Wilbert King
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Wilbert King was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball for 4 teams, including the Cleveland Buckeyes. In 28 career games, he hit .238 with 20 hits and 9 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 6.
- 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 140 lb
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 84 | 17 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 0 | .238 | .326 | .357 | .683 | 6 |
Career AVG .238 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 8.8% below league average.
Career OBP .326 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .357 vs. league average .365 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .683 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | CBE | NAL | 4 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .417 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1945 | CAG | NAL | 16 | 51 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .235 | .260 (-10%) | .328 (-4%) | .354 (+10%) | .683 (+4%) | 6.0 |
| 1946 | CAG | NAL | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | HG | NN2 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .077 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1948 | NYC | NN2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 28 | 84 | 17 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 0 | .238 | — | — | — | — | 6 | ||
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
Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Away | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Last 2 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944-06-02 | HOM | NY6 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1944-05-14 | HOM | BLG | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 20 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 4 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Wilbert King: the record in brief
The season rows for Wilbert King begin in 1944. Club by club, the record runs the Cleveland Buckeyes (1944), the Chicago American Giants (1945 through 1946), the Homestead Grays (1947), and the New York Cubans (1948). King is listed as a second baseman at 5-foot-8 and 140 pounds. The bio says King both batted and threw right-handed. King was born on February 16, 1915, in Birmingham, AL, USA.
King's career batting table shows 28 games, 84 at bats and 20 hits, a .238 average, adding 9 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .326 clip and slugging .357, King finished with a .683 OPS. King's .238 average ran 8.8% below the .261 that the league posted over the same seasons. The hits column peaks at 12, in 1945. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .235 in 1945, did not top the league's .260. The PIV column, the site's own offense metric scaled to each season's league, sums to 6 for King; 1945 contributed the most, 6.0.
Frequently Asked Questions about Wilbert King
- Was Wilbert King a pitcher?
- No. Wilbert King was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Wilbert King hit?
- Wilbert King hit 0 career home runs with 20 hits.
- What was Wilbert King's career batting average?
- Wilbert King batted .238 over his career, with 20 hits in 84 at bats.
- How many RBI did Wilbert King have?
- Wilbert King drove in 9 runs in his career.
- Is Wilbert King in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Wilbert King has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Wilbert King play for?
- Wilbert King played for the Cleveland Buckeyes, the Chicago American Giants, the Homestead Grays, and the New York Cubans.