Bill Freehan, baseball player, 200 home runs, 1961-1976

Bill Freehan

Born: 11/29/1941 in Detroit, MI, USA

Died: 8/19/2021 in Petoskey, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1961-09-26 | Final Game: 1976-10-03

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 203 lbs

Full name: William Ashley Freehan

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Biography

Bill Freehan, born in 1941, was a distinguished Major League Baseball player who made a significant mark as a catcher during his career from 1961 to 1976. Known for his exceptional defensive skills and leadership behind the plate, Freehan played a total of 1,774 games, amassing 1,591 hits, 200 home runs, and 758 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .262. His ability to handle pitchers and call games effectively made him a linchpin for the teams he played for, particularly the Detroit Tigers, with whom he spent the majority of his career. Freehan was selected to the All-Star Game 11 times, underscoring his status as one of the premier catchers of his era. He played during a transformative period in baseball, bridging the gap between the end of the deadball era and the offensive explosion of the late 1960s and early 1970s. His combination of power and skill behind the plate contributed to the success of the Tigers, including their 1968 World Series championship, solidifying his legacy within the franchise and the sport. After retiring, Freehan remained a respected figure in baseball, remembered for both his contributions on the field and his impact on the game.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1774 6073 706 1591 241 35 200 758 24 626 753 0.262 0.340 0.412 0.752 12654.0

Career AVG .262 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .340 vs. league average .317 across their career seasons — +7.2% above league average.

Career SLG .412 vs. league average .370 across their career seasons — +11.4% above league average.

Career OPS 0.752 vs. league average 0.687 across their career seasons — +9.5% above 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
1961 DET AL 4 10 1 4 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0.400 — — — — 0.0
1963 DET AL 100 300 37 73 12 2 9 36 2 39 56 0.243 .246 (-1%) .308 (+7%) .371 (+4%) .680 (+5%) 361.1
1964 DET AL 144 520 69 156 14 8 18 80 5 36 68 0.300 .250 (+20%) .312 (+12%) .377 (+22%) .690 (+18%) 1696.1
1965 DET AL 130 431 45 101 15 0 10 43 4 39 63 0.234 .245 (-5%) .310 (-2%) .371 (-9%) .682 (-6%) -371.5
1966 DET AL 136 492 47 115 22 0 12 46 5 40 72 0.234 .248 (-6%) .309 (-5%) .376 (-7%) .685 (-6%) -527.9
1967 DET AL 155 517 66 146 23 1 20 74 1 73 71 0.282 .242 (+17%) .306 (+27%) .357 (+25%) .663 (+26%) 2961.3
1968 DET AL 155 540 73 142 24 2 25 84 0 65 64 0.263 .236 (+11%) .298 (+22%) .340 (+33%) .638 (+28%) 3104.3
1969 DET AL 143 489 61 128 16 3 16 49 1 53 55 0.262 .248 (+5%) .320 (+7%) .369 (+10%) .689 (+8%) 853.7
1970 DET AL 117 395 44 95 17 3 16 52 0 52 48 0.241 .253 (-5%) .325 (+2%) .385 (+9%) .711 (+6%) 444.5
1971 DET AL 148 516 57 143 26 4 21 71 2 54 48 0.277 .249 (+11%) .316 (+12%) .365 (+27%) .682 (+20%) 1990.8
1972 DET AL 111 374 51 98 18 2 10 56 0 48 51 0.262 .243 (+7%) .310 (+14%) .353 (+13%) .664 (+14%) 1046.7
1973 DET AL 110 380 33 89 10 1 6 29 0 40 30 0.234 .256 (-9%) .325 (-1%) .378 (-17%) .703 (-10%) -556.9
1974 DET AL 130 445 58 132 17 5 18 60 2 42 44 0.297 .256 (+15%) .324 (+11%) .369 (+30%) .693 (+21%) 1739.8
1975 DET AL 120 427 42 105 17 3 14 47 2 32 56 0.246 .257 (-5%) .327 (-6%) .374 (+6%) .701 (avg) -44.4
1976 DET AL 71 237 22 64 10 1 5 27 0 12 27 0.270 .255 (+6%) .320 (-5%) .360 (+6%) .681 (+1%) -43.7

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
10 36 2 5 2 0 1 5 4 9 0.139

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1972 ALCS DET 3 12 2 3 1 0 1 3 0 1 0.250
1968 WS DET 7 24 0 2 1 0 0 2 4 8 0.083

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 157 159 1294 92 9 98
C 1581 1506 9941 721 72 98
OF 2 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1961 DET C 3 3 14 4 0 0
1963 DET 1B 19 19 147 16 1 14
1963 DET C 73 61 407 22 2 5
1964 DET 1B 1 1 7 0 0 0
1964 DET C 141 137 923 61 7 7
1965 DET C 129 120 865 57 4 4
1966 DET 1B 5 5 44 4 0 3
1966 DET C 132 130 898 56 4 11
1967 DET 1B 11 12 77 5 0 6
1967 DET C 147 137 950 63 8 9
1968 DET 1B 21 21 162 10 1 11
1968 DET C 138 129 971 73 6 15
1968 DET OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1969 DET 1B 20 21 138 7 3 7
1969 DET C 120 113 821 49 7 7
1970 DET C 114 110 742 42 2 6
1971 DET C 144 142 912 50 4 6
1971 DET OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1972 DET 1B 1 2 6 3 0 0
1972 DET C 105 99 648 57 8 9
1973 DET 1B 7 7 54 3 0 2
1973 DET C 98 94 584 50 3 3
1974 DET 1B 65 64 590 36 4 49
1974 DET C 63 59 312 45 5 6
1975 DET 1B 5 5 53 2 0 4
1975 DET C 113 112 582 64 6 8
1976 DET 1B 2 2 16 6 0 2
1976 DET C 61 60 312 28 6 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1577
First Base 164
Left Field 1
Right Field 1
Designated Hitter 7

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1971 TSN All-Star C
1969 Gold Glove C
1969 TSN All-Star C
1968 Gold Glove C
1968 TSN All-Star C
1967 Gold Glove C
1967 TSN All-Star C
1966 Gold Glove C
1965 Gold Glove C

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI 1961

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1972 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 3.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 26th 3.0 336 0
1968 Most Valuable Player AL 2nd 161.0 280 0
1967 Most Valuable Player AL 3rd 137.0 280 0
1966 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 9.0 280 0
1964 Most Valuable Player AL 7th 44.0 280 0