Eddie Waitkus

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1941-1955)

AVG .285
HR 24
RBI 373
H 1,214
OPS .718
PIV 395
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'0" / 170 lb
Born
9/4/1919 in Cambridge, MA, USA
Died
9/16/1972 in Jamaica Plain, MA, USA
MLB Debut
1941-04-15
Last Game
1955-09-20
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Edward Stephen Waitkus

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Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,140 4,254 528 1,214 215 44 24 373 28 372 204 .285 .344 .374 .718 395

Career AVG .285 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +9.3% above league average.

Career OBP .344 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .374 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .718 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

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
1941 CHN NL 12 28 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .179 — — — — 0.0
1946 CHN NL 113 441 50 134 24 5 4 55 3 23 14 .304 .256 (+18%) .328 (+3%) .358 (+14%) .687 (+9%) 572.0
1947 CHN NL 130 514 60 150 28 6 2 35 3 32 17 .292 .262 (+11%) .336 (avg) .376 (+1%) .712 (+1%) -43.2
1948 CHN NL 139 562 87 166 27 10 7 44 11 43 19 .295 .263 (+12%) .340 (+2%) .379 (+10%) .719 (+6%) 560.9
1949 PHI NL 54 209 41 64 16 3 1 28 3 33 12 .306 .262 (+17%) .343 (+17%) .384 (+11%) .727 (+14%) 578.7
1950 PHI NL 154 641 102 182 32 5 2 44 3 55 29 .284 .265 (+7%) .346 (-1%) .401 (-11%) .747 (-6%) -685.0
1951 PHI NL 145 610 65 157 27 4 1 46 0 53 22 .257 .260 (-1%) .336 (-6%) .385 (-17%) .721 (-12%) -1161.2
1952 PHI NL 146 499 51 144 29 4 2 49 2 64 23 .289 .252 (+14%) .326 (+13%) .369 (+1%) .696 (+7%) 840.4
1953 PHI NL 81 247 24 72 9 2 1 16 1 13 23 .291 .264 (+10%) .335 (-2%) .397 (-10%) .733 (-6%) -270.0
1954 BAL AL 95 311 35 88 17 4 2 33 0 28 25 .283 .261 (+8%) .333 (+2%) .390 (-2%) .723 (avg) -13.4
1955 BAL AL 38 85 2 22 1 1 0 9 2 11 10 .259 .258 (avg) .332 (+4%) .393 (-25%) .726 (-12%) -131.8
1955 PHI NL 33 107 10 30 5 0 2 14 0 17 7 .280 .258 (+8%) .332 (+14%) .393 (-3%) .726 (+5%) -131.8
Career · 12 seasons 1,140 4,254 528 1,214 215 44 24 373 28 372 204 .285 — — — — 116

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
4 15 0 4 1 0 0 0 2 0 .267

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1950 WS PHI 4 15 0 4 1 0 0 0 2 0 .267

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1140 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home56620982726116190.291
Away574215625660418183.280

Last 10 Games — Batting

DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1955-09-20 PHIBROL 301000021
1955-09-20 PHIBROL 411001100
1955-09-18 PHIPITW 301000010
1955-09-18 PHIPITL 300000010
1955-09-16 PHIPITW 411100100
1955-09-13 PHICHCW 211000130
1955-09-11 PHIATLL 301000011
1955-09-11 PHIATLL 401000100
1955-09-10 PHISTLL 202100100
1955-09-09 PHISTLL 401000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1049 123 9150 716 72 886
OF 20 0 43 0 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1941 CHN 1B 9 0 71 3 4 8
1946 CHN 1B 106 0 992 81 4 76
1947 CHN 1B 126 0 1161 101 8 109
1948 CHN 1B 116 0 1064 92 9 77
1948 CHN OF 20 0 43 0 1 0
1949 PHI 1B 54 0 452 36 3 51
1950 PHI 1B 154 0 1387 99 10 142
1951 PHI 1B 144 0 1214 94 10 121
1952 PHI 1B 146 0 1281 95 12 119
1953 PHI 1B 59 0 480 37 6 65
1954 BAL 1B 78 76 618 48 0 72
1955 BAL 1B 26 18 180 9 5 15
1955 PHI 1B 31 29 250 21 1 31

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Position Games
First Base 1046
Left Field 20

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1950 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 8.0 336 0
1946 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 21.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Eddie Waitkus (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Joe Stripp
    .294 avg, 24 HR
  2. 93
    Dick Siebert
    .282 avg, 32 HR
  3. 87
    Fernando Vina
    .282 avg, 40 HR
  4. 87
    Andy High
    .284 avg, 44 HR
  5. 86
    Marv Owen
    .275 avg, 31 HR
  6. 83
    Bernie Friberg
    .281 avg, 38 HR

Frequently Asked Questions about Eddie Waitkus

What years did Eddie Waitkus play?
Eddie Waitkus played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1955.
Was Eddie Waitkus a pitcher?
No. Eddie Waitkus was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Eddie Waitkus hit?
Eddie Waitkus hit 24 career home runs with 1214 hits.