Willie Stargell
Outfielder · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1962-1982)
Willie Stargell was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1982 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 21 seasons. In 2,360 career games, he hit .282 with 2,232 hits, 475 home runs, and 1,540 RBI. Willie Stargell was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988 and was a 7-time All-Star, an MVP, a World Series MVP, an NLCS MVP, a Roberto Clemente Award, and a Babe Ruth Award. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 42,804.
- 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
- 6'2" / 188 lb
- Died
- 4/9/2001 in Wilmington, NC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1962-09-16
- Last Game
- 1982-10-03
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1988 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- 7× All-Star · MVP · World Series MVP · NLCS MVP · Roberto Clemente Award · Babe Ruth Award
Full name: Wilver Dornel Stargell
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,360 | 7,927 | 1,194 | 2,232 | 423 | 55 | 475 | 1,540 | 17 | 937 | 1,936 | .282 | .360 | .529 | .889 | 42,804 |
Career AVG .282 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — +10.9% above league average.
Career OBP .360 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +12.7% above league average.
Career SLG .529 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — +40.8% above league average.
Career OPS .889 vs. league average .695 across their career seasons — +27.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | PIT | NL | 10 | 31 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 10 | .290 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | PIT | NL | 108 | 304 | 34 | 74 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 47 | 0 | 19 | 85 | .243 | .246 (-1%) | .308 (-6%) | .371 (+15%) | .680 (+5%) | 163.4 |
| 1964 | PIT | NL | 117 | 421 | 53 | 115 | 19 | 7 | 21 | 78 | 1 | 17 | 92 | .273 | .250 (+9%) | .312 (-3%) | .377 (+33%) | .690 (+17%) | 1059.6 |
| 1965 | PIT | NL | 144 | 533 | 68 | 145 | 25 | 8 | 27 | 107 | 1 | 39 | 127 | .272 | .245 (+11%) | .310 (+6%) | .371 (+35%) | .682 (+21%) | 1996.6 |
| 1966 | PIT | NL | 140 | 485 | 84 | 153 | 30 | 0 | 33 | 102 | 2 | 48 | 109 | .315 | .248 (+27%) | .309 (+23%) | .376 (+55%) | .685 (+40%) | 3693.3 |
| 1967 | PIT | NL | 134 | 462 | 54 | 125 | 18 | 6 | 20 | 73 | 1 | 67 | 103 | .271 | .242 (+12%) | .306 (+19%) | .357 (+30%) | .663 (+25%) | 2277.2 |
| 1968 | PIT | NL | 128 | 435 | 57 | 103 | 15 | 1 | 24 | 67 | 5 | 47 | 105 | .237 | .236 (avg) | .298 (+5%) | .340 (+30%) | .638 (+18%) | 1372.5 |
| 1969 | PIT | NL | 145 | 522 | 89 | 160 | 31 | 6 | 29 | 92 | 1 | 61 | 120 | .307 | .248 (+24%) | .320 (+19%) | .369 (+50%) | .689 (+36%) | 3570.1 |
| 1970 | PIT | NL | 136 | 474 | 70 | 125 | 18 | 3 | 31 | 85 | 0 | 44 | 119 | .264 | .253 (+4%) | .325 (+1%) | .385 (+32%) | .711 (+18%) | 1508.8 |
| 1971 | PIT | NL | 141 | 511 | 104 | 151 | 26 | 0 | 48 | 125 | 0 | 83 | 154 | .295 | .249 (+19%) | .316 (+26%) | .365 (+72%) | .682 (+50%) | 5020.1 |
| 1972 | PIT | NL | 138 | 495 | 74 | 145 | 28 | 2 | 33 | 112 | 1 | 65 | 129 | .293 | .243 (+20%) | .310 (+20%) | .353 (+58%) | .664 (+40%) | 3616.3 |
| 1973 | PIT | NL | 148 | 522 | 106 | 156 | 43 | 3 | 44 | 119 | 0 | 80 | 129 | .299 | .256 (+16%) | .325 (+21%) | .378 (+70%) | .703 (+47%) | 4849.3 |
| 1974 | PIT | NL | 140 | 508 | 90 | 153 | 37 | 4 | 25 | 96 | 0 | 87 | 106 | .301 | .256 (+17%) | .324 (+25%) | .369 (+46%) | .693 (+36%) | 3768.4 |
| 1975 | PIT | NL | 124 | 461 | 71 | 136 | 32 | 2 | 22 | 90 | 0 | 58 | 109 | .295 | .257 (+15%) | .327 (+14%) | .374 (+38%) | .701 (+27%) | 2360.9 |
| 1976 | PIT | NL | 117 | 428 | 54 | 110 | 20 | 3 | 20 | 65 | 2 | 50 | 101 | .257 | .255 (+1%) | .320 (+6%) | .360 (+27%) | .681 (+17%) | 1320.7 |
| 1977 | PIT | NL | 63 | 186 | 29 | 51 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 35 | 0 | 31 | 55 | .274 | .264 (+4%) | .329 (+16%) | .401 (+37%) | .730 (+28%) | 974.2 |
| 1978 | PIT | NL | 122 | 390 | 60 | 115 | 18 | 2 | 28 | 97 | 3 | 50 | 93 | .295 | .257 (+14%) | .323 (+18%) | .378 (+50%) | .702 (+35%) | 2653.7 |
| 1979 | PIT | NL | 126 | 424 | 60 | 119 | 19 | 0 | 32 | 82 | 0 | 47 | 105 | .281 | .265 (+6%) | .329 (+7%) | .397 (+39%) | .727 (+24%) | 1958.0 |
| 1980 | PIT | NL | 67 | 202 | 28 | 53 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 38 | 0 | 26 | 52 | .262 | .264 (-1%) | .326 (+7%) | .387 (+25%) | .714 (+17%) | 629.4 |
| 1981 | PIT | NL | 38 | 60 | 2 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 9 | .283 | .255 (+11%) | .320 (+4%) | .368 (-5%) | .688 (-1%) | -8.5 |
| 1982 | PIT | NL | 74 | 73 | 6 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 24 | .233 | .261 (-11%) | .324 (-2%) | .388 (+6%) | .712 (+2%) | 19.6 |
| Career · 21 seasons | 2,360 | 7,927 | 1,194 | 2,232 | 423 | 55 | 475 | 1,540 | 17 | 937 | 1,936 | .282 | — | — | — | — | 42,804 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 133 | 18 | 37 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 17 | 34 | .278 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | NLCS | PIT | 3 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | .455 |
| 1979 | WS | PIT | 7 | 30 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | .400 |
| 1975 | NLCS | PIT | 3 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .182 |
| 1974 | NLCS | PIT | 4 | 15 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | .400 |
| 1972 | NLCS | PIT | 5 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | .062 |
| 1971 | NLCS | PIT | 4 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .000 |
| 1971 | WS | PIT | 7 | 24 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 9 | .208 |
| 1970 | NLCS | PIT | 3 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2360 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1178 | 3848 | 586 | 1115 | 221 | 781 | .290 |
| Away | 1182 | 4079 | 609 | 1117 | 254 | 759 | .274 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-10-03 | PIT | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-10-02 | PIT | WSN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982-10-01 | PIT | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982-09-30 | PIT | STL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-09-28 | PIT | NYN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982-09-27 | PIT | NYN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982-09-24 | PIT | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982-09-23 | PIT | STL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-09-22 | PIT | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982-09-21 | PIT | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 848 | 803 | 7293 | 384 | 67 | 701 |
| OF | 1296 | 1241 | 1985 | 102 | 84 | 12 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | PIT | OF | 9 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963 | PIT | 1B | 16 | 16 | 148 | 9 | 5 | 18 |
| 1963 | PIT | OF | 65 | 55 | 78 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1964 | PIT | 1B | 50 | 49 | 486 | 22 | 1 | 50 |
| 1964 | PIT | OF | 59 | 55 | 79 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| 1965 | PIT | 1B | 7 | 6 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 1965 | PIT | OF | 137 | 130 | 208 | 12 | 8 | 3 |
| 1966 | PIT | 1B | 15 | 12 | 120 | 4 | 0 | 17 |
| 1966 | PIT | OF | 127 | 115 | 180 | 9 | 11 | 0 |
| 1967 | PIT | 1B | 37 | 33 | 307 | 15 | 1 | 25 |
| 1967 | PIT | OF | 98 | 92 | 140 | 12 | 10 | 1 |
| 1968 | PIT | 1B | 13 | 11 | 110 | 7 | 0 | 12 |
| 1968 | PIT | OF | 113 | 108 | 144 | 12 | 9 | 0 |
| 1969 | PIT | 1B | 23 | 21 | 174 | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| 1969 | PIT | OF | 116 | 112 | 159 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 1970 | PIT | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | PIT | OF | 125 | 122 | 184 | 16 | 5 | 1 |
| 1971 | PIT | OF | 138 | 137 | 237 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 1972 | PIT | 1B | 101 | 99 | 881 | 40 | 15 | 96 |
| 1972 | PIT | OF | 32 | 32 | 50 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1973 | PIT | OF | 142 | 141 | 261 | 14 | 7 | 1 |
| 1974 | PIT | 1B | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | PIT | OF | 135 | 135 | 253 | 8 | 9 | 1 |
| 1975 | PIT | 1B | 122 | 122 | 1121 | 54 | 10 | 112 |
| 1976 | PIT | 1B | 111 | 110 | 1037 | 53 | 13 | 76 |
| 1977 | PIT | 1B | 55 | 49 | 449 | 27 | 7 | 26 |
| 1978 | PIT | 1B | 112 | 104 | 875 | 57 | 6 | 76 |
| 1979 | PIT | 1B | 113 | 105 | 949 | 47 | 3 | 102 |
| 1980 | PIT | 1B | 54 | 52 | 460 | 33 | 4 | 54 |
| 1981 | PIT | 1B | 9 | 9 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1982 | PIT | 1B | 8 | 4 | 43 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 847 |
| Left Field | 1229 |
| Center Field | 8 |
| Right Field | 69 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Babe Ruth Award | 1B |
| 1979 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1979 | NLCS MVP | |
| 1979 | TSN Major League Player of the Year | |
| 1979 | World Series MVP | |
| 1978 | Hutch Award | |
| 1978 | TSN Comeback Player of the Year | |
| 1977 | Player of the Week | Week of 1977-05-06 |
| 1974 | Lou Gehrig Memorial Award | |
| 1974 | Roberto Clemente Award | |
| 1973 | Player of the Week | Week of 1973-08-10 |
| 1972 | TSN All-Star | 1B |
| 1971 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1966 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1965 | TSN All-Star | OF |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 1st | 216.0 | 336 | 4 |
| 1978 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 9th | 39.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1975 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 7th | 69.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1974 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 10th | 43.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1973 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 250.0 | 336 | 10 |
| 1972 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 3rd | 201.0 | 336 | 2 |
| 1971 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 222.0 | 336 | 3 |
| 1970 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 15th | 20.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1969 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 21th | 7.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1966 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 15th | 19.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1965 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 14th | 15.0 | 280 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Willie Stargell (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Willie Stargell
See Willie Stargell in Another Era
Willie Stargell: the record in brief
Willie Stargell played a first major league game on September 16, 1962 and a last one on October 3, 1982. Stargell spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Stargell, born on March 6, 1940, in Earlsboro, OK, USA, is listed as an outfielder and both batted and threw left-handed. The bio gives 6'2" and 188 pounds. Stargell died on April 9, 2001, in Wilmington, NC, USA. Stargell's full given name, per the bio, is Wilver Dornel Stargell.
Stargell finished with 2,232 hits from 7,927 at bats in 2,360 games, which works out to .282, along with 475 homers and 1,540 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .360 and .529 give Stargell a career OPS of .889. The league as a whole hit .254 across Stargell's seasons, which puts the .282 career mark 10.9% above average. For power, 1971 stands out: 48 home runs with the Pittsburgh Pirates. No season topped the 160 hits of 1969.
Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Stargell
- What years did Willie Stargell play?
- Willie Stargell played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1982.
- Was Willie Stargell a pitcher?
- No. Willie Stargell was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Willie Stargell hit?
- Willie Stargell hit 475 career home runs with 2232 hits.
- Is Willie Stargell in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Willie Stargell was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
- What was Willie Stargell's career batting average?
- Willie Stargell batted .282 over his career, with 2,232 hits in 7,927 at bats.
- How many RBI did Willie Stargell have?
- Willie Stargell drove in 1,540 runs in his career.