Frank Williams
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1984-1989)
Frank Williams was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1989 for the San Francisco Giants, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 6 seasons. Across 333 career appearances, he went 24-14 with a 3.00 ERA and 314 strikeouts. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 3337.0.
- 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
- 6'1" / 180 lb
- Died
- 1/9/2009 in Victoria, BC, CAN
- MLB Debut
- 1984-04-05
- Last Game
- 1989-09-27
Full name: Frank Lee Williams
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
| Season | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | 31.0 | 27.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | .185 | .290 | .259 | .549 |
| 1943 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 1946 | 120.0 | 102.0 | 26.0 | 29.0 | 6.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 10.0 | 18.0 | 1.0 | 0 | .284 | .392 | .382 | .774 |
| Listed seasons · 3 | 156 | 134 | 28 | 34 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 21 | 1 | 0 | .254 | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | SFN | NL | 9 | 4 | 61 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 106.1 | 88 | 42 | 51 | 91 | 3.55 | 3.81 (+7%) | 2679.4 |
| 1985 | SFN | NL | 2 | 4 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 73.0 | 65 | 34 | 35 | 54 | 4.19 | 3.89 (-8%) | 209.8 |
| 1986 | SFN | NL | 3 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 52.1 | 35 | 7 | 21 | 33 | 1.20 | 3.97 (+70%) | 1361.4 |
| 1987 | CIN | NL | 4 | 0 | 85 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 105.2 | 101 | 27 | 39 | 60 | 2.30 | 4.29 (+46%) | 2102.4 |
| 1988 | CIN | NL | 3 | 2 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 62.2 | 59 | 18 | 35 | 43 | 2.59 | 3.73 (+31%) | -1063.7 |
| 1989 | DET | AL | 3 | 3 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 71.2 | 70 | 29 | 46 | 33 | 3.64 | 3.71 (+2%) | -1952.4 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 24 | 14 | 333 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 471.2 | 418 | 157 | 227 | 314 | 3.00 | — | 3,337 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 333 | 29 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 | .172 | .250 | .172 | .422 | 0 |
Career AVG .172 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 33.1% below league average.
Career OBP .250 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — 22.7% below league average.
Career SLG .172 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 55.8% below league average.
Career OPS .422 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 40.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | SFN | NL | 61 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1985 | SFN | NL | 49 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1986 | SFN | NL | 36 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1987 | CIN | NL | 85 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1988 | CIN | NL | 60 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1989 | DET | AL | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 333 | 29 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 | .172 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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 (667 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 174 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| Away | 160 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .118 |
Pitching — Home / Away
| Split | G | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 173 | 247.0 | 203 | 74 | 117 | 173 | 2.70 |
| Away | 160 | 224.2 | 215 | 83 | 110 | 141 | 3.32 |
Last 10 Games — Pitching
| Date | Tm | Opp | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-09-27 | DET | TOR | — | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1989-09-22 | DET | BOS | — | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989-09-19 | DET | BAL | — | 2.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-09-09 | DET | CHW | — | 2.0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1989-09-02 | DET | CLE | — | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-08-28 | DET | BOS | — | 1.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-08-25 | DET | BOS | — | 2.1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989-08-24 | DET | TOR | — | 2.0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989-07-24 | DET | MIL | — | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989-07-18 | DET | OAK | — | 1.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 333 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 1 |
Salary History
Frank Williams's recorded salaries total $1,442,500 over 4 seasons, 1986 to 1989. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Williams's career ran from 1984 to 1989. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | DET | AL | $425,000 |
| 1988 | CIN | NL | $442,500 |
| 1987 | CIN | NL | $300,000 |
| 1986 | SFN | NL | $275,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $1,442,500 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis-Clark State College | Lewiston | ID | 1979 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Frank Williams (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frank Williams: the record in brief
Frank Williams played a first major league game on April 5, 1984 and a last one on September 27, 1989. The team column moves through the San Francisco Giants (1984 through 1986), the Cincinnati Reds (1987 through 1988), and the Detroit Tigers (1989). At 180 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame, Williams is listed as a pitcher. Williams threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. Williams was born on February 13, 1958, in Seattle, WA, USA. Williams died on January 9, 2009, in Victoria, BC, CAN. Williams's full given name, per the bio, is Frank Lee Williams.
Williams's career pitching line is 24 wins, 14 losses and a 3.00 ERA over 333 appearances. Also on Williams's record: 314 strikeouts. Against a 3.90 league ERA for the same years, Williams was 23.2% better. No season topped the 9 wins of 1984. In 1987, one of the busiest seasons, Williams posted a 2.30 ERA; the league figure that year was 4.29.
Frequently Asked Questions about Frank Williams
- What years did Frank Williams play?
- Frank Williams played in Major League Baseball from 1984 to 1989.
- Was Frank Williams a pitcher?
- Yes. Frank Williams pitched in the major leagues, recording 24 wins and 314 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Frank Williams hit?
- Frank Williams hit 0 career home runs with 5 hits.
- What teams did Frank Williams play for?
- Frank Williams played for 3 teams: the San Francisco Giants (1984–1986), the Cincinnati Reds (1987–1988), and the Detroit Tigers (1989).
- What were Frank Williams's career stats?
- In 333 games, Frank Williams went 24-14 with a 3.00 ERA, 314 strikeouts, 471.2 innings pitched, and 8 saves.
- How much did Frank Williams earn in his career?
- Frank Williams's recorded salaries total $1,442,500 over 4 seasons, 1986 to 1989. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Williams's career ran from 1984 to 1989. His seasons before 1985 are not included, and no salary is recorded for 1985.
- What was Frank Williams's salary?
- Frank Williams's last recorded salary was $425,000, in 1989. His highest recorded salary was $442,500, in 1988, and his lowest was $275,000, in 1986. The Salary History table lists each season from 1986 to 1989.
- What position did Frank Williams play?
- Frank Williams played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Frank Williams and how much did he weigh?
- Frank Williams was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 180 pounds.
- What was Frank Williams's career ERA?
- Frank Williams finished with a 3.00 career ERA, going 24-14 with 314 strikeouts.
- How many strikeouts did Frank Williams have?
- Frank Williams recorded 314 career strikeouts.
- Is Frank Williams in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Frank Williams has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.