Bill Heath, baseball player, 1965-1969

Bill Heath

Born: 3/10/1939 in Yuba City, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1965-10-03 | Final Game: 1969-08-19

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'8" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: William Chris Heath

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Biography

Bill Heath was a professional baseball player born in 1939, who played in Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1969. Primarily serving as a position player, Heath's career spanned parts of five seasons, during which he appeared in 112 games. He recorded 47 hits and finished his career with a batting average of .236. Although he did not hit any home runs, he contributed 13 RBIs and showcased his speed on the bases with one stolen base. Heath's playing career was set against the backdrop of a transformative period in baseball, as the sport was evolving with increasing emphasis on power hitting and the emergence of more specialized roles. Though his statistical output might not have placed him among the game's stars, Heath's dedication to the sport and his versatility as a position player allowed him to remain in the league during a competitive era. His contributions, while modest, reflect the spirit of perseverance and teamwork that characterizes the journey of many players in the major leagues.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
112 199 13 47 6 1 0 13 1 26 22 0.236 0.326 0.276 0.602 88.0

Career AVG .236 vs. league average .246 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .326 vs. league average .312 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .276 vs. league average .369 across their career seasons — 25.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.602 vs. league average 0.681 across their career seasons — 11.5% 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
1965 CHW AL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1966 HOU NL 55 123 12 37 6 0 0 8 1 9 11 0.301 .248 (+21%) .309 (+14%) .376 (-7%) .685 (+2%) 88.0
1967 HOU NL 9 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 0.091 — — — — 0.0
1967 DET AL 20 32 0 4 0 0 0 4 0 1 4 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1969 CHC NL 27 32 1 5 0 1 0 1 0 12 4 0.156 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
C 58 41 269 29 2 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1966 HOU C 37 28 167 20 1 1
1967 HOU C 5 2 20 3 0 1
1967 DET C 7 4 38 3 0 1
1969 CHN C 9 7 44 3 1 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 57

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
University of Southern California Los Angeles CA 1958, 1959, 1960