Willie McCovey
First Baseman · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1959-1980)
- Position
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'4" / 198 lb
- Died
- 10/31/2018 in Palo Alto, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1959-07-30
- Last Game
- 1980-07-06
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1986 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- 6× All-Star · MVP · Rookie of the Year · All-Star Game MVP
Full name: Willie Lee McCovey
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,588 | 8,197 | 1,229 | 2,211 | 353 | 46 | 521 | 1,555 | 26 | 1,345 | 1,550 | .270 | .374 | .515 | .889 | 47,331 |
Career AVG .270 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.
Career OBP .374 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +17.0% above league average.
Career SLG .515 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — +36.6% above league average.
Career OPS .889 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — +27.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | SFN | NL | 52 | 192 | 32 | 68 | 9 | 5 | 13 | 38 | 2 | 22 | 35 | .354 | .256 (+38%) | .323 (+33%) | .392 (+67%) | .715 (+52%) | 1726.3 |
| 1960 | SFN | NL | 101 | 260 | 37 | 62 | 15 | 3 | 13 | 51 | 1 | 45 | 53 | .238 | .255 (-7%) | .323 (+8%) | .387 (+21%) | .711 (+15%) | 761.6 |
| 1961 | SFN | NL | 106 | 328 | 59 | 89 | 12 | 3 | 18 | 50 | 1 | 37 | 60 | .271 | .258 (+5%) | .328 (+7%) | .399 (+23%) | .727 (+16%) | 966.7 |
| 1962 | SFN | NL | 91 | 229 | 41 | 67 | 6 | 1 | 20 | 54 | 3 | 29 | 35 | .293 | .257 (+14%) | .326 (+13%) | .393 (+50%) | .719 (+33%) | 1367.8 |
| 1963 | SFN | NL | 152 | 564 | 103 | 158 | 19 | 5 | 44 | 102 | 1 | 50 | 119 | .280 | .246 (+14%) | .308 (+13%) | .371 (+52%) | .680 (+34%) | 3659.1 |
| 1964 | SFN | NL | 130 | 364 | 55 | 80 | 14 | 1 | 18 | 54 | 2 | 61 | 73 | .220 | .250 (-12%) | .312 (+8%) | .377 (+9%) | .690 (+8%) | 730.9 |
| 1965 | SFN | NL | 160 | 540 | 93 | 149 | 17 | 4 | 39 | 92 | 0 | 88 | 118 | .276 | .245 (+12%) | .310 (+23%) | .371 (+45%) | .682 (+35%) | 3915.5 |
| 1966 | SFN | NL | 150 | 502 | 85 | 148 | 26 | 6 | 36 | 96 | 2 | 76 | 100 | .295 | .248 (+19%) | .309 (+26%) | .376 (+56%) | .685 (+42%) | 4253.0 |
| 1967 | SFN | NL | 135 | 456 | 73 | 126 | 17 | 4 | 31 | 91 | 3 | 71 | 110 | .276 | .242 (+14%) | .306 (+23%) | .357 (+50%) | .663 (+38%) | 3305.7 |
| 1968 | SFN | NL | 148 | 523 | 81 | 153 | 16 | 4 | 36 | 105 | 4 | 72 | 71 | .293 | .236 (+24%) | .298 (+27%) | .340 (+60%) | .638 (+44%) | 4302.6 |
| 1969 | SFN | NL | 149 | 491 | 101 | 157 | 26 | 2 | 45 | 126 | 0 | 121 | 66 | .320 | .248 (+29%) | .320 (+41%) | .369 (+78%) | .689 (+61%) | 6344.7 |
| 1970 | SFN | NL | 152 | 495 | 98 | 143 | 39 | 2 | 39 | 126 | 0 | 137 | 75 | .289 | .253 (+14%) | .325 (+36%) | .385 (+59%) | .711 (+48%) | 5448.8 |
| 1971 | SFN | NL | 105 | 329 | 45 | 91 | 13 | 0 | 18 | 70 | 0 | 64 | 57 | .277 | .249 (+11%) | .316 (+25%) | .365 (+31%) | .682 (+28%) | 1929.7 |
| 1972 | SFN | NL | 81 | 263 | 30 | 56 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 35 | 0 | 38 | 45 | .213 | .243 (-13%) | .310 (+2%) | .353 (+14%) | .664 (+8%) | 415.3 |
| 1973 | SFN | NL | 130 | 383 | 52 | 102 | 14 | 3 | 29 | 75 | 1 | 105 | 78 | .266 | .256 (+4%) | .325 (+29%) | .378 (+44%) | .703 (+37%) | 3183.9 |
| 1974 | SDN | NL | 128 | 344 | 53 | 87 | 19 | 1 | 22 | 63 | 1 | 96 | 76 | .253 | .256 (-2%) | .324 (+28%) | .369 (+37%) | .693 (+33%) | 2607.2 |
| 1975 | SDN | NL | 122 | 413 | 43 | 104 | 17 | 0 | 23 | 68 | 1 | 57 | 80 | .252 | .257 (-2%) | .327 (+5%) | .374 (+23%) | .701 (+15%) | 1211.7 |
| 1976 | SDN | NL | 71 | 202 | 20 | 41 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 36 | 0 | 21 | 39 | .203 | .255 (-21%) | .320 (-12%) | .360 (-3%) | .681 (-7%) | -221.1 |
| 1976 | OAK | AL | 11 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .208 | — | — | — | — | -221.1 |
| 1977 | SFN | NL | 141 | 478 | 54 | 134 | 21 | 0 | 28 | 86 | 3 | 67 | 106 | .280 | .264 (+6%) | .329 (+11%) | .401 (+25%) | .730 (+19%) | 1910.1 |
| 1978 | SFN | NL | 108 | 351 | 32 | 80 | 19 | 2 | 12 | 64 | 1 | 36 | 57 | .228 | .257 (-12%) | .323 (-8%) | .378 (+5%) | .702 (-1%) | -111.0 |
| 1979 | SFN | NL | 117 | 353 | 34 | 88 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 57 | 0 | 36 | 70 | .249 | .265 (-6%) | .329 (-4%) | .397 (+1%) | .727 (-1%) | -43.2 |
| 1980 | SFN | NL | 48 | 113 | 8 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 13 | 23 | .204 | .264 (-23%) | .326 (-13%) | .387 (-22%) | .714 (-18%) | -334.0 |
| Career · 23 seasons | 2,588 | 8,197 | 1,229 | 2,211 | 353 | 46 | 521 | 1,555 | 26 | 1,345 | 1,550 | .270 | — | — | — | — | 47,110 | ||
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 (2586 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1262 | 3907 | 609 | 1057 | 264 | 774 | .271 |
| Away | 1324 | 4288 | 620 | 1153 | 257 | 781 | .269 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-07-06 | SFG | LAD | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-07-05 | SFG | LAD | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980-07-03 | SFG | CIN | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1980-07-02 | SFG | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-06-29 | SFG | LAD | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-06-28 | SFG | LAD | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980-06-25 | SFG | SDP | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-06-17 | SFG | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-06-10 | SFG | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-06-06 | SFG | HOU | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 2045 | 1987 | 17170 | 1222 | 233 | 1405 |
| OF | 275 | 264 | 397 | 14 | 23 | 2 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | SFN | 1B | 51 | 49 | 424 | 29 | 5 | 29 |
| 1960 | SFN | 1B | 71 | 65 | 557 | 39 | 9 | 42 |
| 1961 | SFN | 1B | 84 | 79 | 669 | 55 | 11 | 55 |
| 1962 | SFN | 1B | 17 | 11 | 105 | 7 | 1 | 12 |
| 1962 | SFN | OF | 57 | 53 | 81 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1963 | SFN | 1B | 23 | 14 | 143 | 14 | 1 | 5 |
| 1963 | SFN | OF | 135 | 131 | 220 | 7 | 14 | 0 |
| 1964 | SFN | 1B | 26 | 21 | 177 | 14 | 7 | 19 |
| 1964 | SFN | OF | 83 | 80 | 96 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
| 1965 | SFN | 1B | 156 | 150 | 1310 | 87 | 13 | 93 |
| 1966 | SFN | 1B | 145 | 139 | 1287 | 81 | 22 | 91 |
| 1967 | SFN | 1B | 127 | 123 | 1221 | 81 | 15 | 102 |
| 1968 | SFN | 1B | 146 | 146 | 1305 | 103 | 21 | 91 |
| 1969 | SFN | 1B | 148 | 148 | 1392 | 79 | 12 | 116 |
| 1970 | SFN | 1B | 146 | 146 | 1217 | 134 | 15 | 117 |
| 1971 | SFN | 1B | 95 | 95 | 828 | 63 | 15 | 80 |
| 1972 | SFN | 1B | 74 | 73 | 617 | 32 | 9 | 52 |
| 1973 | SFN | 1B | 117 | 116 | 930 | 76 | 12 | 89 |
| 1974 | SDN | 1B | 104 | 103 | 815 | 47 | 11 | 59 |
| 1975 | SDN | 1B | 115 | 115 | 979 | 73 | 15 | 94 |
| 1976 | SDN | 1B | 51 | 51 | 420 | 44 | 4 | 39 |
| 1977 | SFN | 1B | 136 | 136 | 1072 | 60 | 13 | 93 |
| 1978 | SFN | 1B | 97 | 95 | 721 | 44 | 10 | 49 |
| 1979 | SFN | 1B | 89 | 86 | 740 | 48 | 10 | 60 |
| 1980 | SFN | 1B | 27 | 26 | 241 | 12 | 2 | 18 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 2045 |
| Left Field | 256 |
| Right Field | 20 |
| Designated Hitter | 9 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Player of the Week | Week of 1979-06-15 |
| 1977 | Hutch Award | |
| 1977 | Player of the Week | Week of 1977-09-09 |
| 1977 | TSN Comeback Player of the Year | |
| 1970 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1969 | All-Star Game MVP | |
| 1969 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1969 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1969 | TSN Major League Player of the Year | |
| 1969 | TSN Player of the Year | |
| 1968 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1965 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1959 | Rookie of the Year | |
| 1959 | TSN Rookie of the Year |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 20th | 5.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1971 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 15th | 15.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1970 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 9th | 47.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1969 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 1st | 265.0 | 336 | 11 |
| 1968 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 3rd | 135.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1967 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 29th | 2.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1966 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 12.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1965 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 10th | 25.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1963 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 9.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1959 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 22th | 1.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1959 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 1st | 24.0 | 24 | 24 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Willie McCovey (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Willie McCovey
See Willie McCovey in Another Era
Frequently Asked Questions about Willie McCovey
- What years did Willie McCovey play?
- Willie McCovey played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1980.
- Was Willie McCovey a pitcher?
- No. Willie McCovey was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Willie McCovey hit?
- Willie McCovey hit 521 career home runs with 2211 hits.
- Is Willie McCovey in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Willie McCovey was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.