Bill Melton

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1968-1977)

Bill Melton was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1977 for the Chicago White Sox, the California Angels, and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 10 seasons. In 1,144 career games, he hit .253 with 1,004 hits, 160 home runs, and 591 RBI. Bill Melton was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 7,390.

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 .253
HR 160
RBI 591
H 1,004
OPS .756
PIV 7,390
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 200 lb
Born
7/7/1945 in Gulfport, MS, USA
Died
12/5/2024 in Phoenix, AZ, USA
MLB Debut
1968-05-04
Last Game
1977-08-30
Awards
All-Star

Full name: William Edwin Melton

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Career Batting Statistics

Bill Melton — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,144 3,971 496 1,004 162 9 160 591 23 479 669 .253 .337 .419 .756 7,390

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .337 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +5.1% above league average.

Career SLG .419 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — +13.0% above league average.

Career OPS .756 vs. league average .691 across their career seasons — +9.3% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Melton 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
1968 CHA AL 34 109 5 29 8 0 2 16 1 10 32 .266 .236 (+12%) .298 (+8%) .340 (+16%) .638 (+12%) 183.8
1969 CHA AL 157 556 67 142 26 2 23 87 1 56 106 .255 .248 (+3%) .320 (+2%) .369 (+17%) .689 (+10%) 1014.7
1970 CHA AL 141 514 74 135 15 1 33 96 2 56 107 .263 .253 (+3%) .325 (+4%) .385 (+27%) .711 (+16%) 1611.6
1971 CHA AL 150 543 72 146 18 2 33 86 3 61 87 .269 .249 (+8%) .316 (+11%) .365 (+35%) .682 (+24%) 2502.9
1972 CHA AL 57 208 22 51 5 0 7 30 1 23 31 .245 .243 (+1%) .310 (+3%) .353 (+5%) .664 (+4%) 150.7
1973 CHA AL 152 560 83 155 29 1 20 87 4 75 66 .277 .256 (+8%) .325 (+12%) .378 (+16%) .703 (+14%) 1682.7
1974 CHA AL 136 495 63 120 17 0 21 63 3 59 60 .242 .256 (-6%) .324 (avg) .369 (+9%) .693 (+5%) 519.2
1975 CHA AL 149 512 62 123 16 0 15 70 5 78 106 .240 .257 (-7%) .327 (+6%) .374 (-4%) .701 (+1%) 300.3
1976 CAL AL 118 341 31 71 17 3 6 42 2 44 53 .208 .255 (-18%) .320 (-6%) .360 (-9%) .681 (-8%) -381.2
1977 CLE AL 50 133 17 32 11 0 0 14 1 17 21 .241 .264 (-9%) .329 (+1%) .401 (-19%) .730 (-10%) -194.7
Career · 10 seasons 1,144 3,971 496 1,004 162 9 160 591 23 479 669 .253 — — — — 7,390

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 (1144 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Melton — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home565194027550493310.260
Away579203122150067281.246

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Melton — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1977-08-30 CLECHWL 100000001
1977-08-26 CLESEAL 400000001
1977-08-22 CLESEAL 400000001
1977-08-22 CLESEAW 100000011
1977-08-20 CLEOAKW 200000000
1977-08-19 CLEOAKW 400000000
1977-08-15 CLEOAKW 320000011
1977-08-14 CLEMILW 523200101
1977-08-14 CLEMILW 100000000
1977-08-13 CLEMILL 300000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Melton — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 45 38 354 23 2 30
3B 901 881 700 2045 147 184
OF 82 80 124 11 0 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Melton — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1968 CHA 3B 33 32 17 75 3 5
1969 CHA 3B 148 139 112 322 22 36
1969 CHA OF 11 9 13 3 0 0
1970 CHA 3B 70 70 47 179 18 19
1970 CHA OF 71 71 111 8 0 3
1971 CHA 3B 148 148 116 371 16 26
1972 CHA 3B 56 56 47 125 12 12
1973 CHA 3B 151 151 115 347 23 31
1974 CHA 3B 123 123 100 272 24 29
1975 CHA 3B 138 138 131 313 26 23
1976 CAL 1B 30 27 220 15 2 20
1976 CAL 3B 21 14 7 21 1 2
1977 CLE 1B 15 11 134 8 0 10
1977 CLE 3B 13 10 8 20 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Melton Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 45
Third Base 903
Left Field 3
Right Field 78
Designated Hitter 88

College History

Bill Melton — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Citrus College Glendora CA 1964

Award Voting History

Bill Melton — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1971 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 18.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bill Melton (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    John Milner
    .249 avg, 131 HR
  2. 96
    Travis Lee
    .256 avg, 115 HR
  3. 95
    Scott Brosius
    .257 avg, 141 HR
  4. 94
    Gleyber Torres
    .263 avg, 162 HR
  5. 93
    Scott Spiezio
    .255 avg, 119 HR
  6. 92
    Jeff King
    .256 avg, 154 HR

Bill Melton: the record in brief

Bill Melton played a first major league game on May 4, 1968 and a last one on August 30, 1977. The team column moves through the Chicago White Sox (1968 through 1975), the California Angels (1976), and the Cleveland Indians (1977). Melton played primarily as a third baseman and batted and threw right-handed. Born on July 7, 1945, in Gulfport, MS, USA, Melton was listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and 200 pounds. Melton died on December 5, 2024, in Phoenix, AZ, USA. Melton's full given name, per the bio, is William Edwin Melton.

Melton's career batting table shows 1,144 games, 3,971 at bats and 1,004 hits, a .253 average; the totals also include 160 home runs, 591 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .337 clip and slugging .419, Melton finished with a .756 OPS. Against a .253 league average for those years, Melton's .253 average was near the norm.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Melton

What years did Bill Melton play?
Bill Melton played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1977.
Was Bill Melton a pitcher?
No. Bill Melton was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Bill Melton hit?
Bill Melton hit 160 career home runs with 1004 hits.
What was Bill Melton's career batting average?
Bill Melton batted .253 over his career, with 1,004 hits in 3,971 at bats.
How many RBI did Bill Melton have?
Bill Melton drove in 591 runs in his career.
Is Bill Melton in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Melton has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.