Bill Crowley
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1875-1885)
Bill Crowley was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1875 to 1885 for 6 teams, including the Philadelphia Whites, a span of 11 seasons. In 521 career games, he hit .263 with 540 hits, 8 home runs, and 225 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,873.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'7" / 159 lb
- Died
- 7/14/1891 in Gloucester, NJ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1875-04-26
- Last Game
- 1885-10-10
Full name: William Michael Crowley
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 521 | 2,057 | 263 | 540 | 83 | 22 | 8 | 225 | 0 | 102 | 178 | .263 | .297 | .336 | .633 | 1,873 |
Career AVG .263 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — +5.1% above league average.
Career OBP .297 vs. league average .280 across their career seasons — +6.1% above league average.
Career SLG .336 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .633 vs. league average .609 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | PH2 | 9 | 37 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .081 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | |
| 1877 | LS1 | NL | 61 | 238 | 30 | 67 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 13 | .282 | .271 (+4%) | .289 (+2%) | .337 (+6%) | .626 (+4%) | 124.7 |
| 1879 | BFN | NL | 60 | 261 | 41 | 75 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 6 | 14 | .287 | .255 (+12%) | .270 (+12%) | .328 (+10%) | .599 (+11%) | 416.1 |
| 1880 | BFN | NL | 85 | 354 | 57 | 95 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 19 | 23 | .268 | .244 (+10%) | .267 (+14%) | .319 (+5%) | .586 (+9%) | 588.6 |
| 1881 | BSN | NL | 72 | 279 | 33 | 71 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 14 | 15 | .254 | .260 (-2%) | .290 (avg) | .338 (-12%) | .628 (-6%) | -197.5 |
| 1883 | PH4 | AA | 23 | 96 | 16 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .250 | .257 (-3%) | .285 (-5%) | .345 (+3%) | .631 (-1%) | -26.0 |
| 1883 | CL2 | NL | 11 | 41 | 3 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7 | .293 | — | — | — | — | -26.0 |
| 1884 | BSN | NL | 108 | 407 | 50 | 110 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 61 | 0 | 33 | 74 | .270 | .243 (+11%) | .278 (+16%) | .327 (+16%) | .606 (+16%) | 1171.5 |
| 1885 | BFN | NL | 92 | 344 | 29 | 83 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 0 | 21 | 32 | .241 | .244 (-1%) | .287 (-1%) | .325 (-9%) | .613 (-5%) | -204.6 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 521 | 2,057 | 263 | 540 | 83 | 22 | 8 | 225 | 0 | 102 | 178 | .263 | — | — | — | — | 1,847 | ||
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.
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 9 | 0 | 97 | 4 | 8 | 7 |
| 2B | 4 | 0 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| 3B | 5 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| C | 34 | 0 | 115 | 32 | 24 | 0 |
| OF | 484 | 0 | 763 | 107 | 150 | 20 |
| SS | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | PH2 | 1B | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1875 | PH2 | 3B | 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 1875 | PH2 | OF | 4 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1877 | LS1 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1877 | LS1 | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1877 | LS1 | C | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1877 | LS1 | OF | 58 | 0 | 109 | 20 | 23 | 2 |
| 1877 | LS1 | SS | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1879 | BFN | 1B | 7 | 0 | 76 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| 1879 | BFN | 2B | 3 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
| 1879 | BFN | C | 10 | 0 | 34 | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| 1879 | BFN | OF | 43 | 0 | 62 | 14 | 18 | 4 |
| 1880 | BFN | C | 22 | 0 | 73 | 23 | 17 | 0 |
| 1880 | BFN | OF | 74 | 0 | 131 | 23 | 33 | 3 |
| 1881 | BSN | OF | 72 | 0 | 130 | 17 | 20 | 5 |
| 1883 | PH4 | 1B | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1883 | PH4 | OF | 22 | 0 | 31 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
| 1883 | CL2 | OF | 11 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1884 | BSN | OF | 108 | 0 | 125 | 22 | 22 | 5 |
| 1885 | BFN | OF | 92 | 0 | 152 | 8 | 23 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 34 |
| First Base | 9 |
| Second Base | 4 |
| Third Base | 5 |
| Shortstop | 2 |
| Left Field | 82 |
| Center Field | 154 |
| Right Field | 254 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bill Crowley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bill Crowley: the record in brief
According to the bio, Bill Crowley debuted on April 26, 1875 and played a final game on October 10, 1885. The team column moves through the Philadelphia Whites (1875), the Louisville Grays (1877), the Buffalo Bisons (1879 to 1885), the Boston Red Caps (1881), the Philadelphia Athletics (1883), the Cleveland Blues (1883), and the Boston Beaneaters (1884). Listed as an outfielder, Crowley both batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 159 pounds on a 5-foot-7 frame. Crowley was born on April 8, 1857, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The bio records the death on July 14, 1891, in Gloucester, NJ, USA. The given name on file is William Michael Crowley.
In 521 games and 2,057 at bats, Crowley batted .263 with 540 hits, adding 8 home runs and 225 RBI. Crowley's career OPS of .633 combines a .297 on-base mark with .336 slugging. The league as a whole hit .250 across Crowley's seasons, which puts the .263 career mark 5.1% above average. No season topped the 110 hits of 1884.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Crowley
- What years did Bill Crowley play?
- Bill Crowley played in Major League Baseball from 1875 to 1885.
- Was Bill Crowley a pitcher?
- No. Bill Crowley was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Bill Crowley hit?
- Bill Crowley hit 8 career home runs with 540 hits.
- What was Bill Crowley's career batting average?
- Bill Crowley batted .263 over his career, with 540 hits in 2,057 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Crowley have?
- Bill Crowley drove in 225 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Crowley in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Crowley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.