Billy Earle

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1889-1894)

Billy Earle was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1889 to 1894 for 5 teams, including the Cincinnati Red Stockings, a span of 6 seasons. In 142 career games, he hit .286 with 133 hits, 6 home runs, and 74 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 605.

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 .286
HR 6
RBI 74
H 133
OPS .798
PIV 605
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'10" / 170 lb
Born
11/10/1867 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Died
5/30/1946 in Omaha, NE, USA
MLB Debut
1889-04-27
Last Game
1894-09-06

Full name: William Moffat Earle

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Career Batting Statistics

Billy Earle — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
142 465 102 133 20 12 6 74 41 63 36 .286 .378 .419 .798 605

Career AVG .286 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.

Career OBP .378 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — +10.5% above league average.

Career SLG .419 vs. league average .366 across their career seasons — +14.6% above league average.

Career OPS .798 vs. league average .708 across their career seasons — +12.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Billy Earle — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1889 CN2 AA 53 169 37 45 4 7 4 31 26 30 24 .266 .263 (+1%) .334 (+16%) .357 (+24%) .691 (+20%) 636.1
1890 SL4 AA 22 73 16 17 3 1 0 12 6 7 0 .233 .260 (-11%) .336 (-6%) .351 (-14%) .687 (-10%) -107.1
1892 PIT NL 5 13 5 7 2 0 0 3 2 4 1 .538 — — — — 0.0
1893 PIT NL 27 95 21 24 4 4 2 15 1 7 6 .253 .279 (-10%) .356 (-15%) .379 (+17%) .735 (+1%) -36.9
1894 LS3 NL 21 65 10 23 1 0 0 7 2 9 3 .354 .309 (+14%) .379 (+14%) .435 (-15%) .814 (-2%) 25.0
1894 BRO NL 14 50 13 17 6 0 0 6 4 6 2 .340 .309 (+10%) .379 (+11%) .435 (+6%) .814 (+8%) 25.0
Career · 6 seasons 142 465 102 133 20 12 6 74 41 63 36 .286 — — — — 542

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

Billy Earle — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 6 0 49 3 2 1
2B 3 0 1 5 2 0
3B 2 0 0 1 1 0
C 103 0 440 125 43 7
OF 30 0 40 7 15 2
SS 1 0 2 2 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Billy Earle — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1889 CN2 1B 5 0 43 3 2 1
1889 CN2 C 23 0 119 24 21 3
1889 CN2 OF 26 0 38 7 13 2
1890 SL4 2B 1 0 1 2 0 0
1890 SL4 3B 1 0 0 0 1 0
1890 SL4 C 18 0 119 29 7 1
1890 SL4 OF 3 0 2 0 1 0
1890 SL4 SS 1 0 2 2 0 0
1892 PIT C 5 0 15 5 2 0
1893 PIT C 27 0 99 19 5 2
1894 LS3 1B 1 0 6 0 0 0
1894 LS3 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1894 LS3 3B 1 0 0 1 0 0
1894 LS3 C 18 0 52 31 4 1
1894 LS3 OF 1 0 0 0 1 0
1894 BRO 2B 1 0 0 3 2 0
1894 BRO C 12 0 36 17 4 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Billy Earle — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 103
First Base 6
Second Base 3
Third Base 2
Shortstop 1
Left Field 3
Center Field 1
Right Field 26

Billy Earle: the record in brief

Billy Earle played a first major league game on April 27, 1889 and a last one on September 6, 1894. Club by club, the record runs the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1889), the St. Louis Browns (1890), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1892 through 1893), the Louisville Colonels (1894), and the Brooklyn Grooms (1894). Born on November 10, 1867, in Philadelphia, PA, USA, Earle is listed as a catcher and threw and hit right-handed. Earle's listed size is 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. The bio records the death on May 30, 1946, in Omaha, NE, USA. Billy Earle was the playing name; the full given name is William Moffat.

In 142 games and 465 at bats, Earle batted .286 with 133 hits, adding 6 homers, 74 runs batted in, and 41 stolen bases. Earle got on base at a .378 rate and slugged .419 (.798 OPS). Earle's .286 average ran 6.3% above the .269 that the league posted over the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .798 to a league .708, 12.6% above average. Earle collected a career-high 45 hits in 1889.

Frequently Asked Questions about Billy Earle

What years did Billy Earle play?
Billy Earle played in Major League Baseball from 1889 to 1894.
Was Billy Earle a pitcher?
No. Billy Earle was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did Billy Earle hit?
Billy Earle hit 6 career home runs with 133 hits.
What was Billy Earle's career batting average?
Billy Earle batted .286 over his career, with 133 hits in 465 at bats.
How many RBI did Billy Earle have?
Billy Earle drove in 74 runs in his career.
Is Billy Earle in the Hall of Fame?
No. Billy Earle has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.