Left Fielder—Willie Wilson
(with Royals from 1976-1990)
35.2 fWAR, 42.2 bWAR
.289/.329/.382, 1787 G, 7302 PA, 95 OPS+ (with Royals)
Willie Wilson played 1367 games in centerfield and 676 in left field, but Amos Otis played centerfield almost exclusively, so the Royals all-time 25-man roster has Wilson in left and Otis in center. Carlos Beltran also spent significant time in centerfield, but he’s been moved to right field on this roster. The reality is that this hypothetical Royals team would have three centerfielders in the outfield. They would be terrific on defense
There was a drastic change in baseball strategy in the 1970s. The list below shows the percentage of qualifying outfielders who stole 25 or more bases in each decade (qualifying means getting enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title):
- 1900 to 1909–47%
- 1910 to 1919–40%
- 1920 to 1929–8%
- 1930 to 1939–3%
- 1940 to 1949–4%
- 1950 to 1959–5%
- 1960 to 1969–9%
- 1970 to 1979—20%
- 1980 to 1989—31%
- 1990 to 1999—28%
- 2000 to 2009—18%
- 2010 to 2016—20%
The “Dead Ball” era before 1920 featured base-stealing like no other time in baseball history. That era was the small-ball era, with base-stealing and sacrifice bunting and hit-and-running. Then the ball was made livelier in 1920 and baseball changed its ways. Base-stealing was put on the back burner and it was all about the long ball (which chicks dig, apparently). It took 50 years before baseball went back to stealing bases. This increase in steals started in the 70s and peaked in the 80s.
One of the reasons for the return of the stolen base was the increasing number of ballparks with artificial turf. Baseball in the 70s and 80s became a speed game because the larger, artificial turf stadiums required outfielders who could cover a ton of ground on defense and steal bases in bunches on offense. These players became highly desired commodities. Willie Wilson was part of this mold of outfielder.
Wilson had the unfortunate luck of being a base-stealer in the American League right when Rickey Henderson showed up and monopolized the steals leaderboard for the next decade. From 1979 to 1987, Wilson averaged 53 steals per year but only led the AL in steals once. Wilson’s league-leading 83 steals in 1979 were the most in the American League since Ty Cobb stole 96 back in 1915. The next year, he stole 79 bases and finished 21 behind Rickey Henderson, who set the post-1900 record with 100 steals (Ron LeFlore had 97). In 1982, Wilson stole 58 bases . . . and finished 71 steals behind Henderson’s record-setting 130. That’s how it was for Wilson.
Rickey Henderson led the AL in steals every year but one from 1980 to 1991. He was injured in 1987 and Harold Reynolds captured the league title with 60 steals, one more than Wilson. That led to this story from Reynolds about getting a phone call from Rickey after the season.
Wilson’s best year was 1980, which was also the year George Brett flirted with .400. Wilson hit .326/.357/.421 and led the league in runs scored, hits, and triples. It was one of four times he would lead the league in triples. He finished fourth in AL MVP voting that year.
Scandal hit the Royals in 1983 when four of their players faced drug chargers. Wilson was one of the four, along with Willie Aikens, Vida Blue, and Jerry Martin. They plead guilty to misdemeanor drug charges (attempting to purchase cocaine) and were sentenced to 81 days in jail. Wilson was initially suspended for the entire 1984 season but after an appeal the suspension was reduced and he returned to the Royals on May 15. He was the only player of the four who stayed with the Royals. The others were either traded or released.
Wilson spent seven more years with the Royals but, like most of us, he declined with age. He was regularly a below average hitter as he aged into his 30s and his stolen base totals dropped. He signed with the Oakland A’s as a free agent after the 1990 season and finished out his career with two years with the A’s and two final seasons with the Chicago Cubs.