Bill Virdon
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1955-1968)
Bill Virdon was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1968 for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,583 career games, he hit .267 with 1,596 hits, 91 home runs, and 502 RBI. Bill Virdon was a Rookie of the Year and a Gold Glove.
- 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 / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 175 lb
- Died
- 11/23/2021 in Springfield, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1955-04-12
- Last Game
- 1968-07-31
- Awards
- Rookie of the Year · Gold Glove
Full name: William Charles Virdon
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,583 | 5,980 | 735 | 1,596 | 237 | 81 | 91 | 502 | 47 | 442 | 647 | .267 | .316 | .379 | .696 | -2,433 |
Career AVG .267 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +5.6% above league average.
Career OBP .316 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .379 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .696 vs. league average .703 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | SLN | NL | 144 | 534 | 58 | 150 | 18 | 6 | 17 | 68 | 2 | 36 | 64 | .281 | .258 (+9%) | .332 (-3%) | .393 (+10%) | .726 (+4%) | 223.2 |
| 1956 | SLN | NL | 24 | 71 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 8 | .211 | .258 (-18%) | .331 (-19%) | .397 (-18%) | .728 (-19%) | -222.8 |
| 1956 | PIT | NL | 133 | 509 | 67 | 170 | 21 | 10 | 8 | 37 | 6 | 33 | 63 | .334 | .258 (+29%) | .331 (+13%) | .397 (+16%) | .728 (+15%) | -222.8 |
| 1957 | PIT | NL | 144 | 561 | 59 | 141 | 28 | 11 | 8 | 50 | 3 | 33 | 69 | .251 | .257 (-2%) | .323 (-10%) | .391 (-2%) | .715 (-6%) | -661.4 |
| 1958 | PIT | NL | 144 | 604 | 75 | 161 | 24 | 11 | 9 | 46 | 5 | 52 | 70 | .267 | .257 (+3%) | .324 (avg) | .394 (-2%) | .719 (-1%) | -142.9 |
| 1959 | PIT | NL | 144 | 519 | 67 | 132 | 24 | 2 | 8 | 41 | 7 | 55 | 65 | .254 | .256 (-1%) | .323 (+1%) | .392 (-10%) | .715 (-5%) | -320.3 |
| 1960 | PIT | NL | 120 | 409 | 60 | 108 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 40 | 8 | 40 | 44 | .264 | .255 (+4%) | .323 (+1%) | .387 (+5%) | .711 (+3%) | 139.9 |
| 1961 | PIT | NL | 146 | 599 | 81 | 156 | 22 | 8 | 9 | 58 | 5 | 49 | 45 | .260 | .258 (+1%) | .328 (-5%) | .399 (-8%) | .727 (-6%) | -679.7 |
| 1962 | PIT | NL | 156 | 663 | 82 | 164 | 27 | 10 | 6 | 47 | 5 | 36 | 65 | .247 | .257 (-4%) | .326 (-12%) | .393 (-12%) | .719 (-12%) | -1417.2 |
| 1963 | PIT | NL | 142 | 554 | 58 | 149 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 53 | 1 | 43 | 55 | .269 | .246 (+9%) | .308 (+4%) | .371 (avg) | .680 (+2%) | 213.4 |
| 1964 | PIT | NL | 145 | 473 | 59 | 115 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 27 | 1 | 30 | 48 | .243 | .250 (-3%) | .312 (-8%) | .377 (-21%) | .690 (-15%) | -1098.3 |
| 1965 | PIT | NL | 135 | 481 | 58 | 134 | 22 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 4 | 30 | 49 | .279 | .245 (+13%) | .310 (+4%) | .371 (avg) | .682 (+1%) | 101.7 |
| 1968 | PIT | NL | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 1,583 | 5,980 | 735 | 1,596 | 237 | 81 | 91 | 502 | 47 | 442 | 647 | .267 | — | — | — | — | -4,087 | ||
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 (1583 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 800 | 2947 | 385 | 791 | 41 | 257 | .268 |
| Away | 783 | 3033 | 350 | 805 | 50 | 244 | .265 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-07-31 | PIT | CIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968-07-26 | PIT | STL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968-07-23 | PIT | CIN | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1968-07-21 | PIT | ATL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968-07-17 | PIT | NYN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1968-07-17 | PIT | NYN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965-10-03 | PIT | CHC | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965-10-02 | PIT | CHC | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1965-09-29 | PIT | NYN | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1965-09-28 | PIT | NYN | L | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1542 | 1463 | 3777 | 100 | 73 | 18 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | SLN | OF | 142 | 133 | 339 | 7 | 12 | 1 |
| 1956 | SLN | OF | 24 | 22 | 53 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1956 | PIT | OF | 130 | 126 | 334 | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| 1957 | PIT | OF | 141 | 138 | 403 | 13 | 6 | 2 |
| 1958 | PIT | OF | 143 | 143 | 401 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 1959 | PIT | OF | 144 | 139 | 404 | 16 | 9 | 5 |
| 1960 | PIT | OF | 109 | 98 | 272 | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| 1961 | PIT | OF | 145 | 144 | 384 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 1962 | PIT | OF | 156 | 156 | 360 | 11 | 9 | 0 |
| 1963 | PIT | OF | 142 | 142 | 323 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 1964 | PIT | OF | 134 | 112 | 243 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| 1965 | PIT | OF | 128 | 110 | 260 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 1968 | PIT | OF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 2 |
| Center Field | 1506 |
| Right Field | 36 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 1955 | Rookie of the Year | |
| 1955 | TSN Rookie of the Year |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 13.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1955 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 1st | 15.0 | 24 | 15 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bill Virdon (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bill Virdon: the record in brief
The profile opens with Bill Virdon's first major league game on April 12, 1955; the last one listed came on July 31, 1968. Virdon played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1955 to 1956) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1956 to 1968). Born on June 9, 1931, in Hazel Park, MI, USA, Virdon is listed as an outfielder and hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Virdon's listed size is 6'0" and 175 pounds. The bio records the death on November 23, 2021, in Springfield, MO, USA. Virdon's full given name, per the bio, is William Charles Virdon.
Across 1,583 games at the plate, Virdon's career line reads 1,596 hits in 5,980 at bats for a .267 average, adding 91 homers, 502 runs batted in, and 47 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .316 and .379 give Virdon a career OPS of .696. Set against a .253 league average for the same years, Virdon's .267 average sits 5.6% above it. Virdon's most home runs in a season came in 1955, when the total reached 17 for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Virdon
- What years did Bill Virdon play?
- Bill Virdon played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1968.
- Was Bill Virdon a pitcher?
- No. Bill Virdon was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Bill Virdon hit?
- Bill Virdon hit 91 career home runs with 1,596 hits.
- What teams did Bill Virdon play for?
- Bill Virdon played for 2 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1955–1956) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1956–1965, 1968).
- Did Bill Virdon win an MVP award?
- No. Bill Virdon did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Bill Virdon win?
- Bill Virdon won the Rookie of the Year award (1955) and the Gold Glove (1962).
- What were Bill Virdon's career stats?
- In 1,583 games, Bill Virdon had 1,596 hits, 91 home runs, 502 RBI, 735 runs, and 47 stolen bases, with a .267 batting average.
- What position did Bill Virdon play?
- Bill Virdon played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bill Virdon and how much did he weigh?
- Bill Virdon was listed at 6 feet and 175 pounds.
- How many home runs did Bill Virdon hit each season?
- Bill Virdon's home runs by season: 17 in 1955, 10 in 1956, 8 in 1957, 9 in 1958, 8 in 1959, 8 in 1960, 9 in 1961, 6 in 1962, 8 in 1963, 3 in 1964, 4 in 1965, and 1 in 1968. His most in one season was 17, in 1955.
- What was Bill Virdon's career batting average?
- Bill Virdon batted .267 over his career, with 1,596 hits in 5,980 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Virdon have?
- Bill Virdon drove in 502 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Virdon in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Virdon has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.