Bill Holbert
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1876-1888)
Bill Holbert was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1876 to 1888 for 6 teams, including the Louisville Grays, a span of 13 seasons. In 623 career games, he hit .208 with 486 hits and 144 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- — / 197 lb
- Died
- 3/20/1935 in Laurel, MD, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1876-09-05
- Last Game
- 1888-07-12
Full name: William Henry Holbert
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 623 | 2,335 | 182 | 486 | 41 | 7 | 0 | 144 | 16 | 58 | 122 | .208 | .228 | .232 | .460 | -7,997 |
Career AVG .208 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — 16.9% below league average.
Career OBP .228 vs. league average .291 across their career seasons — 21.6% below league average.
Career SLG .232 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — 30.7% below league average.
Career OPS .460 vs. league average .625 across their career seasons — 26.4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876 | LS1 | NL | 12 | 43 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .256 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1878 | ML2 | NL | 45 | 173 | 10 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 14 | .185 | .259 (-29%) | .278 (-29%) | .319 (-38%) | .597 (-34%) | -749.2 |
| 1879 | SR1 | NL | 59 | 229 | 11 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 20 | .201 | .255 (-21%) | .270 (-25%) | .328 (-39%) | .599 (-32%) | -930.9 |
| 1879 | TRN | NL | 4 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .267 | — | — | — | — | -930.9 |
| 1880 | TRN | NL | 60 | 212 | 18 | 40 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 18 | .189 | .244 (-23%) | .267 (-17%) | .319 (-31%) | .586 (-24%) | -626.7 |
| 1881 | TRN | NL | 46 | 180 | 16 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 13 | .272 | .260 (+5%) | .290 (-2%) | .338 (-15%) | .628 (-9%) | -197.6 |
| 1882 | TRN | NL | 71 | 251 | 24 | 46 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 11 | 22 | .183 | .248 (-26%) | .275 (-21%) | .329 (-38%) | .605 (-31%) | -965.5 |
| 1883 | NY4 | AA | 73 | 299 | 26 | 71 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .237 | .257 (-8%) | .285 (-16%) | .345 (-21%) | .631 (-19%) | -765.2 |
| 1884 | NY4 | AA | 65 | 255 | 28 | 53 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | .208 | .243 (-15%) | .278 (-16%) | .327 (-30%) | .606 (-24%) | -770.4 |
| 1885 | NY4 | AA | 56 | 202 | 13 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .173 | .244 (-29%) | .287 (-29%) | .325 (-42%) | .613 (-36%) | -964.7 |
| 1886 | NY4 | AA | 48 | 171 | 8 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 0 | .205 | .246 (-17%) | .302 (-23%) | .331 (-24%) | .634 (-24%) | -597.3 |
| 1887 | NY4 | AA | 69 | 255 | 20 | 58 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 12 | 7 | 23 | .227 | .270 (-16%) | .331 (-25%) | .373 (-29%) | .705 (-27%) | -1098.9 |
| 1888 | BR3 | AA | 15 | 50 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .120 | .238 (-50%) | .290 (-42%) | .319 (-56%) | .610 (-49%) | -330.2 |
| Career · 13 seasons | 623 | 2,335 | 182 | 486 | 41 | 7 | 0 | 144 | 16 | 58 | 122 | .208 | — | — | — | — | -8,928 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 8 | 0 | 72 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| 2B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 17 | 0 | 25 | 39 | 23 | 3 |
| C | 538 | 0 | 2840 | 1013 | 393 | 73 |
| OF | 69 | 0 | 91 | 28 | 18 | 4 |
| SS | 4 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 3 | 2 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876 | LS1 | C | 12 | 0 | 62 | 24 | 16 | 3 |
| 1878 | ML2 | C | 21 | 0 | 72 | 28 | 14 | 1 |
| 1878 | ML2 | OF | 30 | 0 | 35 | 19 | 12 | 1 |
| 1879 | SR1 | C | 56 | 0 | 277 | 64 | 39 | 4 |
| 1879 | SR1 | OF | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1879 | TRN | C | 4 | 0 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| 1880 | TRN | C | 58 | 0 | 261 | 107 | 36 | 6 |
| 1880 | TRN | OF | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1881 | TRN | C | 43 | 0 | 201 | 69 | 24 | 10 |
| 1881 | TRN | OF | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1882 | TRN | 3B | 12 | 0 | 19 | 28 | 13 | 1 |
| 1882 | TRN | C | 58 | 0 | 247 | 124 | 45 | 13 |
| 1882 | TRN | OF | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1883 | NY4 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1883 | NY4 | C | 68 | 0 | 527 | 138 | 58 | 8 |
| 1883 | NY4 | OF | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1884 | NY4 | C | 59 | 0 | 374 | 142 | 45 | 7 |
| 1884 | NY4 | OF | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1884 | NY4 | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1885 | NY4 | 3B | 5 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 2 |
| 1885 | NY4 | C | 39 | 0 | 227 | 80 | 34 | 3 |
| 1885 | NY4 | OF | 13 | 0 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 1886 | NY4 | C | 45 | 0 | 265 | 100 | 31 | 6 |
| 1886 | NY4 | OF | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1886 | NY4 | SS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 1887 | NY4 | 1B | 8 | 0 | 72 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| 1887 | NY4 | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1887 | NY4 | C | 60 | 0 | 237 | 102 | 40 | 9 |
| 1887 | NY4 | SS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1888 | BR3 | C | 15 | 0 | 74 | 26 | 8 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 538 |
| First Base | 8 |
| Second Base | 2 |
| Third Base | 17 |
| Shortstop | 4 |
| Left Field | 12 |
| Center Field | 19 |
| Right Field | 38 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bill Holbert (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bill Holbert: the record in brief
The profile opens with Bill Holbert's first major league game on September 5, 1876; the last one listed came on July 12, 1888. Club by club, the record runs the Louisville Grays (1876), the Milwaukee Grays (1878), the Syracuse Stars (1879), the Troy Trojans (1879 to 1882), the New York Metropolitans (1883 through 1887), and the Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1888). Holbert, born on March 14, 1855, in Baltimore, MD, USA, is listed as a catcher and batted and threw right-handed. Holbert's death is recorded on March 20, 1935, in Laurel, MD, USA. On the record, Bill Holbert was born William Henry Holbert.
Holbert collected 486 hits in 2,335 at bats across 623 games, good for a .208 batting average, plus 144 RBI. On-base and slugging figures of .228 and .232 give Holbert a career OPS of .460. Holbert's .208 average ran 16.9% below the .251 that the league posted over the same seasons. By OPS the gap is 26.4% below league average (.460 against .625). No season topped the 71 hits of 1883. 1887 brought the most runs batted in, 32.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Holbert
- What years did Bill Holbert play?
- Bill Holbert played in Major League Baseball from 1876 to 1888.
- Was Bill Holbert a pitcher?
- No. Bill Holbert was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Bill Holbert hit?
- Bill Holbert hit 0 career home runs with 486 hits.
- What was Bill Holbert's career batting average?
- Bill Holbert batted .208 over his career, with 486 hits in 2,335 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Holbert have?
- Bill Holbert drove in 144 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Holbert in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Holbert has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.