Bob Will
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1957-1963)
Bob Will was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1963 for the Chicago Cubs, a span of 7 seasons. In 410 career games, he hit .247 with 202 hits, 9 home runs, and 87 RBI.
- 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 / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 175 lb
- Died
- 8/11/2011 in Woodstock, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1957-04-16
- Last Game
- 1963-06-12
Full name: Robert Lee Will
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 410 | 819 | 87 | 202 | 35 | 9 | 9 | 87 | 2 | 83 | 119 | .247 | .314 | .344 | .659 | -873 |
Career AVG .247 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .314 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .344 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 11.5% below league average.
Career OPS .659 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — 7.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | CHN | NL | 70 | 112 | 13 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 21 | .223 | .257 (-13%) | .323 (-22%) | .391 (-29%) | .715 (-26%) | -463.9 |
| 1958 | CHN | NL | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1960 | CHN | NL | 138 | 475 | 58 | 121 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 53 | 1 | 47 | 54 | .255 | .255 (avg) | .323 (-1%) | .387 (-4%) | .711 (-2%) | -209.9 |
| 1961 | CHN | NL | 86 | 113 | 9 | 29 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 15 | 19 | .257 | .258 (-1%) | .328 (+4%) | .399 (-16%) | .727 (-7%) | -101.1 |
| 1962 | CHN | NL | 87 | 92 | 6 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 13 | 22 | .239 | .257 (-7%) | .326 (avg) | .393 (-14%) | .719 (-8%) | -98.5 |
| 1963 | CHN | NL | 23 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .174 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 410 | 819 | 87 | 202 | 35 | 9 | 9 | 87 | 2 | 83 | 119 | .247 | — | — | — | — | -873 | ||
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 (410 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 208 | 397 | 48 | 104 | 3 | 51 | .262 |
| Away | 202 | 422 | 39 | 98 | 6 | 36 | .232 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-06-12 | CHC | SFG | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-06-11 | CHC | HOU | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-06-09 | CHC | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-06-07 | CHC | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-06-06 | CHC | SFG | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-06-02 | CHC | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-05-30 | CHC | NYN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963-05-23 | CHC | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-05-22 | CHC | STL | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963-05-18 | CHC | ATL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 2 |
| Left Field | 13 |
| Center Field | 30 |
| Right Field | 149 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato | MN | 1952, 1953, 1954 |
Bob Will: the record in brief
Bob Will played a first major league game on April 16, 1957 and a last one on June 12, 1963. Will's only club in the season tables is the Chicago Cubs. Listed as an outfielder, Will batted and threw left-handed. Will is listed at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds. The birth record reads July 15, 1931, in Berwyn, IL, USA. Will's death is recorded on August 11, 2011, in Woodstock, IL, USA. The given name on file is Robert Lee Will.
Will's career batting table shows 410 games, 819 at bats and 202 hits, a .247 average, adding 9 homers and 87 RBI. The on-base percentage is .314 and the slugging percentage .344, for an OPS of .659. The .247 career average is close to the .255 the league hit across the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 7.4% below league average (.659 against .712). 1960 produced Will's most hits, 121 of them for the Chicago Cubs. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .255 in 1960, did not top the league's .255. In none of the compared seasons from 1957 to 1962 did Will top the league batting average.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bob Will
- What years did Bob Will play?
- Bob Will played in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1963.
- Was Bob Will a pitcher?
- No. Bob Will was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Bob Will hit?
- Bob Will hit 9 career home runs with 202 hits.
- What was Bob Will's career batting average?
- Bob Will batted .247 over his career, with 202 hits in 819 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bob Will have?
- Bob Will drove in 87 runs in his career.
- Is Bob Will in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bob Will has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.