Bill Wambsganss, baseball player, 1914-1926

Bill Wambsganss

Born: 3/19/1894 in Cleveland, OH, USA

Died: 12/8/1985 in Lakewood, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1914-08-04 | Final Game: 1926-09-27

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'11" | Weight: 175 lbs

Full name: William Adolph Wambsganss

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Biography

Bill Wambsganss, born in 1894, was a professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1914 to 1926. He played primarily as a position player, appearing in 1,491 games throughout his tenure in Major League Baseball. Wambsganss was known for his steady performance and versatility on the field, contributing significantly to his teams with a career batting average of .259. He accumulated a total of 1,359 hits and drove in 520 runs, showcasing his ability to produce offensively. Wambsganss also displayed speed on the bases, successfully stealing 140 bases during his career. Wambsganss played during a transformative era in baseball, witnessing the game evolve through the influence of the deadball era and the onset of the live-ball era. His most notable achievement came in the 1920 World Series when he made a remarkable unassisted triple play, a feat that remains one of the rarest in the history of the postseason. This exceptional play solidified his place in baseball lore, and he is often remembered for his contributions to the game both offensively and defensively. Wambsganss retired from professional baseball in 1926, leaving behind a legacy as a reliable player and an integral part of the teams he represented.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1491 5237 710 1359 215 59 7 520 140 490 357 0.259 0.328 0.327 0.655 -5246.3

Career AVG .259 vs. league average .270 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .328 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .327 vs. league average .366 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.

Career OPS 0.655 vs. league average 0.699 across their career seasons — 6.2% 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
1914 CLE AL 43 143 12 31 6 2 0 12 2 8 24 0.217 .255 (-15%) .322 (-14%) .339 (-15%) .661 (-15%) -350.9
1915 CLE AL 121 375 30 73 4 4 0 21 8 36 50 0.195 .250 (-22%) .318 (-15%) .332 (-32%) .651 (-23%) -1531.1
1916 CLE AL 136 475 57 117 14 4 0 45 13 41 40 0.246 .248 (-1%) .314 (avg) .326 (-10%) .640 (-5%) -402.6
1917 CLE AL 141 499 52 127 17 6 0 43 16 37 42 0.255 .248 (+2%) .312 (+1%) .323 (-3%) .635 (-1%) -94.2
1918 CLE AL 87 315 34 93 15 2 0 40 16 21 21 0.295 .255 (+16%) .318 (+8%) .326 (+9%) .645 (+9%) 454.3
1919 CLE AL 139 526 60 146 17 6 2 60 18 32 24 0.278 .262 (+6%) .322 (avg) .347 (-1%) .670 (-1%) -88.7
1920 CLE AL 153 565 83 138 16 11 1 55 9 54 26 0.244 .271 (-10%) .331 (-5%) .363 (-13%) .694 (-9%) -958.8
1921 CLE AL 107 410 80 117 28 5 2 47 13 44 27 0.285 .286 (avg) .344 (+4%) .395 (-1%) .739 (+2%) 186.5
1922 CLE AL 142 538 89 141 22 6 0 47 17 60 26 0.262 .285 (-8%) .345 (-2%) .397 (-18%) .743 (-10%) -1023.2
1923 CLE AL 101 345 59 100 20 4 1 59 10 43 15 0.290 .282 (+2%) .344 (+8%) .390 (-3%) .734 (+3%) 275.5
1924 BOS AL 156 632 93 174 41 5 0 49 14 54 33 0.275 .283 (-3%) .345 (-3%) .389 (-9%) .734 (-6%) -755.0
1925 BOS AL 111 360 50 83 12 4 1 41 3 52 21 0.231 .288 (-20%) .349 (-6%) .407 (-28%) .756 (-18%) -1159.1
1926 PHA AL 54 54 11 19 3 0 0 1 1 8 8 0.352 .279 (+26%) .345 (+29%) .390 (+4%) .735 (+16%) 200.9

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 26 3 4 0 0 0 1 2 1 0.154

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1920 WS CLE 7 26 3 4 0 0 0 1 2 1 0.154

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 9 0 75 6 1 5
2B 1205 0 2986 3669 292 605
3B 46 0 42 89 14 8
SS 177 0 317 505 68 66

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1914 CLE 2B 4 0 7 8 3 0
1914 CLE SS 36 0 65 109 15 16
1915 CLE 2B 78 0 138 237 25 24
1915 CLE 3B 35 0 31 69 10 4
1916 CLE 2B 24 0 39 76 5 11
1916 CLE 3B 5 0 5 9 4 4
1916 CLE SS 106 0 208 325 43 38
1917 CLE 1B 3 0 28 2 0 0
1917 CLE 2B 137 0 304 441 38 70
1918 CLE 2B 87 0 204 251 23 35
1919 CLE 2B 139 0 342 436 30 60
1920 CLE 2B 153 0 414 489 38 75
1921 CLE 2B 103 0 268 255 20 51
1921 CLE 3B 2 0 3 8 0 0
1922 CLE 2B 125 0 297 376 27 72
1922 CLE SS 16 0 29 42 7 7
1923 CLE 2B 88 0 252 275 20 47
1923 CLE 3B 4 0 3 3 0 0
1923 CLE SS 2 0 5 3 0 0
1924 BOS 2B 156 0 463 494 37 100
1925 BOS 1B 6 0 47 4 1 5
1925 BOS 2B 103 0 254 326 26 60
1926 PHA 2B 8 0 4 5 0 0
1926 PHA SS 17 0 10 26 3 5

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 9
Second Base 1209
Third Base 45
Shortstop 174

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne IN 1910, 1911, 1912

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1922 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 2.0 64 0