Billy Taylor, baseball player, 1881-1887

Billy Taylor

Born: 1855 in Washington, DC, USA

Died: 5/14/1900 in Jacksonville, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1881-05-21 | Final Game: 1887-08-16

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 204 lbs

Full name: William Henry Taylor

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Biography

Billy Taylor was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball during the late 19th century, making his mark from 1881 until his retirement in 1887. Born in 1855, Taylor played in an era characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a more offensive-minded game. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 50-36, showcasing his competitiveness on the mound. His 3.17 earned run average (ERA) reflected his ability to effectively neutralize opposing hitters, while his 376 strikeouts demonstrated his prowess as a strikeout artist during a time when pitching was evolving rapidly. Taylor's contributions to his teams extended beyond mere statistics, as he was known for his durability and skill in high-pressure situations, evidenced by his four saves. His career spanned an era where pitchers often faced unique challenges, including less specialized training and equipment compared to modern standards. Despite the changing landscape of baseball, Taylor's solid career performance helped pave the way for future generations of pitchers, establishing a foundation for the role that would continue to evolve in the sport. His legacy remains a testament to the early development of pitching in baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
50 36 100 84 83 3 4 799.7 811 282 11 165 376 3.17 0

Career ERA 3.17 vs. league average 3.29 across their career seasons — near 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
1881 WOR NL 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 8.0 15 7 6 0 7.88 — 0.0
1881 CL2 NL 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3.0 0 0 1 2 0.00 — 0.0
1882 PT1 AA 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 11 9 4 1 16.20 — 0.0
1883 PT1 AA 4 7 19 9 8 0 0 127.0 166 76 34 41 5.39 3.22 (-67%) -1974.0
1884 SLU UA 25 4 33 29 29 2 4 263.0 222 49 40 154 1.68 3.11 (+46%) 3147.2
1884 PH4 AA 18 12 30 30 30 1 0 260.0 232 73 44 130 2.53 3.11 (+19%) 264.5
1885 PH4 AA 1 5 6 6 6 0 0 52.3 68 19 9 11 3.27 3.03 (-8%) -2.2
1886 BL2 AA 1 6 8 8 8 0 0 72.3 87 46 20 37 5.72 3.37 (-70%) 367.5
1887 PH4 AA 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 9.0 10 3 7 0 3.00 4.17 (+28%) 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
275 1167 148 323 62 24 8 26 1 27 10 0.277 0.294 0.392 0.685 1940.2

Career AVG .277 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +10.0% above league average.

Career OBP .294 vs. league average .295 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .392 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +15.6% above league average.

Career OPS 0.685 vs. league average 0.633 across their career seasons — +8.2% 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
1881 WOR NL 6 28 3 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 0.107 — — — — 0.0
1881 DTN NL 1 4 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1881 CL2 NL 24 103 6 25 1 0 0 12 0 0 8 0.243 .260 (-7%) .290 (-16%) .338 (-25%) .628 (-21%) 0.0
1882 PT1 AA 71 302 40 84 16 13 3 0 0 8 0 0.278 .248 (+12%) .275 (+8%) .329 (+36%) .605 (+23%) 909.4
1883 PT1 AA 83 369 43 96 13 7 2 0 0 9 0 0.260 .257 (+1%) .285 (-3%) .345 (+1%) .631 (-1%) -75.8
1884 SLU UA 43 186 44 68 23 1 3 0 0 7 0 0.366 .243 (+50%) .278 (+39%) .327 (+68%) .606 (+55%) 1418.1
1884 PH4 AA 30 111 8 28 6 2 0 0 0 2 0 0.252 .243 (+4%) .278 (-3%) .327 (+5%) .606 (+1%) 1418.1
1885 PH4 AA 6 21 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0.190 — — — — 0.0
1886 BL2 AA 10 39 4 12 0 1 0 8 1 1 0 0.308 — — — — 0.0
1887 PH4 AA 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.250 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 44 0 409 10 24 11
3B 16 0 20 32 20 0
C 61 0 246 80 58 1
OF 77 0 139 16 34 2
P 100 0 38 151 41 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1881 WOR OF 5 0 14 1 2 0
1881 WOR P 1 0 1 1 0 0
1881 DTN 3B 1 0 1 2 1 0
1881 CL2 3B 1 0 0 1 3 0
1881 CL2 OF 23 0 51 4 9 1
1881 CL2 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1882 PT1 1B 24 0 238 5 18 7
1882 PT1 3B 14 0 19 29 16 0
1882 PT1 C 27 0 116 40 25 0
1882 PT1 OF 8 0 9 0 1 0
1882 PT1 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1883 PT1 1B 9 0 82 3 2 3
1883 PT1 C 33 0 124 38 33 1
1883 PT1 OF 37 0 49 10 20 0
1883 PT1 P 19 0 8 15 3 0
1884 SLU 1B 10 0 77 2 4 1
1884 SLU OF 4 0 16 1 2 1
1884 SLU P 33 0 17 51 10 2
1884 PH4 P 30 0 12 66 21 1
1885 PH4 P 6 0 0 5 4 0
1886 BL2 1B 1 0 12 0 0 0
1886 BL2 C 1 0 6 2 0 0
1886 BL2 P 8 0 0 12 3 0
1887 PH4 P 1 0 0 1 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 100
Catcher 61
First Base 44
Third Base 16
Left Field 24
Center Field 15
Right Field 38