Bill Gleason

Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1882-1889)

Bill Gleason was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1889 for the St. Louis Browns, the Philadelphia Athletics, and the Louisville Colonels, a span of 8 seasons. In 798 career games, he hit .267 with 907 hits, 7 home runs, and 298 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,520.

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 .267
HR 7
RBI 298
H 907
OPS .640
PIV 1,520
Position
Shortstop
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
5'8" / 170 lb
Born
11/12/1858 in St. Louis, MO, USA
Died
7/21/1932 in St. Louis, MO, USA
MLB Debut
1882-05-02
Last Game
1889-06-18

Full name: William G. Gleason

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Career Batting Statistics

Bill Gleason — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
798 3,395 613 907 111 35 7 298 70 177 51 .267 .313 .327 .640 1,520

Career AVG .267 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.

Career OBP .313 vs. league average .300 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .327 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .640 vs. league average .638 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Gleason — 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
1882 SL4 AA 79 347 63 100 11 6 1 0 0 6 0 .288 .248 (+16%) .275 (+9%) .329 (+10%) .605 (+10%) 477.7
1883 SL4 AA 98 425 81 122 21 9 2 42 0 15 0 .287 .257 (+12%) .285 (+9%) .345 (+14%) .631 (+12%) 783.2
1884 SL4 AA 110 472 97 127 21 7 1 0 0 27 0 .269 .243 (+11%) .278 (+16%) .327 (+7%) .606 (+11%) 1039.8
1885 SL4 AA 112 472 79 119 9 5 3 53 0 29 0 .252 .244 (+3%) .287 (+10%) .325 (-4%) .613 (+2%) 400.7
1886 SL4 AA 125 524 97 141 18 5 0 61 19 43 0 .269 .246 (+9%) .302 (+10%) .331 (-3%) .634 (+3%) 478.1
1887 SL4 AA 135 598 135 172 19 1 0 76 23 41 23 .288 .270 (+6%) .331 (+3%) .373 (-14%) .705 (-6%) -395.3
1888 PH4 AA 123 499 55 112 10 2 0 61 27 12 27 .224 .238 (-6%) .290 (-12%) .319 (-21%) .610 (-17%) -1122.7
1889 LS2 AA 16 58 6 14 2 0 0 5 1 4 1 .241 .263 (-8%) .334 (-10%) .357 (-23%) .691 (-17%) -141.4
Career · 8 seasons 798 3,395 613 907 111 35 7 298 70 177 51 .267 — — — — 1,520

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Bill Gleason — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
26 99 11 19 2 0 0 6 5 5 .192

Playoff Batting by Year

Bill Gleason — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1887 WS SL4 13 49 3 8 0 0 0 1 3 2 .163
1886 WS SL4 6 24 3 5 0 0 0 5 1 3 .208
1885 WS SL4 7 26 5 6 2 0 0 0 1 0 .231

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Gleason — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 5 1 2 0
3B 2 0 1 0 0 0
SS 796 0 920 2360 535 186

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Gleason — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1882 SL4 SS 79 0 131 294 85 23
1883 SL4 SS 98 0 120 257 56 22
1884 SL4 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1884 SL4 SS 110 0 119 316 67 23
1885 SL4 SS 112 0 115 303 63 18
1886 SL4 SS 125 0 128 352 83 37
1887 SL4 SS 135 0 169 411 83 27
1888 PH4 1B 1 0 5 1 2 0
1888 PH4 3B 1 0 1 0 0 0
1888 PH4 SS 121 0 112 370 80 32
1889 LS2 SS 16 0 26 57 18 4

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Gleason — Career Games by Position
Position Games
First Base 1
Third Base 2
Shortstop 796

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bill Gleason (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Bob Jones
    .265 avg, 7 HR
  2. 93
    Burgess Whitehead
    .266 avg, 17 HR
  3. 90
    Bob Bailor
    .264 avg, 9 HR
  4. 74
    Duane Kuiper
    .271 avg, 1 HR
  5. 74
    Billy Urbanski
    .260 avg, 19 HR
  6. 72
    Emil Verban
    .272 avg, 1 HR

Bill Gleason: the record in brief

Bill Gleason played a first major league game on May 2, 1882 and a last one on June 18, 1889. The team column moves through the St. Louis Brown Stockings (1882), the St. Louis Browns (1883 to 1887), the Philadelphia Athletics (1888), and the Louisville Colonels (1889). At 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, Gleason is listed as a shortstop. Gleason batted and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Gleason was born on November 12, 1858, in St. Louis, MO, USA. Gleason died on July 21, 1932, in St. Louis, MO, USA. Gleason's full given name, per the bio, is William G. Gleason.

Across 798 games at the plate, Gleason's career line reads 907 hits in 3,395 at bats for a .267 average, adding 7 homers, 298 RBI, and 70 stolen bases. Gleason's career OPS of .640 combines a .313 on-base mark with .327 slugging. The league as a whole hit .251 across Gleason's seasons, which puts the .267 career mark 6.3% above average. The hits column peaks at 172, in 1887.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Gleason

What years did Bill Gleason play?
Bill Gleason played in Major League Baseball from 1882 to 1889.
Was Bill Gleason a pitcher?
No. Bill Gleason was a position player (Shortstop).
How many home runs did Bill Gleason hit?
Bill Gleason hit 7 career home runs with 907 hits.
What teams did Bill Gleason play for?
Bill Gleason played for 3 teams: the St. Louis Browns (1882–1887), the Philadelphia Athletics (1888), and the Louisville Colonels (1889).
What were Bill Gleason's career stats?
In 798 games, Bill Gleason had 907 hits, 7 home runs, 298 RBI, 613 runs, and 70 stolen bases, with a .267 batting average.
What position did Bill Gleason play?
Bill Gleason played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Gleason and how much did he weigh?
Bill Gleason was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 170 pounds.
How many home runs did Bill Gleason hit each season?
Bill Gleason's home runs by season: 1 in 1882, 2 in 1883, 1 in 1884, 3 in 1885, 0 in 1886, 0 in 1887, 0 in 1888, and 0 in 1889. His most in one season was 3, in 1885.
What was Bill Gleason's career batting average?
Bill Gleason batted .267 over his career, with 907 hits in 3,395 at bats.
How many RBI did Bill Gleason have?
Bill Gleason drove in 298 runs in his career.
Is Bill Gleason in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Gleason has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.