Bill Knickerbocker

Born: 12/29/1911 in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Died: 9/8/1963 in Sebastopol, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1933-04-12 | Final Game: 1942-09-17

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: William Hart Knickerbocker

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Biography

Bill Knickerbocker was a professional baseball player who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 1933 to 1942. Born in 1911, he played primarily as a position player, appearing in 907 games throughout his career. Known for his solid hitting ability, Knickerbocker accumulated 943 hits and posted a batting average of .276. He showcased a balanced offensive game, contributing 28 home runs and driving in 368 runs, while also demonstrating speed on the base paths with 25 stolen bases. Playing during the pre-World War II era, Knickerbocker was part of a transformative time in baseball that saw the game evolving with the introduction of more dynamic offensive strategies. His consistent performance and versatility made him a valuable asset to the teams he played for. Although he may not be as widely remembered today, his contributions on the field during a competitive period in baseball history reflect the talent and dedication of players of his era. Knickerbocker’s legacy remains a testament to the skill and resilience of athletes who played through the challenges of the 1930s and early 1940s.

Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
38.0	36.0	3.0	4.0	1.0	0	1.0	1.0	2.0	3.0	0	0.111	0.158	0.222	0.380

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Season	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1933	22.0	20.0	1.0	2.0	1.0	0	0	0	2.0	0	0	0.100	0.182	0.150	0.332
1934	16.0	16.0	2.0	2.0	0	0	1.0	1.0	0	3.0	0	0.125	0.125	0.312	0.437

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
907	3418	423	943	198	27	28	368	25	244	238	0.276	0.326	0.374	0.700	-2818.3

Career AVG .276 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .326 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .374 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.700 vs. league average 0.725 across their career seasons — near 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
1933	CLE	AL	80	279	20	63	16	3	2	32	1	11	30	0.226	.270 (-16%)	.329 (-23%)	.377 (-14%)	.707 (-18%)	-983.8
1934	CLE	AL	146	593	82	188	32	5	4	67	6	25	40	0.317	.278 (+14%)	.340 (+2%)	.392 (+4%)	.733 (+3%)	260.1
1935	CLE	AL	132	540	77	161	34	5	0	55	2	27	31	0.298	.279 (+7%)	.342 (-3%)	.399 (-5%)	.742 (-4%)	-549.4
1936	CLE	AL	155	618	81	182	35	3	8	73	5	56	30	0.294	.283 (+4%)	.349 (+1%)	.404 (-1%)	.753 (avg)	21.3
1937	SLA	AL	121	491	53	128	29	5	4	61	3	30	32	0.261	.276 (-6%)	.342 (-11%)	.398 (-8%)	.740 (-10%)	-1080.2
1938	NYY	AL	46	128	15	32	8	3	1	21	0	11	10	0.250	.272 (-8%)	.341 (-9%)	.392 (-3%)	.734 (-6%)	-166.9
1939	NYY	AL	6	13	2	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0.154	—	—	—	—	0.0
1940	NYY	AL	45	124	17	30	8	1	1	10	1	14	8	0.242	.267 (-9%)	.335 (-1%)	.387 (-11%)	.722 (-6%)	-103.7
1941	CHW	AL	89	343	51	84	23	2	7	29	6	41	27	0.245	.262 (-7%)	.332 (-1%)	.373 (+3%)	.705 (+1%)	74.0
1942	PHA	AL	87	289	25	73	12	0	1	19	1	29	30	0.253	.253 (avg)	.323 (avg)	.349 (-13%)	.672 (-7%)	-289.8

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	PO	A	E	DP
2B	211	480	544	32	132
3B	17	11	34	5	6
SS	649	1205	2043	152	395

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1933	CLE	SS	80	151	233	25	37
1934	CLE	SS	146	262	451	28	106
1935	CLE	SS	128	247	453	32	82
1936	CLE	SS	155	313	486	40	97
1937	SLA	2B	6	15	11	1	5
1937	SLA	SS	115	205	368	25	59
1938	NYA	2B	34	78	86	3	23
1938	NYA	SS	3	4	3	0	2
1939	NYA	2B	2	5	6	0	1
1939	NYA	SS	2	1	6	0	0
1940	NYA	3B	17	11	34	5	6
1940	NYA	SS	19	22	43	1	12
1941	CHA	2B	88	204	221	13	58
1942	PHA	2B	81	178	220	15	45
1942	PHA	SS	1	0	0	1	0