Willie Stargell Career MLB Stats 1962-1982 |
||||||||||||||
G |
AB |
H |
AVG |
HR |
RBI |
R |
SB |
2B |
3B |
BB |
SO |
OBP | SLG% |
OPS
|
2,360 |
7,927 |
2,232 |
.282 |
475 |
1,540 |
1,194 |
17 |
423 |
55 |
1,312 |
1,779 |
.360 |
.529 |
.889
|
Wilver Dornell Stargell was born on March 6, 1940 in Earlsboro, OK. He was the son of Gladys and William Stargell. Willie’s parents parted ways when he was young and he was primary raised by his mother and grandfather. Willie’s mom moved to California where he lived for most of his childhood years. As he got older, Stargell got into sports and baseball became his sport of choice.
Stargell attended Encinal High School. He played baseball and football; however baseball was a way of life for Stargell. His high school baseball team was loaded with talent as two other teammates also played in the major leagues. Stargell wasn’t necessarily considered the best on the team but he had power and showed enough talent to impress the Pittsburgh Pirates who signed him to a minor league deal after high school.
Awards and Achievements |
|
MVP
|
|
Gold Glove
|
|
All-Star Selections |
1964, 1965 1966, 1971, 1972, 1973 1978
|
Batting Titles |
|
Achievements
|
1971, 1979 World Series MVP 1979 NL Home Run Leader 1971, 1973 NLCS MVP 1979 NL RBI Leader 1973 |
Willie Stargell MLB Career Stats and Notes
Stargell made his Major League debut on September 16, 1962. He spent his entire professional baseball career with the Pirates, spanning 21 seasons. He helped his team win two World Series titles. He retired after the 1982 season and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
Willie Stargell Historic 1979 NL MVP Season
In 1979, the Pirates once again were on top of the baseball world for the second time in the decade, this time largely due to Stargell’s play the entire season. He would be named the regular season NL MVP as he hit 32 HRs and drove in 82 RBIs in only 126 games. But ‘Pops’, as they called the 39 year old veteran, wasn’t finished racking up the baseball honors. During the NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds, Stargell hit 2 HRs and had 6 RBIs as the Pirates completed a three-game sweep to win the NL Pennant.
In the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles, Pops again delivered for the Pirates, hitting three more HRs and driving in 7 RBIs. The Pirates won World Series title in a 4-3 series win.
In addition to his NL MVP, Stargell also earned NLCS and World Series MVPs as well. The feat of winning both series MVPs in the same postseason has only been done eight times in MLB history. Stargell, however, is also the only player in major league history to win all three MVP honors in the same season.