Billy Gardner
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1954-1963)
Billy Gardner was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1963 for 6 teams, including the New York Giants, a span of 10 seasons. In 1,034 career games, he hit .237 with 841 hits, 41 home runs, and 271 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 170 lb
- Died
- 1/3/2024 in Waterford, CT, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1954-04-22
- Last Game
- 1963-09-11
Full name: William Frederick Gardner
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,034 | 3,544 | 356 | 841 | 159 | 18 | 41 | 271 | 19 | 246 | 439 | .237 | .292 | .327 | .619 | -7,810 |
Career AVG .237 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 7.5% below league average.
Career OBP .292 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 10.2% below league average.
Career SLG .327 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 16.3% below league average.
Career OPS .619 vs. league average .716 across their career seasons — 13.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | NY1 | NL | 62 | 108 | 10 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 19 | .213 | .261 (-18%) | .333 (-22%) | .390 (-26%) | .723 (-24%) | -422.1 |
| 1955 | NY1 | NL | 59 | 187 | 26 | 38 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 0 | 13 | 19 | .203 | .258 (-21%) | .332 (-21%) | .393 (-20%) | .726 (-21%) | -651.6 |
| 1956 | BAL | AL | 144 | 515 | 53 | 119 | 16 | 2 | 11 | 50 | 5 | 29 | 53 | .231 | .258 (-11%) | .331 (-15%) | .397 (-16%) | .728 (-16%) | -1322.7 |
| 1957 | BAL | AL | 154 | 644 | 79 | 169 | 36 | 3 | 6 | 55 | 10 | 53 | 67 | .262 | .257 (+2%) | .323 (avg) | .391 (-9%) | .715 (-5%) | -424.3 |
| 1958 | BAL | AL | 151 | 560 | 32 | 126 | 28 | 2 | 3 | 33 | 2 | 34 | 53 | .225 | .257 (-13%) | .324 (-17%) | .394 (-24%) | .719 (-21%) | -1896.0 |
| 1959 | BAL | AL | 140 | 401 | 34 | 87 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 27 | 2 | 38 | 61 | .217 | .256 (-15%) | .323 (-12%) | .392 (-22%) | .715 (-18%) | -1120.6 |
| 1960 | WS1 | AL | 145 | 592 | 71 | 152 | 26 | 5 | 9 | 56 | 0 | 43 | 76 | .257 | .255 (+1%) | .323 (-3%) | .387 (-6%) | .711 (-5%) | -464.1 |
| 1961 | MIN | AL | 45 | 154 | 13 | 36 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 14 | .234 | .258 (-10%) | .328 (-15%) | .399 (-22%) | .727 (-19%) | -463.5 |
| 1961 | NYA | AL | 41 | 99 | 11 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 18 | .212 | .258 (-18%) | .328 (-15%) | .399 (-27%) | .727 (-22%) | -463.5 |
| 1962 | NYA | AL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1962 | BOS | AL | 53 | 199 | 22 | 54 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 39 | .271 | .257 (+5%) | .326 (-5%) | .393 (-14%) | .719 (-10%) | 0.0 |
| 1963 | BOS | AL | 36 | 84 | 4 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 19 | .190 | .246 (-23%) | .308 (-24%) | .371 (-36%) | .680 (-30%) | -384.1 |
| Career · 12 seasons | 1,034 | 3,544 | 356 | 841 | 159 | 18 | 41 | 271 | 19 | 246 | 439 | .237 | — | — | — | — | -7,613 | ||
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 (1034 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 521 | 1733 | 192 | 403 | 15 | 139 | .233 |
| Away | 513 | 1810 | 164 | 438 | 26 | 132 | .242 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-09-11 | BOS | LAA | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-10 | BOS | LAA | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963-09-09 | BOS | LAA | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1963-09-08 | BOS | BAL | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1963-09-07 | BOS | BAL | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-06 | BOS | BAL | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-05 | BOS | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-04 | BOS | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-09-03 | BOS | BAL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1963-08-30 | BOS | TEX | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 839 | 805 | 1923 | 2173 | 91 | 559 |
| 3B | 92 | 57 | 63 | 159 | 10 | 10 |
| SS | 108 | 54 | 125 | 236 | 16 | 40 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | NY1 | 2B | 13 | 5 | 17 | 17 | 1 | 1 |
| 1954 | NY1 | 3B | 30 | 21 | 18 | 56 | 1 | 2 |
| 1954 | NY1 | SS | 5 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| 1955 | NY1 | 2B | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1955 | NY1 | 3B | 10 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| 1955 | NY1 | SS | 38 | 36 | 65 | 122 | 12 | 28 |
| 1956 | BAL | 2B | 132 | 126 | 274 | 331 | 16 | 76 |
| 1956 | BAL | 3B | 6 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1956 | BAL | SS | 25 | 8 | 24 | 46 | 2 | 1 |
| 1957 | BAL | 2B | 148 | 148 | 393 | 424 | 11 | 96 |
| 1957 | BAL | SS | 9 | 6 | 13 | 26 | 1 | 7 |
| 1958 | BAL | 2B | 151 | 150 | 349 | 350 | 11 | 113 |
| 1958 | BAL | SS | 13 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | BAL | 2B | 139 | 129 | 333 | 392 | 18 | 104 |
| 1959 | BAL | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | BAL | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | WS1 | 2B | 145 | 145 | 355 | 407 | 21 | 101 |
| 1960 | WS1 | SS | 13 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
| 1961 | MIN | 2B | 41 | 41 | 86 | 96 | 5 | 32 |
| 1961 | MIN | 3B | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1961 | NYA | 2B | 6 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| 1961 | NYA | 3B | 33 | 22 | 26 | 54 | 4 | 6 |
| 1962 | NYA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | NYA | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1962 | BOS | 2B | 38 | 38 | 66 | 91 | 6 | 21 |
| 1962 | BOS | 3B | 7 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 1 |
| 1962 | BOS | SS | 4 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
| 1963 | BOS | 2B | 21 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 1 | 13 |
| 1963 | BOS | 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 840 |
| Third Base | 91 |
| Shortstop | 109 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 12th | 22.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Billy Gardner (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Billy Gardner
- What years did Billy Gardner play?
- Billy Gardner played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1963.
- Was Billy Gardner a pitcher?
- No. Billy Gardner was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Billy Gardner hit?
- Billy Gardner hit 41 career home runs with 841 hits.
- What was Billy Gardner's career batting average?
- Billy Gardner batted .237 over his career, with 841 hits in 3,544 at bats.
- How many RBI did Billy Gardner have?
- Billy Gardner drove in 271 runs in his career.
- Is Billy Gardner in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Billy Gardner has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.