Bill Howerton
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1949-1952)
Bill Howerton was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1952 for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the New York Giants, a span of 4 seasons. In 247 career games, he hit .274 with 178 hits, 22 home runs, and 106 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,684.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 185 lb
- Died
- 12/18/2001 in Blakely, PA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1949-09-11
- Last Game
- 1952-06-29
Full name: William Ray Howerton
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 247 | 650 | 95 | 178 | 39 | 12 | 22 | 106 | 1 | 92 | 125 | .274 | .364 | .472 | .836 | 1,684 |
Career AVG .274 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — +5.1% above league average.
Career OBP .364 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — +7.6% above league average.
Career SLG .472 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — +22.6% above league average.
Career OPS .836 vs. league average .724 across their career seasons — +15.6% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | SLN | NL | 9 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .308 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | SLN | NL | 110 | 313 | 50 | 88 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 59 | 0 | 47 | 60 | .281 | .265 (+6%) | .346 (+8%) | .401 (+22%) | .747 (+16%) | 958.9 |
| 1951 | SLN | NL | 24 | 65 | 10 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 12 | .262 | .260 (avg) | .336 (+7%) | .385 (+4%) | .721 (+5%) | 65.1 |
| 1951 | PIT | NL | 80 | 219 | 29 | 60 | 12 | 2 | 11 | 37 | 1 | 26 | 44 | .274 | .260 (+5%) | .336 (+4%) | .385 (+29%) | .721 (+18%) | 65.1 |
| 1952 | PIT | NL | 13 | 25 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | .320 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1952 | NY1 | NL | 11 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .067 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 247 | 650 | 95 | 178 | 39 | 12 | 22 | 106 | 1 | 92 | 125 | .274 | — | — | — | — | 1,089 | ||
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 (247 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 134 | 353 | 63 | 105 | 12 | 55 | .297 |
| Away | 113 | 298 | 32 | 73 | 10 | 51 | .245 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-06-29 | NY1 | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-06-19 | NY1 | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-06-15 | NY1 | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-06-06 | NY1 | PIT | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1952-06-04 | NY1 | CHC | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1952-06-03 | NY1 | CHC | W | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1952-06-01 | NY1 | STL | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1952-05-29 | NY1 | PHI | L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952-05-21 | NY1 | STL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1952-05-17 | NY1 | CHC | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Third Base | 5 |
| Left Field | 41 |
| Center Field | 101 |
| Right Field | 42 |
Bill Howerton: the record in brief
According to the bio, Bill Howerton debuted on September 11, 1949 and played a final game on June 29, 1952. Howerton played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1949 through 1951), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1951 to 1952), and the New York Giants (1952). Howerton, an outfielder by primary position, threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The recorded size is 185 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. The birth record reads December 12, 1921, in Lompoc, CA, USA. The bio records the death on December 18, 2001, in Blakely, PA, USA. The given name on file is William Ray Howerton.
The batting record for Howerton: 247 games, 178 hits in 650 at bats, and a .274 average, plus 22 home runs and 106 RBI. Howerton got on base at a .364 rate and slugged .472 (.836 OPS). Set against a .261 league average for the same years, Howerton's .274 average sits 5.1% above it. In OPS terms, Howerton's .836 stands 15.6% above the league's .724.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Howerton
- What years did Bill Howerton play?
- Bill Howerton played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1952.
- Was Bill Howerton a pitcher?
- No. Bill Howerton was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Bill Howerton hit?
- Bill Howerton hit 22 career home runs with 178 hits.
- What was Bill Howerton's career batting average?
- Bill Howerton batted .274 over his career, with 178 hits in 650 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Howerton have?
- Bill Howerton drove in 106 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Howerton in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Howerton has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.