Wally Pipp
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1913-1928)
Wally Pipp was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1928 for the Detroit Tigers, the New York Yankees, and the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 16 seasons. In 1,872 career games, he hit .281 with 1,941 hits, 90 home runs, and 998 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 8,808.
- 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 180 lb
- Died
- 1/11/1965 in Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1913-06-29
- Last Game
- 1928-09-30
Full name: Walter Clement Pipp
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,872 | 6,914 | 974 | 1,941 | 311 | 148 | 90 | 998 | 125 | 596 | 551 | .281 | .341 | .408 | .749 | 8,808 |
Career AVG .281 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .341 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .408 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — +9.8% above league average.
Career OPS .749 vs. league average .706 across their career seasons — +6.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | DET | AL | 12 | 31 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .161 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1915 | NYA | AL | 136 | 479 | 59 | 118 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 60 | 18 | 66 | 81 | .246 | .250 (-2%) | .318 (+6%) | .332 (+11%) | .651 (+8%) | 806.2 |
| 1916 | NYA | AL | 151 | 545 | 70 | 143 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 93 | 16 | 54 | 82 | .262 | .248 (+6%) | .314 (+5%) | .326 (+28%) | .640 (+17%) | 1557.3 |
| 1917 | NYA | AL | 155 | 587 | 82 | 143 | 29 | 12 | 9 | 70 | 11 | 60 | 66 | .244 | .248 (-2%) | .312 (+2%) | .323 (+17%) | .635 (+10%) | 1026.2 |
| 1918 | NYA | AL | 91 | 349 | 48 | 106 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 44 | 11 | 22 | 34 | .304 | .255 (+19%) | .318 (+8%) | .326 (+27%) | .645 (+18%) | 930.7 |
| 1919 | NYA | AL | 138 | 523 | 74 | 144 | 23 | 10 | 7 | 50 | 9 | 39 | 42 | .275 | .262 (+5%) | .322 (+2%) | .347 (+14%) | .670 (+9%) | 765.6 |
| 1920 | NYA | AL | 153 | 610 | 109 | 171 | 30 | 14 | 11 | 76 | 4 | 48 | 54 | .280 | .271 (+3%) | .331 (+2%) | .363 (+18%) | .694 (+11%) | 1145.6 |
| 1921 | NYA | AL | 153 | 588 | 96 | 174 | 35 | 9 | 8 | 98 | 17 | 45 | 28 | .296 | .286 (+3%) | .344 (+1%) | .395 (+8%) | .739 (+5%) | 487.3 |
| 1922 | NYA | AL | 152 | 577 | 96 | 190 | 32 | 10 | 9 | 90 | 7 | 56 | 32 | .329 | .285 (+15%) | .345 (+13%) | .397 (+17%) | .743 (+16%) | 1946.2 |
| 1923 | NYA | AL | 144 | 569 | 79 | 173 | 19 | 8 | 6 | 108 | 6 | 36 | 28 | .304 | .282 (+7%) | .344 (+2%) | .390 (+2%) | .734 (+2%) | 220.5 |
| 1924 | NYA | AL | 153 | 589 | 88 | 174 | 30 | 19 | 9 | 114 | 12 | 51 | 36 | .295 | .283 (+4%) | .345 (+2%) | .389 (+17%) | .734 (+10%) | 1035.7 |
| 1925 | NYA | AL | 62 | 178 | 19 | 41 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 3 | 13 | 12 | .230 | .288 (-20%) | .349 (-18%) | .407 (-14%) | .756 (-16%) | -504.6 |
| 1926 | CIN | NL | 155 | 574 | 72 | 167 | 22 | 15 | 6 | 99 | 8 | 49 | 26 | .291 | .279 (+4%) | .345 (+2%) | .390 (+6%) | .735 (+4%) | 409.5 |
| 1927 | CIN | NL | 122 | 443 | 49 | 115 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 32 | 11 | .260 | .282 (-8%) | .344 (-10%) | .392 (-13%) | .736 (-11%) | -862.3 |
| 1928 | CIN | NL | 95 | 272 | 30 | 77 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 1 | 23 | 13 | .283 | .280 (+1%) | .342 (avg) | .395 (-7%) | .737 (-4%) | -156.1 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 1,872 | 6,914 | 974 | 1,941 | 311 | 148 | 90 | 998 | 125 | 596 | 551 | .281 | — | — | — | — | 8,808 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1872 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 949 | 3403 | 510 | 983 | 53 | 535 | .289 |
| Away | 923 | 3511 | 462 | 958 | 37 | 482 | .273 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928-09-30 | CIN | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-27 | CIN | PHI | W | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 1928-09-25 | CIN | NY1 | L | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-24 | CIN | NY1 | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-23 | CIN | NY1 | L | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-22 | CIN | BSN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-22 | CIN | BSN | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-21 | CIN | BSN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1928-09-21 | CIN | BSN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928-09-20 | CIN | BSN | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1819 | 0 | 18779 | 1152 | 168 | 1290 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | DET | 1B | 10 | 0 | 80 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 1915 | NYA | 1B | 134 | 0 | 1396 | 85 | 12 | 85 |
| 1916 | NYA | 1B | 148 | 0 | 1513 | 99 | 13 | 89 |
| 1917 | NYA | 1B | 155 | 0 | 1609 | 109 | 17 | 97 |
| 1918 | NYA | 1B | 91 | 0 | 918 | 61 | 12 | 75 |
| 1919 | NYA | 1B | 138 | 0 | 1488 | 94 | 15 | 77 |
| 1920 | NYA | 1B | 153 | 0 | 1649 | 100 | 15 | 101 |
| 1921 | NYA | 1B | 153 | 0 | 1624 | 89 | 16 | 116 |
| 1922 | NYA | 1B | 152 | 0 | 1667 | 88 | 13 | 106 |
| 1923 | NYA | 1B | 144 | 0 | 1461 | 81 | 12 | 97 |
| 1924 | NYA | 1B | 153 | 0 | 1447 | 106 | 9 | 106 |
| 1925 | NYA | 1B | 47 | 0 | 399 | 38 | 4 | 40 |
| 1926 | CIN | 1B | 155 | 0 | 1710 | 92 | 15 | 140 |
| 1927 | CIN | 1B | 114 | 0 | 1145 | 66 | 5 | 86 |
| 1928 | CIN | 1B | 72 | 0 | 673 | 40 | 8 | 69 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1818 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1923 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 1B |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic University of America | Washington | DC | 1912, 1913 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 14th | 12.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1924 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 14th | 6.0 | 64 | 0 |
| 1922 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 8th | 12.0 | 64 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Wally Pipp (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Wally Pipp: the record in brief
According to the bio, Wally Pipp debuted on June 29, 1913 and played a final game on September 30, 1928. Pipp played for the Detroit Tigers (1913), the New York Yankees (1915 through 1925), and the Cincinnati Reds (1926 to 1928). Pipp, born on February 17, 1893, in Chicago, IL, USA, is listed as a first baseman and threw and hit left-handed. Size on record: 6 feet, 1 inch and 180 pounds. Pipp's death is recorded on January 11, 1965, in Grand Rapids, MI, USA. Wally Pipp was the playing name; the full given name is Walter Clement.
Pipp collected 1,941 hits in 6,914 at bats across 1,872 games, good for a .281 batting average, along with 90 homers, 998 runs batted in, and 125 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .341 and the slugging percentage .408, for an OPS of .749. Pipp hit .281 while the league hit .272 over the same span, a figure close to average. By OPS the gap is 6.0% above league average (.749 against .706).
Frequently Asked Questions about Wally Pipp
- What years did Wally Pipp play?
- Wally Pipp played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1928.
- Was Wally Pipp a pitcher?
- No. Wally Pipp was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Wally Pipp hit?
- Wally Pipp hit 90 career home runs with 1941 hits.
- What was Wally Pipp's career batting average?
- Wally Pipp batted .281 over his career, with 1,941 hits in 6,914 at bats.
- How many RBI did Wally Pipp have?
- Wally Pipp drove in 998 runs in his career.
- Is Wally Pipp in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Wally Pipp has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.