Willie Clark

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1895-1899)

Willie Clark was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1895 to 1899 for the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 5 seasons. In 350 career games, he hit .286 with 366 hits, 2 home runs, and 199 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 721.

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 .286
HR 2
RBI 199
H 366
OPS .745
PIV 721
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'0" / 195 lb
Born
8/16/1870 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Died
11/13/1932 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1895-06-20
Last Game
1899-08-03

Full name: William Otis Clark

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Career Batting Statistics

Willie Clark — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
350 1,280 188 366 54 35 2 199 38 114 75 .286 .358 .388 .745 721

Career AVG .286 vs. league average .286 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .358 vs. league average .349 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .388 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .745 vs. league average .726 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willie Clark — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1895 NY1 NL 23 88 9 23 3 2 0 16 1 5 6 .261 .296 (-12%) .361 (-17%) .399 (-15%) .761 (-16%) -250.6
1896 NY1 NL 72 247 38 72 12 4 0 33 8 15 12 .291 .290 (avg) .354 (-1%) .387 (-4%) .741 (-2%) -87.0
1897 NY1 NL 117 436 63 122 17 12 1 75 18 37 29 .280 .291 (-4%) .354 (-2%) .387 (-2%) .741 (-2%) -131.4
1898 PIT NL 57 209 29 64 9 7 1 31 0 22 7 .306 .270 (+13%) .333 (+13%) .347 (+24%) .680 (+19%) 650.3
1899 PIT NL 81 300 49 85 13 10 0 44 11 35 21 .283 .282 (avg) .343 (+10%) .366 (+7%) .710 (+8%) 540.0
Career · 5 seasons 350 1,280 188 366 54 35 2 199 38 114 75 .286 — — — — 721

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 (138 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Willie Clark — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home762764274033.268
Away622333675142.322

Last 10 Games — Batting

Willie Clark — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1899-08-03 PITBLNL 401000000
1899-08-02 PITBLNL 412000100
1899-08-01 PITBLNW 311000210
1899-07-31 PITBLNW 411000000
1899-07-29 PITWSNW 511010100
1899-07-28 PITWSNW 311000000
1899-07-28 PITWSNL 400000000
1899-07-26 PITWSNW 410000100
1899-07-25 PITPHIW 511000101
1899-07-24 PITPHIW 301000100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Willie Clark — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 332 0 3340 167 61 191
3B 1 0 0 3 0 0
OF 7 0 9 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Willie Clark — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1895 NY1 1B 23 0 213 14 6 16
1896 NY1 1B 65 0 634 25 17 40
1897 NY1 1B 108 0 1050 65 18 69
1897 NY1 3B 1 0 0 3 0 0
1897 NY1 OF 7 0 9 0 0 0
1898 PIT 1B 57 0 601 27 10 29
1899 PIT 1B 79 0 842 36 10 37

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Willie Clark — Career Games by Position
Position Games
First Base 332
Third Base 1
Left Field 7

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Willie Clark (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Matt Carlisle
    .283 avg, 12 HR
  2. 83
    Leroy Morney
    .280 avg, 8 HR
  3. 82
    Esteban German
    .280 avg, 8 HR
  4. 74
    Harry Williams
    .285 avg, 19 HR
  5. 74
    Joe Sullivan
    .299 avg, 11 HR
  6. 74
    Jake Dunn
    .280 avg, 22 HR

Willie Clark: the record in brief

Willie Clark played a first major league game on June 20, 1895 and a last one on August 3, 1899. The team column moves through the New York Giants (1895 through 1897) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1898 through 1899). At 6-foot-0 and 195 pounds, Clark is listed as a first baseman. The bio says Clark batted and threw left-handed. The recorded birth is August 16, 1870, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. The bio records the death on November 13, 1932, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. On the record, Willie Clark was born William Otis Clark.

Clark collected 366 hits in 1,280 at bats across 350 games, good for a .286 batting average; the totals also include 2 home runs, 199 runs batted in, and 38 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .358 and the slugging percentage .388, for an OPS of .745. The .286 career average is close to the .286 the league hit across the same seasons. 1897 produced Clark's most hits, 122 of them for the New York Giants.

Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Clark

What years did Willie Clark play?
Willie Clark played in Major League Baseball from 1895 to 1899.
Was Willie Clark a pitcher?
No. Willie Clark was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Willie Clark hit?
Willie Clark hit 2 career home runs with 366 hits.
What was Willie Clark's career batting average?
Willie Clark batted .286 over his career, with 366 hits in 1,280 at bats.
How many RBI did Willie Clark have?
Willie Clark drove in 199 runs in his career.
Is Willie Clark in the Hall of Fame?
No. Willie Clark has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.