Willie Upshaw
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1978-1988)
Willie Upshaw was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1988 for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 11 seasons. In 1,264 career games, he hit .262 with 1,103 hits, 123 home runs, and 528 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 5,187.
- 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
- 6'0" / 185 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1978-04-09
- Last Game
- 1988-09-28
Full name: Willie Clay Upshaw
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,264 | 4,203 | 596 | 1,103 | 199 | 45 | 123 | 528 | 88 | 452 | 642 | .262 | .335 | .419 | .754 | 5,187 |
Career AVG .262 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .335 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .419 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — +7.9% above league average.
Career OPS .754 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — +5.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | TOR | AL | 95 | 224 | 26 | 53 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 4 | 21 | 35 | .237 | .257 (-8%) | .323 (-8%) | .378 (-20%) | .702 (-14%) | -498.6 |
| 1980 | TOR | AL | 34 | 61 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 14 | .213 | .264 (-19%) | .326 (-13%) | .387 (-11%) | .714 (-12%) | -121.5 |
| 1981 | TOR | AL | 61 | 111 | 15 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 11 | 16 | .171 | .255 (-33%) | .320 (-21%) | .368 (-12%) | .688 (-16%) | -286.0 |
| 1982 | TOR | AL | 160 | 580 | 77 | 155 | 25 | 7 | 21 | 75 | 8 | 52 | 91 | .267 | .261 (+2%) | .324 (+1%) | .388 (+14%) | .712 (+8%) | 859.8 |
| 1983 | TOR | AL | 160 | 579 | 99 | 177 | 26 | 7 | 27 | 104 | 10 | 61 | 98 | .306 | .260 (+17%) | .324 (+15%) | .389 (+32%) | .714 (+24%) | 2842.9 |
| 1984 | TOR | AL | 152 | 569 | 79 | 158 | 31 | 9 | 19 | 84 | 10 | 55 | 86 | .278 | .259 (+7%) | .322 (+7%) | .384 (+21%) | .707 (+14%) | 1570.3 |
| 1985 | TOR | AL | 148 | 501 | 79 | 138 | 31 | 5 | 15 | 65 | 8 | 48 | 71 | .275 | .257 (+7%) | .323 (+6%) | .390 (+14%) | .714 (+10%) | 1013.8 |
| 1986 | TOR | AL | 155 | 573 | 85 | 144 | 28 | 6 | 9 | 60 | 23 | 78 | 87 | .251 | .257 (-2%) | .325 (+5%) | .395 (-7%) | .720 (-2%) | -36.0 |
| 1987 | TOR | AL | 150 | 512 | 68 | 125 | 22 | 4 | 15 | 58 | 10 | 58 | 78 | .244 | .262 (-7%) | .331 (-2%) | .415 (-6%) | .746 (-4%) | -312.4 |
| 1988 | CLE | AL | 149 | 493 | 58 | 121 | 22 | 3 | 11 | 50 | 12 | 62 | 66 | .245 | .254 (-3%) | .317 (+4%) | .377 (-2%) | .695 (avg) | 155.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 1,264 | 4,203 | 596 | 1,103 | 199 | 45 | 123 | 528 | 88 | 452 | 642 | .262 | — | — | — | — | 5,187 | ||
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 (1264 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 619 | 2000 | 296 | 543 | 53 | 270 | .272 |
| Away | 645 | 2203 | 300 | 560 | 70 | 258 | .254 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-09-28 | CLE | DET | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1988-09-26 | CLE | DET | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1988-09-25 | CLE | TOR | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1988-09-24 | CLE | TOR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-23 | CLE | TOR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-21 | CLE | DET | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1988-09-20 | CLE | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-09-19 | CLE | DET | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988-09-18 | CLE | TOR | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988-09-16 | CLE | TOR | 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 | 1094 | 1016 | 8939 | 799 | 98 | 845 |
| OF | 67 | 55 | 95 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | TOR | 1B | 10 | 5 | 50 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 1978 | TOR | OF | 52 | 43 | 81 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 1980 | TOR | 1B | 14 | 4 | 51 | 7 | 1 | 11 |
| 1980 | TOR | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | TOR | 1B | 14 | 3 | 58 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| 1981 | TOR | OF | 14 | 11 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1982 | TOR | 1B | 155 | 155 | 1438 | 101 | 17 | 123 |
| 1983 | TOR | 1B | 159 | 154 | 1294 | 117 | 21 | 131 |
| 1984 | TOR | 1B | 151 | 151 | 1246 | 103 | 14 | 133 |
| 1985 | TOR | 1B | 147 | 129 | 1157 | 104 | 10 | 111 |
| 1986 | TOR | 1B | 154 | 151 | 1314 | 131 | 12 | 118 |
| 1987 | TOR | 1B | 146 | 135 | 1169 | 127 | 9 | 114 |
| 1988 | CLE | 1B | 144 | 129 | 1162 | 102 | 12 | 93 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 1096 |
| Left Field | 53 |
| Center Field | 6 |
| Right Field | 9 |
| Designated Hitter | 55 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Player of the Week | Week of 1985-04-26 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | CLE | AL | $900,000 |
| 1987 | TOR | AL | $940,000 |
| 1986 | TOR | AL | $940,000 |
| 1985 | TOR | AL | $730,000 |
| Total Career Earnings | $3,510,000 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 16th | 8.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1983 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 11th | 41.0 | 392 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Willie Upshaw (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Willie Upshaw: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 9, 1978 and the final game on September 28, 1988, Willie Upshaw built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Toronto Blue Jays (1978 to 1987) and the Cleveland Indians (1988). Upshaw played primarily as a first baseman and batted and threw left-handed. The bio adds a birth date on April 27, 1957, in Blanco, TX, USA and a listed size of 6 feet, 0 inches and 185 pounds. Willie Upshaw was the playing name; the full given name is Willie Clay.
In 1,264 games and 4,203 at bats, Upshaw batted .262 with 1,103 hits, plus 123 homers, 528 RBI, and 88 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .335 and the slugging percentage .419, for an OPS of .754. Upshaw hit .262 while the league hit .259 over the same span, a figure close to average. Upshaw's most home runs in a season came in 1983, when the total reached 27 for the Toronto Blue Jays. The hits column peaks at 177, in 1983.
Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Upshaw
- What years did Willie Upshaw play?
- Willie Upshaw played in Major League Baseball from 1978 to 1988.
- Was Willie Upshaw a pitcher?
- No. Willie Upshaw was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Willie Upshaw hit?
- Willie Upshaw hit 123 career home runs with 1103 hits.
- What was Willie Upshaw's career batting average?
- Willie Upshaw batted .262 over his career, with 1,103 hits in 4,203 at bats.
- How many RBI did Willie Upshaw have?
- Willie Upshaw drove in 528 runs in his career.
- Is Willie Upshaw in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Willie Upshaw has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.