Ted Wilks
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1944-1953)
Ted Wilks was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1944 to 1953 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 10 seasons. Across 385 career appearances, he went 59-30 with a 3.26 ERA, 403 strikeouts, and 46 saves. He also batted .131 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 1590.8.
- W (Wins):
- Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
- ERA (Earned Run Average):
- Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
- SO (Strikeouts):
- For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
- WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
- Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.
Data updated
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 178 lb
- Died
- 8/21/1989 in Houston, TX, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1944-04-25
- Last Game
- 1953-08-05
Full name: Theodore Wilks
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | SLN | NL | 17 | 4 | 36 | 21 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 207.2 | 173 | 61 | 49 | 70 | 2.64 | 3.57 (+26%) | 526.6 |
| 1945 | SLN | NL | 4 | 7 | 18 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 98.1 | 103 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 2.93 | 3.67 (+20%) | -1440.2 |
| 1946 | SLN | NL | 8 | 0 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 95.0 | 88 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 3.41 | 3.59 (+5%) | -2839.2 |
| 1947 | SLN | NL | 4 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 50.1 | 57 | 28 | 11 | 28 | 5.01 | 3.97 (-26%) | -1219.9 |
| 1948 | SLN | NL | 6 | 6 | 57 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 130.2 | 113 | 38 | 39 | 71 | 2.62 | 4.10 (+36%) | 3438.2 |
| 1949 | SLN | NL | 10 | 3 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 118.1 | 105 | 49 | 38 | 71 | 3.73 | 4.12 (+10%) | 3260.2 |
| 1950 | SLN | NL | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24.1 | 27 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 6.66 | 4.36 (-53%) | -220.4 |
| 1951 | SLN | NL | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18.0 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3.00 | 4.04 (+26%) | 253.2 |
| 1951 | PIT | NL | 3 | 5 | 48 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 82.2 | 69 | 26 | 24 | 43 | 2.83 | 4.04 (+30%) | 1501.6 |
| 1952 | PIT | NL | 5 | 5 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 72.1 | 65 | 29 | 31 | 24 | 3.61 | 3.70 (+3%) | -1827.4 |
| 1952 | CLE | AL | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11.2 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3.86 | 3.70 (-4%) | 158.1 |
| 1953 | CLE | AL | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7.36 | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 59 | 30 | 385 | 44 | 22 | 5 | 46 | 913.0 | 832 | 331 | 283 | 403 | 3.26 | — | 1,591 | ||
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.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 385 | 206 | 15 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 16 | 59 | .131 | .194 | .146 | .339 | -440 |
Career AVG .131 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 49.8% below league average.
Career OBP .194 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 42.1% below league average.
Career SLG .146 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — 61.2% below league average.
Career OPS .339 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — 52.2% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | SLN | NL | 36 | 64 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 15 | .141 | .261 (-46%) | .325 (-38%) | .357 (-52%) | .683 (-45%) | -440.1 |
| 1945 | SLN | NL | 18 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | SLN | NL | 40 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .208 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1947 | SLN | NL | 37 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1948 | SLN | NL | 57 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1949 | SLN | NL | 59 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .037 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | SLN | NL | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | SLN | NL | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | PIT | NL | 48 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .083 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1952 | PIT | NL | 44 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1952 | CLE | AL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1953 | CLE | AL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 385 | 206 | 15 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 16 | 59 | .131 | — | — | — | — | -440 | ||
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 (770 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 183 | 87 | 8 | 13 | 0 | 7 | .149 |
| Away | 202 | 120 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 6 | .117 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 183 | 436.1 | 397 | 150 | 122 | 202 | 3.09 |
| Away | 202 | 475.2 | 435 | 183 | 162 | 204 | 3.46 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-08-05 | CLE | MIN | — | 1.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1953-05-20 | CLE | MIN | — | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-04-18 | CLE | CHW | — | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-04-16 | CLE | DET | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-09-23 | CLE | CHW | — | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 1952-09-10 | CLE | PHA | SV | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-08-30 | CLE | CHW | — | 2.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1952-08-28 | CLE | DET | — | 1.1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-08-27 | CLE | PHA | — | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1952-08-24 | CLE | MIN | — | 2.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | SLN | P | 36 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 0 | 3 |
| 1945 | SLN | P | 18 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 2 |
| 1946 | SLN | P | 40 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 3 |
| 1947 | SLN | P | 37 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 1948 | SLN | P | 57 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949 | SLN | P | 59 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| 1950 | SLN | P | 18 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951 | SLN | P | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1951 | PIT | P | 48 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| 1952 | PIT | P | 44 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| 1952 | CLE | P | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953 | CLE | P | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 385 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 8.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1944 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 24th | 4.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ted Wilks (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Ted Wilks: the record in brief
According to the bio, Ted Wilks debuted on April 25, 1944 and played a final game on August 5, 1953. Club by club, the record runs the St. Louis Cardinals (1944 through 1951), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1951 to 1952), and the Cleveland Indians (1952 to 1953). Wilks is listed as a pitcher at 178 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. Wilks threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is November 13, 1915, in Fulton, NY, USA. The bio records the death on August 21, 1989, in Houston, TX, USA. Ted Wilks was the playing name; the full given name is Theodore.
Wilks's career pitching line is 59 wins, 30 losses and a 3.26 ERA over 385 appearances. Wilks had 403 strikeouts, 22 complete games, 5 shutouts, and 46 saves. The leagues Wilks pitched in allowed 3.91 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 16.6% better than average. The best win total was 17, in 1944. 1948 produced Wilks's most strikeouts, 71.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ted Wilks
- What years did Ted Wilks play?
- Ted Wilks played in Major League Baseball from 1944 to 1953.
- Was Ted Wilks a pitcher?
- Yes. Ted Wilks pitched in the major leagues, recording 59 wins and 403 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Ted Wilks hit?
- Ted Wilks hit 0 career home runs with 27 hits.
- What teams did Ted Wilks play for?
- Ted Wilks played for 3 teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (1944–1951), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1951–1952), and the Cleveland Indians (1952–1953).
- What were Ted Wilks's career stats?
- In 385 games, Ted Wilks went 59-30 with a 3.26 ERA, 403 strikeouts, 913.0 innings pitched, and 46 saves. At the plate he had 27 hits and 0 home runs.
- What position did Ted Wilks play?
- Ted Wilks played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ted Wilks and how much did he weigh?
- Ted Wilks was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 178 pounds.
- What was Ted Wilks's career ERA?
- Ted Wilks finished with a 3.26 career ERA, going 59-30 with 403 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Ted Wilks have?
- Ted Wilks recorded 403 career strikeouts.
- Is Ted Wilks in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Ted Wilks has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.