Bill Baker, baseball player, 1940-1949

Bill Baker

Born: 2/22/1911 in Paw Creek, NC, USA

Died: 4/13/2006 in Myrtle Beach, SC, USA

MLB Debut: 1940-05-04 | Final Game: 1949-08-01

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: William Presley Baker

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Biography

Bill Baker, born in 1911, was a notable position player whose Major League Baseball career spanned from 1940 to 1949. Over the course of 263 games, Baker established himself as a reliable contributor to his teams, amassing 145 hits and 68 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .247. His power at the plate was modest, as he recorded 2 home runs throughout his career, but he demonstrated speed on the bases with 6 stolen bases to his name. Playing during a transformative era in baseball, Baker's career coincided with the tail end of World War II, a time when many star players were absent from the game due to military service. This period saw the emergence of younger, less experienced players stepping into prominent roles, and Baker was among those who took advantage of the opportunity. His contributions to the teams he played for, along with his perseverance in a challenging era, solidified his place in the annals of baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
263 588 45 145 25 5 2 68 6 68 30 0.247 0.328 0.316 0.644 -207.0

Career AVG .247 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 5.2% below league average.

Career OBP .328 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .316 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 14.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.644 vs. league average 0.700 across their career seasons — 8.0% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1940 CIN NL 27 69 5 15 1 1 0 7 2 4 8 0.217 .267 (-19%) .335 (-22%) .387 (-33%) .722 (-28%) -328.4
1941 CIN NL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1941 PIT NL 35 67 5 15 3 0 0 6 0 11 0 0.224 .262 (-15%) .332 (avg) .373 (-28%) .705 (-15%) 0.0
1942 PIT NL 18 17 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0.118 — — — — 0.0
1943 PIT NL 63 172 12 47 6 3 1 26 3 22 6 0.273 .255 (+7%) .324 (+12%) .346 (+4%) .671 (+8%) 295.1
1946 PIT NL 53 113 7 27 4 0 1 8 0 12 6 0.239 .256 (-7%) .328 (-5%) .358 (-16%) .687 (-11%) -192.2
1948 STL NL 45 119 13 35 10 1 0 15 1 15 7 0.294 .263 (+12%) .340 (+10%) .379 (+4%) .719 (+7%) 150.2
1949 STL NL 20 30 2 4 1 0 0 4 0 2 2 0.133 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.250

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1940 WS CIN 3 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.250

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 2 0 0 1
C 212 0 601 83 12 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1940 CIN C 24 0 87 9 0 1
1941 CIN C 1 0 2 0 0 0
1941 PIT C 33 0 73 14 3 1
1942 PIT C 11 0 19 1 0 0
1943 PIT C 56 0 157 29 4 3
1946 PIT 1B 1 0 2 0 0 1
1946 PIT C 41 0 95 14 4 2
1948 SLN C 36 0 152 15 1 2
1949 SLN C 10 0 16 1 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 213
First Base 1