Billy Bates, baseball player, 1989-1990

Billy Bates

Born: 12/7/1963 in Houston, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1989-08-17 | Final Game: 1990-10-02

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'7" | Weight: 155 lbs

Full name: William Derrick Bates

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Biography

Billy Bates, born in 1963, was a position player who made a brief but notable mark in Major League Baseball during the late 1980s and early 1990s. His career spanned from August 17, 1989, to October 2, 1990, during a time when the game was transitioning into an era characterized by power hitters and increased offensive production. Bates played a total of 29 games in the major leagues, where he demonstrated speed on the base paths, accumulating 8 stolen bases despite a modest batting average of .125. Although Bates recorded only 6 hits and 2 RBIs over his short career, his contributions were primarily felt in his ability to disrupt opposing pitchers and defenses with his agility. His playing style emphasized speed and base running, which was a valuable asset in a game gradually incorporating more strategic elements. While his impact on the field may not be fully reflected in conventional statistics, Billy Bates remains a part of baseball history, illustrating the diverse roles players have fulfilled throughout the sport's evolution.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
29 48 11 6 1 0 0 2 8 4 10 0.125 0.189 0.146 0.335 0.0

Career AVG .125 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 51.2% below league average.

Career OBP .189 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 41.4% below league average.

Career SLG .146 vs. league average .380 across their career seasons — 61.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.335 vs. league average 0.702 across their career seasons — 52.4% 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
1989 ATL AL 7 14 3 3 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0.214 — — — — 0.0
1990 ATL AL 14 29 6 3 1 0 0 2 4 4 7 0.103 — — — — 0.0
1990 CIN NL 8 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1990 NLCS CIN 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1990 WS CIN 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 22 13 32 50 4 13

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1989 ML4 2B 7 3 14 16 2 7
1990 ML4 2B 14 9 18 33 2 6
1990 CIN 2B 1 1 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 22

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1990 ML4 AL $100,000
1989 ML4 AL $68,000
Total Career Earnings $168,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Texas at Austin Austin TX 1983, 1984, 1985