Bill Hill, baseball player, 1896-1899

Bill Hill

Born: 8/2/1874 in Chattanooga, TN, USA

Died: 1/28/1938 in Cincinnati, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1896-04-18 | Final Game: 1899-09-13

Bats: B | Throws: L | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 201 lbs

Full name: William Cicero Hill

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Biography

Bill Hill, born in 1874, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1896 to 1904. He made his mark in an era characterized by a transition in playing styles and strategies as the game began to move away from the deadball era towards a more offense-oriented approach. Over the course of his career, Hill recorded a win-loss record of 36-69 and amassed an earned run average (ERA) of 4.16. He struck out 280 batters and collected 3 saves, showcasing his ability to handle pressure situations despite a challenging overall record. Hill's playing style reflected the evolving nature of pitching during his time. While he did not achieve the dominant success of some of his contemporaries, he contributed to the game with his competitive spirit and dedication on the mound. His career, which concluded on September 13, 1899, marked a significant chapter in the history of baseball, highlighting the complexities and challenges that pitchers faced during a period of significant change in the sport. Today, Hill's legacy serves as a reminder of the early days of Major League Baseball and the foundational role that pitchers played in the development of the game.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
36 69 124 115 92 3 3 925.0 994 428 24 406 280 4.16 0

Career ERA 4.16 vs. league average 4.00 across their career seasons — near 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
1896 LS3 NL 9 28 43 39 32 0 2 319.7 353 153 155 104 4.31 4.36 (+1%) -4097.6
1897 LS3 NL 7 17 27 26 20 1 0 199.0 209 80 69 55 3.62 4.30 (+16%) -773.4
1898 CIN NL 13 14 33 32 26 2 0 262.0 261 116 119 75 3.98 3.59 (-11%) -2085.1
1899 CL4 NL 3 6 11 10 7 0 0 72.3 96 56 39 26 6.97 3.85 (-81%) -282.9
1899 BLN NL 3 4 8 7 6 0 0 61.0 64 22 18 17 3.25 3.85 (+16%) 343.8
1899 BRO NL 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 11.0 11 1 6 3 0.82 3.85 (+79%) -49.7

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
124 348 31 58 1 2 0 18 2 17 65 0.167 0.210 0.181 0.391 -2466.7

Career AVG .167 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 41.2% below league average.

Career OBP .210 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — 39.4% below league average.

Career SLG .181 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 51.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.391 vs. league average 0.717 across their career seasons — 45.5% 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
1896 LS3 NL 43 116 11 24 0 0 0 5 1 5 23 0.207 .290 (-29%) .354 (-32%) .387 (-47%) .741 (-40%) -818.0
1897 LS3 NL 27 74 5 7 0 1 0 4 1 4 16 0.095 .291 (-68%) .354 (-60%) .387 (-69%) .741 (-65%) -840.1
1898 CIN NL 33 98 10 13 1 0 0 3 0 5 15 0.133 .270 (-51%) .333 (-43%) .347 (-59%) .680 (-51%) -808.5
1899 CL4 NL 11 31 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 0.129 — — — — 0.0
1899 BLN NL 8 24 2 7 0 0 0 4 0 2 2 0.292 — — — — 0.0
1899 BRO NL 2 5 1 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0.600 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 124 0 37 255 34 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1896 LS3 P 43 0 13 95 13 5
1897 LS3 P 27 0 14 53 12 1
1898 CIN P 33 0 6 67 1 7
1899 CL4 P 11 0 1 19 4 1
1899 BLN P 8 0 3 18 3 1
1899 BRO P 2 0 0 3 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 124