Vada Pinson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1958-1975)
Vada Pinson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1958 to 1975 for 5 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 18 seasons. In 2,469 career games, he hit .286 with 2,757 hits, 256 home runs, and 1,169 RBI. Vada Pinson was a 2-time All-Star and a Gold Glove. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 18,262.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 170 lb
- Died
- 10/21/1995 in Oakland, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1958-04-15
- Last Game
- 1975-09-28
- Awards
- 2× All-Star · Gold Glove
Full name: Vada Edward Pinson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,469 | 9,645 | 1,365 | 2,757 | 485 | 127 | 256 | 1,169 | 305 | 574 | 1,196 | .286 | .327 | .442 | .769 | 18,262 |
Career AVG .286 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +13.8% above league average.
Career OBP .327 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .442 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — +18.1% above league average.
Career OPS .769 vs. league average .692 across their career seasons — +11.1% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | CIN | NL | 27 | 96 | 20 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 11 | 18 | .271 | .257 (+5%) | .324 (+8%) | .394 (-5%) | .719 (+1%) | 45.5 |
| 1959 | CIN | NL | 154 | 648 | 131 | 205 | 47 | 9 | 20 | 84 | 21 | 55 | 98 | .316 | .256 (+23%) | .323 (+14%) | .392 (+30%) | .715 (+23%) | 2923.4 |
| 1960 | CIN | NL | 154 | 652 | 107 | 187 | 37 | 12 | 20 | 61 | 32 | 47 | 96 | .287 | .255 (+12%) | .323 (+5%) | .387 (+22%) | .711 (+14%) | 1676.5 |
| 1961 | CIN | NL | 154 | 607 | 101 | 208 | 34 | 8 | 16 | 87 | 23 | 39 | 63 | .343 | .258 (+33%) | .328 (+15%) | .399 (+26%) | .727 (+21%) | 2487.2 |
| 1962 | CIN | NL | 155 | 619 | 107 | 181 | 31 | 7 | 23 | 100 | 26 | 45 | 68 | .292 | .257 (+13%) | .326 (+4%) | .393 (+21%) | .719 (+14%) | 1520.4 |
| 1963 | CIN | NL | 162 | 652 | 96 | 204 | 37 | 14 | 22 | 106 | 27 | 36 | 80 | .313 | .246 (+27%) | .308 (+12%) | .371 (+38%) | .680 (+26%) | 3007.7 |
| 1964 | CIN | NL | 156 | 625 | 99 | 166 | 23 | 11 | 23 | 84 | 8 | 42 | 99 | .266 | .250 (+6%) | .312 (+1%) | .377 (+19%) | .690 (+11%) | 1114.8 |
| 1965 | CIN | NL | 159 | 669 | 97 | 204 | 34 | 10 | 22 | 94 | 21 | 43 | 81 | .305 | .245 (+24%) | .310 (+13%) | .371 (+30%) | .682 (+22%) | 2766.3 |
| 1966 | CIN | NL | 156 | 618 | 70 | 178 | 35 | 6 | 16 | 76 | 18 | 33 | 83 | .288 | .248 (+16%) | .309 (+5%) | .376 (+17%) | .685 (+12%) | 1258.8 |
| 1967 | CIN | NL | 158 | 650 | 90 | 187 | 28 | 13 | 18 | 66 | 26 | 26 | 86 | .288 | .242 (+19%) | .306 (+4%) | .357 (+27%) | .663 (+16%) | 1676.6 |
| 1968 | CIN | NL | 130 | 499 | 60 | 135 | 29 | 6 | 5 | 48 | 17 | 32 | 59 | .271 | .236 (+14%) | .298 (+4%) | .340 (+12%) | .638 (+9%) | 585.2 |
| 1969 | SLN | NL | 132 | 495 | 58 | 126 | 22 | 6 | 10 | 70 | 4 | 35 | 63 | .255 | .248 (+3%) | .320 (-5%) | .369 (+4%) | .689 (avg) | -196.5 |
| 1970 | CLE | AL | 148 | 574 | 74 | 164 | 28 | 6 | 24 | 82 | 7 | 28 | 69 | .286 | .253 (+13%) | .325 (-2%) | .385 (+25%) | .711 (+12%) | 1116.1 |
| 1971 | CLE | AL | 146 | 566 | 60 | 149 | 23 | 4 | 11 | 35 | 25 | 21 | 58 | .263 | .249 (+6%) | .316 (-7%) | .365 (+3%) | .682 (-2%) | -269.7 |
| 1972 | CAL | AL | 136 | 484 | 56 | 133 | 24 | 2 | 7 | 49 | 17 | 30 | 54 | .275 | .243 (+13%) | .310 (+3%) | .353 (+6%) | .664 (+5%) | 371.9 |
| 1973 | CAL | AL | 124 | 466 | 56 | 121 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 57 | 5 | 20 | 55 | .260 | .256 (+1%) | .325 (-12%) | .378 (-3%) | .703 (-7%) | -693.4 |
| 1974 | KCA | AL | 115 | 406 | 46 | 112 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 41 | 21 | 21 | 45 | .276 | .256 (+7%) | .324 (-4%) | .369 (+1%) | .693 (-1%) | -150.1 |
| 1975 | KCA | AL | 103 | 319 | 37 | 71 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 21 | .223 | .257 (-14%) | .327 (-24%) | .374 (-10%) | .701 (-17%) | -979.3 |
| Career · 18 seasons | 2,469 | 9,645 | 1,365 | 2,757 | 485 | 127 | 256 | 1,169 | 305 | 574 | 1,196 | .286 | — | — | — | — | 18,262 | ||
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 (2470 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1230 | 4737 | 721 | 1365 | 151 | 641 | .288 |
| Away | 1240 | 4908 | 644 | 1392 | 105 | 528 | .284 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-09-28 | KCR | TEX | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-09-27 | KCR | TEX | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-09-26 | KCR | TEX | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1975-09-25 | KCR | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1975-09-24 | KCR | MIN | W | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975-09-22 | KCR | TEX | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1975-09-21 | KCR | OAK | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-09-20 | KCR | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-09-19 | KCR | OAK | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-09-18 | KCR | MIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 16 | 1 | 48 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| OF | 2403 | 2335 | 5097 | 172 | 101 | 29 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | CIN | OF | 27 | 25 | 50 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1959 | CIN | OF | 154 | 154 | 423 | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| 1960 | CIN | OF | 154 | 154 | 401 | 11 | 8 | 1 |
| 1961 | CIN | OF | 153 | 151 | 391 | 19 | 10 | 4 |
| 1962 | CIN | OF | 152 | 151 | 344 | 13 | 4 | 1 |
| 1963 | CIN | OF | 162 | 162 | 357 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
| 1964 | CIN | OF | 156 | 154 | 299 | 14 | 9 | 1 |
| 1965 | CIN | OF | 159 | 159 | 354 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| 1966 | CIN | OF | 154 | 153 | 344 | 9 | 13 | 1 |
| 1967 | CIN | OF | 157 | 156 | 341 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 1968 | CIN | OF | 123 | 119 | 258 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| 1969 | SLN | OF | 124 | 123 | 218 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| 1970 | CLE | 1B | 7 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1970 | CLE | OF | 141 | 132 | 265 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| 1971 | CLE | 1B | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1971 | CLE | OF | 141 | 133 | 305 | 11 | 7 | 2 |
| 1972 | CAL | 1B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | CAL | OF | 134 | 122 | 205 | 11 | 2 | 3 |
| 1973 | CAL | OF | 120 | 113 | 210 | 11 | 8 | 2 |
| 1974 | KCA | 1B | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | KCA | OF | 110 | 100 | 188 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
| 1975 | KCA | 1B | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | KCA | OF | 82 | 74 | 144 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 16 |
| Left Field | 253 |
| Center Field | 1680 |
| Right Field | 549 |
| Designated Hitter | 7 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Gold Glove | OF |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 6.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1963 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 10th | 32.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1961 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 3rd | 104.0 | 224 | 0 |
| 1960 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1959 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 15th | 11.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Vada Pinson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Vada Pinson: the record in brief
April 15, 1958 and September 28, 1975 bracket Vada Pinson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Pinson's seasons break down as the Cincinnati Redlegs (1958 through 1959), the Cincinnati Reds (1960 to 1968), the St. Louis Cardinals (1969), the Cleveland Indians (1970 to 1971), the California Angels (1972 through 1973), and the Kansas City Royals (1974 through 1975). Pinson, born on August 11, 1938, in Memphis, TN, USA, is listed as an outfielder and both batted and threw left-handed. The bio gives 5'11" and 170 pounds. The bio records the death on October 21, 1995, in Oakland, CA, USA. Pinson's full given name, per the bio, is Vada Edward Pinson.
The batting record for Pinson: 2,469 games, 2,757 hits in 9,645 at bats, and a .286 average, plus 256 homers, 1,169 runs batted in, and 305 stolen bases. Pinson got on base at a .327 rate and slugged .442 (.769 OPS).
Frequently Asked Questions about Vada Pinson
- What years did Vada Pinson play?
- Vada Pinson played in Major League Baseball from 1958 to 1975.
- Was Vada Pinson a pitcher?
- No. Vada Pinson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Vada Pinson hit?
- Vada Pinson hit 256 career home runs with 2757 hits.
- What was Vada Pinson's career batting average?
- Vada Pinson batted .286 over his career, with 2,757 hits in 9,645 at bats.
- How many RBI did Vada Pinson have?
- Vada Pinson drove in 1,169 runs in his career.
- Is Vada Pinson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Vada Pinson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.