Bill Francis

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Bill Francis was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball for 7 teams, including the Philadelphia Giants. In 620 career games, he hit .213 with 449 hits, 8 home runs, and 205 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.

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 .213
HR 8
RBI 205
H 449
OPS .585
PIV -3,275
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'5" / 140 lb
Born
2/28/1879 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Died
1/26/1942 in Chicago, IL, USA

Full name: William Henry Francis

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Bill Francis — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
100.0 85.0 6.0 12.0 0 1.0 0 1.0 5.0 4.0 2.0 .141 .198 .165 .363

Career Batting Statistics

Bill Francis — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
620 2,107 312 449 61 18 8 205 55 278 2 .213 .314 .271 .585 -3,275

Career AVG .213 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — 19.1% below league average.

Career OBP .314 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .271 vs. league average .352 across their career seasons — 23.1% below league average.

Career OPS .585 vs. league average .678 across their career seasons — 13.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Francis Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1906 PG EAS 16 57 5 7 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 .123 .247 (-50%) .307 (-41%) .315 (-61%) .622 (-51%) -400.2
1907 PG NAC 6 18 2 3 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 .167 — — — — 0.0
1908 PG NAC 30 102 15 23 1 0 0 10 4 13 0 .225 .240 (-6%) .298 (+7%) .306 (-23%) .605 (-8%) -52.9
1909 PG INT 18 73 10 17 1 2 1 9 1 3 0 .233 .244 (-5%) .306 (-5%) .312 (+10%) .618 (+2%) 12.8
1910 PG EAS 19 76 11 10 2 2 0 4 3 7 0 .132 .249 (-47%) .317 (-33%) .326 (-36%) .644 (-34%) -387.4
1911 NLG EAS 15 56 13 16 5 1 0 9 5 9 0 .286 .266 (+7%) .336 (+20%) .356 (+15%) .693 (+17%) 185.8
1912 NLG EAS 21 82 13 24 2 0 0 8 4 4 0 .293 .268 (+9%) .335 (+2%) .358 (-12%) .694 (-5%) -51.8
1913 NLG EAS 16 55 5 9 0 1 0 1 1 3 0 .164 .259 (-37%) .325 (-36%) .345 (-42%) .670 (-39%) -330.4
1914 CAG WES 45 148 30 43 6 1 0 18 0 15 0 .291 .255 (+14%) .322 (+12%) .339 (+2%) .661 (+6%) 190.5
1915 CAG WES 56 195 32 40 6 0 1 17 1 25 0 .205 .250 (-18%) .318 (-5%) .332 (-24%) .651 (-15%) -358.8
1916 CAG WES 62 199 27 42 10 0 0 22 1 31 0 .211 .248 (-15%) .314 (+5%) .326 (-20%) .640 (-8%) -101.1
1917 CAG WES 57 174 21 35 7 2 0 15 5 26 0 .201 .248 (-19%) .312 (+4%) .323 (-18%) .635 (-7%) -73.8
1918 CAG WES 25 87 10 21 4 0 0 13 1 13 0 .241 .255 (-5%) .318 (+7%) .326 (-12%) .645 (-3%) 5.4
1919 CAG WES 41 137 18 24 4 2 0 14 7 22 0 .175 .262 (-33%) .322 (-4%) .347 (-33%) .670 (-19%) -301.4
1919 DS WES 5 14 1 4 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 .286 — — — — -301.4
1920 HIL EAS 19 69 2 11 1 0 0 6 0 7 0 .159 .271 (-41%) .331 (-29%) .363 (-52%) .694 (-41%) -422.8
1921 HIL EAS 44 158 36 49 6 5 5 31 10 26 0 .310 .286 (+8%) .344 (+19%) .395 (+28%) .739 (+24%) 722.9
1922 HIL IND 36 123 18 21 3 0 1 8 3 15 1 .171 .285 (-40%) .345 (-22%) .397 (-45%) .743 (-34%) -656.1
1923 ACB ECL 53 173 30 26 2 0 0 6 1 35 1 .150 .282 (-47%) .344 (-14%) .390 (-59%) .734 (-38%) -953.3
1924 CBN NNL 11 40 5 9 0 1 0 3 2 6 0 .225 — — — — 0.0
1925 CAG NNL 25 71 8 15 1 0 0 7 1 11 0 .211 .288 (-27%) .349 (-9%) .407 (-45%) .756 (-28%) -302.0
Career · 21 seasons 620 2,107 312 449 61 18 8 205 55 278 2 .213 — — — — -3,576

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

Bill Francis — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 6 0 6 9 2 0
3B 588 236 688 1145 110 68
SS 31 22 48 88 11 4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Francis — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1906 PG 3B 16 16 23 26 8 2
1907 PG 3B 6 6 5 12 2 1
1908 PG 3B 30 30 37 73 13 4
1909 PG 3B 18 0 17 50 8 0
1910 PG 2B 1 0 3 2 1 0
1910 PG 3B 17 0 28 42 6 3
1910 PG SS 1 0 0 2 0 0
1911 NLG 3B 15 0 14 23 5 4
1912 NLG 3B 21 0 19 31 1 0
1913 NLG 3B 16 0 21 27 0 1
1914 CAG 3B 45 0 69 90 7 6
1914 CAG SS 2 0 1 1 0 0
1915 CAG 2B 1 0 1 5 1 0
1915 CAG 3B 51 0 83 98 3 13
1915 CAG SS 6 0 11 16 5 0
1916 CAG 3B 62 0 63 119 6 12
1917 CAG 3B 57 0 69 113 6 4
1918 CAG 3B 25 0 33 41 10 4
1919 CAG 3B 41 41 55 93 6 5
1919 DS 3B 5 5 5 15 1 1
1920 HIL 3B 19 19 29 43 4 0
1921 HIL 2B 1 0 2 2 0 0
1921 HIL 3B 22 22 23 58 6 3
1921 HIL SS 22 22 36 69 6 4
1922 HIL 3B 36 34 32 71 4 3
1923 ACB 3B 53 52 53 91 12 0
1924 CBN 3B 11 11 10 29 2 2
1925 CAG 2B 3 0 0 0 0 0
1925 CAG 3B 22 0 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Francis Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 6
Third Base 588
Shortstop 31

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

  1. 98
    Steve Jeltz
    .210 avg, 5 HR
  2. 89
    Fred Stanley
    .216 avg, 10 HR
  3. 89
    Al Newman
    .226 avg, 1 HR
  4. 88
    John Sullivan
    .230 avg, 1 HR
  5. 85
    Billy Consolo
    .221 avg, 9 HR
  6. 84
    Dick Seay
    .217 avg, 12 HR

Bill Francis: the record in brief

Bill Francis's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1906 to 1925. The season rows list, in order, the Philadelphia Giants (1906 through 1910), the New York Lincoln Giants (1911 to 1913), the Chicago American Giants (1914 to 1925), the Detroit Stars (1919), the Hilldale Club (1920 through 1922), the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1923), and the Cleveland Browns (1924). Francis played primarily as a third baseman and threw and hit right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on February 28, 1879, in Philadelphia, PA, USA and a listed size of 5'5" and 140 pounds. Francis died on January 26, 1942, in Chicago, IL, USA. On the record, Bill Francis was born William Henry Francis.

The batting record for Francis: 620 games, 449 hits in 2,107 at bats, and a .213 average, plus 8 home runs, 205 RBI, and 55 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .314 clip and slugging .271, Francis finished with a .585 OPS. Francis's .213 average ran 19.1% below the .264 that the league posted over the same seasons. The hits column peaks at 49, in 1921.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Francis

Was Bill Francis a pitcher?
No. Bill Francis was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Bill Francis hit?
Bill Francis hit 8 career home runs with 449 hits.
What teams did Bill Francis play for?
Bill Francis played for 7 teams: the Philadelphia Giants (1906–1910), the New York Lincoln Giants (1911–1913), the Chicago American Giants (1914–1919, 1925), the Detroit Stars (1919), the Hilldale Club (1920–1922), the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1923), and the Cleveland Browns (1924).
What were Bill Francis's career stats?
In 620 games, Bill Francis had 449 hits, 8 home runs, 205 RBI, 312 runs, and 55 stolen bases, with a .213 batting average.
What position did Bill Francis play?
Bill Francis played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Francis and how much did he weigh?
Bill Francis was listed at 5 feet 5 inches and 140 pounds.
How many home runs did Bill Francis hit each season?
Bill Francis's home runs by season: 0 in 1906, 0 in 1907, 0 in 1908, 1 in 1909, 0 in 1910, 0 in 1911, 0 in 1912, 0 in 1913, 0 in 1914, 1 in 1915, 0 in 1916, 0 in 1917, 0 in 1918, 0 in 1919, 0 in 1920, 5 in 1921, 1 in 1922, 0 in 1923, 0 in 1924, and 0 in 1925. His most in one season was 5, in 1921.
What was Bill Francis's career batting average?
Bill Francis batted .213 over his career, with 449 hits in 2,107 at bats.
How many RBI did Bill Francis have?
Bill Francis drove in 205 runs in his career.
Is Bill Francis in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Francis has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.