Bill Baker
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1940-1949)
Bill Baker was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1949 for the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 10 seasons. In 263 career games, he hit .247 with 145 hits, 2 home runs, and 68 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 200 lb
- Died
- 4/13/2006 in Myrtle Beach, SC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1940-05-04
- Last Game
- 1949-08-01
Full name: William Presley Baker
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 263 | 588 | 45 | 145 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 68 | 6 | 68 | 30 | .247 | .328 | .316 | .644 | -164 |
Career AVG .247 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 5.2% below league average.
Career OBP .328 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .316 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 14.0% below league average.
Career OPS .644 vs. league average .700 across their career seasons — 8.0% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | CIN | NL | 27 | 69 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 8 | .217 | .267 (-19%) | .335 (-22%) | .387 (-33%) | .722 (-28%) | -312.0 |
| 1941 | CIN | NL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1941 | PIT | NL | 35 | 67 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 0 | .224 | .262 (-15%) | .332 (avg) | .373 (-28%) | .705 (-15%) | 0.0 |
| 1942 | PIT | NL | 18 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .118 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1943 | PIT | NL | 63 | 172 | 12 | 47 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 3 | 22 | 6 | .273 | .255 (+7%) | .324 (+12%) | .346 (+4%) | .671 (+8%) | 295.1 |
| 1946 | PIT | NL | 53 | 113 | 7 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 6 | .239 | .256 (-7%) | .328 (-5%) | .358 (-16%) | .687 (-11%) | -174.2 |
| 1948 | SLN | NL | 45 | 119 | 13 | 35 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 15 | 7 | .294 | .263 (+12%) | .340 (+10%) | .379 (+4%) | .719 (+7%) | 150.2 |
| 1949 | SLN | NL | 20 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 8 seasons | 263 | 588 | 45 | 145 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 68 | 6 | 68 | 30 | .247 | — | — | — | — | -41 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (263 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 143 | 287 | 23 | 77 | 2 | 37 | .268 |
| Away | 120 | 301 | 22 | 68 | 0 | 29 | .226 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-08-01 | STL | BSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949-07-31 | STL | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-30 | STL | BRO | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-28 | STL | PHI | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-25 | STL | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-19 | STL | BSN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-07-01 | STL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-21 | STL | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-14 | STL | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-06-12 | STL | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 213 |
| First Base | 1 |
Bill Baker: the record in brief
May 4, 1940 and August 1, 1949 bracket Bill Baker's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Cincinnati Reds (1940 to 1941), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1941 to 1946), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1948 through 1949). Baker, born on February 22, 1911, in Paw Creek, NC, USA, is listed as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 6'0" and 200 pounds. The bio records the death on April 13, 2006, in Myrtle Beach, SC, USA. Baker's full given name, per the bio, is William Presley Baker.
In 263 games and 588 at bats, Baker batted .247 with 145 hits, adding 2 homers and 68 RBI. Baker got on base at a .328 rate and slugged .316 (.644 OPS). Over the seasons Baker played, league hitters batted .260; the .247 career figure is 5.2% below that. In OPS terms, Baker's .644 stands 8.0% below the league's .700. The hits column peaks at 47, in 1943. 1948 was the strongest of the full seasons by average: .294 against a league .263, a 12% edge.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Baker
- What years did Bill Baker play?
- Bill Baker played in Major League Baseball from 1940 to 1949.
- Was Bill Baker a pitcher?
- No. Bill Baker was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Bill Baker hit?
- Bill Baker hit 2 career home runs with 145 hits.
- What was Bill Baker's career batting average?
- Bill Baker batted .247 over his career, with 145 hits in 588 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Baker have?
- Bill Baker drove in 68 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Baker in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Baker has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.