (+15%) | .728 (+3%) | 4.4 |
| 1957 | SLN | NL | 48 | 78 | 7 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 10 | .269 | .257 (+5%) | .323 (-4%) | .391 (+21%) | .715 (+10%) | 91.0 |
| Career · 21 seasons | 1,473 | 4,702 | 573 | 1,341 | 240 | 40 | 173 | 812 | 18 | 309 | 357 | .285 | — | — | — | — | 6,948 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1473 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 756 | 2341 | 272 | 652 | 71 | 388 | .279 |
| Away | 717 | 2358 | 300 | 689 | 102 | 424 | .292 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-09-20 | STL | CIN | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-17 | STL | BRO | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-15 | STL | PIT | W | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-10 | STL | PHI | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957-09-08 | STL | CIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-06 | STL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1957-09-02 | STL | CIN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-01 | STL | CHC | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1957-08-31 | STL | CHC | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-08-30 | STL | CHC | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1223 | 89 | 5166 | 589 | 138 | 80 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | SLN | C | 6 | 0 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941 | SLN | C | 63 | 0 | 247 | 39 | 10 | 11 |
| 1942 | SLN | C | 115 | 0 | 519 | 62 | 17 | 6 |
| 1943 | SLN | C | 112 | 0 | 504 | 49 | 14 | 5 |
| 1944 | SLN | C | 97 | 0 | 442 | 40 | 10 | 7 |
| 1945 | SLN | C | 4 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1946 | NY1 | C | 73 | 0 | 277 | 38 | 9 | 3 |
| 1947 | NY1 | C | 132 | 0 | 561 | 51 | 13 | 8 |
| 1948 | NY1 | C | 79 | 0 | 307 | 21 | 7 | 3 |
| 1949 | NY1 | C | 40 | 0 | 148 | 18 | 3 | 2 |
| 1949 | CIN | C | 77 | 0 | 316 | 43 | 8 | 3 |
| 1950 | CIN | C | 13 | 0 | 62 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 1950 | BSN | C | 88 | 0 | 386 | 47 | 12 | 9 |
| 1951 | BSN | C | 90 | 0 | 367 | 57 | 8 | 9 |
| 1952 | BSN | C | 89 | 0 | 417 | 55 | 8 | 8 |
| 1953 | ML1 | C | 35 | 0 | 165 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 1954 | PIT | C | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | CHN | C | 48 | 43 | 190 | 31 | 5 | 4 |
| 1955 | CHN | C | 31 | 21 | 88 | 11 | 4 | 1 |
| 1956 | SLN | C | 16 | 12 | 56 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1957 | SLN | C | 13 | 12 | 62 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1223 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1944 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C |
| 1944 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 1943 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C |
| 1943 | TSN All-Star | C |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 40th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1947 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 19.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1944 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 8th | 72.0 | 336 | 1 |
| 1943 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 192.0 | 336 | 5 |
| 1942 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 11th | 28.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Walker Cooper (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Walker Cooper
Walker Cooper: the record in brief
Walker Cooper played a first major league game on September 25, 1940 and a last one on September 20, 1957. Club by club, the record runs the St. Louis Cardinals (1940 to 1957), the New York Giants (1946 through 1949), the Cincinnati Reds (1949 through 1950), the Boston Braves (1950 to 1952), the Milwaukee Braves (1953), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1954), and the Chicago Cubs (1954 through 1955). Cooper is listed as a catcher at 6 feet, 3 inches and 210 pounds. The bio says Cooper both batted and threw right-handed. Cooper was born on January 8, 1915, in Atherton, MO, USA. Cooper's death is recorded on April 11, 1991, in Scottsdale, AZ, USA. Cooper's full given name, per the bio, is William Walker Cooper.
Across 1,473 games at the plate, Cooper's career line reads 1,341 hits in 4,702 at bats for a .285 average, adding 173 homers and 812 runs batted in. Cooper got on base at a .332 rate and slugged .464 (.796 OPS).
Frequently Asked Questions about Walker Cooper
- What years did Walker Cooper play?
- Walker Cooper played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1957.
- Was Walker Cooper a pitcher?
- No. Walker Cooper was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Walker Cooper hit?
- Walker Cooper hit 173 career home runs with 1,341 hits.
- What teams did Walker Cooper play for?
- Walker Cooper played for 6 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1940–1945, 1956–1957), the New York Giants (1946–1949), the Cincinnati Reds (1949–1950), the Milwaukee Braves (1950–1953), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1954), and the Chicago Cubs (1954–1955).
- Did Walker Cooper win an MVP award?
- No. Walker Cooper did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Walker Cooper win?
- Walker Cooper was selected to 8 All-Star Games.
- What were Walker Cooper's career stats?
- In 1,473 games, Walker Cooper had 1,341 hits, 173 home runs, 812 RBI, 573 runs, and 18 stolen bases, with a .285 batting average.
- What position did Walker Cooper play?
- Walker Cooper played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Walker Cooper and how much did he weigh?
- Walker Cooper was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 210 pounds.
- How many home runs did Walker Cooper hit each season?
- Walker Cooper's home runs by season: 0 in 1940, 1 in 1941, 7 in 1942, 9 in 1943, 13 in 1944, 0 in 1945, 8 in 1946, 35 in 1947, 16 in 1948, 20 in 1949, 14 in 1950, 18 in 1951, 10 in 1952, 3 in 1953, 7 in 1954, 7 in 1955, 2 in 1956, and 3 in 1957. His most in one season was 35, in 1947.
- What was Walker Cooper's career batting average?
- Walker Cooper batted .285 over his career, with 1,341 hits in 4,702 at bats.
- How many RBI did Walker Cooper have?
- Walker Cooper drove in 812 runs in his career.
- Is Walker Cooper in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Walker Cooper has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Walker Cooper make?
- Walker Cooper was selected to 8 All-Star Games.