Fred Whitfield

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1962-1970)

Fred Whitfield was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1970 for 4 teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 9 seasons. In 817 career games, he hit .253 with 578 hits, 108 home runs, and 356 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,163.

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 .253
HR 108
RBI 356
H 578
OPS .741
PIV 3,163
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'1" / 190 lb
Born
1/7/1938 in Vandiver, AL, USA
Died
1/31/2013 in Gadsden, AL, USA
MLB Debut
1962-05-27
Last Game
1970-08-11

Full name: Fred Dwight Whitfield

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Career Batting Statistics

Fred Whitfield — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
817 2,284 242 578 93 8 108 356 7 139 371 .253 .298 .443 .741 3,163

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .248 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .298 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .443 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — +19.0% above league average.

Career OPS .741 vs. league average .686 across their career seasons — +8.1% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Fred Whitfield 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
1962 SLN NL 73 158 20 42 7 1 8 34 1 7 30 .266 .257 (+3%) .326 (-8%) .393 (+21%) .719 (+8%) 146.8
1963 CLE AL 109 346 44 87 17 3 21 54 0 24 61 .251 .246 (+2%) .308 (-2%) .371 (+34%) .680 (+18%) 919.9
1964 CLE AL 101 293 29 79 13 1 10 29 0 12 58 .270 .250 (+8%) .312 (-4%) .377 (+12%) .690 (+5%) 171.1
1965 CLE AL 132 468 49 137 23 1 26 90 2 16 42 .293 .245 (+19%) .310 (+2%) .371 (+38%) .682 (+21%) 1616.4
1966 CLE AL 137 502 59 121 15 2 27 78 1 27 76 .241 .248 (-3%) .309 (-9%) .376 (+17%) .685 (+5%) 321.9
1967 CLE AL 100 257 24 56 10 0 9 31 3 25 45 .218 .242 (-10%) .306 (-5%) .357 (+1%) .663 (-2%) -63.4
1968 CIN NL 87 171 15 44 8 0 6 32 0 9 29 .257 .236 (+9%) .298 (+1%) .340 (+20%) .638 (+11%) 287.1
1969 CIN NL 74 74 2 11 0 0 1 8 0 18 27 .149 .248 (-40%) .320 (-2%) .369 (-49%) .689 (-27%) -236.4
1970 MON NL 4 15 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 .067 — — — — 0.0
Career · 9 seasons 817 2,284 242 578 93 8 108 356 7 139 371 .253 — — — — 3,163

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 (817 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Fred Whitfield — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home416113711426158184.230
Away401114712931750172.276

Last 10 Games — Batting

Fred Whitfield — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1970-08-11 WSNATLL 200000010
1970-08-08 WSNSTLL 500000002
1970-08-07 WSNSTLL 400000001
1970-08-05 WSNCHCW 401000000
1969-09-27 CINHOUL 100000001
1969-09-25 CINHOUL 100000000
1969-09-22 CINLADW 000000010
1969-09-12 CINSFGL 100000001
1969-09-10 CINSDPL 100000000
1969-09-09 CINSFGL 100000001

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Fred Whitfield — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 588 529 4474 353 49 421

Season-by-Season Fielding

Fred Whitfield — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1962 SLN 1B 38 30 282 25 4 32
1963 CLE 1B 92 85 690 51 10 64
1964 CLE 1B 79 71 596 36 5 63
1965 CLE 1B 122 110 932 80 7 79
1966 CLE 1B 132 129 1104 76 11 96
1967 CLE 1B 66 61 494 49 4 51
1968 CIN 1B 41 33 285 21 6 28
1969 CIN 1B 14 6 57 8 1 5
1970 MON 1B 4 4 34 7 1 3

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Fred Whitfield Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 588

Awards & Honors

Fred Whitfield — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1965 TSN All-Star 1B

Award Voting History

Fred Whitfield — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1965 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 5.0 280 0

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Fred Whitfield (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Kevin Kouzmanoff
    .257 avg, 87 HR
  2. 95
    Russ Davis
    .257 avg, 84 HR
  3. 94
    Butch Hobson
    .248 avg, 98 HR
  4. 92
    Joe Crede
    .254 avg, 140 HR
  5. 90
    Aledmys Diaz
    .259 avg, 78 HR
  6. 89
    Matt Adams
    .258 avg, 118 HR

Fred Whitfield: the record in brief

According to the bio, Fred Whitfield debuted on May 27, 1962 and played a final game on August 11, 1970. The team column moves through the St. Louis Cardinals (1962), the Cleveland Indians (1963 to 1967), the Cincinnati Reds (1968 to 1969), and the Montreal Expos (1970). Whitfield, born on January 7, 1938, in Vandiver, AL, USA, is listed as a first baseman and threw and hit left-handed. Size on record: 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. The bio records the death on January 31, 2013, in Gadsden, AL, USA. The given name on file is Fred Dwight Whitfield.

Whitfield finished with 578 hits from 2,284 at bats in 817 games, which works out to .253; the totals also include 108 homers and 356 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .298 clip and slugging .443, Whitfield finished with a .741 OPS. The .253 career average is close to the .248 the league hit across the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .741 to a league .686, 8.1% above average. 1966 was Whitfield's biggest home run year, with 27.

Frequently Asked Questions about Fred Whitfield

What years did Fred Whitfield play?
Fred Whitfield played in Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1970.
Was Fred Whitfield a pitcher?
No. Fred Whitfield was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Fred Whitfield hit?
Fred Whitfield hit 108 career home runs with 578 hits.
What teams did Fred Whitfield play for?
Fred Whitfield played for 4 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1962), the Cleveland Indians (1963–1967), the Cincinnati Reds (1968–1969), and the Montreal Expos (1970).
What were Fred Whitfield's career stats?
In 817 games, Fred Whitfield had 578 hits, 108 home runs, 356 RBI, 242 runs, and 7 stolen bases, with a .253 batting average.
What position did Fred Whitfield play?
Fred Whitfield played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Fred Whitfield and how much did he weigh?
Fred Whitfield was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Fred Whitfield hit each season?
Fred Whitfield's home runs by season: 8 in 1962, 21 in 1963, 10 in 1964, 26 in 1965, 27 in 1966, 9 in 1967, 6 in 1968, 1 in 1969, and 0 in 1970. His most in one season was 27, in 1966.
What was Fred Whitfield's career batting average?
Fred Whitfield batted .253 over his career, with 578 hits in 2,284 at bats.
How many RBI did Fred Whitfield have?
Fred Whitfield drove in 356 runs in his career.
Is Fred Whitfield in the Hall of Fame?
No. Fred Whitfield has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.