Wilver Dornell Willie Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed Pops in the later years of his career, was an American professional baseball player.ver his 21-year career with the Pirates, he batted .282, with 2,232 hits, 423 doubles, 475 home runs and 1,540 runs batted in, helping his team capture six National League East division titles, two National League pennants and two World Series (1971, 1979). Stargell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.