Bill Traffley, baseball player, 1878-1886

Bill Traffley

Born: 12/21/1859 in Staten Island, NY, USA

Died: 6/23/1908 in Des Moines, IA, USA

MLB Debut: 1878-07-27 | Final Game: 1886-07-29

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: William Franklin Traffley

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Biography

Bill Traffley was a professional baseball player born in 1859, who played primarily as a position player during the early years of Major League Baseball. His career spanned from 1878 until July 29, 1886. Traffley appeared in a total of 179 games, during which he compiled a batting average of .175. Over his career, he recorded 116 hits, including one home run, and drove in 36 runs. Traffley also showcased his speed on the base paths, stealing 8 bases. Playing during a formative era of baseball, Traffley's career coincided with the transition from the Deadball Era, when pitchers often dominated the game, to a more offensive-oriented style of play. While his individual statistics may not reflect the prolific hitting common in today’s game, Traffley's contributions were part of the foundational years of professional baseball, helping to shape the sport's early landscape. His time in the league exemplifies the challenges faced by players of that time, as they navigated a rapidly evolving game with varying rules and styles of play.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
179 663 85 116 13 12 1 36 8 34 1 0.175 0.220 0.235 0.455 -2559.2

Career AVG .175 vs. league average .247 across their career seasons — 29.3% below league average.

Career OBP .220 vs. league average .288 across their career seasons — 23.6% below league average.

Career SLG .235 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 28.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.455 vs. league average 0.618 across their career seasons — 26.4% 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
1878 CHC NL 2 9 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1883 CN2 AA 30 105 17 21 5 0 0 8 0 4 0 0.200 .257 (-22%) .285 (-20%) .345 (-28%) .631 (-24%) -367.0
1884 BL2 AA 53 210 25 37 4 6 0 0 0 3 0 0.176 .243 (-28%) .278 (-31%) .327 (-23%) .606 (-27%) -889.1
1885 BL2 AA 69 254 27 39 4 5 1 20 0 17 0 0.154 .244 (-37%) .287 (-25%) .325 (-32%) .613 (-29%) -1132.0
1886 BL2 AA 25 85 15 18 0 1 0 7 8 10 0 0.212 .246 (-14%) .302 (-3%) .331 (-29%) .634 (-16%) -171.1

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 9 0 0 0
2B 3 0 6 6 3 1
C 164 0 969 233 95 18
OF 16 0 8 1 1 0
SS 2 0 0 1 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1878 CHN C 2 0 7 3 0 0
1883 CN2 C 29 0 121 33 27 2
1883 CN2 SS 2 0 0 1 1 0
1884 BL2 1B 1 0 9 0 0 0
1884 BL2 C 47 0 321 57 30 6
1884 BL2 OF 6 0 6 0 0 0
1885 BL2 2B 3 0 6 6 3 1
1885 BL2 C 61 0 357 105 28 6
1885 BL2 OF 10 0 2 1 1 0
1886 BL2 C 25 0 163 35 10 4

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 164
First Base 1
Second Base 3
Shortstop 2
Center Field 5
Right Field 11