Bill Bethea
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1964)
Bill Bethea was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball in 1964 for the Minnesota Twins. In 10 career games, he hit .167 with 5 hits and 2 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 175 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1964-09-13
- Last Game
- 1964-09-29
Full name: William Lamar Bethea
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | .167 | .265 | .200 | .465 | 0 |
Career AVG .167 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — 33.5% below league average.
Career OBP .265 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — 15.3% below league average.
Career SLG .200 vs. league average .378 across their career seasons — 47.1% below league average.
Career OPS .465 vs. league average .690 across their career seasons — 32.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | MIN | AL | 10 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 1 season | 10 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0 | ||
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 (10 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .125 |
| Away | 9 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | .182 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-09-29 | MIN | KC1 | L | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1964-09-27 | MIN | LAA | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1964-09-26 | MIN | LAA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1964-09-25 | MIN | LAA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964-09-23 | MIN | KC1 | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1964-09-22 | MIN | KC1 | L | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964-09-20 | MIN | BOS | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1964-09-18 | MIN | BOS | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964-09-16 | MIN | BAL | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964-09-13 | MIN | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 7 |
| Shortstop | 3 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin | TX | 1961, 1962, 1963 |
Bill Bethea: the record in brief
September 13, 1964 and September 29, 1964 bracket Bill Bethea's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Bethea spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Minnesota Twins. Bethea played primarily as a second baseman and threw and hit right-handed. Born on January 1, 1942, in Houston, TX, USA, Bethea was listed at 6-foot-0 and 175 pounds. Bethea's full given name, per the bio, is William Lamar Bethea.
Bethea finished with 5 hits from 30 at bats in 10 games, which works out to .167; the totals also include 2 runs batted in. Reaching base at a .265 clip and slugging .200, Bethea finished with a .465 OPS. The league as a whole hit .250 across Bethea's seasons, which puts the .167 career mark 33.5% below average. Only one season appears, 1964 for the Minnesota Twins, when Bethea played 10 games and went 5 for 30.
The position table credits Bethea with 7 games at second base and also lists 3 at shortstop.
The college table lists University of Texas at Austin in 1961, 1962, and 1963. Retrosheet box scores cover 10 of Bethea's games, and the full game log is linked from the splits section.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Bethea
- Was Bill Bethea a pitcher?
- No. Bill Bethea was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Bill Bethea hit?
- Bill Bethea hit 0 career home runs with 5 hits.
- What was Bill Bethea's career batting average?
- Bill Bethea batted .167 over his career, with 5 hits in 30 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Bethea have?
- Bill Bethea drove in 2 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Bethea in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Bethea has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Bill Bethea play for?
- Bill Bethea played for the Minnesota Twins.