Billy Clingman
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1890-1903)
Billy Clingman was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1890 to 1903 for 7 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 14 seasons. In 820 career games, he hit .245 with 700 hits, 8 home runs, and 302 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 150 lb
- Died
- 5/14/1958 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1890-09-09
- Last Game
- 1903-07-16
Full name: William Frederick Clingman
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 820 | 2,854 | 413 | 700 | 86 | 32 | 8 | 302 | 98 | 303 | 303 | .245 | .323 | .306 | .629 | -4,926 |
Career AVG .245 vs. league average .273 across their career seasons — 10.2% below league average.
Career OBP .323 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .306 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — 15.5% below league average.
Career OPS .629 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — 10.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | CIN | NL | 7 | 27 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .259 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1891 | CN3 | AA | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1895 | PIT | NL | 107 | 386 | 69 | 99 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 45 | 19 | 41 | 43 | .256 | .296 (-13%) | .361 (-8%) | .399 (-20%) | .761 (-15%) | -916.2 |
| 1896 | LS3 | NL | 121 | 423 | 57 | 99 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 19 | 57 | 51 | .234 | .290 (-19%) | .354 (-7%) | .387 (-27%) | .741 (-18%) | -1095.0 |
| 1897 | LS3 | NL | 115 | 403 | 61 | 92 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 47 | 14 | 37 | 52 | .228 | .291 (-22%) | .354 (-15%) | .387 (-19%) | .741 (-17%) | -1154.9 |
| 1898 | LS3 | NL | 154 | 538 | 65 | 138 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 50 | 15 | 51 | 60 | .257 | .270 (-5%) | .333 (-2%) | .347 (-13%) | .680 (-8%) | -561.4 |
| 1899 | LS3 | NL | 110 | 369 | 68 | 97 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 45 | 13 | 46 | 34 | .263 | .282 (-7%) | .343 (+2%) | .366 (-5%) | .710 (-2%) | -45.5 |
| 1900 | CHN | NL | 47 | 159 | 15 | 33 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 18 | .208 | .279 (-26%) | .338 (-14%) | .366 (-33%) | .705 (-24%) | -555.5 |
| 1901 | WS1 | AL | 137 | 480 | 66 | 116 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 55 | 10 | 42 | 36 | .242 | .271 (-11%) | .326 (-6%) | .359 (-15%) | .686 (-11%) | -729.0 |
| 1903 | CLE | AL | 21 | 64 | 10 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 9 | .281 | .261 (+7%) | .316 (+22%) | .345 (-5%) | .662 (+8%) | 131.2 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 820 | 2,854 | 413 | 700 | 86 | 32 | 8 | 302 | 98 | 303 | 303 | .245 | — | — | — | — | -4,926 | ||
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 (469 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 221 | 742 | 115 | 170 | 1 | 75 | .229 |
| Away | 248 | 867 | 109 | 231 | 3 | 96 | .266 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903-07-16 | CLE | BOS | L | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1903-07-15 | CLE | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1903-07-09 | CLE | PHA | L | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903-07-08 | CLE | PHA | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1903-07-07 | CLE | MIN | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1903-07-04 | CLE | MIN | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903-06-27 | CLE | MIN | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1903-06-27 | CLE | MIN | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1903-06-26 | CLE | MIN | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1903-06-25 | CLE | MIN | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 14 | 0 | 25 | 42 | 5 | 2 |
| 3B | 425 | 0 | 625 | 1006 | 144 | 65 |
| OF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SS | 381 | 0 | 756 | 1301 | 191 | 162 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | CIN | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1890 | CIN | SS | 6 | 0 | 8 | 25 | 4 | 4 |
| 1891 | CN3 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1895 | PIT | 3B | 107 | 0 | 138 | 257 | 50 | 16 |
| 1896 | LS3 | 3B | 121 | 0 | 188 | 281 | 38 | 21 |
| 1897 | LS3 | 3B | 115 | 0 | 178 | 273 | 25 | 16 |
| 1898 | LS3 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898 | LS3 | 3B | 79 | 0 | 119 | 191 | 29 | 12 |
| 1898 | LS3 | OF | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898 | LS3 | SS | 74 | 0 | 169 | 259 | 41 | 34 |
| 1899 | LS3 | SS | 110 | 0 | 195 | 385 | 55 | 44 |
| 1900 | CHN | SS | 47 | 0 | 81 | 150 | 34 | 19 |
| 1901 | WS1 | SS | 137 | 0 | 290 | 462 | 55 | 56 |
| 1903 | CLE | 2B | 11 | 0 | 24 | 31 | 4 | 2 |
| 1903 | CLE | 3B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 1903 | CLE | SS | 7 | 0 | 13 | 20 | 2 | 5 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 14 |
| Third Base | 425 |
| Shortstop | 381 |
| Center Field | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Billy Clingman (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Billy Clingman: the record in brief
According to the bio, Billy Clingman debuted on September 9, 1890 and played a final game on July 16, 1903. The season rows list, in order, the Cincinnati Reds (1890), the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers (1891), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1895), the Louisville Colonels (1896 to 1899), the Chicago Orphans (1900), the Washington Senators (1901), and the Cleveland Naps (1903). Born on November 21, 1869, in Cincinnati, OH, USA, Clingman is listed as a third baseman and switch-hit and threw right-handed. Clingman's listed size is 5-foot-11 and 150 pounds. Clingman died on May 14, 1958, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. The given name on file is William Frederick Clingman.
Clingman finished with 700 hits from 2,854 at bats in 820 games, which works out to .245, along with 8 homers, 302 runs batted in, and 98 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .323 and the slugging percentage .306, for an OPS of .629. Over the seasons Clingman played, league hitters batted .273; the .245 career figure is 10.2% below that. By OPS the gap is 10.2% below league average (.629 against .701). The hits column peaks at 138, in 1898.
Frequently Asked Questions about Billy Clingman
- What years did Billy Clingman play?
- Billy Clingman played in Major League Baseball from 1890 to 1903.
- Was Billy Clingman a pitcher?
- No. Billy Clingman was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Billy Clingman hit?
- Billy Clingman hit 8 career home runs with 700 hits.
- What was Billy Clingman's career batting average?
- Billy Clingman batted .245 over his career, with 700 hits in 2,854 at bats.
- How many RBI did Billy Clingman have?
- Billy Clingman drove in 302 runs in his career.
- Is Billy Clingman in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Billy Clingman has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.