Willie Wilson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1976-1994)
Willie Wilson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1994 for the Kansas City Royals, the Athletics, and the Chicago Cubs, a span of 19 seasons. In 2,154 career games, he hit .285 with 2,207 hits, 41 home runs, and 585 RBI. Willie Wilson was a 2-time All-Star, a Gold Glove, and a 2-time Silver Slugger.
- 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
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 190 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1976-09-04
- Last Game
- 1994-05-16
- Awards
- 2× All-Star · Gold Glove · 2× Silver Slugger
Full name: Willie James Wilson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,154 | 7,731 | 1,169 | 2,207 | 281 | 147 | 41 | 585 | 668 | 425 | 1,144 | .285 | .326 | .376 | .702 | -1,647 |
Career AVG .285 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — +9.9% above league average.
Career OBP .326 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .376 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .702 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | KCA | AL | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1977 | KCA | AL | 13 | 34 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 8 | .324 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1978 | KCA | AL | 127 | 198 | 43 | 43 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 46 | 16 | 33 | .217 | .257 (-16%) | .323 (-14%) | .378 (-27%) | .702 (-21%) | -636.1 |
| 1979 | KCA | AL | 154 | 588 | 113 | 185 | 18 | 13 | 6 | 49 | 83 | 28 | 92 | .315 | .265 (+19%) | .329 (+6%) | .397 (+6%) | .727 (+6%) | 648.1 |
| 1980 | KCA | AL | 161 | 705 | 133 | 230 | 28 | 15 | 3 | 49 | 79 | 28 | 81 | .326 | .264 (+23%) | .326 (+9%) | .387 (+9%) | .714 (+9%) | 1188.0 |
| 1981 | KCA | AL | 102 | 439 | 54 | 133 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 34 | 18 | 42 | .303 | .255 (+18%) | .320 (+5%) | .368 (-1%) | .688 (+2%) | 104.8 |
| 1982 | KCA | AL | 136 | 585 | 87 | 194 | 19 | 15 | 3 | 46 | 37 | 26 | 81 | .332 | .261 (+27%) | .324 (+13%) | .388 (+11%) | .712 (+12%) | 1266.6 |
| 1983 | KCA | AL | 137 | 576 | 90 | 159 | 22 | 8 | 2 | 33 | 59 | 33 | 75 | .276 | .260 (+6%) | .324 (-3%) | .389 (-9%) | .714 (-6%) | -589.5 |
| 1984 | KCA | AL | 128 | 541 | 81 | 163 | 24 | 9 | 2 | 44 | 47 | 39 | 56 | .301 | .259 (+16%) | .322 (+8%) | .384 (+1%) | .707 (+5%) | 481.5 |
| 1985 | KCA | AL | 141 | 605 | 87 | 168 | 25 | 21 | 4 | 43 | 43 | 29 | 94 | .278 | .257 (+8%) | .323 (-2%) | .390 (+4%) | .714 (+1%) | -42.8 |
| 1986 | KCA | AL | 156 | 631 | 77 | 170 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 44 | 34 | 31 | 97 | .269 | .257 (+5%) | .325 (-4%) | .395 (-7%) | .720 (-6%) | -608.5 |
| 1987 | KCA | AL | 146 | 610 | 97 | 170 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 30 | 59 | 32 | 88 | .279 | .262 (+6%) | .331 (-3%) | .415 (-9%) | .746 (-7%) | -701.6 |
| 1988 | KCA | AL | 147 | 591 | 81 | 155 | 17 | 11 | 1 | 37 | 35 | 22 | 106 | .262 | .254 (+3%) | .317 (-9%) | .377 (-12%) | .695 (-11%) | -1082.0 |
| 1989 | KCA | AL | 112 | 383 | 58 | 97 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 43 | 24 | 27 | 78 | .253 | .254 (avg) | .319 (-6%) | .375 (-5%) | .694 (-5%) | -412.9 |
| 1990 | KCA | AL | 115 | 307 | 49 | 89 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 42 | 24 | 30 | 57 | .290 | .257 (+12%) | .324 (+9%) | .385 (-4%) | .710 (+2%) | 178.7 |
| 1991 | OAK | AL | 113 | 294 | 38 | 70 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 20 | 18 | 43 | .238 | .255 (-7%) | .323 (-10%) | .384 (-19%) | .708 (-15%) | -696.0 |
| 1992 | OAK | AL | 132 | 396 | 38 | 107 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 37 | 28 | 35 | 65 | .270 | .255 (+6%) | .322 (+2%) | .377 (-12%) | .699 (-5%) | -302.2 |
| 1993 | CHN | NL | 105 | 221 | 29 | 57 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 40 | .258 | .265 (-3%) | .332 (-9%) | .403 (-14%) | .735 (-12%) | -443.0 |
| 1994 | CHN | NL | 17 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | .238 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 19 seasons | 2,154 | 7,731 | 1,169 | 2,207 | 281 | 147 | 41 | 585 | 668 | 425 | 1,144 | .285 | — | — | — | — | -1,647 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 150 | 12 | 40 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 32 | .267 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | ALCS | OAK | 6 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .227 |
| 1985 | ALCS | KCA | 7 | 29 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | .310 |
| 1985 | WS | KCA | 7 | 30 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | .367 |
| 1984 | ALCS | KCA | 3 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .154 |
| 1981 | AWDIV | KCA | 3 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .308 |
| 1980 | ALCS | KCA | 3 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | .308 |
| 1980 | WS | KCA | 6 | 26 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | .154 |
| 1978 | ALCS | KCA | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .250 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2154 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1083 | 3841 | 620 | 1128 | 18 | 303 | .294 |
| Away | 1071 | 3890 | 549 | 1079 | 23 | 282 | .277 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-05-16 | CHC | SDP | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-05-13 | CHC | MIA | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-04-26 | CHC | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-04-25 | CHC | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1994-04-24 | CHC | COL | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-04-23 | CHC | COL | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-04-22 | CHC | COL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-04-19 | CHC | HOU | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1994-04-17 | CHC | ATL | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994-04-16 | CHC | ATL | L | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 2031 | 1792 | 5060 | 76 | 67 | 15 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | KCA | OF | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1977 | KCA | OF | 9 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978 | KCA | OF | 112 | 45 | 171 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 1979 | KCA | OF | 152 | 135 | 384 | 12 | 6 | 0 |
| 1980 | KCA | OF | 159 | 157 | 482 | 9 | 6 | 1 |
| 1981 | KCA | OF | 101 | 100 | 299 | 14 | 4 | 3 |
| 1982 | KCA | OF | 135 | 135 | 376 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 1983 | KCA | OF | 136 | 132 | 354 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| 1984 | KCA | OF | 128 | 128 | 383 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 1985 | KCA | OF | 140 | 140 | 378 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 1986 | KCA | OF | 155 | 149 | 408 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 1987 | KCA | OF | 143 | 142 | 342 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1988 | KCA | OF | 142 | 141 | 365 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1989 | KCA | OF | 108 | 95 | 252 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 1990 | KCA | OF | 106 | 81 | 187 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1991 | OAK | OF | 87 | 63 | 176 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 1992 | OAK | OF | 120 | 100 | 355 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| 1993 | CHN | OF | 82 | 39 | 109 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | CHN | OF | 10 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 676 |
| Center Field | 1357 |
| Right Field | 31 |
| Designated Hitter | 28 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Silver Slugger | OF |
| 1981 | Player of the Month | September |
| 1980 | Gold Glove | OF |
| 1980 | Silver Slugger | OF |
| 1979 | Player of the Week | Week of 1979-08-24 |
Salary History
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | CHN | NL | $700,000 |
| 1993 | CHN | NL | $700,000 |
| 1992 | OAK | AL | $1,100,000 |
| 1991 | OAK | AL | $1,000,000 |
| 1990 | KCA | AL | $800,000 |
| 1989 | KCA | AL | $2,112,205 |
| 1988 | KCA | AL | $1,383,712 |
| 1987 | KCA | AL | $1,389,706 |
| 1986 | KCA | AL | $1,175,000 |
| 1985 | KCA | AL | $843,750 |
| Total Career Earnings | $11,204,373 | ||
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 10th | 61.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1982 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 15th | 16.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 1980 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 4th | 169.0 | 392 | 1 |
| 1979 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 17th | 15.0 | 392 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Willie Wilson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Willie Wilson: the record in brief
The profile opens with Willie Wilson's first major league game on September 4, 1976; the last one listed came on May 16, 1994. The team column moves through the Kansas City Royals (1976 to 1990), the Oakland Athletics (1991 to 1992), and the Chicago Cubs (1993 to 1994). Wilson, born on July 9, 1955, in Montgomery, AL, USA, is listed as an outfielder and switch-hit and threw right-handed. The bio gives 190 pounds on a 6-foot-3 frame. Wilson's full given name, per the bio, is Willie James Wilson.
The batting record for Wilson: 2,154 games, 2,207 hits in 7,731 at bats, and a .285 average, plus 41 homers, 585 RBI, and 668 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .326 and the slugging percentage .376, for an OPS of .702. Wilson's .285 average ran 9.9% above the .260 that the league posted over the same seasons. 1980 produced Wilson's most hits, 230 of them for the Kansas City Royals. The RBI column peaks at 49 in 1979. 1979 brought a season-best 83 stolen bases.
Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Wilson
- What years did Willie Wilson play?
- Willie Wilson played in Major League Baseball from 1976 to 1994.
- Was Willie Wilson a pitcher?
- No. Willie Wilson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Willie Wilson hit?
- Willie Wilson hit 41 career home runs with 2207 hits.
- What was Willie Wilson's career batting average?
- Willie Wilson batted .285 over his career, with 2,207 hits in 7,731 at bats.
- How many RBI did Willie Wilson have?
- Willie Wilson drove in 585 runs in his career.
- Is Willie Wilson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Willie Wilson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.