Wally Westlake
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1947-1956)
Wally Westlake was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1956 for 6 teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 10 seasons. In 958 career games, he hit .272 with 848 hits, 127 home runs, and 539 RBI. Wally Westlake was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 6,039.
- 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
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 186 lb
- Died
- 9/5/2019 in Sacramento, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1947-04-15
- Last Game
- 1956-05-12
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Waldon Thomas Westlake
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 958 | 3,117 | 474 | 848 | 107 | 33 | 127 | 539 | 19 | 317 | 453 | .272 | .345 | .450 | .795 | 6,039 |
Career AVG .272 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .345 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .450 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — +16.2% above league average.
Career OPS .795 vs. league average .723 across their career seasons — +9.9% 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 | PIT | NL | 112 | 407 | 59 | 111 | 17 | 4 | 17 | 69 | 5 | 27 | 63 | .273 | .262 (+4%) | .336 (-4%) | .376 (+22%) | .712 (+10%) | 621.4 |
| 1948 | PIT | NL | 132 | 428 | 78 | 122 | 10 | 6 | 17 | 65 | 2 | 46 | 40 | .285 | .263 (+8%) | .340 (+6%) | .379 (+20%) | .719 (+13%) | 1122.2 |
| 1949 | PIT | NL | 147 | 525 | 77 | 148 | 24 | 8 | 23 | 104 | 6 | 45 | 69 | .282 | .262 (+7%) | .343 (+1%) | .384 (+27%) | .727 (+15%) | 1389.3 |
| 1950 | PIT | NL | 139 | 477 | 69 | 136 | 15 | 6 | 24 | 95 | 1 | 48 | 78 | .285 | .265 (+7%) | .346 (+4%) | .401 (+23%) | .747 (+14%) | 1314.2 |
| 1951 | PIT | NL | 50 | 181 | 28 | 51 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 45 | 0 | 9 | 26 | .282 | .260 (+8%) | .336 (-4%) | .385 (+48%) | .721 (+24%) | 652.6 |
| 1951 | SLN | NL | 73 | 267 | 36 | 68 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 39 | 1 | 24 | 42 | .255 | .260 (-2%) | .336 (-3%) | .385 (+1%) | .721 (-1%) | 652.6 |
| 1952 | SLN | NL | 21 | 74 | 7 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 11 | .216 | .252 (-14%) | .326 (-10%) | .369 (-31%) | .696 (-21%) | -231.4 |
| 1952 | CIN | NL | 59 | 183 | 29 | 37 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 31 | 29 | .202 | .252 (-20%) | .326 (-1%) | .369 (-26%) | .696 (-14%) | -231.4 |
| 1952 | CLE | AL | 29 | 69 | 11 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 16 | .232 | .252 (-8%) | .326 (-5%) | .369 (-2%) | .696 (-3%) | -231.4 |
| 1953 | CLE | AL | 82 | 218 | 42 | 72 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 46 | 2 | 35 | 29 | .330 | .264 (+25%) | .335 (+27%) | .397 (+25%) | .733 (+26%) | 1196.7 |
| 1954 | CLE | AL | 85 | 240 | 36 | 63 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 42 | 0 | 26 | 37 | .263 | .261 (+1%) | .333 (+1%) | .390 (+16%) | .723 (+9%) | 397.9 |
| 1955 | CLE | AL | 16 | 20 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1955 | BAL | AL | 8 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1956 | PHI | NL | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 958 | 3,117 | 474 | 848 | 107 | 33 | 127 | 539 | 19 | 317 | 453 | .272 | — | — | — | — | 6,653 | ||
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 (958 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 485 | 1574 | 249 | 433 | 75 | 283 | .275 |
| Away | 473 | 1543 | 226 | 415 | 52 | 253 | .269 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-05-12 | PHI | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956-05-08 | PHI | STL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1956-05-06 | PHI | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956-05-06 | PHI | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1956-04-29 | PHI | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1955-07-01 | BAL | BOS | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955-06-29 | BAL | NYY | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1955-06-26 | BAL | KC1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1955-06-26 | BAL | KC1 | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1955-06-25 | BAL | KC1 | L | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3B | 34 | 0 | 32 | 87 | 12 | 12 |
| OF | 834 | 71 | 1840 | 58 | 33 | 15 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | PIT | OF | 109 | 0 | 239 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| 1948 | PIT | OF | 125 | 0 | 274 | 8 | 7 | 2 |
| 1949 | PIT | OF | 143 | 0 | 319 | 12 | 6 | 4 |
| 1950 | PIT | OF | 123 | 0 | 329 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 1951 | PIT | 3B | 34 | 0 | 32 | 87 | 12 | 12 |
| 1951 | PIT | OF | 11 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1951 | SLN | OF | 68 | 0 | 154 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| 1952 | SLN | OF | 15 | 0 | 60 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952 | CIN | OF | 56 | 0 | 127 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1952 | CLE | OF | 28 | 0 | 44 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| 1953 | CLE | OF | 72 | 0 | 128 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 1954 | CLE | OF | 70 | 60 | 131 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 1955 | CLE | OF | 7 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1955 | BAL | OF | 7 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 34 |
| Left Field | 138 |
| Center Field | 366 |
| Right Field | 376 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Wally Westlake (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Wally Westlake: the record in brief
Wally Westlake played a first major league game on April 15, 1947 and a last one on May 12, 1956. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1947 through 1951), the St. Louis Cardinals (1951 through 1952), the Cincinnati Reds (1952), the Cleveland Indians (1952 through 1955), the Baltimore Orioles (1955), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1956). Born on November 8, 1920, in Gridley, CA, USA, Westlake is listed as an outfielder and threw and hit right-handed. Westlake's listed size is 6'0" and 186 pounds. Westlake died on September 5, 2019, in Sacramento, CA, USA. Westlake's full given name, per the bio, is Waldon Thomas Westlake.
In 958 games and 3,117 at bats, Westlake batted .272 with 848 hits, adding 127 home runs and 539 runs batted in. Westlake got on base at a .345 rate and slugged .450 (.795 OPS). The .272 career average is close to the .261 the league hit across the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 9.9% above league average (.795 against .723).
Frequently Asked Questions about Wally Westlake
- What years did Wally Westlake play?
- Wally Westlake played in Major League Baseball from 1947 to 1956.
- Was Wally Westlake a pitcher?
- No. Wally Westlake was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Wally Westlake hit?
- Wally Westlake hit 127 career home runs with 848 hits.
- What teams did Wally Westlake play for?
- Wally Westlake played for 6 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1947–1951), the St. Louis Cardinals (1951–1952), the Cincinnati Reds (1952), the Cleveland Indians (1952–1955), the Baltimore Orioles (1955), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1956).
- Did Wally Westlake win an MVP award?
- No. Wally Westlake did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Wally Westlake win?
- Wally Westlake was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Wally Westlake's career stats?
- In 958 games, Wally Westlake had 848 hits, 127 home runs, 539 RBI, 474 runs, and 19 stolen bases, with a .272 batting average.
- What position did Wally Westlake play?
- Wally Westlake played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Wally Westlake and how much did he weigh?
- Wally Westlake was listed at 6 feet and 186 pounds.
- How many home runs did Wally Westlake hit each season?
- Wally Westlake's home runs by season: 17 in 1947, 17 in 1948, 23 in 1949, 24 in 1950, 22 in 1951, 4 in 1952, 9 in 1953, 11 in 1954, 0 in 1955, and 0 in 1956. His most in one season was 24, in 1950.
- What was Wally Westlake's career batting average?
- Wally Westlake batted .272 over his career, with 848 hits in 3,117 at bats.
- How many RBI did Wally Westlake have?
- Wally Westlake drove in 539 runs in his career.
- Is Wally Westlake in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Wally Westlake has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Wally Westlake make?
- Wally Westlake was selected to 1 All-Star Game.