Bill Bergen

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1901-1911)

Bill Bergen was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1901 to 1911 for the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 11 seasons. In 947 career games, he hit .170 with 516 hits, 2 home runs, and 193 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

AVG .170
HR 2
RBI 193
H 516
OPS .395
PIV -17,074
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 184 lb
Born
6/13/1878 in North Brookfield, MA, USA
Died
12/19/1943 in Worcester, MA, USA
MLB Debut
1901-05-06
Last Game
1911-09-20

Full name: William Aloysius Bergen

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Career Batting Statistics

Bill Bergen — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
947 3,028 138 516 45 21 2 193 23 88 421 .170 .194 .201 .395 -17,074

Career AVG .170 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — 32.7% below league average.

Career OBP .194 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — 38.1% below league average.

Career SLG .201 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 38.8% below league average.

Career OPS .395 vs. league average .642 across their career seasons — 38.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Bergen Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1901 CIN NL 87 308 15 55 6 4 1 17 2 8 40 .179 .271 (-34%) .326 (-39%) .359 (-35%) .686 (-37%) -1784.5
1902 CIN NL 89 322 19 58 8 3 0 36 2 14 47 .180 .266 (-32%) .321 (-33%) .343 (-35%) .665 (-34%) -1670.5
1903 CIN NL 58 207 21 47 4 2 0 19 2 7 22 .227 .261 (-13%) .316 (-20%) .345 (-23%) .662 (-22%) -683.4
1904 BRO NL 96 329 17 60 4 2 0 12 3 9 49 .182 .246 (-26%) .300 (-32%) .321 (-36%) .622 (-34%) -1577.7
1905 BRO NL 79 247 12 47 3 2 0 22 4 7 36 .190 .248 (-23%) .307 (-31%) .322 (-32%) .629 (-32%) -1129.2
1906 BRO NL 103 353 9 56 3 3 0 19 2 7 43 .159 .247 (-36%) .307 (-43%) .315 (-42%) .622 (-42%) -2141.5
1907 BRO NL 51 138 2 22 3 0 0 14 1 1 22 .159 .245 (-35%) .304 (-46%) .308 (-41%) .613 (-43%) -849.5
1908 BRO NL 99 302 8 53 8 2 0 15 1 5 31 .175 .240 (-27%) .298 (-37%) .306 (-30%) .605 (-33%) -1431.7
1909 BRO NL 112 346 16 48 1 1 1 15 4 10 50 .139 .244 (-43%) .306 (-47%) .312 (-50%) .618 (-48%) -2357.2
1910 BRO NL 89 249 11 40 2 1 0 14 0 6 39 .161 .249 (-36%) .317 (-43%) .326 (-46%) .644 (-45%) -1632.9
1911 BRO NL 84 227 8 30 3 1 0 10 2 14 42 .132 .266 (-50%) .336 (-46%) .356 (-57%) .693 (-51%) -1815.6
Career · 11 seasons 947 3,028 138 516 45 21 2 193 23 88 421 .170 — — — — -17,074

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 (948 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Bergen — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home472145067244290.168
Away476157771272096.172

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Bergen — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1911-09-20 BROCINL 200000000
1911-09-19 BROCINW 402100000
1911-09-17 BROCHCL 200000002
1911-09-13 BROPHIL 200000001
1911-09-08 BRONY1L 300000000
1911-09-07 BRONY1W 200000000
1911-09-04 BROPHIW 400000002
1911-09-04 BROPHIW 200000000
1911-09-02 BROBSNL 101000000
1911-09-01 BROBSNW 310000011

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Bergen — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
C 941 600 4233 1444 161 106

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Bergen — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1901 CIN C 87 0 406 117 16 8
1902 CIN C 89 0 406 137 23 13
1903 CIN C 58 0 251 85 7 3
1904 BRO 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1904 BRO C 93 93 414 151 24 10
1905 BRO C 76 75 371 127 24 8
1906 BRO C 103 101 485 149 15 9
1907 BRO C 51 44 175 67 8 3
1908 BRO C 99 94 470 137 7 9
1909 BRO C 112 108 536 202 18 18
1910 BRO C 89 85 373 151 10 15
1911 BRO C 84 0 346 121 9 10

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Bergen Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 942
First Base 1

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Bill Bergen (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bill Holbert
    .208 avg, 0 HR
  2. 94
    Fritz Buelow
    .192 avg, 6 HR
  3. 84
    Mike Ryan
    .193 avg, 28 HR
  4. 83
    Doc Bushong
    .214 avg, 2 HR
  5. 83
    Doc Powers
    .216 avg, 4 HR
  6. 83
    Mike Kahoe
    .212 avg, 4 HR

Bill Bergen: the record in brief

Bill Bergen's major league career runs from a debut on May 6, 1901 to a final game on September 20, 1911. Bergen played for the Cincinnati Reds (1901 through 1903), the Brooklyn Superbas (1904 to 1910), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1911). Bergen, a catcher by primary position, batted and threw right-handed. The recorded size is 6'0" and 184 pounds. The birth record reads June 13, 1878, in North Brookfield, MA, USA. Bergen's death is recorded on December 19, 1943, in Worcester, MA, USA. The bio lists the given name William Aloysius.

Bergen's career batting table shows 947 games, 3,028 at bats and 516 hits, a .170 average; the totals also include 2 homers, 193 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .194 and .201 give Bergen a career OPS of .395. Measured against the leagues Bergen played in, the .170 career average compares with a .253 league average over the same seasons, 32.7% below the league. The OPS comparison is .395 to a league .642, 38.5% below average. No season topped the 60 hits of 1904. The RBI column peaks at 36 in 1902.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Bergen

What years did Bill Bergen play?
Bill Bergen played in Major League Baseball from 1901 to 1911.
Was Bill Bergen a pitcher?
No. Bill Bergen was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Bill Bergen hit?
Bill Bergen hit 2 career home runs with 516 hits.
What teams did Bill Bergen play for?
Bill Bergen played for 2 teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1901–1903) and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1904–1911).
What were Bill Bergen's career stats?
In 947 games, Bill Bergen had 516 hits, 2 home runs, 193 RBI, 138 runs, and 23 stolen bases, with a .170 batting average.
What position did Bill Bergen play?
Bill Bergen played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Bergen and how much did he weigh?
Bill Bergen was listed at 6 feet and 184 pounds.
How many home runs did Bill Bergen hit each season?
Bill Bergen's home runs by season: 1 in 1901, 0 in 1902, 0 in 1903, 0 in 1904, 0 in 1905, 0 in 1906, 0 in 1907, 0 in 1908, 1 in 1909, 0 in 1910, and 0 in 1911. His most in one season was 1, in 1901 and 1909.
What was Bill Bergen's career batting average?
Bill Bergen batted .170 over his career, with 516 hits in 3,028 at bats.
How many RBI did Bill Bergen have?
Bill Bergen drove in 193 runs in his career.
Is Bill Bergen in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Bergen has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.