Bill Dahlen
Born: 1/5/1870 in Nelliston, NY, USA
Died: 12/5/1950 in Brooklyn, NY, USA
MLB Debut: 1891-04-22 | Final Game: 1911-10-12
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 180 lbs
Full name: William Frederick Dahlen
Biography
Bill Dahlen, born in 1870, was a prominent position player whose career spanned from 1891 until 1911. Over the course of 2,444 games, Dahlen established himself as a formidable offensive force, accumulating 2,461 hits and 1,234 RBIs, alongside 84 home runs, while maintaining a batting average of .272. His prowess on the base paths was equally impressive, as he recorded 548 stolen bases, a testament to his speed and agility during an era when such skills were vital to a team's success.
Dahlen's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, witnessing the game's evolution from the deadball era into the early stages of modern baseball. He was known for his versatility, playing multiple infield positions with finesse, and he earned the nickname "Bad Bill" for both his competitive spirit and occasional confrontational demeanor on the field. His contributions to the game and longevity in a demanding era solidified his place in baseball history, and he remains a figure of interest for those studying the development of early 20th-century baseball.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2444 | 9036 | 1590 | 2461 | 413 | 163 | 84 | 1234 | 548 | 1064 | 759 | 0.272 | 0.358 | 0.382 | 0.740 | 17170.4 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891 | CHC | NL | 135 | 549 | 114 | 143 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 76 | 21 | 67 | 60 | 0.260 | 1003.9 |
| 1892 | CHC | NL | 143 | 581 | 114 | 170 | 23 | 19 | 5 | 58 | 60 | 45 | 56 | 0.293 | 1928.9 |
| 1893 | CHC | NL | 116 | 485 | 113 | 146 | 28 | 15 | 5 | 64 | 31 | 58 | 30 | 0.301 | 1233.2 |
| 1894 | CHC | NL | 122 | 507 | 150 | 182 | 32 | 14 | 15 | 108 | 43 | 76 | 33 | 0.359 | 2859.0 |
| 1895 | CHC | NL | 129 | 516 | 106 | 131 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 62 | 38 | 61 | 51 | 0.254 | -635.2 |
| 1896 | CHC | NL | 125 | 474 | 137 | 167 | 30 | 19 | 9 | 74 | 51 | 64 | 36 | 0.352 | 3355.9 |
| 1897 | CHC | NL | 75 | 276 | 67 | 80 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 40 | 15 | 43 | 25 | 0.290 | 1036.8 |
| 1898 | CHC | NL | 142 | 521 | 96 | 151 | 35 | 8 | 1 | 79 | 27 | 58 | 41 | 0.290 | 1716.0 |
| 1899 | BRO | NL | 121 | 428 | 87 | 121 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 76 | 29 | 67 | 23 | 0.283 | 1310.4 |
| 1900 | BRO | NL | 133 | 483 | 87 | 125 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 69 | 31 | 73 | 27 | 0.259 | 274.5 |
| 1901 | BRO | NL | 131 | 511 | 69 | 136 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 82 | 23 | 30 | 43 | 0.266 | -275.9 |
| 1902 | BRO | NL | 138 | 527 | 67 | 139 | 25 | 8 | 2 | 74 | 20 | 43 | 43 | 0.264 | 277.0 |
| 1903 | BRO | NL | 138 | 474 | 71 | 124 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 64 | 34 | 82 | 50 | 0.262 | 1095.5 |
| 1904 | NY1 | NL | 145 | 523 | 70 | 140 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 80 | 47 | 44 | 47 | 0.268 | 684.4 |
| 1905 | NY1 | NL | 148 | 520 | 67 | 126 | 20 | 4 | 7 | 81 | 37 | 62 | 43 | 0.242 | 912.1 |
| 1906 | NY1 | NL | 143 | 471 | 63 | 113 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 49 | 16 | 76 | 48 | 0.240 | 939.1 |
| 1907 | NY1 | NL | 143 | 464 | 40 | 96 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 11 | 51 | 34 | 0.207 | -779.4 |
| 1908 | BSN | NL | 144 | 524 | 50 | 125 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 48 | 10 | 35 | 45 | 0.239 | 46.2 |
| 1909 | BSN | NL | 69 | 197 | 22 | 46 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 4 | 29 | 21 | 0.234 | 187.9 |
| 1910 | BRO | NL | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
| 1911 | BRO | NL | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.000 | 0.0 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0.000 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | WS | NY1 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0.000 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 19 | 6 | 47 | 44 | 8 | 2 |
| 3B | 223 | 2 | 355 | 580 | 89 | 42 |
| OF | 58 | 0 | 101 | 9 | 8 | 5 |
| SS | 2133 | 769 | 4856 | 7505 | 975 | 881 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891 | CHN | 3B | 84 | 0 | 120 | 211 | 42 | 13 |
| 1891 | CHN | SS | 15 | 0 | 28 | 46 | 16 | 4 |
| 1891 | CHN | OF | 37 | 0 | 69 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
| 1892 | CHN | 2B | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1892 | CHN | 3B | 68 | 0 | 113 | 189 | 19 | 14 |
| 1892 | CHN | SS | 72 | 0 | 178 | 232 | 41 | 29 |
| 1892 | CHN | OF | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1893 | CHN | 2B | 10 | 0 | 27 | 24 | 4 | 1 |
| 1893 | CHN | 3B | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 1893 | CHN | SS | 88 | 0 | 229 | 306 | 65 | 33 |
| 1893 | CHN | OF | 17 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1894 | CHN | 3B | 55 | 0 | 96 | 129 | 25 | 10 |
| 1894 | CHN | SS | 67 | 0 | 192 | 258 | 50 | 43 |
| 1895 | CHN | SS | 129 | 0 | 281 | 527 | 86 | 70 |
| 1895 | CHN | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1896 | CHN | SS | 125 | 0 | 310 | 456 | 71 | 66 |
| 1897 | CHN | SS | 75 | 0 | 215 | 291 | 38 | 48 |
| 1898 | CHN | SS | 142 | 0 | 369 | 511 | 76 | 77 |
| 1899 | BRO | 3B | 11 | 0 | 19 | 41 | 2 | 5 |
| 1899 | BRO | SS | 110 | 0 | 256 | 377 | 40 | 48 |
| 1900 | BRO | SS | 133 | 0 | 321 | 517 | 55 | 59 |
| 1901 | BRO | 2B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1901 | BRO | SS | 129 | 0 | 301 | 450 | 57 | 49 |
| 1902 | BRO | SS | 138 | 0 | 278 | 440 | 66 | 34 |
| 1903 | BRO | SS | 138 | 0 | 296 | 477 | 42 | 48 |
| 1904 | NY1 | SS | 145 | 145 | 316 | 494 | 61 | 61 |
| 1905 | NY1 | SS | 147 | 147 | 313 | 501 | 45 | 58 |
| 1905 | NY1 | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1906 | NY1 | SS | 143 | 143 | 287 | 454 | 49 | 36 |
| 1907 | NY1 | SS | 143 | 143 | 292 | 426 | 45 | 39 |
| 1908 | BSN | SS | 144 | 143 | 291 | 553 | 43 | 58 |
| 1909 | BSN | 2B | 6 | 6 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 1 |
| 1909 | BSN | 3B | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1909 | BSN | SS | 49 | 48 | 101 | 184 | 29 | 20 |
| 1911 | BRO | SS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 19 |
| Third Base | 223 |
| Shortstop | 2134 |
| Left Field | 36 |
| Center Field | 11 |
| Right Field | 11 |