gold star for USAHOF

1. Ted Williams

1. Ted Williams
  1. General
  2. Awards
  3. Career Stats
  • Born: August 30, 1918 in San Diego, CA USA
  • Weight: 205 lbs.
  • Height: 6'3"
  • Bats: L
  • Throws: R
  • Debut: April 20, 1939
  • Final Game: September 28, 1960
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1939
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1939
  • TSN All-Star - 1939
  • TSN All-Star - 1940
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1941
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1941
  • TSN All-Star - 1941
  • TSN Major League Player of the Year - 1941
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1942
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1942
  • Triple Crown - 1942
  • TSN All-Star - 1942
  • TSN Major League Player of the Year - 1942
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1946
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1946
  • Most Valuable Player - 1946
  • TSN All-Star - 1946
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1947
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1947
  • Triple Crown - 1947
  • TSN All-Star - 1947
  • TSN Major League Player of the Year - 1947
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1948
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1948
  • TSN All-Star - 1948
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1949
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1949
  • Most Valuable Player - 1949
  • TSN All-Star - 1949
  • TSN Major League Player of the Year - 1949
  • TSN Player of the Year - 1949
  • Baseball Magazine All-Star - 1950
  • TSN All-Star - 1951
  • TSN All-Star - 1955
  • TSN All-Star - 1956
  • TSN All-Star - 1957
  • TSN Major League Player of the Year - 1957
  • TSN Player of the Year - 1957
  • TSN All-Star - 1958
  • MVP - 1939
  • MVP - 1940
  • MVP - 1941
  • MVP - 1942
  • MVP - 1946
  • MVP - 1947
  • MVP - 1948
  • MVP - 1949
  • MVP - 1950
  • MVP - 1951
  • MVP - 1953
  • MVP - 1954
  • MVP - 1955
  • MVP - 1956
  • MVP - 1957
  • MVP - 1958
  • MVP - 1959
  • MVP - 1960
 
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15412359653081042367848 0.344
 

Were you expecting someone else?

As incredible as Ted Williams was, it is lost a bit, as to just how good he was.  Part of this because so much time has passed; part because his Red Sox only won one American League Pennant. 

Ted Williams played his entire career with the Boston Red Sox (1939-60) save for three years, where he was in the U.S. Military for three years during World War II (1943-45).  Nicknamed "The Splendid Splinter," Williams batted .327 with 31 Home Runs and an American League-leading 145 RBIs as a rookie.  This season was the perfect showcase for what the baseball world could expect from Williams, as before the War, he went to his first three Run Scored Titles (1940-42), two Batting Titles (1941-42), OBP Titles (1940-42) and Home Run Titles (1941-42).  Williams' first Batting Title would see him bat .406, which is to date the last time a player hit the magical 400 mark.  He swept the Slash Line and Home Run Titles in both ’41 and ’42, but amazingly he was not named the MVP in either season (despite leading the AL in bWAR).  He was the runner-up in 1941 to Joe DiMaggio, who had the 56 Game Hitting Streak, and in 1942 to Joe Gordon.  The Yankees won the Pennant in both of those years.

Williams returned in 1946 and retook his place as the game's top hitter.  From 1946 to 1950, he won two Batting Titles and was the AL leader in OBP and Slugging Percentage.  He also earned his third and fourth Home Run and RBI Title, which would be the last of his career.  His two American League MVP Awards happened during this time (1946 & 1949), and the two he did not win, saw him finish in the top three in voting.

He slowed down in his 30s, but he was far from over.  He would begin to miss quite a bit of games due to injury, but when he was in the lineup, he always produced.  With the exception of his penultimate season (1959), he always batted over. 300, and he had two more Batting Titles (1957 & 1958), five more OBP Titles (1951, 1954, 1956, 1957 & 1958), and three Slugging Titles (1951, 1954 & 1957).  In his final season in 1960, he was still better than most with a 29 Home Run season and a .316 Batting Average. 

As mentioned earlier, Williams was only able to take Boston to World Series Championship.  Still, when you are going up against the New York Yankees, who had legends like DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra, Rizzutto, to name a few, that should never be held against him.  Williams was also not very fast and not a great defensive player, but when you hit at his level, nobody should notice.

Williams retired with 2,654 Hits, 521 Home Runs, and a Slash Line of .344/.482/.634.  His .482 On Base Percentage is the all-time record in Baseball.  As of this writing, he is the all-time franchise leader in Batting Average, On Base Percentage, Slugging Percentage, OPS, and Home Runs.  He would enter the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966 in his first year of eligibility.

Boston retired his number 9 in 1984, and ten years later was a member of the charter class of the Red Sox Hall of Fame.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Outfield
  • Acquired: Traded from San Diego (PCL) for Dom Dallessandro, Al Niemiec, Cash, and a Player to be Named Later (which would be Spence Harris) 12/7/37.
  • Departed: Retired after the 1960 Season.
  • Games Played: 2292
  • Notable Statistics: 1,798 Runs Scored
    2,654 Hits
    525 Doubles
    71 Triples
    521 Home Runs
    1,839 Runs Batted In
    24 Stolen Bases
    .344/.482/.634 Slash Line
    121.9 bWAR

    7 Playoff Games
    2 Runs Scored
    5 Hits
    0 Doubles
    0 Triples
    0 Home Runs
    1 Run Batted In
    0 Stolen Bases
    .200/.333/.200 Slash Line
  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    MVP (1946 & 1949)
    The Sporting NewsMajor League Player of the Year (1941, 1942, 1947, 1949 & 1957)
    All-Star (1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 & 1960)
    Highest bWAR for a Position Player (1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949 & 1951)
    Highest Offensive bWAR (1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951 & 1954)
    Highest Batting Average (1941, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1957 & 1958)
    Highest On Base Percentage (1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1957 & 1958)
    Highest Slugging Percentage (1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954 & 1957)
    Highest OPS (1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954, 1957 & 1958)
    Most Plate Appearances (1949)
    Most Runs Scored (1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1947 & 1949)
    Most Total Bases (1939, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949 & 1951)
    Most Doubles (1948 & 1949)
    Most Home Runs (1941, 1942, 1947 & 1949)
    Most Runs Batted In (1939, 1942, 1947 & 1949)
    Most Walks (1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951 & 1954)
    Highest OPS+ (1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954 & 1957)
    Most Extra Base Hits (1939, 1942, 1946, 1947 & 1949)
    Most Intentional Walks (1941, 1946, 1947, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 & 1957)
    Highest Win Probability Added (1941, 1942, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954 & 1955)
    Highest Championship Probability Added (1942, 1946 & 1951)
    Most Putouts by a Leftfielder (1947)
    Most Assists by a Leftfielder (1947, 1948 & 1949)
    Most Double Plays Turned by a Leftfielder (1941, 1942, 1946, 1949, 1951 & 1956)
    Most Putouts by a Rightfielder (1939)
    Most Assists by a Rightfieder (1939)
    Most Double Plays Turned by an Outfielder (1951)
    Highest Fielding Percentage by a Leftfielder (1954)

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