Harry Spilman

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1978-1989)

Harry Spilman was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1989 for 4 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 12 seasons. In 563 career games, he hit .237 with 192 hits, 18 home runs, and 117 RBI.

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 .237
HR 18
RBI 117
H 192
OPS .654
PIV -765
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 180 lb
Born
7/18/1954 in Albany, GA, USA
MLB Debut
1978-09-11
Last Game
1989-09-30

Full name: William Harry Spilman

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Career Batting Statistics

Harry Spilman — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
563 810 96 192 34 1 18 117 1 81 126 .237 .306 .348 .654 -765

Career AVG .237 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 8.6% below league average.

Career OBP .306 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 5.7% below league average.

Career SLG .348 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 10.3% below league average.

Career OPS .654 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — 8.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Harry Spilman 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
1978 CIN NL 4 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250 — — — — 0.0
1979 CIN NL 43 56 7 12 3 0 0 5 0 7 5 .214 .265 (-19%) .329 (-2%) .397 (-33%) .727 (-19%) -139.1
1980 CIN NL 65 101 14 27 4 0 4 19 0 9 19 .267 .264 (+1%) .326 (avg) .387 (+10%) .714 (+5%) 87.5
1981 CIN NL 23 24 4 4 1 0 0 3 0 3 7 .167 — — — — 0.0
1981 HOU NL 28 34 5 10 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 .294 — — — — 0.0
1982 HOU NL 38 61 7 17 2 0 3 11 0 5 10 .279 .261 (+7%) .324 (+3%) .388 (+18%) .712 (+11%) 113.0
1983 HOU NL 42 78 7 13 3 0 1 9 0 5 12 .167 .260 (-36%) .324 (-35%) .389 (-37%) .714 (-36%) -472.0
1984 HOU NL 32 72 14 19 2 0 2 15 0 12 10 .264 .259 (+2%) .322 (+10%) .384 (-3%) .707 (+3%) 59.1
1985 HOU NL 44 66 3 9 1 0 1 4 0 3 7 .136 .257 (-47%) .323 (-46%) .390 (-50%) .714 (-48%) -502.7
1986 DET AL 24 49 6 12 2 0 3 8 0 3 8 .245 — — — — 26.9
1986 SFN NL 58 94 12 27 7 0 2 22 0 12 13 .287 .257 (+11%) .325 (+13%) .395 (+8%) .720 (+10%) 26.9
1987 SFN NL 83 90 5 24 5 0 1 14 1 9 20 .267 .262 (+1%) .331 (-1%) .415 (-14%) .746 (-9%) -129.3
1988 SFN NL 40 40 4 7 1 1 1 3 0 4 6 .175 — — — — 0.0
1988 HOU NL 7 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 HOU NL 32 36 7 10 3 0 0 3 0 7 2 .278 — — — — 0.0
Career · 15 seasons 563 810 96 192 34 1 18 117 1 81 126 .237 — — — — -930

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

Harry Spilman — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 .200

Playoff Batting by Year

Harry Spilman — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1987 NLCS SFN 3 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 .500
1981 NWDIV HOU 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1979 NLCS CIN 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (563 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Harry Spilman — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2653594581748.226
Away298451511111169.246

Last 10 Games — Batting

Harry Spilman — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1989-09-30 HOUCINW 100000000
1989-09-26 HOUATLW 101100100
1989-09-25 HOUATLL 100000000
1989-09-24 HOUSFGL 100000001
1989-09-23 HOUSFGL 101000000
1989-09-21 HOUATLL 100000000
1989-09-20 HOUATLW 010000010
1989-09-19 HOUATLL 101000000
1989-09-14 HOULADW 100000000
1989-09-13 HOULADW 000000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Harry Spilman — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 157 98 974 61 9 73
2B 1 0 1 1 0 0
3B 25 8 9 21 2 1
C 23 3 33 5 0 0
OF 4 2 0 1 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Harry Spilman — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1979 CIN 1B 12 5 62 2 0 3
1979 CIN 3B 4 3 2 9 0 0
1980 CIN 1B 18 14 132 13 2 11
1980 CIN 3B 1 0 0 2 0 0
1980 CIN C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1980 CIN OF 2 1 0 0 0 0
1981 CIN 1B 2 1 12 1 1 0
1981 CIN 3B 3 1 4 2 0 0
1981 HOU 1B 13 4 46 2 0 3
1982 HOU 1B 11 10 86 5 1 5
1983 HOU 1B 19 11 124 7 0 5
1983 HOU C 6 1 14 1 0 0
1984 HOU 1B 18 16 130 6 3 14
1984 HOU C 8 2 13 3 0 0
1985 HOU 1B 19 14 131 4 0 15
1985 HOU C 2 0 3 0 0 0
1986 DET 1B 1 0 4 0 0 0
1986 DET 3B 2 1 1 1 0 0
1986 DET C 1 0 2 0 0 0
1986 SFN 1B 19 16 138 15 1 8
1986 SFN 2B 1 0 1 1 0 0
1986 SFN 3B 5 0 1 1 1 0
1986 SFN C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1986 SFN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1987 SFN 1B 9 3 39 1 1 4
1987 SFN 3B 10 3 1 6 1 1
1987 SFN C 1 0 0 0 0 0
1988 SFN 1B 6 0 18 1 0 3
1988 SFN C 2 0 1 1 0 0
1988 SFN OF 1 1 0 1 1 0
1988 HOU 1B 1 0 5 0 0 0
1989 HOU 1B 9 4 47 4 0 2
1989 HOU C 1 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Harry Spilman Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 23
First Base 157
Second Base 1
Third Base 25
Left Field 4
Designated Hitter 11

Salary History

Harry Spilman — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1989 HOU NL $150,000
1988 SFN NL $225,000
1987 SFN NL $175,000
1986 DET AL $60,000
1985 HOU NL $160,000
Total Career Earnings $770,000

Harry Spilman: the record in brief

September 11, 1978 and September 30, 1989 bracket Harry Spilman's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Spilman played for the Cincinnati Reds (1978 to 1981), the Houston Astros (1981 to 1989), the Detroit Tigers (1986), and the San Francisco Giants (1986 to 1988). Spilman played primarily as a first baseman and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on July 18, 1954, in Albany, GA, USA and a listed size of 6 feet, 1 inch and 180 pounds. On the record, Harry Spilman was born William Harry Spilman.

Across 563 games at the plate, Spilman's career line reads 192 hits in 810 at bats for a .237 average, plus 18 homers and 117 runs batted in. Spilman got on base at a .306 rate and slugged .348 (.654 OPS). The league as a whole hit .259 across Spilman's seasons, which puts the .237 career mark 8.6% below average. The OPS comparison is .654 to a league .712, 8.2% below average. The hits column peaks at 27, in 1980. The RBI column peaks at 22 in 1986.

Frequently Asked Questions about Harry Spilman

What years did Harry Spilman play?
Harry Spilman played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1989.
Was Harry Spilman a pitcher?
No. Harry Spilman was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Harry Spilman hit?
Harry Spilman hit 18 career home runs with 192 hits.
What was Harry Spilman's career batting average?
Harry Spilman batted .237 over his career, with 192 hits in 810 at bats.
How many RBI did Harry Spilman have?
Harry Spilman drove in 117 runs in his career.
Is Harry Spilman in the Hall of Fame?
No. Harry Spilman has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.