Earl Williams
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1970-1977)
Earl Williams was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1977 for 4 teams, including the Atlanta Braves, a span of 8 seasons. In 889 career games, he hit .247 with 756 hits, 138 home runs, and 457 RBI. Earl Williams was a Rookie of the Year. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,029.
- 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 215 lb
- Died
- 1/28/2013 in Somerset, NJ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1970-09-13
- Last Game
- 1977-09-25
- Awards
- Rookie of the Year
Full name: Earl Craig Williams
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 889 | 3,058 | 361 | 756 | 115 | 6 | 138 | 457 | 2 | 298 | 574 | .247 | .318 | .424 | .742 | 4,029 |
Career AVG .247 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .318 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .424 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — +13.4% above league average.
Career OPS .742 vs. league average .697 across their career seasons — +6.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | ATL | NL | 10 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .368 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | ATL | NL | 145 | 497 | 64 | 129 | 14 | 1 | 33 | 87 | 0 | 42 | 80 | .260 | .249 (+4%) | .316 (+2%) | .365 (+34%) | .682 (+19%) | 1724.6 |
| 1972 | ATL | NL | 151 | 565 | 72 | 146 | 24 | 2 | 28 | 87 | 0 | 62 | 118 | .258 | .243 (+6%) | .310 (+8%) | .353 (+29%) | .664 (+19%) | 2038.3 |
| 1973 | BAL | AL | 132 | 459 | 58 | 109 | 18 | 1 | 22 | 83 | 0 | 66 | 107 | .237 | .256 (-8%) | .325 (+2%) | .378 (+12%) | .703 (+8%) | 702.4 |
| 1974 | BAL | AL | 118 | 413 | 47 | 105 | 16 | 0 | 14 | 52 | 0 | 40 | 79 | .254 | .256 (-1%) | .324 (+1%) | .369 (+7%) | .693 (+4%) | 321.3 |
| 1975 | ATL | NL | 111 | 383 | 42 | 92 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 50 | 0 | 34 | 63 | .240 | .257 (-7%) | .327 (-7%) | .374 (-4%) | .701 (-5%) | -320.6 |
| 1976 | ATL | NL | 61 | 184 | 18 | 39 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 26 | 0 | 19 | 33 | .212 | .255 (-17%) | .320 (-11%) | .360 (+4%) | .681 (-3%) | -95.5 |
| 1976 | MON | NL | 61 | 190 | 17 | 45 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 29 | 0 | 14 | 32 | .237 | .255 (-7%) | .320 (-11%) | .360 (+21%) | .681 (+6%) | -95.5 |
| 1977 | OAK | AL | 100 | 348 | 39 | 84 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 38 | 2 | 18 | 58 | .241 | .264 (-9%) | .329 (-13%) | .401 (-3%) | .730 (-7%) | -429.4 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 889 | 3,058 | 361 | 756 | 115 | 6 | 138 | 457 | 2 | 298 | 574 | .247 | — | — | — | — | 3,846 | ||
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.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (889 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 439 | 1475 | 190 | 374 | 70 | 228 | .254 |
| Away | 450 | 1583 | 171 | 382 | 68 | 229 | .241 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-09-25 | OAK | TEX | L | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1977-09-24 | OAK | TEX | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977-09-23 | OAK | TEX | L | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977-09-17 | OAK | MIL | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977-09-16 | OAK | MIL | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977-09-15 | OAK | KCR | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977-09-15 | OAK | KCR | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977-09-14 | OAK | KCR | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977-09-09 | OAK | MIL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1977-09-07 | OAK | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 327 | 277 | 2560 | 157 | 24 | 246 |
| 3B | 66 | 60 | 46 | 111 | 19 | 13 |
| C | 456 | 423 | 2109 | 192 | 38 | 30 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | ATL | 1B | 4 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1970 | ATL | 3B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| 1971 | ATL | 1B | 31 | 19 | 194 | 8 | 1 | 25 |
| 1971 | ATL | 3B | 42 | 37 | 27 | 74 | 9 | 9 |
| 1971 | ATL | C | 72 | 71 | 375 | 35 | 8 | 4 |
| 1972 | ATL | 1B | 20 | 15 | 140 | 8 | 0 | 10 |
| 1972 | ATL | 3B | 21 | 21 | 16 | 30 | 10 | 1 |
| 1972 | ATL | C | 116 | 113 | 584 | 49 | 13 | 7 |
| 1973 | BAL | 1B | 42 | 39 | 326 | 19 | 2 | 36 |
| 1973 | BAL | C | 95 | 86 | 407 | 33 | 6 | 5 |
| 1974 | BAL | 1B | 47 | 43 | 399 | 17 | 2 | 39 |
| 1974 | BAL | C | 75 | 70 | 308 | 33 | 6 | 5 |
| 1975 | ATL | 1B | 90 | 89 | 844 | 50 | 10 | 77 |
| 1975 | ATL | C | 11 | 10 | 52 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| 1976 | ATL | 1B | 17 | 14 | 120 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| 1976 | ATL | C | 38 | 34 | 178 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 1976 | MON | 1B | 47 | 44 | 377 | 41 | 8 | 37 |
| 1976 | MON | C | 13 | 6 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| 1977 | OAK | 1B | 29 | 12 | 140 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| 1977 | OAK | C | 36 | 33 | 165 | 21 | 2 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 455 |
| First Base | 330 |
| Third Base | 66 |
| Designated Hitter | 48 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Rookie of the Year | |
| 1971 | TSN Rookie Player of the Year |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 1st | 18.0 | 24 | 18 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Earl Williams (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Earl Williams
- What years did Earl Williams play?
- Earl Williams played in Major League Baseball from 1970 to 1977.
- Was Earl Williams a pitcher?
- No. Earl Williams was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Earl Williams hit?
- Earl Williams hit 138 career home runs with 756 hits.
- What was Earl Williams's career batting average?
- Earl Williams batted .247 over his career, with 756 hits in 3,058 at bats.
- How many RBI did Earl Williams have?
- Earl Williams drove in 457 runs in his career.
- Is Earl Williams in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Earl Williams has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.