Bill Cooper

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Bill Cooper was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball for 4 teams, including the Atlanta Black Crackers. In 183 career games, he hit .277 with 159 hits, 6 home runs, and 76 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.

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 .277
HR 6
RBI 76
H 159
OPS .710
PIV -93
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 170 lb
Born
2/19/1915 in Sumter, SC, USA
Died
3/10/1985 in Philadelphia, PA, USA

Full name: William J. Cooper

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Bill Cooper — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
745.0 674.0 120.0 180.0 22.0 6.0 8.0 65.0 67.0 11.0 10.0 .267 .333 .353 .686

Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.

Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting

Bill Cooper — Negro Leagues Season-by-Season Batting
Season PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
1937 45.0 38.0 7.0 7.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 4.0 8.0 2.0 0 .184 .326 .342 .668
Listed seasons · 1 45 38 7 7 1 1 1 4 8 2 0 .184 — — —

Career Batting Statistics

Bill Cooper — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
183 573 99 159 25 3 6 76 9 59 13 .277 .347 .363 .710 -93

Career AVG .277 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — +5.4% above league average.

Career OBP .347 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .363 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .710 vs. league average .704 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Cooper Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1938 BCA NAL 29 83 23 27 4 0 0 6 3 14 6 .325 .272 (+19%) .341 (+25%) .392 (-5%) .734 (+9%) 206.0
1939 IAB NAL 3 9 2 3 1 0 0 2 0 2 1 .333 — — — — 0.0
1939 PS NN2 9 20 8 7 1 0 1 3 1 3 0 .350 — — — — 0.0
1940 PS NN2 53 166 32 44 6 2 3 24 1 17 2 .265 .267 (-1%) .335 (-1%) .387 (-2%) .722 (-1%) -34.4
1941 PS NN2 47 158 18 42 8 1 0 17 4 12 3 .266 .262 (+1%) .332 (-4%) .373 (-12%) .705 (-8%) -211.9
1941 NBY NN2 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 — — — — -211.9
1942 PS NN2 35 118 13 31 4 0 2 21 0 8 1 .263 .253 (+4%) .323 (-4%) .349 (-1%) .672 (-2%) -53.0
1943 PS NN2 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1946 NBY NN2 5 13 2 4 1 0 0 3 0 2 0 .308 — — — — 0.0
Career · 9 seasons 183 573 99 159 25 3 6 76 9 59 13 .277 — — — — -305

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Bill Cooper — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143

Playoff Batting by Year

Bill Cooper — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1939 NLP2 PS 2 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (170 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Cooper — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1193536685648.241
Away51162255016.309

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Cooper — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1946-06-18 NY5PH5L 412100300
1946-06-18 NY5PH5L 311000000
1946-06-17 NY5BLGL 100000030
1946-06-16 NY5NW2L 400000000
1946-06-08 NY5PH5L 401000000
1943-06-12 PH5NY5L 410000000
1942-09-07 PH5BLGL 200000010
1942-09-05 PH5BLGL 301000010
1942-09-03 PH5NY5L 401000000
1942-08-23 PH5HOML 400000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Cooper — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 1 5 0 2 1
2B 3 2 3 5 1 2
3B 19 16 13 27 7 2
C 133 120 576 112 22 10
OF 20 14 23 0 2 0
SS 1 1 1 4 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Cooper — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1938 BCA 1B 1 0 0 0 1 0
1938 BCA 2B 3 2 3 5 1 2
1938 BCA 3B 3 3 5 4 1 0
1938 BCA C 19 17 89 14 3 0
1938 BCA OF 1 1 1 0 0 0
1938 BCA SS 1 1 1 4 1 0
1939 IAB 1B 1 1 5 0 1 1
1939 IAB 3B 1 0 0 1 1 0
1939 IAB C 1 1 6 2 0 1
1939 PS C 4 2 14 2 0 0
1939 PS OF 3 3 4 0 1 0
1940 PS 3B 10 9 7 12 1 1
1940 PS C 36 32 143 26 7 3
1940 PS OF 5 2 2 0 1 0
1941 PS 3B 5 4 1 10 4 1
1941 PS C 34 33 136 32 4 4
1941 PS OF 9 6 12 0 0 0
1941 NBY C 1 1 7 0 1 0
1942 PS C 34 31 165 31 5 2
1943 PS C 1 1 8 3 1 0
1946 NBY C 3 2 8 2 1 0
1946 NBY OF 2 2 4 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Cooper Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 133
First Base 2
Second Base 3
Third Base 19
Shortstop 1
Left Field 10
Center Field 1
Right Field 9

Bill Cooper: the record in brief

The season rows for Bill Cooper begin in 1938. Club by club, the record runs the Atlanta Black Crackers (1938), the Indianapolis ABCs/Atlanta Black Crackers (1939), the Philadelphia Stars (1939 to 1943), and the New York Black Yankees (1941 to 1946). The bio lists Cooper as a catcher who batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Cooper is listed at 170 pounds on a 5-foot-8 frame. Cooper was born on February 19, 1915, in Sumter, SC, USA. Cooper died on March 10, 1985, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The bio lists the given name William J.

The batting record for Cooper: 183 games, 159 hits in 573 at bats, and a .277 average, adding 6 homers and 76 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .347 and .363 give Cooper a career OPS of .710. Cooper's .277 average ran 5.4% above the .263 that the league posted over the same seasons. The highest hit total in a season was 44, in 1940. In 1941, a season of regular play, Cooper hit .266 while the league hit .262. Only 1940 fell short of the league batting average among the compared seasons.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Cooper

Was Bill Cooper a pitcher?
No. Bill Cooper was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Bill Cooper hit?
Bill Cooper hit 6 career home runs with 159 hits.
What teams did Bill Cooper play for?
Bill Cooper played for 3 teams: the Indianapolis ABCs/Atlanta Black Crackers (1938–1939), the Philadelphia Stars (1939–1943), and the New York Black Yankees (1941, 1946).
What were Bill Cooper's career stats?
In 183 games, Bill Cooper had 159 hits, 6 home runs, 76 RBI, 99 runs, and 9 stolen bases, with a .277 batting average.
What position did Bill Cooper play?
Bill Cooper played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Cooper and how much did he weigh?
Bill Cooper was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 170 pounds.
How many home runs did Bill Cooper hit each season?
Bill Cooper's home runs by season: 0 in 1938, 1 in 1939, 3 in 1940, 0 in 1941, 2 in 1942, 0 in 1943, and 0 in 1946. His most in one season was 3, in 1940.
What was Bill Cooper's career batting average?
Bill Cooper batted .277 over his career, with 159 hits in 573 at bats.
How many RBI did Bill Cooper have?
Bill Cooper drove in 76 runs in his career.
Is Bill Cooper in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Cooper has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.