Bill Nicholson, baseball player, 235 home runs, 1936-1953

Bill Nicholson

Born: 12/11/1914 in Chestertown, MD, USA

Died: 3/8/1996 in Chestertown, MD, USA

MLB Debut: 1936-06-13 | Final Game: 1953-09-19

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 205 lbs

Full name: William Beck Nicholson

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Biography

Bill Nicholson, born in 1914, was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball, whose career spanned from 1936 to 1953. He made a significant impact during a transformative period in baseball, showcasing his talents in an era that bridged the pre-World War II years and the post-war boom. Over the course of his career, Nicholson appeared in 1,677 games, accumulating 1,484 hits, 235 home runs, and 948 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .268. His ability to drive in runs and hit for power made him a key offensive asset for the teams he played for, particularly the Chicago Cubs, with whom he is most closely associated. Nicholson was recognized for his excellence on the field, earning five All-Star selections throughout his career. He also demonstrated notable speed and base-running ability, amassing 27 stolen bases. His playing style combined power and agility, reflecting the evolving nature of the game during his time. As a respected figure in baseball history, Bill Nicholson's contributions helped shape the landscape of the sport in the mid-20th century, making him a memorable player of his era.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1677 5546 837 1484 272 60 235 948 27 800 828 0.268 0.365 0.465 0.830 21539.9

Career AVG .268 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .365 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +9.1% above league average.

Career SLG .465 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — +23.9% above league average.

Career OPS 0.830 vs. league average 0.710 across their career seasons — +16.9% above 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
1936 PHA AL 11 12 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1939 CHC NL 58 220 37 65 12 5 5 38 0 20 29 0.295 .274 (+8%) .342 (+4%) .393 (+18%) .735 (+11%) 393.7
1940 CHC NL 135 491 78 146 27 7 25 98 2 50 67 0.297 .267 (+11%) .335 (+9%) .387 (+38%) .722 (+24%) 2301.2
1941 CHC NL 147 532 74 135 26 1 26 98 1 82 91 0.254 .262 (-3%) .332 (+7%) .373 (+21%) .705 (+15%) 1690.4
1942 CHC NL 152 588 83 173 22 11 21 78 8 76 80 0.294 .253 (+16%) .323 (+18%) .349 (+36%) .672 (+28%) 3238.7
1943 CHC NL 154 608 95 188 30 9 29 128 4 71 86 0.309 .255 (+21%) .324 (+19%) .346 (+53%) .671 (+37%) 4253.8
1944 CHC NL 156 582 116 167 35 8 33 122 3 93 71 0.287 .261 (+10%) .325 (+20%) .357 (+52%) .683 (+37%) 4348.2
1945 CHC NL 151 559 82 136 28 4 13 88 4 92 73 0.243 .260 (-7%) .328 (+8%) .354 (+6%) .683 (+7%) 1063.5
1946 CHC NL 105 296 36 65 13 2 8 41 1 44 44 0.220 .256 (-15%) .328 (-1%) .358 (avg) .687 (-1%) 13.3
1947 CHC NL 148 487 69 119 28 1 26 75 1 87 83 0.244 .262 (-7%) .336 (+8%) .376 (+24%) .712 (+17%) 1776.8
1948 CHC NL 143 494 68 129 24 5 19 67 2 81 60 0.261 .263 (-1%) .340 (+9%) .379 (+17%) .719 (+13%) 1480.9
1949 PHI NL 98 299 42 70 8 3 11 40 1 45 53 0.234 .262 (-11%) .343 (avg) .384 (+2%) .727 (+1%) 110.8
1950 PHI NL 41 58 3 13 2 1 3 10 0 8 16 0.224 .265 (-16%) .346 (-8%) .401 (+12%) .747 (+2%) 10.5
1951 PHI NL 85 170 23 41 9 2 8 30 0 25 24 0.241 .260 (-8%) .336 (+2%) .385 (+19%) .721 (+11%) 332.0
1952 PHI NL 55 88 17 24 3 0 6 19 0 14 26 0.273 .252 (+8%) .326 (+20%) .369 (+38%) .696 (+30%) 487.8
1953 PHI NL 38 62 12 13 5 1 2 16 0 12 20 0.210 .264 (-21%) .335 (+1%) .397 (+6%) .733 (+3%) 38.3

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 28 1 6 1 1 0 8 2 5 0.214

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1945 WS CHN 7 28 1 6 1 1 0 8 2 5 0.214

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1471 0 2954 118 67 20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1936 PHA OF 1 0 1 0 0 0
1939 CHN OF 58 0 123 5 6 0
1940 CHN OF 123 0 235 10 13 2
1941 CHN OF 143 0 293 10 9 2
1942 CHN OF 151 0 327 18 5 2
1943 CHN OF 154 0 340 16 8 2
1944 CHN OF 156 0 305 18 7 4
1945 CHN OF 151 0 300 12 3 4
1946 CHN OF 80 0 179 4 5 1
1947 CHN OF 140 0 281 7 3 1
1948 CHN OF 136 0 244 7 5 1
1949 PHI OF 91 0 185 10 1 1
1950 PHI OF 15 0 20 0 1 0
1951 PHI OF 41 0 75 1 1 0
1952 PHI OF 19 0 33 0 0 0
1953 PHI OF 12 0 13 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Left Field 31
Right Field 1442

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1944 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1944 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1943 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1943 TSN All-Star OF
1940 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF
1940 Baseball Magazine All-Star RF

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Washington College Chestertown MD 1934, 1935, 1936

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1944 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 189.0 336 4
1943 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 181.0 336 5
1942 Most Valuable Player NL 19th 14.0 336 0
1941 Most Valuable Player NL 16th 16.0 336 0
1940 Most Valuable Player NL 20th 12.0 336 0