Vic Wertz
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1947-1963)
Vic Wertz was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1963 for 6 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 17 seasons. In 1,862 career games, he hit .277 with 1,692 hits, 266 home runs, and 1,178 RBI. Vic Wertz was a 4-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 18,996.
- 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" / 186 lb
- Died
- 7/7/1983 in Detroit, MI, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1947-04-15
- Last Game
- 1963-09-19
- Awards
- 4× All-Star
Full name: Victor Woodrow Wertz
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,862 | 6,099 | 867 | 1,692 | 289 | 42 | 266 | 1,178 | 9 | 828 | 842 | .277 | .364 | .469 | .833 | 18,996 |
Career AVG .277 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.
Career OBP .364 vs. league average .330 across their career seasons — +10.2% above league average.
Career SLG .469 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — +20.9% above league average.
Career OPS .833 vs. league average .719 across their career seasons — +16.0% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | DET | AL | 102 | 333 | 60 | 96 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 44 | 2 | 47 | 66 | .288 | .262 (+10%) | .336 (+12%) | .376 (+15%) | .712 (+13%) | 888.6 |
| 1948 | DET | AL | 119 | 391 | 49 | 97 | 19 | 9 | 7 | 67 | 0 | 48 | 70 | .248 | .263 (-6%) | .340 (-2%) | .379 (+5%) | .719 (+2%) | 77.4 |
| 1949 | DET | AL | 155 | 608 | 96 | 185 | 26 | 6 | 20 | 133 | 2 | 80 | 61 | .304 | .262 (+16%) | .343 (+12%) | .384 (+21%) | .727 (+17%) | 2186.9 |
| 1950 | DET | AL | 149 | 559 | 99 | 172 | 37 | 4 | 27 | 123 | 0 | 91 | 55 | .308 | .265 (+16%) | .346 (+18%) | .401 (+33%) | .747 (+26%) | 3212.8 |
| 1951 | DET | AL | 138 | 501 | 86 | 143 | 24 | 4 | 27 | 94 | 0 | 78 | 61 | .285 | .260 (+9%) | .336 (+14%) | .385 (+33%) | .721 (+24%) | 2476.4 |
| 1952 | DET | AL | 85 | 285 | 46 | 70 | 15 | 3 | 17 | 51 | 1 | 46 | 44 | .246 | .252 (-3%) | .326 (+8%) | .369 (+35%) | .696 (+22%) | 1132.4 |
| 1952 | SLA | AL | 37 | 130 | 22 | 45 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 23 | 20 | .346 | .252 (+37%) | .326 (+36%) | .369 (+42%) | .696 (+39%) | 1132.4 |
| 1953 | SLA | AL | 128 | 440 | 61 | 118 | 18 | 6 | 19 | 70 | 1 | 72 | 44 | .268 | .264 (+1%) | .335 (+12%) | .397 (+17%) | .733 (+15%) | 1449.1 |
| 1954 | BAL | AL | 29 | 94 | 5 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 17 | .202 | .261 (-23%) | .333 (-15%) | .390 (-37%) | .723 (-27%) | -390.6 |
| 1954 | CLE | AL | 94 | 295 | 33 | 81 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 48 | 0 | 34 | 40 | .275 | .261 (+5%) | .333 (+3%) | .390 (+22%) | .723 (+14%) | -390.6 |
| 1955 | CLE | AL | 74 | 257 | 30 | 65 | 11 | 2 | 14 | 55 | 1 | 32 | 33 | .253 | .258 (-2%) | .332 (avg) | .393 (+20%) | .726 (+11%) | 458.1 |
| 1956 | CLE | AL | 136 | 481 | 65 | 127 | 22 | 0 | 32 | 106 | 0 | 75 | 87 | .264 | .258 (+2%) | .331 (+10%) | .397 (+28%) | .728 (+20%) | 2009.2 |
| 1957 | CLE | AL | 144 | 515 | 84 | 145 | 21 | 0 | 28 | 105 | 2 | 78 | 88 | .282 | .257 (+9%) | .323 (+15%) | .391 (+24%) | .715 (+20%) | 2174.3 |
| 1958 | CLE | AL | 25 | 43 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 7 | .279 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1959 | BOS | AL | 94 | 247 | 38 | 68 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 49 | 0 | 22 | 32 | .275 | .256 (+7%) | .323 (+4%) | .392 (+5%) | .715 (+5%) | 224.1 |
| 1960 | BOS | AL | 131 | 443 | 45 | 125 | 22 | 0 | 19 | 103 | 0 | 37 | 54 | .282 | .255 (+11%) | .323 (+4%) | .387 (+19%) | .711 (+12%) | 948.9 |
| 1961 | BOS | AL | 99 | 317 | 33 | 83 | 16 | 2 | 11 | 60 | 0 | 38 | 43 | .262 | .258 (+1%) | .328 (+3%) | .399 (+7%) | .727 (+6%) | 312.3 |
| 1961 | DET | AL | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 312.3 |
| 1962 | DET | AL | 74 | 105 | 7 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 0 | 5 | 13 | .324 | .257 (+26%) | .326 (+10%) | .393 (+23%) | .719 (+17%) | 309.9 |
| 1963 | DET | AL | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1963 | MIN | AL | 35 | 44 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 5 | .136 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 21 seasons | 1,862 | 6,099 | 867 | 1,692 | 289 | 42 | 266 | 1,178 | 9 | 828 | 842 | .277 | — | — | — | — | 18,524 | ||
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 (1862 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 915 | 2926 | 438 | 832 | 134 | 608 | .284 |
| Away | 947 | 3175 | 430 | 860 | 132 | 574 | .271 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-09-19 | MIN | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963-09-08 | MIN | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-07 | MIN | CHW | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-26 | MIN | TEX | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-23 | MIN | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-23 | MIN | BAL | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-14 | MIN | BAL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-12 | MIN | BOS | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-10 | MIN | BOS | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-07 | MIN | LAA | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 715 | 685 | 5098 | 447 | 63 | 537 |
| OF | 889 | 38 | 1709 | 72 | 49 | 20 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | DET | OF | 83 | 0 | 160 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 1948 | DET | OF | 98 | 0 | 196 | 11 | 10 | 3 |
| 1949 | DET | OF | 155 | 0 | 302 | 14 | 6 | 4 |
| 1950 | DET | OF | 145 | 0 | 286 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
| 1951 | DET | OF | 131 | 0 | 254 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| 1952 | DET | OF | 79 | 0 | 134 | 8 | 2 | 3 |
| 1952 | SLA | OF | 36 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1953 | SLA | OF | 121 | 0 | 243 | 15 | 7 | 4 |
| 1954 | BAL | OF | 27 | 27 | 47 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1954 | CLE | 1B | 83 | 79 | 557 | 52 | 7 | 57 |
| 1954 | CLE | OF | 5 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955 | CLE | 1B | 63 | 61 | 449 | 33 | 8 | 49 |
| 1955 | CLE | OF | 9 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956 | CLE | 1B | 133 | 133 | 971 | 77 | 9 | 99 |
| 1957 | CLE | 1B | 139 | 138 | 1025 | 83 | 14 | 122 |
| 1958 | CLE | 1B | 8 | 7 | 44 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| 1959 | BOS | 1B | 64 | 56 | 440 | 38 | 4 | 44 |
| 1960 | BOS | 1B | 117 | 110 | 841 | 78 | 12 | 89 |
| 1961 | BOS | 1B | 86 | 82 | 664 | 67 | 7 | 65 |
| 1962 | DET | 1B | 16 | 14 | 75 | 9 | 1 | 5 |
| 1963 | MIN | 1B | 6 | 5 | 32 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 715 |
| Left Field | 106 |
| Center Field | 3 |
| Right Field | 781 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | RF |
| 1949 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | RF |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 14th | 22.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1957 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 6th | 61.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1956 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 9th | 45.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1950 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 50.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1949 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 51.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Vic Wertz (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Vic Wertz
Vic Wertz: the record in brief
Vic Wertz played a first major league game on April 15, 1947 and a last one on September 19, 1963. Wertz played for the Detroit Tigers (1947 to 1963), the St. Louis Browns (1952 to 1953), the Baltimore Orioles (1954), the Cleveland Indians (1954 to 1958), the Boston Red Sox (1959 to 1961), and the Minnesota Twins (1963). Wertz, an outfielder by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Wertz is listed at 6 feet, 0 inches and 186 pounds. The birth record reads February 9, 1925, in York, PA, USA. Wertz's death is recorded on July 7, 1983, in Detroit, MI, USA. Vic Wertz was the playing name; the full given name is Victor Woodrow.
The batting record for Wertz: 1,862 games, 1,692 hits in 6,099 at bats, and a .277 average, plus 266 homers and 1,178 RBI. Reaching base at a .364 clip and slugging .469, Wertz finished with a .833 OPS. The league as a whole hit .259 across Wertz's seasons, which puts the .277 career mark 7.3% above average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Vic Wertz
- What years did Vic Wertz play?
- Vic Wertz played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1963.
- Was Vic Wertz a pitcher?
- No. Vic Wertz was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Vic Wertz hit?
- Vic Wertz hit 266 career home runs with 1,692 hits.
- What teams did Vic Wertz play for?
- Vic Wertz played for 5 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1947–1952, 1961–1963), the Baltimore Orioles (1952–1954), the Cleveland Indians (1954–1958), the Boston Red Sox (1959–1961), and the Minnesota Twins (1963).
- Did Vic Wertz win an MVP award?
- No. Vic Wertz did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Vic Wertz win?
- Vic Wertz was selected to 4 All-Star Games.
- What were Vic Wertz's career stats?
- In 1,862 games, Vic Wertz had 1,692 hits, 266 home runs, 1,178 RBI, 867 runs, and 9 stolen bases, with a .277 batting average.
- What position did Vic Wertz play?
- Vic Wertz played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Vic Wertz and how much did he weigh?
- Vic Wertz was listed at 6 feet and 186 pounds.
- How many home runs did Vic Wertz hit each season?
- Vic Wertz's home runs by season: 6 in 1947, 7 in 1948, 20 in 1949, 27 in 1950, 27 in 1951, 23 in 1952, 19 in 1953, 15 in 1954, 14 in 1955, 32 in 1956, 28 in 1957, 3 in 1958, 7 in 1959, 19 in 1960, 11 in 1961, 5 in 1962, and 3 in 1963. His most in one season was 32, in 1956.
- What was Vic Wertz's career batting average?
- Vic Wertz batted .277 over his career, with 1,692 hits in 6,099 at bats.
- How many RBI did Vic Wertz have?
- Vic Wertz drove in 1,178 runs in his career.
- Is Vic Wertz in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Vic Wertz has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Vic Wertz make?
- Vic Wertz was selected to 4 All-Star Games.