Bill Hoffer

Born: 11/8/1870 in Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

Died: 7/21/1959 in Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

MLB Debut: 1895-04-26 | Final Game: 1901-07-04

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

Full name: William Leopold Hoffer

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Biography

Bill Hoffer was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1895 to 1901. Born in 1870, Hoffer made a name for himself during the late 19th century, a period marked by the transition from the deadball era to the modern game. He achieved a career record of 92 wins and 46 losses, showcasing his effectiveness on the mound. With a career earned run average (ERA) of 3.75, Hoffer established himself as a reliable pitcher, contributing significantly to his teams' successes during his tenure. Over his six-season career, Hoffer recorded a total of 314 strikeouts, demonstrating his ability to dominate hitters with his pitching repertoire. He also registered 3 saves, which, while modest by today’s standards, reflected the evolving role of relief pitchers in the game at that time. Hoffer's performance and consistency on the mound played a crucial role in shaping competitive baseball during the late 1890s, making him a noteworthy figure in the early history of the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
92	46	161	142	125	10	3	1254.3	1333	523	22	453	314	3.75	0

Career ERA 3.75 vs. league average 4.01 across their career seasons — 6.4% better than 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
1895	BLN	NL	31	6	41	38	32	4	0	314.0	296	112	124	80	3.21	4.77 (+33%)	-321.4
1896	BLN	NL	25	7	35	35	32	3	0	309.0	317	116	95	93	3.38	4.36 (+22%)	4866.5
1897	BLN	NL	22	11	38	33	29	1	0	303.3	350	145	104	62	4.30	4.30 (avg)	-121.5
1898	BLN	NL	0	4	4	4	4	0	0	34.3	62	28	16	5	7.34	3.59 (-104%)	-311.7
1898	PIT	NL	3	0	4	3	3	0	0	31.0	26	6	15	11	1.74	3.59 (+52%)	71.8
1899	PIT	NL	8	10	23	19	15	2	0	163.7	169	66	64	44	3.63	3.85 (+6%)	-1297.2
1901	CLE	AL	3	8	16	10	10	0	3	99.0	113	50	35	19	4.55	3.49 (-30%)	-1036.4

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
180	560	82	128	21	9	1	48	11	34	78	0.229	0.292	0.304	0.595	-1454.0

Career AVG .229 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 19.2% below league average.

Career OBP .292 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 15.3% below league average.

Career SLG .304 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 18.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.595 vs. league average 0.718 across their career seasons — 17.0% 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
1895	BLN	NL	41	126	22	27	3	1	0	9	0	8	15	0.214	.296 (-28%)	.361 (-20%)	.399 (-36%)	.761 (-29%)	-647.6
1896	BLN	NL	35	125	23	38	7	4	0	15	8	12	12	0.304	.290 (+5%)	.354 (+7%)	.387 (+9%)	.741 (+8%)	180.6
1897	BLN	NL	42	139	20	33	8	1	1	16	2	6	20	0.237	.291 (-19%)	.354 (-21%)	.387 (-15%)	.741 (-18%)	-471.3
1898	BLN	NL	8	24	2	5	1	0	0	4	0	4	3	0.208	—	—	—	—	0.0
1898	PIT	NL	4	11	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	3	0.091	—	—	—	—	0.0
1899	PIT	NL	33	91	12	18	2	0	0	2	1	1	14	0.198	.282 (-30%)	.343 (-28%)	.366 (-40%)	.710 (-34%)	-515.8
1901	CLE	AL	17	44	3	6	0	2	0	2	0	3	11	0.136	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	PO	A	E	DP
2B	1	0	1	1	0
OF	14	28	2	3	0
P	161	73	281	21	15
SS	1	3	2	2	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1895	BLN	P	41	15	55	2	2
1896	BLN	P	35	15	83	9	6
1897	BLN	OF	4	7	0	0	0
1897	BLN	P	38	22	64	4	4
1898	BLN	OF	4	4	0	1	0
1898	BLN	P	4	1	7	0	0
1898	PIT	P	4	2	6	0	0
1899	PIT	2B	1	0	1	1	0
1899	PIT	OF	6	17	2	2	0
1899	PIT	P	23	13	37	5	2
1901	CLE	P	16	5	29	1	1
1901	CLE	SS	1	3	2	2	0