William Brown

Born: 1866 in San Francisco, CA, USA

Died: 12/20/1897 in San Francisco, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1887-05-10 | Final Game: 1894-05-20

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: William M. Brown

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Biography

William Brown, born in 1866, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball during the late 19th century. His career spanned from 1887 to May 10, 1894, a period marked by the transition from the deadball era to the more offensive-minded approach that characterized the game in subsequent decades. Over the course of 418 games, Brown accumulated 415 hits, achieving a respectable batting average of .261. He contributed significantly to his teams with 252 RBIs and demonstrated speed on the base paths, finishing his career with 39 stolen bases. Brown's playing style reflected the evolving nature of baseball during his era, as he was not only a reliable hitter but also an aggressive baserunner. His ability to drive in runs and his knack for getting on base positioned him as a valuable asset to his teams. While he recorded only six home runs, his offensive contributions were vital to the success of the clubs he played for, showcasing the importance of versatility and tactical play in a time when the game was still developing its identity. Brown remains a noteworthy figure in baseball history, representing the early days of a sport that would grow to become a central part of American culture.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
418	1589	236	415	70	17	6	252	39	123	124	0.261	0.319	0.338	0.657	-1569.3

Career AVG .261 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .319 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .338 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — 6.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.657 vs. league average 0.697 across their career seasons — 5.8% 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
1887	NY1	NL	49	170	17	37	3	2	0	25	10	10	15	0.218	.270 (-20%)	.331 (-18%)	.373 (-31%)	.705 (-25%)	-704.2
1888	NY1	NL	20	59	4	16	1	0	0	6	1	1	8	0.271	.238 (+14%)	.290 (-3%)	.319 (-10%)	.610 (-6%)	-57.8
1889	NY1	NL	40	139	16	36	10	0	1	29	6	9	9	0.259	.263 (-2%)	.334 (-5%)	.357 (-1%)	.691 (-3%)	-82.6
1890	NYP	PL	60	230	47	64	8	4	4	43	5	13	13	0.278	.260 (+7%)	.336 (-5%)	.351 (+14%)	.687 (+5%)	91.8
1891	PHI	NL	115	441	62	107	20	4	0	50	7	34	35	0.243	.254 (-4%)	.331 (-9%)	.343 (-11%)	.675 (-10%)	-870.8
1893	BLN	NL	7	32	5	4	3	0	0	5	0	1	3	0.125	—	—	—	—	0.0
1893	LS3	NL	111	461	80	140	23	7	1	85	9	50	32	0.304	.279 (+9%)	.356 (+5%)	.379 (+3%)	.735 (+4%)	0.0
1894	LS3	NL	13	48	5	10	2	0	0	9	1	5	7	0.208	—	—	—	—	-302.7
1894	STL	NL	3	9	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.111	—	—	—	—	-302.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
3	13	4	6	1	0	1	2	0	0	0.462

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1889	WS	NY1	1	5	3	3	0	0	1	2	0	0	0.600
1888	WS	NY1	2	8	1	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.375

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	PO	A	E	DP
1B	240	2380	125	34	151
2B	2	2	1	1	0
3B	6	5	8	3	0
C	157	685	189	103	11
OF	20	25	2	2	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1887	NY1	3B	3	2	2	2	0
1887	NY1	C	46	229	69	28	5
1887	NY1	OF	2	0	0	1	0
1888	NY1	C	20	134	24	19	0
1889	NY1	C	37	138	38	32	3
1889	NY1	OF	3	8	1	0	0
1890	NYP	1B	9	97	4	5	4
1890	NYP	2B	2	2	1	1	0
1890	NYP	3B	3	3	6	1	0
1890	NYP	C	34	124	38	18	1
1890	NYP	OF	13	15	0	1	0
1891	PHI	1B	97	997	48	12	60
1891	PHI	C	19	60	20	6	2
1891	PHI	OF	2	2	1	0	0
1893	BLN	1B	7	63	3	1	3
1893	LS3	1B	111	1082	51	13	76
1893	LS3	C	1	0	0	0	0
1894	LS3	1B	13	113	17	3	6
1894	SLN	1B	3	28	2	0	2