Bill DeLancey
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1932-1940)
Bill DeLancey was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1940 for the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 9 seasons. In 219 career games, he hit .289 with 173 hits, 19 home runs, and 85 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,114.
- 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 185 lb
- Died
- 11/28/1946 in Phoenix, AZ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1932-09-11
- Last Game
- 1940-09-08
Full name: William Pinkney DeLancey
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 219 | 598 | 79 | 173 | 32 | 10 | 19 | 85 | 1 | 85 | 74 | .289 | .380 | .472 | .851 | 2,114 |
Career AVG .289 vs. league average .275 across their career seasons — +5.2% above league average.
Career OBP .380 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — +12.2% above league average.
Career SLG .472 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — +20.0% above league average.
Career OPS .851 vs. league average .731 across their career seasons — +16.4% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | SLN | NL | 8 | 26 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .192 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1934 | SLN | NL | 93 | 253 | 41 | 80 | 18 | 3 | 13 | 40 | 1 | 41 | 37 | .316 | .278 (+14%) | .340 (+22%) | .392 (+44%) | .733 (+33%) | 1681.0 |
| 1935 | SLN | NL | 103 | 301 | 37 | 84 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 0 | 42 | 34 | .279 | .279 (avg) | .342 (+8%) | .399 (+5%) | .742 (+6%) | 432.7 |
| 1940 | SLN | NL | 15 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .222 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 219 | 598 | 79 | 173 | 32 | 10 | 19 | 85 | 1 | 85 | 74 | .289 | — | — | — | — | 2,114 | ||
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 (219 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 115 | 291 | 45 | 84 | 10 | 47 | .289 |
| Away | 104 | 307 | 34 | 89 | 9 | 37 | .290 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940-09-08 | STL | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-08-18 | STL | CIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-08-07 | STL | PIT | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1940-07-28 | STL | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-07-26 | STL | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-07-13 | STL | NY1 | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-07-06 | STL | PIT | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1940-06-30 | STL | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-06-23 | STL | BSN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-06-02 | STL | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 180 |
Bill DeLancey: the record in brief
September 11, 1932 and September 8, 1940 bracket Bill DeLancey's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. DeLancey spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the St. Louis Cardinals. DeLancey, a catcher by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. DeLancey is listed at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. DeLancey was born on November 28, 1911, in Greensboro, NC, USA. The bio records the death on November 28, 1946, in Phoenix, AZ, USA. The given name on file is William Pinkney DeLancey.
In 219 games and 598 at bats, DeLancey batted .289 with 173 hits; the totals also include 19 home runs and 85 RBI. Reaching base at a .380 clip and slugging .472, DeLancey finished with a .851 OPS. DeLancey's .289 average ran 5.2% above the .275 that the league posted over the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .851 to a league .731, 16.4% above average. The single-season home run high is 13, set in 1934. 1935 produced DeLancey's most hits, 84 of them for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill DeLancey
- What years did Bill DeLancey play?
- Bill DeLancey played in Major League Baseball from 1932 to 1940.
- Was Bill DeLancey a pitcher?
- No. Bill DeLancey was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Bill DeLancey hit?
- Bill DeLancey hit 19 career home runs with 173 hits.
- What teams did Bill DeLancey play for?
- Bill DeLancey played for one team, the St. Louis Cardinals (1932, 1934–1935, 1940).
- What were Bill DeLancey's career stats?
- In 219 games, Bill DeLancey had 173 hits, 19 home runs, 85 RBI, 79 runs, and 1 stolen bases, with a .289 batting average.
- What position did Bill DeLancey play?
- Bill DeLancey played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bill DeLancey and how much did he weigh?
- Bill DeLancey was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 185 pounds.
- How many home runs did Bill DeLancey hit each season?
- Bill DeLancey's home runs by season: 0 in 1932, 13 in 1934, 6 in 1935, and 0 in 1940. His most in one season was 13, in 1934.
- What was Bill DeLancey's career batting average?
- Bill DeLancey batted .289 over his career, with 173 hits in 598 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill DeLancey have?
- Bill DeLancey drove in 85 runs in his career.
- Is Bill DeLancey in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill DeLancey has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.