Bill James, baseball player, 1911-1919

Bill James

Born: 1/20/1887 in Detroit, MI, USA

Died: 5/25/1942 in Venice, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1911-06-12 | Final Game: 1919-09-17

Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: William Henry James

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Biography

Bill James was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1911 to 1919. Born in 1887, he made a name for himself during an era characterized by the burgeoning evolution of pitching techniques and strategies in Major League Baseball. Throughout his career, James accumulated a win-loss record of 65-71 and maintained a respectable earned run average (ERA) of 3.2, reflecting his ability to effectively manage opposing hitters. He recorded a total of 408 strikeouts and secured 4 saves, showcasing his skills as both a starter and a relief pitcher. James's playing career unfolded during a time when the game was transitioning from the deadball era, marked by low-scoring contests and a strong emphasis on pitching. His contributions on the mound helped shape the competitive landscape of the league during the 1910s. Although he may not have achieved the same level of fame as some of his contemporaries, Bill James's perseverance and performance left a lasting impact on the teams he played for and the fans who followed them.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
65 71 203 147 68 9 4 1179.7 1110 420 16 578 408 3.20 0

Career ERA 3.20 vs. league average 2.98 across their career seasons — 7.5% worse 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
1911 CLE AL 2 4 8 6 4 0 0 51.7 58 28 32 21 4.88 3.37 (-45%) -1099.0
1912 CLE AL 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 13.7 15 7 9 5 4.61 3.36 (-37%) -256.9
1914 SLA AL 15 14 44 35 20 3 1 284.0 269 90 109 109 2.85 2.93 (+3%) -1243.6
1915 SLA AL 7 10 34 23 8 0 1 170.3 155 68 92 58 3.59 2.90 (-24%) -3261.3
1915 DET AL 7 3 11 9 3 1 0 67.0 57 18 33 24 2.42 2.90 (+17%) -810.0
1916 DET AL 8 12 30 20 8 0 1 151.7 141 62 79 61 3.68 2.78 (-32%) -2577.9
1917 DET AL 13 10 34 23 10 2 1 198.0 163 46 96 62 2.09 2.69 (+22%) -3797.3
1918 DET AL 6 11 19 18 8 1 0 122.0 127 51 68 42 3.76 2.83 (-33%) -2793.9
1919 DET AL 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 9.3 12 6 7 3 5.79 3.09 (-88%) 0.0
1919 BOS AL 3 5 13 7 4 0 0 72.7 74 33 39 12 4.09 3.09 (-32%) -2184.7
1919 CHW AL 3 2 5 5 3 2 0 39.3 39 11 14 11 2.52 3.09 (+18%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
203 358 25 51 6 1 0 12 1 27 138 0.142 0.209 0.165 0.374 -891.0

Career AVG .142 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 44.5% below league average.

Career OBP .209 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 35.2% below league average.

Career SLG .165 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — 51.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.374 vs. league average 0.661 across their career seasons — 43.5% 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
1911 CLE AL 8 17 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 7 0.059 — — — — 0.0
1912 CLE AL 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1914 SLA AL 44 89 4 10 1 1 0 2 1 4 38 0.112 .255 (-56%) .322 (-53%) .339 (-57%) .661 (-55%) -808.4
1915 SLA AL 34 42 2 8 2 0 0 2 0 3 18 0.190 — — — — 0.0
1915 DET AL 11 21 4 6 1 0 0 2 0 3 6 0.286 — — — — 0.0
1916 DET AL 30 44 3 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 24 0.068 — — — — 0.0
1917 DET AL 34 57 7 12 0 0 0 2 0 10 20 0.211 .248 (-15%) .312 (+5%) .323 (-35%) .635 (-15%) -82.6
1918 DET AL 19 46 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 1 12 0.109 — — — — 0.0
1919 DET AL 2 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1919 BOS AL 13 21 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 7 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1919 CHW AL 5 14 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.143 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1919 WS CHA 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 4.7 8 3 3 2 5.79

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1919 WS CHA 0 0 1 0 0 4.7 8 3 3 2 5.79

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 203 0 50 384 31 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1911 CLE P 8 0 4 11 1 0
1912 CLE P 3 0 1 2 3 0
1914 SLA P 44 0 11 105 3 5
1915 SLA P 34 0 12 58 6 2
1915 DET P 11 0 2 26 2 1
1916 DET P 30 0 4 46 6 1
1917 DET P 34 0 4 61 5 1
1918 DET P 19 0 5 43 1 3
1919 DET P 2 0 1 2 0 0
1919 BOS P 13 0 4 23 3 2
1919 CHA P 5 0 2 7 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 203