Billy Martin
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1950-1961)
Billy Martin was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1961 for 7 teams, including the New York Yankees, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,021 career games, he hit .257 with 877 hits, 64 home runs, and 333 RBI. Billy Martin was an All-Star and a Babe Ruth Award.
- 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
- 5'11" / 165 lb
- Died
- 12/25/1989 in Johnson City, NY, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1950-04-18
- Last Game
- 1961-10-01
- Awards
- All-Star · Babe Ruth Award
Full name: Alfred Manuel Martin
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,021 | 3,419 | 425 | 877 | 137 | 28 | 64 | 333 | 34 | 188 | 355 | .257 | .300 | .369 | .669 | -4,330 |
Career AVG .257 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .300 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — 9.3% below league average.
Career SLG .369 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — 5.8% below league average.
Career OPS .669 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — 7.4% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | NYA | AL | 34 | 36 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | NYA | AL | 51 | 58 | 10 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | .259 | .260 (-1%) | .336 (-2%) | .385 (-11%) | .721 (-7%) | -65.3 |
| 1952 | NYA | AL | 109 | 363 | 32 | 97 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 33 | 3 | 22 | 31 | .267 | .252 (+6%) | .326 (-1%) | .369 (-7%) | .696 (-4%) | -233.8 |
| 1953 | NYA | AL | 149 | 587 | 72 | 151 | 24 | 6 | 15 | 75 | 6 | 43 | 56 | .257 | .264 (-3%) | .335 (-6%) | .397 (-1%) | .733 (-3%) | -385.4 |
| 1955 | NYA | AL | 20 | 70 | 8 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 9 | .300 | .258 (+16%) | .332 (+7%) | .393 (-6%) | .726 (avg) | 1.4 |
| 1956 | NYA | AL | 121 | 458 | 76 | 121 | 24 | 5 | 9 | 49 | 7 | 30 | 56 | .264 | .258 (+2%) | .331 (-6%) | .397 (avg) | .728 (-3%) | -322.7 |
| 1957 | NYA | AL | 43 | 145 | 12 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 14 | .241 | .257 (-6%) | .323 (-21%) | .391 (-17%) | .715 (-19%) | -486.1 |
| 1957 | KC1 | AL | 73 | 265 | 33 | 68 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 27 | 7 | 12 | 20 | .257 | .257 (avg) | .323 (-9%) | .391 (+6%) | .715 (-1%) | -486.1 |
| 1958 | DET | AL | 131 | 498 | 56 | 127 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 42 | 5 | 16 | 62 | .255 | .257 (-1%) | .324 (-14%) | .394 (-14%) | .719 (-14%) | -1199.5 |
| 1959 | CLE | AL | 73 | 242 | 37 | 63 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 24 | 0 | 8 | 18 | .260 | .256 (+1%) | .323 (-10%) | .392 (+2%) | .715 (-3%) | -182.9 |
| 1960 | CIN | NL | 103 | 317 | 34 | 78 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 27 | 34 | .246 | .255 (-4%) | .323 (-6%) | .387 (-14%) | .711 (-10%) | -506.2 |
| 1961 | ML1 | NL | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1961 | MIN | AL | 108 | 374 | 44 | 92 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 36 | 3 | 13 | 42 | .246 | .258 (-5%) | .328 (-16%) | .399 (-10%) | .727 (-13%) | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 1,021 | 3,419 | 425 | 877 | 137 | 28 | 64 | 333 | 34 | 188 | 355 | .257 | — | — | — | — | -3,867 | ||
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 (1022 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 486 | 1595 | 211 | 409 | 27 | 140 | .256 |
| Away | 536 | 1823 | 213 | 468 | 37 | 193 | .257 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961-10-01 | MIN | DET | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-09-30 | MIN | DET | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-09-29 | MIN | DET | L | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-09-28 | MIN | CLE | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-09-27 | MIN | CLE | W | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-09-26 | MIN | CLE | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-09-24 | MIN | TEX | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1961-09-23 | MIN | TEX | W | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1961-09-23 | MIN | TEX | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961-09-21 | MIN | TEX | W | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 767 | 435 | 1734 | 1840 | 74 | 532 |
| 3B | 97 | 82 | 104 | 143 | 13 | 14 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 118 | 92 | 184 | 269 | 22 | 67 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | NYA | 2B | 22 | 0 | 24 | 16 | 1 | 5 |
| 1950 | NYA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951 | NYA | 2B | 23 | 0 | 36 | 49 | 1 | 15 |
| 1951 | NYA | 3B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1951 | NYA | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951 | NYA | SS | 6 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| 1952 | NYA | 2B | 107 | 0 | 244 | 323 | 9 | 92 |
| 1953 | NYA | 2B | 146 | 0 | 376 | 390 | 12 | 121 |
| 1953 | NYA | SS | 18 | 0 | 13 | 19 | 2 | 5 |
| 1955 | NYA | 2B | 17 | 17 | 42 | 44 | 2 | 19 |
| 1955 | NYA | SS | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 1956 | NYA | 2B | 105 | 101 | 241 | 260 | 10 | 84 |
| 1956 | NYA | 3B | 16 | 11 | 12 | 28 | 5 | 3 |
| 1957 | NYA | 2B | 26 | 25 | 58 | 67 | 7 | 18 |
| 1957 | NYA | 3B | 13 | 12 | 11 | 25 | 1 | 2 |
| 1957 | KC1 | 2B | 52 | 48 | 121 | 111 | 3 | 28 |
| 1957 | KC1 | 3B | 20 | 19 | 29 | 24 | 2 | 4 |
| 1957 | KC1 | SS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1958 | DET | 3B | 41 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 3 | 5 |
| 1958 | DET | SS | 88 | 88 | 159 | 229 | 17 | 58 |
| 1959 | CLE | 2B | 67 | 65 | 147 | 149 | 1 | 37 |
| 1959 | CLE | 3B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960 | CIN | 2B | 97 | 88 | 228 | 207 | 11 | 52 |
| 1961 | MIN | 2B | 105 | 91 | 217 | 224 | 17 | 61 |
| 1961 | MIN | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 767 |
| Third Base | 97 |
| Shortstop | 119 |
| Center Field | 1 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Babe Ruth Award | 2B |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 25th | 2.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Billy Martin (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Billy Martin: the record in brief
Billy Martin's major league career runs from a debut on April 18, 1950 to a final game on October 1, 1961. Club by club, the record runs the New York Yankees (1950 through 1957), the Kansas City Athletics (1957), the Detroit Tigers (1958), the Cleveland Indians (1959), the Cincinnati Reds (1960), the Milwaukee Braves (1961), and the Minnesota Twins (1961). Born on May 16, 1928, in Berkeley, CA, USA, Martin is listed as a second baseman and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5 feet, 11 inches and 165 pounds. Martin's death is recorded on December 25, 1989, in Johnson City, NY, USA. Martin's full given name, per the bio, is Alfred Manuel Martin.
In 1,021 games and 3,419 at bats, Martin batted .257 with 877 hits; the totals also include 64 homers, 333 runs batted in, and 34 stolen bases. Martin got on base at a .300 rate and slugged .369 (.669 OPS). The .257 career average is close to the .259 the league hit across the same seasons. In OPS terms, Martin's .669 stands 7.4% below the league's .722.
Frequently Asked Questions about Billy Martin
- What years did Billy Martin play?
- Billy Martin played in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1961.
- Was Billy Martin a pitcher?
- No. Billy Martin was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Billy Martin hit?
- Billy Martin hit 64 career home runs with 877 hits.
- What was Billy Martin's career batting average?
- Billy Martin batted .257 over his career, with 877 hits in 3,419 at bats.
- How many RBI did Billy Martin have?
- Billy Martin drove in 333 runs in his career.
- Is Billy Martin in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Billy Martin has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.