Bill Coughlin

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1899-1908)

Bill Coughlin was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1908 for the Washington Nationals, the Washington Senators, and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 10 seasons. In 1,049 career games, he hit .252 with 972 hits, 15 home runs, and 380 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

AVG .252
HR 15
RBI 380
H 972
OPS .617
PIV -1,563
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 140 lb
Born
7/12/1878 in Scranton, PA, USA
Died
5/7/1943 in Scranton, PA, USA
MLB Debut
1899-08-09
Last Game
1908-09-23

Full name: William Paul Coughlin

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Career Batting Statistics

Bill Coughlin — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,049 3,854 481 972 133 39 15 380 159 203 400 .252 .299 .319 .617 -1,563

Career AVG .252 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .299 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .319 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .617 vs. league average .644 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Coughlin 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
1899 WAS NL 6 24 2 3 0 1 0 3 1 1 2 .125 — — — — 0.0
1901 WS1 AL 137 506 75 139 17 13 6 68 16 25 43 .275 .271 (+1%) .326 (-3%) .359 (+10%) .686 (+4%) 222.4
1902 WS1 AL 123 469 84 141 27 4 6 71 29 26 27 .301 .266 (+13%) .321 (+8%) .343 (+20%) .665 (+14%) 1211.1
1903 WS1 AL 125 473 56 116 18 3 1 31 30 9 58 .245 .261 (-6%) .316 (-16%) .345 (-13%) .662 (-14%) -1049.0
1904 WS1 AL 65 265 28 73 15 4 0 17 10 9 27 .275 .246 (+12%) .300 (+2%) .321 (+13%) .622 (+8%) 240.2
1904 DET AL 56 206 22 47 6 0 0 17 1 5 26 .228 .246 (-8%) .300 (-15%) .321 (-20%) .622 (-17%) 240.2
1905 DET AL 137 489 48 123 20 6 0 44 16 34 58 .252 .248 (+1%) .307 (+1%) .322 (-2%) .629 (-1%) -28.9
1906 DET AL 147 498 54 117 15 5 2 60 31 36 45 .235 .247 (-5%) .307 (-5%) .315 (-6%) .622 (-5%) -360.6
1907 DET AL 134 519 80 126 10 2 0 46 15 35 67 .243 .245 (-1%) .304 (-1%) .308 (-13%) .613 (-7%) -418.9
1908 DET AL 119 405 32 87 5 1 0 23 10 23 47 .215 .240 (-11%) .298 (-10%) .306 (-24%) .605 (-17%) -880.3
Career · 10 seasons 1,049 3,854 481 972 133 39 15 380 159 203 400 .252 — — — — -824

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 Coughlin — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
8 28 0 6 0 0 0 1 1 5 .214

Playoff Batting by Year

Bill Coughlin — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1908 WS DET 3 8 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .125
1907 WS DET 5 20 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 .250

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1051 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Coughlin — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home52619212395147206.268
Away52519342394588175.237

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Coughlin — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1908-09-23 DETBOSL 301000001
1908-09-22 DETBOSL 300000001
1908-09-14 DETSLAL 300000001
1908-09-13 DETSLAL 000000000
1908-09-09 DETCHWW 200000000
1908-09-08 DETCHWL 401000001
1908-09-07 DETSLAW 210000000
1908-09-07 DETSLAW 301000000
1908-09-06 DETSLAW 411000010
1908-09-05 DETSLAL 401000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Coughlin — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 28 0 72 74 7 8
3B 983 652 1269 1859 231 93
SS 35 0 87 128 17 8

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Coughlin — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1899 WAS 3B 6 0 7 11 4 0
1901 WS1 3B 137 0 232 275 43 16
1902 WS1 2B 26 0 67 73 7 8
1902 WS1 3B 66 0 104 157 21 6
1902 WS1 SS 31 0 75 114 15 7
1903 WS1 2B 2 0 5 1 0 0
1903 WS1 3B 119 0 170 224 20 13
1903 WS1 SS 4 0 12 14 2 1
1904 WS1 3B 64 63 95 121 14 7
1904 DET 3B 56 56 53 104 12 2
1905 DET 3B 136 136 137 255 37 12
1906 DET 3B 147 147 188 265 29 16
1907 DET 3B 133 131 163 233 30 9
1908 DET 3B 119 119 120 214 21 12

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Coughlin Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 28
Third Base 984
Shortstop 35

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bill Coughlin (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Tom Jones
    .251 avg, 4 HR
  2. 92
    Cesar Izturis
    .254 avg, 17 HR
  3. 92
    Johnny Rawlings
    .250 avg, 14 HR
  4. 90
    George Moriarty
    .251 avg, 5 HR
  5. 87
    James Casey
    .258 avg, 9 HR
  6. 86
    Eddie Grant
    .249 avg, 5 HR

Bill Coughlin: the record in brief

August 9, 1899 and September 23, 1908 bracket Bill Coughlin's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Washington Senators (1899 to 1904) and the Detroit Tigers (1904 to 1908). Listed as a third baseman, Coughlin both batted and threw right-handed. Coughlin is listed at 5-foot-9 and 140 pounds. The birth record reads July 12, 1878, in Scranton, PA, USA. Coughlin died on May 7, 1943, in Scranton, PA, USA. Bill Coughlin was the playing name; the full given name is William Paul.

The batting record for Coughlin: 1,049 games, 972 hits in 3,854 at bats, and a .252 average, adding 15 home runs, 380 runs batted in, and 159 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .299 and .319 give Coughlin a career OPS of .617. Against a .256 league average for those years, Coughlin's .252 average was near the norm. No season topped the 141 hits of 1902. Coughlin drove in a season-high 71 runs in 1902. On the bases, the high point was 31 steals in 1906.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Coughlin

What years did Bill Coughlin play?
Bill Coughlin played in Major League Baseball from 1899 to 1908.
Was Bill Coughlin a pitcher?
No. Bill Coughlin was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Bill Coughlin hit?
Bill Coughlin hit 15 career home runs with 972 hits.
What teams did Bill Coughlin play for?
Bill Coughlin played for 3 teams: the Washington Senators (1899), the Washington Senators (1901–1904), and the Detroit Tigers (1904–1908).
What were Bill Coughlin's career stats?
In 1,049 games, Bill Coughlin had 972 hits, 15 home runs, 380 RBI, 481 runs, and 159 stolen bases, with a .252 batting average.
What position did Bill Coughlin play?
Bill Coughlin played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Coughlin and how much did he weigh?
Bill Coughlin was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 140 pounds.
How many home runs did Bill Coughlin hit each season?
Bill Coughlin's home runs by season: 0 in 1899, 6 in 1901, 6 in 1902, 1 in 1903, 0 in 1904, 0 in 1905, 2 in 1906, 0 in 1907, and 0 in 1908. His most in one season was 6, in 1901 and 1902.
What was Bill Coughlin's career batting average?
Bill Coughlin batted .252 over his career, with 972 hits in 3,854 at bats.
How many RBI did Bill Coughlin have?
Bill Coughlin drove in 380 runs in his career.
Is Bill Coughlin in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Coughlin has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.