Dick Wakefield

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1941-1952)

Dick Wakefield was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1952 for the Detroit Tigers, the New York Yankees, and the New York Giants, a span of 12 seasons. In 638 career games, he hit .293 with 625 hits, 56 home runs, and 315 RBI. Dick Wakefield was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 9,496.

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

AVG .293
HR 56
RBI 315
H 625
OPS .843
PIV 9,496
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 210 lb
Born
5/6/1921 in Chicago, IL, USA
Died
8/26/1985 in Redford, MI, USA
MLB Debut
1941-06-26
Last Game
1952-05-06
Awards
All-Star

Full name: Richard Cummings Wakefield

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Career Batting Statistics

Dick Wakefield — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
638 2,132 334 625 102 29 56 315 10 360 270 .293 .396 .447 .843 9,496

Career AVG .293 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +12.6% above league average.

Career OBP .396 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — +18.7% above league average.

Career SLG .447 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — +20.5% above league average.

Career OPS .843 vs. league average .705 across their career seasons — +19.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dick Wakefield Stats, Bio & Career Records
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 DET AL 7 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .143 — — — — 0.0
1943 DET AL 155 633 91 200 38 8 7 79 4 62 60 .316 .255 (+23%) .324 (+16%) .346 (+25%) .671 (+21%) 2516.0
1944 DET AL 78 276 53 98 15 5 12 53 2 55 29 .355 .261 (+36%) .325 (+42%) .357 (+61%) .683 (+52%) 2740.9
1946 DET AL 111 396 64 106 11 5 12 59 3 59 55 .268 .256 (+4%) .328 (+11%) .358 (+15%) .687 (+13%) 1048.6
1947 DET AL 112 368 59 104 15 5 8 51 1 80 44 .283 .262 (+8%) .336 (+22%) .376 (+11%) .712 (+16%) 1470.3
1948 DET AL 110 322 50 89 20 5 11 53 0 70 55 .276 .263 (+5%) .340 (+19%) .379 (+24%) .719 (+22%) 1554.2
1949 DET AL 59 126 17 26 3 1 6 19 0 32 24 .206 .262 (-21%) .343 (+7%) .384 (+1%) .727 (+4%) 166.4
1950 NYA AL 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 .500 — — — — 0.0
1952 NY1 NL 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 9 seasons 638 2,132 334 625 102 29 56 315 10 360 270 .293 — — — — 9,496

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 (638 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Dick Wakefield — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home330110119433734178.306
Away308103113928922137.280

Last 10 Games — Batting

Dick Wakefield — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1952-05-06 NY1STLL 100000001
1952-04-19 NY1BROL 100000000
1952-04-17 NY1PHIL 000000010
1950-04-27 NYYBOSL 000000010
1950-04-19 NYYBOSL 101000100
1950-04-18 NYYBOSW 100000001
1949-10-02 DETCLEL 101000000
1949-09-30 DETCLEL 100000000
1949-09-25 DETCLEL 310000013
1949-09-18 DETMINW 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dick Wakefield — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 557 0 1146 36 50 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dick Wakefield — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1941 DET OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1943 DET OF 155 0 314 11 14 1
1944 DET OF 78 0 155 3 6 1
1946 DET OF 104 0 210 6 8 1
1947 DET OF 101 0 197 10 11 2
1948 DET OF 86 0 198 3 11 1
1949 DET OF 32 0 71 3 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dick Wakefield Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Left Field 540
Right Field 17

Awards & Honors

Dick Wakefield — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1944 Baseball Magazine All-Star LF
1944 TSN All-Star OF
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1943 TSN All-Star OF

College History

Dick Wakefield — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 1941

Award Voting History

Dick Wakefield — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1944 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 128.0 336 2
1943 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 72.0 336 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Dick Wakefield (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ray Blades
    .301 avg, 50 HR
  2. 88
    Henry Kimbro
    .299 avg, 31 HR
  3. 84
    Pete Reiser
    .295 avg, 58 HR
  4. 83
    Danny Taylor
    .297 avg, 44 HR
  5. 78
    Bobby Estalella
    .282 avg, 44 HR
  6. 75
    Earl Webb
    .306 avg, 56 HR

Dick Wakefield: the record in brief

June 26, 1941 and May 6, 1952 bracket Dick Wakefield's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Detroit Tigers (1941 to 1949), the New York Yankees (1950), and the New York Giants (1952). Wakefield, born on May 6, 1921, in Chicago, IL, USA, is listed as an outfielder and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Wakefield's listed size is 6 feet, 4 inches and 210 pounds. Wakefield's death is recorded on August 26, 1985, in Redford, MI, USA. The given name on file is Richard Cummings Wakefield.

In 638 games and 2,132 at bats, Wakefield batted .293 with 625 hits, plus 56 home runs and 315 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .396 and .447 give Wakefield a career OPS of .843. Wakefield's .293 average ran 12.6% above the .260 that the league posted over the same seasons. In OPS terms, Wakefield's .843 stands 19.6% above the league's .705.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dick Wakefield

What years did Dick Wakefield play?
Dick Wakefield played in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1952.
Was Dick Wakefield a pitcher?
No. Dick Wakefield was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Dick Wakefield hit?
Dick Wakefield hit 56 career home runs with 625 hits.
What was Dick Wakefield's career batting average?
Dick Wakefield batted .293 over his career, with 625 hits in 2,132 at bats.
How many RBI did Dick Wakefield have?
Dick Wakefield drove in 315 runs in his career.
Is Dick Wakefield in the Hall of Fame?
No. Dick Wakefield has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.