Will Foley
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1875-1884)
Will Foley was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1875 to 1884 for 5 teams, including the Chicago White Stockings, a span of 10 seasons. In 253 career games, he hit .228 with 224 hits and 76 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
- Position
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 150 lb
- Died
- 11/12/1916 in Chicago, IL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1875-08-23
- Last Game
- 1884-05-22
Full name: William Brown Foley
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 253 | 982 | 112 | 224 | 23 | 10 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 20 | 62 | .228 | .244 | .272 | .515 | -1,805 |
Career AVG .228 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — 9.5% below league average.
Career OBP .244 vs. league average .278 across their career seasons — 12.3% below league average.
Career SLG .272 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — 16.6% below league average.
Career OPS .515 vs. league average .604 across their career seasons — 14.6% below 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 | CH2 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | |
| 1876 | CN1 | NL | 58 | 221 | 19 | 50 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 14 | .226 | .265 (-15%) | .277 (-18%) | .320 (-20%) | .598 (-19%) | -556.1 |
| 1877 | CN1 | NL | 56 | 216 | 23 | 41 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 13 | .190 | .271 (-30%) | .289 (-29%) | .337 (-34%) | .626 (-32%) | -933.8 |
| 1878 | ML2 | NL | 56 | 229 | 33 | 62 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 7 | 14 | .271 | .259 (+4%) | .278 (+5%) | .319 (+9%) | .597 (+7%) | 228.2 |
| 1879 | CN1 | NL | 56 | 218 | 22 | 46 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .211 | .255 (-17%) | .270 (-19%) | .328 (-26%) | .599 (-23%) | -642.4 |
| 1881 | DTN | NL | 5 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1884 | CHU | UA | 19 | 71 | 15 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .282 | .243 (+16%) | .278 (+18%) | .327 (-1%) | .606 (+8%) | 99.1 |
| Career · 7 seasons | 253 | 982 | 112 | 224 | 23 | 10 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 20 | 62 | .228 | — | — | — | — | -1,805 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| 3B | 211 | 0 | 302 | 409 | 159 | 35 |
| C | 27 | 0 | 103 | 26 | 25 | 1 |
| OF | 25 | 0 | 38 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1875 | CH2 | 3B | 3 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| 1876 | CN1 | 3B | 46 | 0 | 67 | 101 | 41 | 4 |
| 1876 | CN1 | C | 20 | 0 | 70 | 10 | 22 | 1 |
| 1877 | CN1 | 3B | 56 | 0 | 94 | 130 | 44 | 9 |
| 1878 | ML2 | 3B | 53 | 0 | 68 | 87 | 36 | 8 |
| 1878 | ML2 | C | 7 | 0 | 33 | 16 | 3 | 0 |
| 1879 | CN1 | 2B | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| 1879 | CN1 | 3B | 29 | 0 | 46 | 54 | 22 | 8 |
| 1879 | CN1 | OF | 25 | 0 | 38 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
| 1881 | DTN | 3B | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| 1884 | CHU | 3B | 19 | 0 | 18 | 23 | 10 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 27 |
| Second Base | 3 |
| Third Base | 211 |
| Right Field | 25 |
Will Foley: the record in brief
Between the debut on August 23, 1875 and the final game on May 22, 1884, Will Foley built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Chicago White Stockings (1875), the Cincinnati Reds (1876 through 1879), the Milwaukee Grays (1878), the Detroit Wolverines (1881), and the Chicago/Pittsburgh (Union League) (1884). Born on November 15, 1855, in Chicago, IL, USA, Foley is listed as a third baseman and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds. The bio records the death on November 12, 1916, in Chicago, IL, USA. The given name on file is William Brown Foley.
Foley finished with 224 hits from 982 at bats in 253 games, which works out to .228, adding 76 RBI. Foley's career OPS of .515 combines a .244 on-base mark with .272 slugging. Over the seasons Foley played, league hitters batted .252; the .228 career figure is 9.5% below that. By OPS the gap is 14.6% below league average (.515 against .604). 1878 produced Foley's most hits, 62 of them for the Milwaukee Grays. The RBI column peaks at 25 in 1879.
Frequently Asked Questions about Will Foley
- What years did Will Foley play?
- Will Foley played in Major League Baseball from 1875 to 1884.
- Was Will Foley a pitcher?
- No. Will Foley was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Will Foley hit?
- Will Foley hit 0 career home runs with 224 hits.
- What was Will Foley's career batting average?
- Will Foley batted .228 over his career, with 224 hits in 982 at bats.
- How many RBI did Will Foley have?
- Will Foley drove in 76 runs in his career.
- Is Will Foley in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Will Foley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.