Don Wert
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1963-1971)
Don Wert was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1971 for the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Senators, a span of 9 seasons. In 1,110 career games, he hit .242 with 929 hits, 77 home runs, and 366 RBI. Don Wert was an All-Star.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 162 lb
- Died
- 8/25/2024 in Strasburg, PA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1963-05-11
- Last Game
- 1971-06-11
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Donald Ralph Wert
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,110 | 3,840 | 417 | 929 | 129 | 15 | 77 | 366 | 22 | 389 | 529 | .242 | .314 | .343 | .658 | -613 |
Career AVG .242 vs. league average .247 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .314 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .343 vs. league average .369 across their career seasons — 6.8% below league average.
Career OPS .658 vs. league average .682 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | DET | AL | 78 | 251 | 31 | 65 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 25 | 3 | 24 | 51 | .259 | .246 (+5%) | .308 (+6%) | .371 (+3%) | .680 (+4%) | 206.1 |
| 1964 | DET | AL | 148 | 525 | 63 | 135 | 18 | 5 | 9 | 55 | 3 | 50 | 74 | .257 | .250 (+3%) | .312 (+4%) | .377 (-4%) | .690 (-1%) | -1.8 |
| 1965 | DET | AL | 162 | 609 | 81 | 159 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 54 | 5 | 73 | 71 | .261 | .245 (+6%) | .310 (+10%) | .371 (-2%) | .682 (+3%) | 592.6 |
| 1966 | DET | AL | 150 | 559 | 56 | 150 | 20 | 2 | 11 | 70 | 6 | 64 | 69 | .268 | .248 (+8%) | .309 (+11%) | .376 (-2%) | .685 (+4%) | 596.6 |
| 1967 | DET | AL | 142 | 534 | 60 | 137 | 23 | 2 | 6 | 40 | 1 | 44 | 59 | .257 | .242 (+6%) | .306 (+4%) | .357 (-5%) | .663 (avg) | 32.7 |
| 1968 | DET | AL | 150 | 536 | 44 | 107 | 15 | 1 | 12 | 37 | 0 | 37 | 79 | .200 | .236 (-16%) | .298 (-14%) | .340 (-12%) | .638 (-13%) | -990.0 |
| 1969 | DET | AL | 132 | 423 | 46 | 95 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 50 | 3 | 49 | 60 | .225 | .248 (-10%) | .320 (-5%) | .369 (-4%) | .689 (-5%) | -302.6 |
| 1970 | DET | AL | 128 | 363 | 34 | 79 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 33 | 1 | 44 | 56 | .218 | .253 (-14%) | .325 (-6%) | .385 (-21%) | .711 (-14%) | -747.0 |
| 1971 | WS2 | AL | 20 | 40 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | .050 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 1,110 | 3,840 | 417 | 929 | 129 | 15 | 77 | 366 | 22 | 389 | 529 | .242 | — | — | — | — | -613 | ||
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 (1110 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 544 | 1831 | 220 | 470 | 47 | 202 | .257 |
| Away | 566 | 2009 | 197 | 459 | 30 | 163 | .228 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-06-11 | TEX | LAA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-08 | TEX | KCR | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-06 | TEX | OAK | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1971-06-05 | TEX | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-04 | TEX | OAK | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1971-06-02 | TEX | LAA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-06-01 | TEX | LAA | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-05-27 | TEX | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1971-05-23 | TEX | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-05-22 | TEX | DET | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 25 | 15 | 40 | 57 | 3 | 10 |
| 3B | 1043 | 998 | 914 | 1987 | 97 | 173 |
| SS | 25 | 16 | 32 | 53 | 2 | 10 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | DET | 2B | 21 | 15 | 36 | 54 | 3 | 10 |
| 1963 | DET | 3B | 47 | 45 | 33 | 99 | 6 | 6 |
| 1963 | DET | SS | 8 | 6 | 16 | 20 | 1 | 4 |
| 1964 | DET | 3B | 142 | 138 | 126 | 283 | 15 | 30 |
| 1964 | DET | SS | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| 1965 | DET | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | DET | 3B | 161 | 161 | 163 | 331 | 12 | 33 |
| 1965 | DET | SS | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1966 | DET | 3B | 150 | 148 | 128 | 253 | 11 | 20 |
| 1967 | DET | 3B | 140 | 135 | 112 | 280 | 9 | 21 |
| 1967 | DET | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1968 | DET | 3B | 150 | 147 | 142 | 284 | 15 | 22 |
| 1968 | DET | SS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969 | DET | 3B | 129 | 122 | 114 | 259 | 13 | 20 |
| 1970 | DET | 2B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | DET | 3B | 117 | 100 | 94 | 191 | 14 | 20 |
| 1971 | WS2 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | WS2 | 3B | 7 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| 1971 | WS2 | SS | 7 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 25 |
| Third Base | 1042 |
| Shortstop | 26 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 22.0 | 280 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Don Wert (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Don Wert: the record in brief
Don Wert's major league career runs from a debut on May 11, 1963 to a final game on June 11, 1971. Wert played for the Detroit Tigers (1963 through 1970) and the Washington Senators (1971). The bio lists Wert as a third baseman who both batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 5'10" and 162 pounds. Wert was born on July 29, 1938, in Strasburg, PA, USA. The bio records the death on August 25, 2024, in Strasburg, PA, USA. The given name on file is Donald Ralph Wert.
The batting record for Wert: 1,110 games, 929 hits in 3,840 at bats, and a .242 average, adding 77 homers, 366 runs batted in, and 22 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .314 clip and slugging .343, Wert finished with a .658 OPS. Wert hit .242 while the league hit .247 over the same span, a figure close to average. 1969 was Wert's biggest home run year, with 14. No season topped the 159 hits of 1965. Wert drove in a season-high 70 runs in 1966.
Frequently Asked Questions about Don Wert
- What years did Don Wert play?
- Don Wert played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1971.
- Was Don Wert a pitcher?
- No. Don Wert was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Don Wert hit?
- Don Wert hit 77 career home runs with 929 hits.
- What was Don Wert's career batting average?
- Don Wert batted .242 over his career, with 929 hits in 3,840 at bats.
- How many RBI did Don Wert have?
- Don Wert drove in 366 runs in his career.
- Is Don Wert in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Don Wert has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.