Bob Watson
Born: 4/10/1946 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
Died: 5/14/2020 in Houston, TX, USA
MLB Debut: 1966-09-09 | Final Game: 1984-09-30
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 201 lbs
Full name: Robert Jose Watson
Biography
Bob Watson, born in 1946, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, who played from 1966 until his retirement in 1984. Over his 18-year career, Watson appeared in 1,832 games, where he showcased his exceptional hitting ability and consistency at the plate. He finished his career with a batting average of .295, amassing a total of 1,826 hits, including 184 home runs and 989 RBIs. Known for his keen eye and ability to make contact, Watson was a formidable presence in the lineup, contributing significantly to his teams' offensive efforts.
Watson's career included two All-Star selections, highlighting his stature among contemporaries in the game. He played during an era that saw the evolution of baseball, transitioning from the tail end of the deadball era into a period characterized by increased offensive output and the rising prominence of power hitters. In addition to his hitting prowess, Watson demonstrated speed on the bases, finishing his career with 27 stolen bases, which further underscored his versatility as a player. His contributions to the game have left a lasting legacy, marking him as one of the notable figures of his generation in baseball history.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | 6185 | 802 | 1826 | 307 | 41 | 184 | 989 | 27 | 653 | 796 | 0.295 | 0.364 | 0.447 | 0.811 | 19536.8 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | HOU | NL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1967 | HOU | NL | 6 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.214 | 0.0 |
| 1968 | HOU | NL | 45 | 140 | 13 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 32 | 0.229 | -59.2 |
| 1969 | HOU | NL | 20 | 40 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0.275 | 0.0 |
| 1970 | HOU | NL | 97 | 327 | 48 | 89 | 19 | 2 | 11 | 61 | 1 | 24 | 59 | 0.272 | 363.8 |
| 1971 | HOU | NL | 129 | 468 | 49 | 135 | 17 | 3 | 9 | 67 | 0 | 41 | 56 | 0.288 | 803.2 |
| 1972 | HOU | NL | 147 | 548 | 74 | 171 | 27 | 4 | 16 | 86 | 1 | 53 | 83 | 0.312 | 2792.0 |
| 1973 | HOU | NL | 158 | 573 | 97 | 179 | 24 | 3 | 16 | 94 | 1 | 85 | 73 | 0.312 | 2761.6 |
| 1974 | HOU | NL | 150 | 524 | 69 | 156 | 19 | 4 | 11 | 67 | 3 | 60 | 61 | 0.298 | 1431.2 |
| 1975 | HOU | NL | 132 | 485 | 67 | 157 | 27 | 1 | 18 | 85 | 3 | 40 | 50 | 0.324 | 2178.6 |
| 1976 | HOU | NL | 157 | 585 | 76 | 183 | 31 | 3 | 16 | 102 | 3 | 62 | 64 | 0.313 | 2623.6 |
| 1977 | HOU | NL | 151 | 554 | 77 | 160 | 38 | 6 | 22 | 110 | 5 | 57 | 69 | 0.289 | 1962.8 |
| 1978 | HOU | NL | 139 | 461 | 51 | 133 | 25 | 4 | 14 | 79 | 3 | 51 | 57 | 0.289 | 1318.9 |
| 1979 | BOS | AL | 84 | 312 | 48 | 105 | 19 | 4 | 13 | 53 | 3 | 29 | 33 | 0.337 | 1774.3 |
| 1979 | HOU | NL | 49 | 163 | 15 | 39 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 0 | 16 | 23 | 0.239 | 1774.3 |
| 1980 | NYY | AL | 130 | 469 | 62 | 144 | 25 | 3 | 13 | 68 | 2 | 48 | 56 | 0.307 | 1438.7 |
| 1981 | NYY | AL | 59 | 156 | 15 | 33 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 24 | 17 | 0.212 | 73.3 |
| 1982 | ATL | NL | 57 | 114 | 16 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 1 | 14 | 20 | 0.246 | 80.0 |
| 1982 | NYY | AL | 7 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.235 | 80.0 |
| 1983 | ATL | NL | 65 | 149 | 14 | 46 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 37 | 0 | 18 | 23 | 0.309 | 567.0 |
| 1984 | ATL | NL | 49 | 85 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 0.212 | -179.2 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 62 | 4 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0.371 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | ALCS | NYA | 3 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.250 |
| 1981 | AEDIV | NYA | 5 | 16 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.438 |
| 1981 | WS | NYA | 6 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0.318 |
| 1980 | ALCS | NYA | 3 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.500 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1088 | 1002 | 8930 | 653 | 83 | 771 |
| C | 10 | 2 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| OF | 570 | 564 | 890 | 24 | 26 | 2 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | HOU | 1B | 3 | 3 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1968 | HOU | OF | 40 | 38 | 46 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1969 | HOU | C | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969 | HOU | 1B | 5 | 5 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 1969 | HOU | OF | 6 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | HOU | C | 6 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | HOU | 1B | 83 | 82 | 695 | 39 | 6 | 54 |
| 1970 | HOU | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | HOU | 1B | 45 | 37 | 339 | 16 | 5 | 28 |
| 1971 | HOU | OF | 87 | 88 | 131 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1972 | HOU | 1B | 2 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 1972 | HOU | OF | 143 | 143 | 218 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| 1973 | HOU | C | 3 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1973 | HOU | 1B | 26 | 12 | 150 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| 1973 | HOU | OF | 142 | 142 | 271 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
| 1974 | HOU | 1B | 35 | 2 | 96 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| 1974 | HOU | OF | 140 | 139 | 202 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| 1975 | HOU | 1B | 118 | 116 | 1077 | 69 | 8 | 106 |
| 1975 | HOU | OF | 9 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1976 | HOU | 1B | 155 | 154 | 1395 | 96 | 15 | 126 |
| 1977 | HOU | 1B | 146 | 146 | 1331 | 118 | 9 | 100 |
| 1978 | HOU | 1B | 128 | 127 | 974 | 95 | 9 | 63 |
| 1979 | BOS | 1B | 58 | 57 | 525 | 47 | 7 | 58 |
| 1979 | HOU | 1B | 44 | 44 | 371 | 33 | 3 | 23 |
| 1980 | NYA | 1B | 104 | 91 | 851 | 63 | 9 | 87 |
| 1981 | NYA | 1B | 50 | 43 | 367 | 25 | 1 | 42 |
| 1982 | ATL | 1B | 27 | 25 | 206 | 8 | 0 | 18 |
| 1982 | ATL | OF | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | NYA | 1B | 6 | 4 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 1983 | ATL | 1B | 34 | 34 | 280 | 19 | 5 | 23 |
| 1984 | ATL | 1B | 19 | 19 | 165 | 12 | 3 | 17 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 10 |
| First Base | 1086 |
| Left Field | 569 |
| Right Field | 2 |
| Designated Hitter | 54 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Player of the Week | Week of 1976-07-30 |
| 1975 | Player of the Month | May |
| 1973 | Player of the Week | Week of 1973-05-04 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Harbor College | Wilmington | CA | 1964 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 11th | 38.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1975 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 20th | 8.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1973 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 21th | 7.0 | 336 | 0 |