Whenever the topic of pitchers hitting comes up, I always emphasize that, as someone raised on American League baseball, I’m thankful for the designated hitter. Sure, there were exceptions, but for the most part, the best outcome from a pitcher’s at-bat was a well-executed bunt or simply not causing damage to their team’s offensive inning. I’ll never regret the fact that we get to watch Giancarlo Stanton smash home runs in the lineup rather than whatever fifth starter was up there.
That said, there have been memorable moments of pitchers hitting over the years, some of which were surprisingly enjoyable. These moments could also lead to some rather peculiar stat lines.
Bill Stafford was a solid pitcher for the Yankees in the 1960s, posting a 3.48 ERA (105 ERA+) as a starter or swingman from 1960 to 1965. He played in three World Series, winning titles in 1961 and 1962. Stafford delivered an excellent 2.08 ERA in 21.2 innings during the World Series and was credited with the win in a key Game 3 victory in ‘62. Unfortunately, injuries and the rise of younger pitchers led to his trade to the Kansas City Athletics before the 1966 season, where he spent his final two years in the majors.
However, the focus here isn’t his pitching career. Instead, we’re diving into his bizarre and unpredictable hitting in a pre-DH era.
In the first couple of years, Stafford’s hitting wasn’t too out of the ordinary. He went just 1-for-22 in his debut season of 1960, and from 1961-62, he posted a .487 OPS (33 OPS+), which was typical for pitchers at the time.
The 1963 season turned out to be Stafford’s worst year on the mound, with an ERA above 6 in over 80 innings. But he somewhat made up for this with decent hitting. Although it was just 28 plate appearances, Stafford had seven hits, including a triple. His .721 OPS for the season resulted in a 104 OPS+, which was above average for a pitcher. In fact, he contributed more WAR at the plate that year (0.3) than he did on the mound (-2.3).
It would have been absurd to expect Stafford to continue as an above-average hitter, but after that 1963 campaign—however brief—it seemed possible that he could have remained decent by pitcher standards. However, that’s not what happened.
Following his rough year on the mound in 1963, Stafford was mostly used out of the bullpen to start 1964, which limited his opportunities to hit. He didn’t record his first hit until mid-June, and it ended up being his only one of the season in just 13 plate appearances. His performance that year was awful, posting a -38 OPS+, which means he was 138% worse than the league average.
As mentioned, Stafford’s pitching career quickly came to a close due to injuries, and his final season was in 1967 at just 28 years old. In the last three seasons of his career, between the Yankees and Athletics, Stafford didn’t record a hit or reach base once. From late 1964 onward, he went 0-for-45 in 53 plate appearances, with no walks or hit-by-pitches. While he did manage some sacrifice flies and one RBI, that’s 3.5 seasons without reaching base.
From 1961-1963, Stafford had a career OPS of .521, which isn’t great but is acceptable for a pitcher. He ended his career with a .381 OPS and an OPS+ of 5. The mystery of why he was suddenly decent at the plate in 1963 might never be fully explained.
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