Bill Lillard, baseball player, 1939-1940

Bill Lillard

Born: 1/10/1918 in Goleta, CA, USA

Died: 6/9/2009 in San Luis Obispo, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1939-09-11 | Final Game: 1940-09-24

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: William Beverly Lillard

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Biography

Bill Lillard, born in 1918, was a professional baseball player who played as a position player in Major League Baseball from 1939 to 1940. Throughout his relatively brief career, Lillard appeared in 80 games, where he recorded 55 hits and finished with a batting average of .244. He contributed to his teams with 22 runs batted in and hit a single home run during his time on the field, showcasing a blend of contact hitting and situational awareness. Lillard's career unfolded during a transitional period in baseball, just before the onset of World War II. The late 1930s and early 1940s were marked by a mix of emerging talent and the looming challenges of the war, which would soon alter the landscape of the sport. Although Lillard did not become a household name, his presence in the game during this era remains a testament to the many players who contributed to the rich tapestry of baseball history, often overshadowed by the legends of their time.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
80 225 30 55 9 2 1 22 0 31 29 0.244 0.339 0.316 0.654 -354.7

Career AVG .244 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — 9.7% below league average.

Career OBP .339 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .316 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 19.2% below league average.

Career OPS 0.654 vs. league average 0.729 across their career seasons — 10.3% 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
1939 PHA AL 7 19 4 6 1 0 0 1 0 3 1 0.316 — — — — 0.0
1940 PHA AL 73 206 26 49 8 2 1 21 0 28 28 0.238 .267 (-11%) .335 (-1%) .387 (-20%) .722 (-11%) -354.7

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1 0 1 0 0 0
SS 76 0 124 182 24 31

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1939 PHA SS 7 0 12 25 1 3
1940 PHA 2B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1940 PHA SS 69 0 112 157 23 28

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 1
Shortstop 76