Bill Campbell, baseball player, 1973-1987

Bill Campbell

Born: 8/9/1948 in Highland Park, MI, USA

Died: 1/6/2023 in Palatine, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1973-07-14 | Final Game: 1987-04-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: William Richard Campbell

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Biography

Bill Campbell, born in 1948, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1973 until his retirement in 1987. Known for his versatility and effectiveness out of the bullpen, Campbell compiled a career record of 83-68 with a 3.54 earned run average (ERA) and tallied 864 strikeouts over his time in the league. He finished his career with a remarkable 126 saves, establishing himself as one of the reliable closers of his era. His contributions were recognized with an All-Star selection during his career, highlighting his impact and skill on the mound. Playing during a transformative period in baseball, Campbell was part of a generation that saw the evolution of relief pitching into a specialized role. His ability to handle high-pressure situations and close out games made him a valuable asset for the teams he played for, including the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox. Bill Campbell's career remains significant for its demonstration of the changing dynamics of pitching strategies in the late 20th century, leaving a lasting legacy in the annals of baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
83 68 700 9 2 1 126 1229.3 1139 484 82 495 864 3.54 0

Career ERA 3.54 vs. league average 3.84 across their career seasons — 7.7% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1973 MIN AL 3 3 28 2 0 0 7 51.7 44 18 20 42 3.14 3.75 (+16%) 429.1
1974 MIN AL 8 7 63 0 0 0 19 120.3 109 35 55 89 2.62 3.63 (+28%) 2081.3
1975 MIN AL 4 6 47 7 2 1 5 121.0 119 51 46 76 3.79 3.71 (-2%) -641.7
1976 MIN AL 17 5 78 0 0 0 20 167.7 145 56 62 115 3.01 3.51 (+14%) 1546.9
1977 BOS AL 13 9 69 0 0 0 31 140.0 112 46 60 114 2.96 4.00 (+26%) 1040.8
1978 BOS AL 7 5 29 0 0 0 4 50.7 62 22 17 47 3.91 3.69 (-6%) 1511.6
1979 BOS AL 3 4 41 0 0 0 9 54.7 55 26 23 25 4.28 4.00 (-7%) -444.5
1980 BOS AL 4 0 23 0 0 0 0 41.3 44 22 22 17 4.79 3.84 (-25%) 0.8
1981 BOS AL 1 1 30 0 0 0 7 48.3 45 17 20 37 3.17 3.58 (+12%) -87.8
1982 CHC NL 3 6 62 0 0 0 8 100.0 89 41 40 71 3.69 3.86 (+4%) -
1983 CHC NL 6 8 82 0 0 0 8 122.3 128 61 49 97 4.49 3.87 (-16%) -
1984 PHI NL 6 5 57 0 0 0 1 81.3 68 31 35 52 3.43 3.81 (+10%) 1469.5
1985 STL NL 5 3 50 0 0 0 4 64.3 55 25 21 41 3.50 3.89 (+10%) -
1986 DET AL 3 6 34 0 0 0 3 55.7 46 24 21 37 3.88 3.97 (+2%) 249.9
1987 WSN NL 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 10.0 18 9 4 4 8.10 4.29 (-89%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
700 26 2 4 0 0 0 2 0 4 10 0.154 0.267 0.154 0.421 0.0

Career AVG .154 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 40.8% below league average.

Career OBP .267 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 18.0% below league average.

Career SLG .154 vs. league average .386 across their career seasons — 60.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.421 vs. league average 0.711 across their career seasons — 40.9% 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
1973 MIN AL 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 MIN AL 63 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 MIN AL 47 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1976 MIN AL 78 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 BOS AL 69 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 BOS AL 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 BOS AL 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 BOS AL 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 BOS AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 CHC NL 62 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1983 CHC NL 82 10 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1984 PHI NL 57 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1985 STL NL 50 6 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 2 0.333 — — — — 0.0
1986 DET AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1987 WSN NL 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1985 NLCS SLN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1985 WS SLN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 6 0 0 6.3 7 1 2 7 1.42

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1985 NLCS SLN 0 0 3 0 0 2.3 3 0 0 2 0.00
1985 WS SLN 0 0 3 0 0 4.0 4 1 2 5 2.25

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 700 9 119 172 13 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1973 MIN P 28 2 2 8 1 0
1974 MIN P 63 0 10 16 2 3
1975 MIN P 47 7 12 18 1 2
1976 MIN P 78 0 12 20 1 1
1977 BOS P 69 0 19 20 1 2
1978 BOS P 29 0 10 6 1 0
1979 BOS P 41 0 10 11 0 1
1980 BOS P 23 0 3 2 0 0
1981 BOS P 30 0 4 7 1 0
1982 CHN P 62 0 10 23 0 1
1983 CHN P 82 0 15 24 2 0
1984 PHI P 57 0 6 5 0 0
1985 SLN P 50 0 0 6 1 0
1986 DET P 34 0 6 4 2 1
1987 MON P 7 0 0 2 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 700

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1977 Reliever of the Year Award
1977 TSN Fireman of the Year
1976 Reliever of the Year Award
1976 TSN Fireman of the Year
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-04-26

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1986 DET AL $200,000
1985 SLN NL $457,500
Total Career Earnings $657,500

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1977 Cy Young Award AL 5th 25.0 140 1
1977 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 65.0 392 0
1976 Cy Young Award AL 7th 7.0 120 0
1976 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 56.0 336 0