Bill Tuttle
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1952-1963)
Bill Tuttle was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1963 for the Detroit Tigers, the Kansas City Athletics, and the Minnesota Twins, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,270 career games, he hit .259 with 1,105 hits, 67 home runs, and 443 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
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 190 lb
- Died
- 7/27/1998 in Anoka, MN, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1952-09-10
- Last Game
- 1963-05-11
Full name: William Robert Tuttle
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,270 | 4,268 | 578 | 1,105 | 149 | 47 | 67 | 443 | 38 | 480 | 416 | .259 | .334 | .363 | .697 | -1,306 |
Career AVG .259 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .334 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .363 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 6.7% below league average.
Career OPS .697 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | DET | AL | 7 | 25 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .240 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1954 | DET | AL | 147 | 530 | 64 | 141 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 58 | 5 | 62 | 60 | .266 | .261 (+2%) | .333 (+3%) | .390 (-1%) | .723 (+1%) | 108.2 |
| 1955 | DET | AL | 154 | 603 | 102 | 168 | 23 | 4 | 14 | 78 | 6 | 76 | 54 | .279 | .258 (+8%) | .332 (+8%) | .393 (+1%) | .726 (+4%) | 667.4 |
| 1956 | DET | AL | 140 | 546 | 61 | 138 | 22 | 4 | 9 | 65 | 5 | 38 | 48 | .253 | .258 (-2%) | .331 (-9%) | .397 (-10%) | .728 (-10%) | -911.9 |
| 1957 | DET | AL | 133 | 451 | 49 | 113 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 47 | 2 | 44 | 41 | .251 | .257 (-3%) | .323 (-2%) | .391 (-16%) | .715 (-10%) | -662.8 |
| 1958 | KC1 | AL | 148 | 511 | 77 | 118 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 51 | 7 | 74 | 58 | .231 | .257 (-10%) | .324 (+1%) | .394 (-9%) | .719 (-5%) | -300.6 |
| 1959 | KC1 | AL | 126 | 463 | 74 | 139 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 43 | 10 | 48 | 38 | .300 | .256 (+17%) | .323 (+14%) | .392 (+5%) | .715 (+9%) | 949.3 |
| 1960 | KC1 | AL | 151 | 559 | 75 | 143 | 21 | 3 | 8 | 40 | 1 | 66 | 52 | .256 | .255 (avg) | .323 (+4%) | .387 (-10%) | .711 (-4%) | -209.9 |
| 1961 | KC1 | AL | 25 | 84 | 15 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 9 | .262 | .258 (+1%) | .328 (+2%) | .399 (-17%) | .727 (-8%) | -100.1 |
| 1961 | MIN | AL | 113 | 370 | 38 | 91 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 38 | 1 | 43 | 41 | .246 | .258 (-5%) | .328 (-2%) | .399 (-16%) | .727 (-10%) | -100.1 |
| 1962 | MIN | AL | 110 | 123 | 21 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 19 | 14 | .211 | .257 (-18%) | .326 (-3%) | .393 (-28%) | .719 (-16%) | -287.4 |
| 1963 | MIN | AL | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 1,270 | 4,268 | 578 | 1,105 | 149 | 47 | 67 | 443 | 38 | 480 | 416 | .259 | — | — | — | — | -848 | ||
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 (1270 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 644 | 2140 | 311 | 573 | 38 | 242 | .268 |
| Away | 626 | 2128 | 267 | 532 | 29 | 201 | .250 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-05-11 | MIN | KC1 | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-05-10 | MIN | KC1 | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-05-08 | MIN | LAA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-05-06 | MIN | LAA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-05-05 | MIN | NYY | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-04-30 | MIN | BAL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-04-27 | MIN | DET | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-04-26 | MIN | DET | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-04-25 | MIN | TEX | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-04-24 | MIN | TEX | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 85 | 84 | 66 | 165 | 14 | 15 |
| OF | 1191 | 988 | 2698 | 97 | 48 | 18 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | DET | OF | 6 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | DET | OF | 145 | 143 | 364 | 18 | 6 | 3 |
| 1955 | DET | OF | 154 | 153 | 442 | 12 | 7 | 2 |
| 1956 | DET | OF | 137 | 133 | 348 | 13 | 9 | 2 |
| 1957 | DET | OF | 128 | 107 | 331 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| 1958 | KC1 | OF | 145 | 131 | 311 | 12 | 4 | 2 |
| 1959 | KC1 | OF | 121 | 111 | 294 | 17 | 5 | 3 |
| 1960 | KC1 | OF | 148 | 140 | 381 | 16 | 5 | 3 |
| 1961 | KC1 | OF | 25 | 23 | 58 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1961 | MIN | 2B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1961 | MIN | 3B | 85 | 84 | 66 | 165 | 14 | 15 |
| 1961 | MIN | OF | 64 | 20 | 72 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1962 | MIN | OF | 104 | 27 | 71 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1963 | MIN | OF | 14 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 2 |
| Third Base | 85 |
| Left Field | 3 |
| Center Field | 1146 |
| Right Field | 62 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradley University | Peoria | IL | 1949, 1950, 1951 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 23th | 5.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bill Tuttle (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bill Tuttle: the record in brief
Bill Tuttle played a first major league game on September 10, 1952 and a last one on May 11, 1963. By club, Tuttle's seasons break down as the Detroit Tigers (1952 to 1957), the Kansas City Athletics (1958 through 1961), and the Minnesota Twins (1961 through 1963). Tuttle played primarily as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on July 4, 1929, in Elmwood, IL, USA and a listed size of 6'0" and 190 pounds. Tuttle's death is recorded on July 27, 1998, in Anoka, MN, USA. The bio lists the given name William Robert.
Across 1,270 games at the plate, Tuttle's career line reads 1,105 hits in 4,268 at bats for a .259 average, along with 67 homers, 443 RBI, and 38 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .334 and .363 give Tuttle a career OPS of .697. Tuttle hit .259 while the league hit .256 over the same span, a figure close to average. Tuttle's most home runs in a season came in 1955, when the total reached 14 for the Detroit Tigers.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Tuttle
- What years did Bill Tuttle play?
- Bill Tuttle played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1963.
- Was Bill Tuttle a pitcher?
- No. Bill Tuttle was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Bill Tuttle hit?
- Bill Tuttle hit 67 career home runs with 1105 hits.
- What was Bill Tuttle's career batting average?
- Bill Tuttle batted .259 over his career, with 1,105 hits in 4,268 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Tuttle have?
- Bill Tuttle drove in 443 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Tuttle in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Tuttle has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.