Willie Kirkland

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1958-1966)

Willie Kirkland was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1958 to 1966 for 4 teams, including the San Francisco Giants, a span of 9 seasons. In 1,149 career games, he hit .240 with 837 hits, 148 home runs, and 509 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,419.

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

AVG .240
HR 148
RBI 509
H 837
OPS .726
PIV 1,419
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 206 lb
Born
2/17/1934 in Siluria, AL, USA
MLB Debut
1958-04-15
Last Game
1966-09-26

Full name: Willie Charles Kirkland

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Career Batting Statistics

Willie Kirkland — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,149 3,494 443 837 134 29 148 509 52 323 648 .240 .304 .422 .726 1,419

Career AVG .240 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 5.2% below league average.

Career OBP .304 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .422 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +9.7% above league average.

Career OPS .726 vs. league average .702 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willie Kirkland Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1958 SFN NL 122 418 48 108 25 6 14 56 3 43 69 .258 .257 (avg) .324 (+2%) .394 (+13%) .719 (+8%) 620.5
1959 SFN NL 126 463 64 126 22 3 22 68 5 42 84 .272 .256 (+6%) .323 (+3%) .392 (+21%) .715 (+13%) 1112.7
1960 SFN NL 146 515 59 130 21 10 21 65 12 44 86 .252 .255 (-1%) .323 (-3%) .387 (+17%) .711 (+8%) 685.0
1961 CLE AL 146 525 84 136 22 5 27 95 7 48 77 .259 .258 (avg) .328 (-3%) .399 (+19%) .727 (+9%) 761.6
1962 CLE AL 137 419 56 84 9 1 21 72 9 43 62 .200 .257 (-22%) .326 (-17%) .393 (-4%) .719 (-10%) -736.3
1963 CLE AL 127 427 51 98 13 2 15 47 8 45 99 .230 .246 (-7%) .308 (-2%) .371 (+1%) .680 (-1%) -22.0
1964 BAL AL 66 150 14 30 5 0 3 22 3 17 26 .200 .250 (-20%) .312 (-10%) .377 (-22%) .690 (-17%) -380.6
1964 WS2 AL 32 102 8 22 6 0 5 13 0 6 30 .216 .250 (-14%) .312 (-17%) .377 (+12%) .690 (-1%) -380.6
1965 WS2 AL 123 312 38 72 9 1 14 54 3 19 65 .231 .245 (-6%) .310 (-13%) .371 (+8%) .682 (-2%) -203.2
1966 WS2 AL 124 163 21 31 2 1 6 17 2 16 50 .190 .248 (-23%) .309 (-16%) .376 (-14%) .685 (-15%) -364.3
Career · 10 seasons 1,149 3,494 443 837 134 29 148 509 52 323 648 .240 — — — — 1,093

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 (1149 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Willie Kirkland — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home567162321238666216.238
Away582187123145182293.241

Last 10 Games — Batting

Willie Kirkland — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1966-09-26 TEXBOSW 110000000
1966-09-26 TEXBOSL 100000001
1966-09-25 TEXCHWW 201000000
1966-09-24 TEXCHWL 100000000
1966-09-23 TEXCHWW 200000000
1966-09-18 TEXKC1W 100000001
1966-09-16 TEXKC1L 000000010
1966-09-15 TEXNYYL 000000010
1966-09-15 TEXNYYW 400000002
1966-09-13 TEXNYYW 000000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Willie Kirkland — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 995 851 1740 83 48 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Willie Kirkland — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1958 SFN OF 115 102 187 12 8 4
1959 SFN OF 117 114 212 8 7 0
1960 SFN OF 143 135 252 16 6 5
1961 CLE OF 138 130 290 12 8 5
1962 CLE OF 125 109 233 11 7 0
1963 CLE OF 112 101 234 11 4 2
1964 BAL OF 58 39 86 7 1 3
1964 WS2 OF 27 25 39 0 4 0
1965 WS2 OF 92 72 151 3 2 0
1966 WS2 OF 68 24 56 3 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Willie Kirkland Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Left Field 125
Center Field 88
Right Field 820

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Willie Kirkland (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Colby Rasmus
    .241 avg, 166 HR
  2. 97
    Cory Snyder
    .247 avg, 149 HR
  3. 96
    Gregory Polanco
    .241 avg, 96 HR
  4. 95
    Mike Devereaux
    .254 avg, 105 HR
  5. 94
    Max Kepler
    .234 avg, 181 HR
  6. 94
    Adolis Garcia
    .234 avg, 148 HR

Willie Kirkland: the record in brief

The profile opens with Willie Kirkland's first major league game on April 15, 1958; the last one listed came on September 26, 1966. The season rows list, in order, the San Francisco Giants (1958 to 1960), the Cleveland Indians (1961 to 1963), the Baltimore Orioles (1964), and the Washington Senators (1964 to 1966). Kirkland played primarily as an outfielder and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Born on February 17, 1934, in Siluria, AL, USA, Kirkland was listed at 6'1" and 206 pounds. Kirkland's full given name, per the bio, is Willie Charles Kirkland.

Kirkland collected 837 hits in 3,494 at bats across 1,149 games, good for a .240 batting average, along with 148 home runs, 509 runs batted in, and 52 stolen bases. Kirkland got on base at a .304 rate and slugged .422 (.726 OPS). The league as a whole hit .253 across Kirkland's seasons, which puts the .240 career mark 5.2% below average. For power, 1961 stands out: 27 home runs with the Cleveland Indians.

Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Kirkland

What years did Willie Kirkland play?
Willie Kirkland played in Major League Baseball from 1958 to 1966.
Was Willie Kirkland a pitcher?
No. Willie Kirkland was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Willie Kirkland hit?
Willie Kirkland hit 148 career home runs with 837 hits.
What teams did Willie Kirkland play for?
Willie Kirkland played for 4 teams: the San Francisco Giants (1958–1960), the Cleveland Indians (1961–1963), the Baltimore Orioles (1964), and the Washington Senators (1964–1966).
What were Willie Kirkland's career stats?
In 1,149 games, Willie Kirkland had 837 hits, 148 home runs, 509 RBI, 443 runs, and 52 stolen bases, with a .240 batting average.
What position did Willie Kirkland play?
Willie Kirkland played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Willie Kirkland and how much did he weigh?
Willie Kirkland was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 206 pounds.
How many home runs did Willie Kirkland hit each season?
Willie Kirkland's home runs by season: 14 in 1958, 22 in 1959, 21 in 1960, 27 in 1961, 21 in 1962, 15 in 1963, 8 in 1964, 14 in 1965, and 6 in 1966. His most in one season was 27, in 1961.
What was Willie Kirkland's career batting average?
Willie Kirkland batted .240 over his career, with 837 hits in 3,494 at bats.
How many RBI did Willie Kirkland have?
Willie Kirkland drove in 509 runs in his career.
Is Willie Kirkland in the Hall of Fame?
No. Willie Kirkland has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.