William Clarke

Born: 10/18/1868 in New York, NY, USA

Died: 7/29/1959 in Princeton, NJ, USA

MLB Debut: 1893-05-01 | Final Game: 1905-10-07

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: William Jones Clarke

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Biography

William Clarke, born in 1868, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His career spanned from May 1, 1893, to October 7, 1905, a period characterized by the transition from the deadball era to the more dynamic offensive play that would follow. Over the course of his 950 games, Clarke established himself as a reliable hitter, accumulating 858 hits and achieving a batting average of .256. He demonstrated a blend of power and speed, hitting 20 home runs and driving in 429 runs, while also showcasing his agility on the basepaths with 54 stolen bases. Clarke's contributions to the game were significant during a time when baseball was undergoing rapid change, with the introduction of new strategies and rules that would shape the modern game. His ability to perform consistently at the plate and on the field helped pave the way for future generations of players. As a well-rounded athlete, Clarke not only left a mark with his offensive statistics but also played a vital role in the evolution of the sport itself, making him a noteworthy figure in baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
950	3346	394	858	110	32	20	429	54	176	218	0.256	0.310	0.326	0.637	-5278.8

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .274 across their career seasons — 6.4% below league average.

Career OBP .310 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 7.4% below league average.

Career SLG .326 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — 9.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.637 vs. league average 0.697 across their career seasons — 8.7% 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
1893	BLN	NL	49	183	23	32	1	3	1	24	2	19	14	0.175	.279 (-37%)	.356 (-23%)	.379 (-39%)	.735 (-32%)	-1028.2
1894	BLN	NL	28	100	18	24	8	0	1	19	2	16	14	0.240	.309 (-22%)	.379 (-5%)	.435 (-20%)	.814 (-13%)	-209.0
1895	BLN	NL	67	241	38	70	15	3	0	35	8	13	18	0.290	.296 (-2%)	.361 (-3%)	.399 (-6%)	.761 (-4%)	-204.6
1896	BLN	NL	80	300	48	89	14	7	2	71	7	14	12	0.297	.290 (+2%)	.354 (-3%)	.387 (+6%)	.741 (+2%)	40.6
1897	BLN	NL	64	241	32	65	7	1	1	38	5	9	12	0.270	.291 (-8%)	.354 (-10%)	.387 (-17%)	.741 (-14%)	-587.3
1898	BLN	NL	82	285	26	69	5	2	0	27	2	4	14	0.242	.270 (-11%)	.333 (-13%)	.347 (-21%)	.680 (-17%)	-858.8
1899	BSN	NL	60	223	25	50	3	2	2	32	2	10	17	0.224	.282 (-21%)	.343 (-21%)	.366 (-23%)	.710 (-22%)	-895.2
1900	BSN	NL	81	270	35	85	5	2	1	30	0	9	16	0.315	.279 (+13%)	.338 (+2%)	.366 (-2%)	.705 (avg)	-21.5
1901	WSN	AL	110	422	58	118	15	5	3	54	7	23	32	0.280	.271 (+3%)	.326 (+2%)	.359 (avg)	.686 (+1%)	146.0
1902	WSN	AL	87	291	31	78	15	0	6	40	1	23	15	0.268	.266 (avg)	.321 (+3%)	.343 (+11%)	.665 (+7%)	371.6
1903	WSN	AL	126	465	35	111	14	6	2	38	12	15	28	0.239	.261 (-9%)	.316 (-14%)	.345 (-11%)	.662 (-12%)	-1143.0
1904	WSN	AL	85	275	23	58	8	1	0	17	5	17	21	0.211	.246 (-15%)	.300 (-10%)	.321 (-23%)	.622 (-17%)	-715.7
1905	NY1	NL	31	50	2	9	0	0	1	4	1	4	5	0.180	.248 (-27%)	.307 (-22%)	.322 (-26%)	.629 (-24%)	-173.8

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	193	35	1787	77	40	99
C	739	54	2587	806	190	66

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1893	BLN	1B	11	0	97	3	2	5
1893	BLN	C	38	0	135	45	18	3
1894	BLN	1B	5	0	40	0	1	5
1894	BLN	C	23	0	80	22	11	1
1895	BLN	1B	6	0	43	2	1	5
1895	BLN	C	60	0	176	67	16	8
1896	BLN	1B	14	0	116	2	5	11
1896	BLN	C	67	0	203	53	14	5
1897	BLN	1B	4	0	35	2	0	4
1897	BLN	C	59	0	191	38	15	2
1898	BLN	1B	10	0	87	2	3	4
1898	BLN	C	70	0	289	69	14	6
1899	BSN	C	60	0	213	69	18	4
1900	BSN	1B	8	0	60	4	0	1
1900	BSN	C	67	0	246	104	27	8
1901	WS1	1B	3	0	24	0	1	1
1901	WS1	C	107	0	358	122	24	11
1902	WS1	C	87	0	288	97	11	8
1903	WS1	1B	88	0	891	44	18	44
1903	WS1	C	37	0	148	46	14	1
1904	WS1	1B	29	28	288	14	6	15
1904	WS1	C	52	52	229	72	7	9
1905	NY1	1B	15	7	106	4	3	4
1905	NY1	C	12	2	31	2	1	0