Bill Higgins, baseball player, 1888-1890

Bill Higgins

Born: 12/4/1859 in Camden, DE, USA

Died: 4/25/1919 in Farnhurst, DE, USA

MLB Debut: 1888-08-09 | Final Game: 1890-10-02

Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 155 lbs

Full name: William Edward Higgins

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Biography

Bill Higgins was a professional baseball player born in 1859, whose career spanned from 1888 to 1890. Primarily a position player, Higgins made his mark in the early days of professional baseball, a time when the game was evolving rapidly from its amateur roots into a more organized and commercially viable sport. Throughout his career, he played in 82 games, amassing a total of 76 hits and driving in 40 runs, which reflected his role as a reliable contributor on offense despite not hitting any home runs. Higgins finished his career with a batting average of .241 and demonstrated speed on the base paths with 8 stolen bases, indicative of the playing style of the era that favored aggressive baserunning. While he may not have been a superstar, his contributions during the formative years of Major League Baseball helped lay the groundwork for future generations of players. His time in the league coincided with a transitional period in baseball history, as the sport began to gain popularity across the United States, setting the stage for the eventual rise of the game into America's pastime.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
82 316 45 76 8 2 0 40 8 25 3 0.241 0.296 0.278 0.575 -782.5

Career AVG .241 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .296 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 7.1% below league average.

Career SLG .278 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 17.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.575 vs. league average 0.657 across their career seasons — 12.6% 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
1888 BSN NL 14 54 5 10 1 0 0 4 1 1 3 0.185 .238 (-22%) .290 (-31%) .319 (-36%) .610 (-34%) -259.3
1890 SL4 AA 67 258 39 65 6 2 0 35 7 24 0 0.252 .260 (-3%) .336 (-6%) .351 (-17%) .687 (-12%) -523.2
1890 SR2 AA 1 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.250 — — — — -523.2

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 82 0 216 260 29 47

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1888 BSN 2B 14 0 44 52 10 12
1890 SL4 2B 67 0 168 204 19 34
1890 SR2 2B 1 0 4 4 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 82