Ken Williams

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1986-1991)

Ken Williams was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 1991 for 4 teams, including the Chicago White Sox, a span of 6 seasons. In 451 career games, he hit .218 with 252 hits, 27 home runs, and 119 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

AVG .218
HR 27
RBI 119
H 252
OPS .608
PIV -2,675
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 187 lb
Born
4/6/1964 in Berkeley, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1986-09-02
Last Game
1991-10-04

Full name: Kenneth Royal Williams

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Batting Statistics

Ken Williams — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
451 1,154 136 252 42 8 27 119 49 56 290 .218 .269 .339 .608 -2,675

Career AVG .218 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 15.1% below league average.

Career OBP .269 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 16.9% below league average.

Career SLG .339 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — 12.9% below league average.

Career OPS .608 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — 14.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Ken Williams — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1986 CHA AL 15 31 2 4 0 0 1 1 1 1 11 .129 — — — — 0.0
1987 CHA AL 116 391 48 110 18 2 11 50 21 10 83 .281 .262 (+7%) .331 (-5%) .415 (+2%) .746 (-1%) -136.3
1988 CHA AL 73 220 18 35 4 2 8 28 6 10 64 .159 .254 (-37%) .317 (-31%) .377 (-19%) .695 (-24%) -874.0
1989 DET AL 94 258 29 53 5 1 6 23 9 18 63 .205 .254 (-19%) .319 (-16%) .375 (-19%) .694 (-18%) -707.7
1990 DET AL 57 83 10 11 2 0 0 5 2 3 24 .133 .257 (-49%) .324 (-47%) .385 (-59%) .710 (-54%) -712.4
1990 TOR AL 49 72 13 14 6 1 0 8 7 7 18 .194 .257 (-25%) .324 (-16%) .385 (-21%) .710 (-19%) -712.4
1991 TOR AL 13 29 5 6 2 0 1 3 1 4 5 .207 — — — — 0.0
1991 MON NL 34 70 11 19 5 2 0 1 2 3 22 .271 .255 (+6%) .323 (-4%) .384 (+4%) .708 (avg) 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 451 1,154 136 252 42 8 27 119 49 56 290 .218 — — — — -3,143

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 (451 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Ken Williams — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home225556781271165.228
Away226598581251654.209

Last 10 Games — Batting

Ken Williams — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1991-10-04 WSNPITW 200000000
1991-10-02 WSNSTLL 411000011
1991-10-01 WSNSTLL 201100000
1991-09-30 WSNSTLL 100000001
1991-09-27 WSNPITW 410000111
1991-09-25 WSNSTLW 321000000
1991-09-22 WSNCHCW 101100000
1991-09-19 WSNPHIL 000000000
1991-09-18 WSNPHIL 301000000
1991-09-17 WSNNYNL 311000011

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Ken Williams — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
3B 32 31 19 67 14 3
OF 360 276 730 28 15 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Ken Williams — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1986 CHA OF 10 8 18 1 0 1
1987 CHA OF 115 107 303 5 6 2
1988 CHA 3B 32 31 19 67 14 3
1988 CHA OF 38 31 68 2 3 1
1989 DET 1B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1989 DET OF 87 71 180 11 4 3
1990 DET OF 47 22 67 5 0 2
1990 TOR OF 30 13 36 0 0 0
1991 TOR OF 9 7 16 1 0 0
1991 MON OF 24 17 42 3 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Ken Williams — Career Games by Position
Position Games
First Base 1
Third Base 32
Left Field 71
Center Field 189
Right Field 112
Designated Hitter 22

Salary History

Ken Williams's recorded salaries total $640,000 over 4 seasons, 1988 to 1991. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Williams's career ran from 1986 to 1991. No salary is recorded for 1986 and 1987.

Ken Williams — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1991 TOR AL $260,000
1990 DET AL $160,000
1989 DET AL $117,500
1988 CHA AL $102,500
Total recorded salary (partial) $640,000

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Ken Williams (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Adam Engel
    .224 avg, 30 HR
  2. 84
    Art Kruger
    .232 avg, 6 HR
  3. 81
    JaCoby Jones
    .212 avg, 32 HR
  4. 78
    Alek Thomas
    .230 avg, 31 HR
  5. 76
    Ivan Murrell
    .236 avg, 33 HR
  6. 75
    Cap Peterson
    .230 avg, 19 HR

Ken Williams: the record in brief

Ken Williams's major league career runs from a debut on September 2, 1986 to a final game on October 4, 1991. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago White Sox (1986 to 1988), the Detroit Tigers (1989 through 1990), the Toronto Blue Jays (1990 to 1991), and the Montreal Expos (1991). Williams, born on April 6, 1964, in Berkeley, CA, USA, is listed as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 6 feet, 2 inches and 187 pounds. Ken Williams was the playing name; the full given name is Kenneth Royal.

In 451 games and 1,154 at bats, Williams batted .218 with 252 hits, adding 27 home runs, 119 runs batted in, and 49 stolen bases. Williams's career OPS of .608 combines a .269 on-base mark with .339 slugging. Williams's .218 average ran 15.1% below the .257 that the league posted over the same seasons. The home run peak was 11 in 1987 with the Chicago White Sox. The hits column peaks at 110, in 1987. Williams stole 21 bases in 1987, the most of any season listed.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ken Williams

What years did Ken Williams play?
Ken Williams played in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 1991.
Was Ken Williams a pitcher?
No. Ken Williams was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Ken Williams hit?
Ken Williams hit 27 career home runs with 252 hits.
What teams did Ken Williams play for?
Ken Williams played for 4 teams: the Chicago White Sox (1986–1988), the Detroit Tigers (1989–1990), the Toronto Blue Jays (1990–1991), and the Montreal Expos (1991).
What were Ken Williams's career stats?
In 451 games, Ken Williams had 252 hits, 27 home runs, 119 RBI, 136 runs, and 49 stolen bases, with a .218 batting average.
How much did Ken Williams earn in his career?
Ken Williams's recorded salaries total $640,000 over 4 seasons, 1988 to 1991. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Williams's career ran from 1986 to 1991. No salary is recorded for 1986 and 1987.
What was Ken Williams's salary?
Ken Williams's last recorded salary was $260,000, in 1991. His highest recorded salary was $260,000, in 1991, and his lowest was $102,500, in 1988. The Salary History table lists each season from 1988 to 1991.
What position did Ken Williams play?
Ken Williams played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Ken Williams and how much did he weigh?
Ken Williams was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 187 pounds.
How many home runs did Ken Williams hit each season?
Ken Williams's home runs by season: 1 in 1986, 11 in 1987, 8 in 1988, 6 in 1989, 0 in 1990, and 1 in 1991. His most in one season was 11, in 1987.
What was Ken Williams's career batting average?
Ken Williams batted .218 over his career, with 252 hits in 1,154 at bats.
How many RBI did Ken Williams have?
Ken Williams drove in 119 runs in his career.
Is Ken Williams in the Hall of Fame?
No. Ken Williams has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.