Dick Billings
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1968-1975)
Dick Billings was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1975 for the Washington Senators, the Texas Rangers, and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 8 seasons. In 400 career games, he hit .227 with 280 hits, 16 home runs, and 142 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
- 6'1" / 195 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1968-09-11
- Last Game
- 1975-06-27
Full name: Richard Arlin Billings
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400 | 1,231 | 101 | 280 | 44 | 1 | 16 | 142 | 6 | 87 | 207 | .227 | .281 | .304 | .584 | -2,308 |
Career AVG .227 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — 9.3% below league average.
Career OBP .281 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — 12.1% below league average.
Career SLG .304 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 17.4% below league average.
Career OPS .584 vs. league average .687 across their career seasons — 14.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | WS2 | AL | 12 | 33 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 13 | .182 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1969 | WS2 | AL | 27 | 37 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | .135 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1970 | WS2 | AL | 11 | 24 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | WS2 | AL | 116 | 349 | 32 | 86 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 48 | 2 | 21 | 54 | .246 | .249 (-1%) | .316 (-7%) | .365 (-7%) | .682 (-7%) | -407.5 |
| 1972 | TEX | AL | 133 | 469 | 41 | 119 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 58 | 1 | 29 | 77 | .254 | .243 (+4%) | .310 (-5%) | .353 (-9%) | .664 (-7%) | -527.4 |
| 1973 | TEX | AL | 81 | 280 | 17 | 50 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 1 | 20 | 43 | .179 | .256 (-31%) | .325 (-27%) | .378 (-34%) | .703 (-31%) | -1373.2 |
| 1974 | TEX | AL | 16 | 31 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | .226 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | SLN | NL | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1975 | SLN | NL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 400 | 1,231 | 101 | 280 | 44 | 1 | 16 | 142 | 6 | 87 | 207 | .227 | — | — | — | — | -2,308 | ||
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 (400 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 199 | 597 | 48 | 140 | 8 | 73 | .235 |
| Away | 201 | 634 | 53 | 140 | 8 | 69 | .221 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-06-27 | STL | WSN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1975-06-24 | STL | NYN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975-06-18 | STL | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974-09-11 | STL | NYN | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974-06-24 | TEX | MIN | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-06-23 | TEX | LAA | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-06-02 | TEX | BAL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1974-05-23 | TEX | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974-05-22 | TEX | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974-05-16 | TEX | KCR | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 4 | 3 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 3B | 12 | 7 | 6 | 23 | 3 | 1 |
| C | 248 | 222 | 1259 | 117 | 23 | 22 |
| OF | 92 | 76 | 132 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | WS2 | 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968 | WS2 | OF | 8 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1969 | WS2 | 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 1969 | WS2 | OF | 6 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | WS2 | C | 8 | 6 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | WS2 | 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | WS2 | C | 62 | 61 | 337 | 35 | 3 | 5 |
| 1971 | WS2 | OF | 32 | 25 | 41 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972 | TEX | 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | TEX | 3B | 5 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| 1972 | TEX | C | 92 | 78 | 478 | 45 | 10 | 13 |
| 1972 | TEX | OF | 41 | 35 | 66 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 1973 | TEX | 1B | 3 | 3 | 17 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 1973 | TEX | C | 72 | 67 | 356 | 32 | 10 | 3 |
| 1973 | TEX | OF | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | TEX | C | 13 | 10 | 55 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1974 | TEX | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | SLN | C | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 248 |
| First Base | 4 |
| Third Base | 12 |
| Left Field | 78 |
| Center Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 15 |
| Designated Hitter | 3 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State University | East Lansing | MI | 1963, 1964, 1965 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Dick Billings (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Dick Billings: the record in brief
Dick Billings's major league career runs from a debut on September 11, 1968 to a final game on June 27, 1975. The team column moves through the Washington Senators (1968 to 1971), the Texas Rangers (1972 to 1974), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1974 through 1975). Listed as a catcher, Billings both batted and threw right-handed. Billings is listed at 6 feet, 1 inch and 195 pounds. The birth record reads December 4, 1942, in Detroit, MI, USA. Dick Billings was the playing name; the full given name is Richard Arlin.
Across 400 games at the plate, Billings's career line reads 280 hits in 1,231 at bats for a .227 average; the totals also include 16 homers and 142 runs batted in. Billings got on base at a .281 rate and slugged .304 (.584 OPS). Billings's .227 average ran 9.3% below the .251 that the league posted over the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 14.9% below league average (.584 against .687). No season topped the 119 hits of 1972. Billings drove in a season-high 58 runs in 1972.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dick Billings
- What years did Dick Billings play?
- Dick Billings played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1975.
- Was Dick Billings a pitcher?
- No. Dick Billings was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Dick Billings hit?
- Dick Billings hit 16 career home runs with 280 hits.
- What was Dick Billings's career batting average?
- Dick Billings batted .227 over his career, with 280 hits in 1,231 at bats.
- How many RBI did Dick Billings have?
- Dick Billings drove in 142 runs in his career.
- Is Dick Billings in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Dick Billings has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.