Wayne Simpson
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1970-1977)
Wayne Simpson was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1977 for 4 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 8 seasons. Across 122 career appearances, he went 36-31 with a 4.37 ERA and 353 strikeouts. Wayne Simpson was an All-Star.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 220 lb
- Died
- 12/12/2024 in Carson, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1970-04-09
- Last Game
- 1977-09-29
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Wayne Kirby Simpson
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | CIN | NL | 14 | 3 | 26 | 26 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 176.0 | 125 | 59 | 81 | 119 | 3.02 | 3.89 (+22%) | -186.2 |
| 1971 | CIN | NL | 4 | 7 | 22 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 117.1 | 106 | 62 | 77 | 61 | 4.76 | 3.47 (-37%) | -2890.1 |
| 1972 | CIN | NL | 8 | 5 | 24 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 130.1 | 124 | 60 | 49 | 70 | 4.14 | 3.26 (-27%) | -3031.6 |
| 1973 | KCA | AL | 3 | 4 | 16 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 59.2 | 66 | 38 | 35 | 29 | 5.73 | 3.75 (-53%) | 188.0 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30.2 | 31 | 11 | 11 | 19 | 3.23 | 3.71 (+13%) | 590.1 |
| 1977 | CAL | AL | 6 | 12 | 27 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 122.0 | 154 | 79 | 62 | 55 | 5.83 | 4.00 (-46%) | -3130.6 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 36 | 31 | 122 | 107 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 636.0 | 606 | 309 | 315 | 353 | 4.37 | — | -8,460 | ||
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.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | 153 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 90 | .078 | .113 | .085 | .198 | -719 |
Career AVG .078 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 69.2% below league average.
Career OBP .113 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 64.9% below league average.
Career SLG .085 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 77.5% below league average.
Career OPS .198 vs. league average .700 across their career seasons — 71.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | CIN | NL | 27 | 64 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 34 | .094 | .253 (-63%) | .325 (-67%) | .385 (-76%) | .711 (-72%) | -718.7 |
| 1971 | CIN | NL | 22 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | .031 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | CIN | NL | 24 | 48 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31 | .062 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1973 | KCA | AL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | PHI | NL | 7 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | CAL | AL | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 123 | 153 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 90 | .078 | — | — | — | — | -719 | ||
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 (245 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 60 | 68 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .059 |
| Away | 63 | 85 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | .094 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 59 | 322.2 | 296 | 136 | 129 | 185 | 3.79 |
| Away | 63 | 313.1 | 310 | 173 | 186 | 168 | 4.97 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-09-29 | LAA | KCR | L | 4.2 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 1977-09-23 | LAA | KCR | L | 3.1 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 1977-09-17 | LAA | CHW | — | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1977-09-11 | LAA | CHW | — | 5.1 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977-09-05 | LAA | MIL | — | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977-08-23 | LAA | DET | L | 6.2 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1977-08-14 | LAA | NYY | L | 5.1 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 1977-08-08 | LAA | KCR | W | 7.1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1977-07-28 | LAA | OAK | L | 2.1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977-07-24 | LAA | SEA | W | 5.0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 122 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 4th | 1.0 | 24 | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Wayne Simpson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Wayne Simpson: the record in brief
According to the bio, Wayne Simpson debuted on April 9, 1970 and played a final game on September 29, 1977. Simpson played for the Cincinnati Reds (1970 to 1972), the Kansas City Royals (1973), the Philadelphia Phillies (1975), and the California Angels (1977). Simpson played primarily as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Born on December 2, 1948, in Los Angeles, CA, USA, Simpson was listed at 220 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame. The bio records the death on December 12, 2024, in Carson, CA, USA. Wayne Simpson was the playing name; the full given name is Wayne Kirby.
Across 122 games (107 starts), Simpson recorded 36 wins against 31 losses with a 4.37 ERA. The same table counts 353 strikeouts and 13 complete games. Against a 3.69 league ERA for the same seasons, the 4.37 mark was 18.6% worse. Simpson won 14 games in 1970, the most of any season listed. In 1970, one of the busiest seasons, Simpson posted a 3.02 ERA; the league figure that year was 3.89.
Frequently Asked Questions about Wayne Simpson
- What years did Wayne Simpson play?
- Wayne Simpson played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1977.
- Was Wayne Simpson a pitcher?
- Yes. Wayne Simpson pitched in the major leagues, recording 36 wins and 353 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Wayne Simpson hit?
- Wayne Simpson hit 0 career home runs with 12 hits.
- What was Wayne Simpson's career batting average?
- Wayne Simpson batted .078 over his career, with 12 hits in 153 at bats.
- How many RBI did Wayne Simpson have?
- Wayne Simpson drove in 1 runs in his career.
- What was Wayne Simpson's career ERA?
- Wayne Simpson finished with a 4.37 career ERA, going 36-31 with 353 strikeouts.