Billy Hitchcock

Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1942-1953)

Billy Hitchcock was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1953 for 5 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 12 seasons. In 703 career games, he hit .243 with 547 hits, 5 home runs, and 257 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

AVG .243
HR 5
RBI 257
H 547
OPS .609
PIV -4,679
Position
Third Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 185 lb
Born
7/31/1916 in Inverness, AL, USA
Died
4/9/2006 in Opelika, AL, USA
MLB Debut
1942-04-14
Last Game
1953-08-27

Full name: William Clyde Hitchcock

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Career Batting Statistics

Billy Hitchcock — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
703 2,249 231 547 67 22 5 257 15 206 230 .243 .310 .299 .609 -4,679

Career AVG .243 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 6.5% below league average.

Career OBP .310 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 7.6% below league average.

Career SLG .299 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 20.6% below league average.

Career OPS .609 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — 14.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Billy Hitchcock 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
1942 DET AL 85 280 27 59 8 1 0 29 2 26 21 .211 .253 (-17%) .323 (-13%) .349 (-30%) .672 (-22%) -885.8
1946 DET AL 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1946 WS1 AL 98 354 27 75 8 3 0 25 2 26 52 .212 .256 (-18%) .328 (-19%) .358 (-30%) .687 (-24%) 0.0
1947 SLA AL 80 275 25 61 2 2 1 28 3 21 34 .222 .262 (-15%) .336 (-18%) .376 (-32%) .712 (-25%) -1098.2
1948 BOS AL 49 124 15 37 3 2 1 20 0 7 9 .298 .263 (+13%) .340 (avg) .379 (avg) .719 (avg) -14.1
1949 BOS AL 55 147 22 30 6 1 0 9 2 17 11 .204 .262 (-22%) .343 (-15%) .384 (-33%) .727 (-24%) -575.1
1950 PHA AL 115 399 35 109 22 5 1 54 3 45 32 .273 .265 (+3%) .346 (avg) .401 (-10%) .747 (-5%) -346.4
1951 PHA AL 77 222 27 68 10 4 1 36 2 21 23 .306 .260 (+17%) .336 (+10%) .385 (+4%) .721 (+7%) 293.2
1952 PHA AL 119 407 45 100 8 4 1 56 1 39 45 .246 .252 (-3%) .326 (-3%) .369 (-21%) .696 (-12%) -714.9
1953 DET AL 22 38 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 .211 — — — — 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 703 2,249 231 547 67 22 5 257 15 206 230 .243 — — — — -3,341

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 (702 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Billy Hitchcock — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home37011751152881156.245
Away33210741162594101.241

Last 10 Games — Batting

Billy Hitchcock — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1953-08-27 DETMINL 200000000
1953-08-14 DETCHWL 100000000
1953-08-12 DETSLAW 000000000
1953-07-26 DETNYYL 100000000
1953-07-26 DETNYYW 100000001
1953-07-23 DETMINW 101000000
1953-07-12 DETSLAL 100000001
1953-06-21 DETNYYL 200000000
1953-06-09 DETNYYL 000000000
1953-06-06 DETBOSL 100000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Billy Hitchcock — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 48 0 406 30 6 41
2B 201 0 524 561 35 169
3B 240 0 260 502 50 56
SS 142 0 284 361 32 72

Season-by-Season Fielding

Billy Hitchcock — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1942 DET 3B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1942 DET SS 80 0 157 199 21 39
1946 DET 2B 1 0 1 2 0 0
1946 WS1 3B 46 0 53 87 12 7
1946 WS1 SS 53 0 112 142 9 27
1947 SLA 1B 5 0 45 2 2 4
1947 SLA 2B 46 0 127 127 6 31
1947 SLA 3B 17 0 25 42 5 5
1947 SLA SS 7 0 12 19 1 5
1948 BOS 2B 15 0 31 47 4 12
1948 BOS 3B 15 0 23 35 0 3
1949 BOS 1B 29 0 256 15 2 28
1949 BOS 2B 8 0 21 15 1 5
1950 PHA 2B 107 0 297 319 21 105
1950 PHA SS 1 0 2 0 1 0
1951 PHA 1B 1 0 8 0 0 1
1951 PHA 2B 23 0 47 51 3 16
1951 PHA 3B 45 0 45 99 11 14
1952 PHA 1B 13 0 97 13 2 8
1952 PHA 3B 104 0 105 222 20 26
1953 DET 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1953 DET 3B 12 0 9 17 2 1
1953 DET SS 1 0 1 1 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Billy Hitchcock Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 48
Second Base 201
Third Base 240
Shortstop 142

College History

Billy Hitchcock — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Auburn University Auburn AL 1936, 1937, 1938

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Billy Hitchcock (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Joe Gedeon
    .244 avg, 1 HR
  2. 92
    Don Heffner
    .241 avg, 6 HR
  3. 83
    Nicky Lopez
    .248 avg, 8 HR
  4. 80
    Ernie Courtney
    .245 avg, 5 HR
  5. 80
    Doug Griffin
    .245 avg, 7 HR
  6. 78
    Sam Dente
    .252 avg, 4 HR

Billy Hitchcock: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 14, 1942 and the final game on August 27, 1953, Billy Hitchcock built the record summarized on this page. The team column moves through the Detroit Tigers (1942 through 1953), the Washington Senators (1946), the St. Louis Browns (1947), the Boston Red Sox (1948 to 1949), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1950 to 1952). Hitchcock, a third baseman by primary position, threw and hit right-handed. Hitchcock is listed at 185 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Hitchcock was born on July 31, 1916, in Inverness, AL, USA. Hitchcock died on April 9, 2006, in Opelika, AL, USA. Billy Hitchcock was the playing name; the full given name is William Clyde.

In 703 games and 2,249 at bats, Hitchcock batted .243 with 547 hits, adding 5 home runs and 257 RBI. Hitchcock's career OPS of .609 combines a .310 on-base mark with .299 slugging. Over the seasons Hitchcock played, league hitters batted .260; the .243 career figure is 6.5% below that. In OPS terms, Hitchcock's .609 stands 14.5% below the league's .712. 1950 produced Hitchcock's most hits, 109 of them for the Philadelphia Athletics.

Frequently Asked Questions about Billy Hitchcock

What years did Billy Hitchcock play?
Billy Hitchcock played in Major League Baseball from 1942 to 1953.
Was Billy Hitchcock a pitcher?
No. Billy Hitchcock was a position player (Third Baseman).
How many home runs did Billy Hitchcock hit?
Billy Hitchcock hit 5 career home runs with 547 hits.
What teams did Billy Hitchcock play for?
Billy Hitchcock played for 5 teams: the Detroit Tigers (1942, 1946, 1953), the Washington Senators (1946), the St. Louis Browns (1947), the Boston Red Sox (1948–1949), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1950–1952).
What were Billy Hitchcock's career stats?
In 703 games, Billy Hitchcock had 547 hits, 5 home runs, 257 RBI, 231 runs, and 15 stolen bases, with a .243 batting average.
What position did Billy Hitchcock play?
Billy Hitchcock played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Billy Hitchcock and how much did he weigh?
Billy Hitchcock was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did Billy Hitchcock hit each season?
Billy Hitchcock's home runs by season: 0 in 1942, 0 in 1946, 1 in 1947, 1 in 1948, 0 in 1949, 1 in 1950, 1 in 1951, 1 in 1952, and 0 in 1953. His most in one season was 1, in 1947–1948, 1950–1952.
What was Billy Hitchcock's career batting average?
Billy Hitchcock batted .243 over his career, with 547 hits in 2,249 at bats.
How many RBI did Billy Hitchcock have?
Billy Hitchcock drove in 257 runs in his career.
Is Billy Hitchcock in the Hall of Fame?
No. Billy Hitchcock has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.