What years did Josh Billings play?

Josh Billings played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1923.

Was Josh Billings a pitcher?

No. Josh Billings was a position player (Catcher).

How many home runs did Josh Billings hit?

Josh Billings hit 0 career home runs with 106 hits.

What teams did Josh Billings play for?

Josh Billings played for 2 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1913–1918) and the St. Louis Browns (1919–1923).

What were Josh Billings's career stats?

In 243 games, Josh Billings had 106 hits, 29 RBI, 44 runs, and 5 stolen bases, with a .217 batting average.

What position did Josh Billings play?

Josh Billings played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Josh Billings and how much did he weigh?

Josh Billings was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 165 pounds.

What was Josh Billings's career batting average?

Josh Billings batted .217 over his career, with 106 hits in 488 at bats.

How many RBI did Josh Billings have?

Josh Billings drove in 29 runs in his career.

Is Josh Billings in the Hall of Fame?

No. Josh Billings has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Josh Billings

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1913-1923)

Josh Billings was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1923 for the Cleveland Guardians and the St. Louis Browns, a span of 11 seasons. In 243 career games, he hit .217 with 106 hits and 29 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 October 25, 2026

AVG .217

HR 0

RBI 29

H 106

OPS .530

PIV -813

Position: Catcher
Bats / Throws: R / R
Height / Weight: 5'11" / 165 lb
Born: 11/30/1891 in Grantville, KS, USA
Died: 12/30/1981 in Santa Monica, CA, USA
MLB Debut: 1913-09-09
Last Game: 1923-08-24

Full name: John Augustus Billings

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Career Batting Statistics

Josh Billings — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
243	488	44	106	12	5	0	29	5	23	73	.217	.268	.262	.530	-813

Career AVG .217 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — 18.0% below league average.

Career OBP .268 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 18.2% below league average.

Career SLG .262 vs. league average .355 across their career seasons — 26.1% below league average.

Career OPS .530 vs. league average .683 across their career seasons — 22.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Josh Billings (b. 1891) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1913	CLE	AL	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1914	CLE	AL	11	8	2	2	1	0	0	1	1	1	.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1915	CLE	AL	8	21	2	4	1	0	0	1	0	6	.190	—	—	—	—	0.0
1916	CLE	AL	22	31	2	5	0	0	1	0	2	11	.161	—	—	—	—	0.0
1917	CLE	AL	66	129	8	23	3	2	9	2	8	21	.178	.248 (-28%)	.312 (-22%)	.323 (-28%)	.635 (-25%)	-467.0
1918	CLE	AL	2	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
1919	SLA	AL	38	76	9	15	1	1	3	0	1	12	.197	.262 (-25%)	.322 (-32%)	.347 (-32%)	.670 (-32%)	-376.3
1920	SLA	AL	66	155	19	43	5	2	11	1	11	10	.277	.271 (+2%)	.331 (+6%)	.363 (-8%)	.694 (-1%)	30.2
1921	SLA	AL	20	46	2	10	0	0	4	0	0	7	.217	—	—	—	—	0.0
1922	SLA	AL	5	7	0	3	1	0	1	0	0	0	.429	—	—	—	—	0.0
1923	SLA	AL	4	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 11 seasons			243	488	44	106	12	5	29	5	23	73	.217	—	—	—	—	-813

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 (247 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Josh Billings — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	125	229	26	53	0	21	.231
Away	122	259	19	53	0	18	.205

Last 10 Games — Batting

Josh Billings — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	H	2B	RBI	SO
1923-08-24	SLA	BOS	W	0	0	0	0	0
1923-06-16	SLA	NYY	L	3	0	0	0	1
1923-06-15	SLA	NYY	L	4	0	0	0	1
1923-05-20	SLA	MIN	W	0	0	0	0	0
1923-05-05	SLA	CLE	L	2	0	0	0	0
1922-09-21	SLA	MIN	W	4	1	0	0	0
1922-08-24	SLA	BOS	W	1	1	1	1	0
1922-08-16	SLA	MIN	L	1	1	0	0	0
1922-08-15	SLA	MIN	L	1	0	0	0	0
1922-04-26	SLA	DET	L	0	0	0	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Josh Billings — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	PO	A	E	DP
1B	1	0	1	1	0
C	157	489	157	20	9
OF	1	1	0	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Josh Billings — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	PO	A	E	DP
1913	CLE	C	1	4	2	1	0
1914	CLE	C	3	10	3	3	0
1915	CLE	C	7	29	6	0	0
1915	CLE	OF	1	1	0	0	0
1916	CLE	C	12	38	13	1	3
1917	CLE	C	48	134	51	5	2
1918	CLE	C	1	2	0	0	0
1919	SLA	1B	1	0	1	1	0
1919	SLA	C	26	76	33	2	2
1920	SLA	C	40	138	36	6	1
1921	SLA	C	12	45	9	1	0
1922	SLA	C	3	5	1	0	0
1923	SLA	C	4	8	3	1	1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Josh Billings (b. 1891) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Catcher	159
First Base	1
Center Field	1

College History

Josh Billings — College History
School Name	City	State	Years Attended
Oklahoma State University	Stillwater	OK	1911, 1912

Josh Billings: the record in brief

Josh Billings played a first major league game on September 9, 1913 and a last one on August 24, 1923. By club, Billings's seasons break down as the Cleveland Naps (1913 to 1914), the Cleveland Indians (1915 through 1918), and the St. Louis Browns (1919 to 1923). Billings played primarily as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Born on November 30, 1891, in Grantville, KS, USA, Billings was listed at 165 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. The bio records the death on December 30, 1981, in Santa Monica, CA, USA. The bio lists the given name John Augustus.

Billings's career batting table shows 243 games, 488 at bats and 106 hits, a .217 average, adding 29 runs batted in. Billings's career OPS of .530 combines a .268 on-base mark with .262 slugging. Measured against the leagues Billings played in, the .217 career average compares with a .265 league average over the same seasons, 18.0% below the league. By OPS the gap is 22.3% below league average (.530 against .683). The hits column peaks at 43, in 1920.

Frequently Asked Questions about Josh Billings

What years did Josh Billings play?: Josh Billings played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1923.
Was Josh Billings a pitcher?: No. Josh Billings was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Josh Billings hit?: Josh Billings hit 0 career home runs with 106 hits.
What teams did Josh Billings play for?: Josh Billings played for 2 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1913–1918) and the St. Louis Browns (1919–1923).
What were Josh Billings's career stats?: In 243 games, Josh Billings had 106 hits, 29 RBI, 44 runs, and 5 stolen bases, with a .217 batting average.
What position did Josh Billings play?: Josh Billings played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Josh Billings and how much did he weigh?: Josh Billings was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 165 pounds.
What was Josh Billings's career batting average?: Josh Billings batted .217 over his career, with 106 hits in 488 at bats.
How many RBI did Josh Billings have?: Josh Billings drove in 29 runs in his career.
Is Josh Billings in the Hall of Fame?: No. Josh Billings has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.