Bill Skowron

Born: 12/18/1930 in Chicago, IL, USA

Died: 4/27/2012 in Arlington Heights, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1954-04-13 | Final Game: 1967-10-01

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: William Joseph Skowron

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Biography

Bill Skowron, born in 1930, was a prominent first baseman and outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1967. Over his 14-year career, he appeared in 1,658 games, amassing 1,566 hits and demonstrating a consistent ability to drive in runs with a total of 888 RBIs. Skowron was known for his power at the plate, belting 211 home runs while maintaining a solid batting average of .282. His offensive prowess, combined with a competitive spirit, earned him eight selections to the All-Star Game, highlighting his status as one of the top players of his era. Skowron’s career unfolded during a dynamic period in baseball history, marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensively driven game. He was particularly notable for his contributions to the New York Yankees, where he became a key figure in the team’s success in the 1950s and 1960s. His ability to perform in clutch situations helped the Yankees secure multiple championships, solidifying his legacy within the franchise. With 16 stolen bases, he also showcased a surprising element of speed for a player of his build, making him a well-rounded asset on the field. Bill Skowron remains a respected figure in baseball, remembered for his impactful career and contributions to the game.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1658	5547	681	1566	243	53	211	888	16	383	870	0.282	0.332	0.459	0.792	11416.0

Career AVG .282 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +11.5% above league average.

Career OBP .332 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .459 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +19.5% above league average.

Career OPS 0.792 vs. league average 0.705 across their career seasons — +12.4% 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
1954	NYY	AL	87	215	37	73	12	9	7	41	2	19	18	0.340	.261 (+30%)	.333 (+18%)	.390 (+48%)	.723 (+34%)	1263.2
1955	NYY	AL	108	288	46	92	17	3	12	61	1	21	32	0.319	.258 (+24%)	.332 (+11%)	.393 (+33%)	.726 (+23%)	1210.2
1956	NYY	AL	134	464	78	143	21	6	23	90	4	50	60	0.308	.258 (+19%)	.331 (+15%)	.397 (+33%)	.728 (+25%)	2349.9
1957	NYY	AL	122	457	54	139	15	5	17	88	3	31	60	0.304	.257 (+18%)	.323 (+7%)	.391 (+20%)	.715 (+14%)	1168.5
1958	NYY	AL	126	465	61	127	22	3	14	73	1	28	69	0.273	.257 (+6%)	.324 (-3%)	.394 (+7%)	.719 (+3%)	153.8
1959	NYY	AL	74	282	39	84	13	5	15	59	1	20	47	0.298	.256 (+16%)	.323 (+8%)	.392 (+37%)	.715 (+24%)	1117.1
1960	NYY	AL	146	538	63	166	34	3	26	91	2	38	95	0.309	.255 (+21%)	.323 (+9%)	.387 (+36%)	.711 (+24%)	2360.1
1961	NYY	AL	150	561	76	150	23	4	28	89	0	35	108	0.267	.258 (+4%)	.328 (-3%)	.399 (+18%)	.727 (+9%)	828.6
1962	NYY	AL	140	478	63	129	16	6	23	80	0	36	99	0.270	.257 (+5%)	.326 (avg)	.393 (+20%)	.719 (+11%)	899.4
1963	LAD	NL	89	237	19	48	8	0	4	19	0	13	49	0.203	.246 (-18%)	.308 (-18%)	.371 (-23%)	.680 (-21%)	-872.7
1964	WS2	AL	73	262	28	71	10	0	13	41	0	11	56	0.271	.250 (+8%)	.312 (-2%)	.377 (+21%)	.690 (+11%)	403.9
1964	CHW	AL	73	273	19	80	11	3	4	38	0	19	36	0.293	.250 (+17%)	.312 (+8%)	.377 (+6%)	.690 (+7%)	403.9
1965	CHW	AL	146	559	63	153	24	3	18	78	1	32	77	0.274	.245 (+11%)	.310 (+2%)	.371 (+14%)	.682 (+8%)	763.9
1966	CHW	AL	120	337	27	84	15	2	6	29	1	26	45	0.249	.248 (avg)	.309 (-1%)	.376 (-5%)	.685 (-3%)	-155.2
1967	CHW	AL	8	8	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1967	LAA	AL	62	123	8	27	2	1	1	10	0	4	18	0.220	.242 (-9%)	.306 (-13%)	.357 (-23%)	.663 (-18%)	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
39	133	19	39	4	1	8	29	6	26	0.293

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1963	WS	LAN	4	13	2	5	0	0	1	3	1	3	0.385
1962	WS	NYA	6	18	1	4	0	1	0	1	1	5	0.222
1961	WS	NYA	5	17	3	6	0	0	1	5	3	4	0.353
1960	WS	NYA	7	32	7	12	2	0	2	6	0	6	0.375
1958	WS	NYA	7	27	3	7	0	0	2	7	1	4	0.259
1957	WS	NYA	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.000
1956	WS	NYA	3	10	1	1	0	0	1	4	0	3	0.100
1955	WS	NYA	5	12	2	4	2	0	1	3	0	1	0.333

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	1463	1403	12043	903	102	1266
2B	2	1	3	6	1	0
3B	13	6	6	21	7	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1954	NYA	1B	61	56	395	28	6	48
1954	NYA	2B	2	1	3	6	1	0
1954	NYA	3B	5	2	1	11	0	0
1955	NYA	1B	74	69	517	37	6	63
1955	NYA	3B	3	0	3	3	1	0
1956	NYA	1B	120	117	968	80	7	138
1956	NYA	3B	2	2	1	6	1	0
1957	NYA	1B	115	111	1026	86	9	116
1958	NYA	1B	118	114	1040	71	8	112
1958	NYA	3B	2	2	1	1	5	0
1959	NYA	1B	72	71	626	43	6	68
1960	NYA	1B	142	140	1202	115	12	130
1961	NYA	1B	149	147	1228	102	10	146
1962	NYA	1B	135	123	1054	77	10	101
1963	LAN	1B	66	60	518	34	5	44
1963	LAN	3B	1	0	0	0	0	0
1964	WS2	1B	66	63	591	40	4	41
1964	CHA	1B	70	70	621	40	1	53
1965	CHA	1B	145	143	1297	74	8	116
1966	CHA	1B	98	92	722	60	7	75
1967	CAL	1B	32	27	238	16	3	15