Billy Hoy

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1888-1902)

Billy Hoy was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1902 for 7 teams, including the Washington Nationals, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,797 career games, he hit .288 with 2,048 hits, 40 home runs, and 725 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 15,918.

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 .288
HR 40
RBI 725
H 2,048
OPS .760
PIV 15,918
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'6" / 160 lb
Born
5/23/1862 in Houcktown, OH, USA
Died
12/15/1961 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
MLB Debut
1888-04-20
Last Game
1902-07-17

Full name: William Ellsworth Hoy

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Career Batting Statistics

Billy Hoy — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,797 7,115 1,429 2,048 248 121 40 725 596 1,006 345 .288 .386 .374 .760 15,918

Career AVG .288 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — +6.4% above league average.

Career OBP .386 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — +14.7% above league average.

Career SLG .374 vs. league average .362 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .760 vs. league average .698 across their career seasons — +8.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Billy Hoy 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
1888 WS8 NL 136 503 77 138 10 8 2 29 82 69 48 .274 .238 (+15%) .290 (+29%) .319 (+6%) .610 (+17%) 1977.6
1889 WS8 NL 127 507 98 139 11 6 0 39 35 75 30 .274 .263 (+4%) .334 (+12%) .357 (-11%) .691 (avg) 372.4
1890 BFP PL 122 493 107 147 17 8 1 53 39 94 36 .298 .260 (+15%) .336 (+24%) .351 (+6%) .687 (+15%) 1916.0
1891 SL4 AA 139 559 134 163 13 5 5 64 59 117 25 .292 .254 (+15%) .331 (+28%) .343 (+5%) .675 (+16%) 2562.9
1892 WAS NL 152 593 108 167 19 8 3 75 60 86 23 .282 .244 (+15%) .316 (+19%) .327 (+9%) .644 (+14%) 1839.9
1893 WAS NL 130 564 106 138 12 6 0 45 48 66 9 .245 .279 (-13%) .356 (-5%) .379 (-24%) .735 (-15%) -1242.6
1894 CIN NL 128 503 118 153 23 13 5 71 28 90 19 .304 .309 (-2%) .379 (+11%) .435 (-1%) .814 (+5%) 842.4
1895 CIN NL 107 429 93 119 21 12 3 55 50 52 8 .277 .296 (-6%) .361 (+1%) .399 (+1%) .761 (+1%) 71.5
1896 CIN NL 121 443 120 132 23 7 4 57 50 65 13 .298 .290 (+3%) .354 (+14%) .387 (+5%) .741 (+9%) 1128.3
1897 CIN NL 128 497 87 145 24 6 2 42 37 54 27 .292 .291 (avg) .354 (+6%) .387 (-3%) .741 (+1%) 298.1
1898 LS3 NL 148 582 104 177 15 16 6 66 37 49 33 .304 .270 (+12%) .333 (+10%) .347 (+20%) .680 (+15%) 1673.4
1899 LS3 NL 155 636 117 194 17 13 5 49 33 62 31 .305 .282 (+8%) .343 (+9%) .366 (+8%) .710 (+9%) 1244.6
1901 CHA AL 132 527 112 155 28 11 2 60 27 86 23 .294 .271 (+8%) .326 (+24%) .359 (+11%) .686 (+18%) 2303.7
1902 CIN NL 72 279 48 81 15 2 2 20 11 41 20 .290 .266 (+9%) .321 (+21%) .343 (+11%) .665 (+16%) 930.1
Career · 14 seasons 1,797 7,115 1,429 2,048 248 121 40 725 596 1,006 345 .288 — — — — 15,918

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 (507 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Billy Hoy — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home258100520032111122.319
Away2491018181286473.281

Last 10 Games — Batting

Billy Hoy — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1902-07-17 CINNY1L 412100101
1902-07-16 CINNY1W 411000000
1902-07-15 CINNY1W 412001210
1902-07-14 CINNY1W 400000000
1902-07-13 CINPITL 311000000
1902-07-12 CINBSNL 200000110
1902-07-11 CINBSNL 300000000
1902-07-10 CINBSNW 211000020
1902-07-09 CINBROW 200000010
1902-07-08 CINBROW 401000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Billy Hoy — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 1 0 1 2 0 1
OF 1796 0 3964 274 394 72

Season-by-Season Fielding

Billy Hoy — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1888 WS8 OF 136 0 296 26 37 7
1889 WS8 OF 127 0 255 29 35 4
1890 BFP 2B 1 0 1 2 0 1
1890 BFP OF 122 0 289 23 30 9
1891 SL4 OF 139 0 251 26 27 3
1892 WAS OF 152 0 275 16 38 3
1893 WAS OF 130 0 281 26 37 8
1894 CIN OF 128 0 320 30 41 3
1895 CIN OF 107 0 235 14 33 6
1896 CIN OF 120 0 303 14 18 3
1897 CIN OF 128 0 359 10 26 5
1898 LS3 OF 148 0 348 19 21 6
1899 LS3 OF 155 0 325 21 27 8
1901 CHA OF 132 0 278 16 13 6
1902 CIN OF 72 0 149 4 11 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Billy Hoy Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 1
Left Field 66
Center Field 1727
Right Field 5

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Brett Butler
    .290 avg, 54 HR
  2. 93
    Mike Griffin
    .296 avg, 42 HR
  3. 91
    Jimmy Sheckard
    .274 avg, 56 HR
  4. 89
    George Burns
    .287 avg, 41 HR
  5. 83
    Clyde Milan
    .285 avg, 17 HR
  6. 80
    Kip Selbach
    .293 avg, 44 HR

Billy Hoy: the record in brief

April 20, 1888 and July 17, 1902 bracket Billy Hoy's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Hoy played for the Washington Nationals (1888 to 1889), the Buffalo Bisons (1890), the St. Louis Browns (1891), the Washington Senators (1892 through 1893), the Cincinnati Reds (1894 to 1902), the Louisville Colonels (1898 through 1899), and the Chicago White Sox (1901). Hoy is listed as an outfielder at 5'6" and 160 pounds. Hoy batted left-handed and threw right-handed, per the bio block. Hoy was born on May 23, 1862, in Houcktown, OH, USA. The bio records the death on December 15, 1961, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. The given name on file is William Ellsworth Hoy.

Hoy finished with 2,048 hits from 7,115 at bats in 1,797 games, which works out to .288, along with 40 homers, 725 RBI, and 596 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .386 clip and slugging .374, Hoy finished with a .760 OPS. Over the seasons Hoy played, league hitters batted .271; the .288 career figure is 6.4% above that.

Frequently Asked Questions about Billy Hoy

What years did Billy Hoy play?
Billy Hoy played in Major League Baseball from 1888 to 1902.
Was Billy Hoy a pitcher?
No. Billy Hoy was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Billy Hoy hit?
Billy Hoy hit 40 career home runs with 2,048 hits.
What teams did Billy Hoy play for?
Billy Hoy played for 7 teams: the Washington Nationals (1888–1889), the Buffalo Bisons (1890), the St. Louis Browns (1891), the Washington Senators (1892–1893), the Cincinnati Reds (1894–1897, 1902), the Louisville Colonels (1898–1899), and the Chicago White Sox (1901).
What were Billy Hoy's career stats?
In 1,797 games, Billy Hoy had 2,048 hits, 40 home runs, 725 RBI, 1,429 runs, and 596 stolen bases, with a .288 batting average.
What position did Billy Hoy play?
Billy Hoy played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Billy Hoy and how much did he weigh?
Billy Hoy was listed at 5 feet 6 inches and 160 pounds.
How many home runs did Billy Hoy hit each season?
Billy Hoy's home runs by season: 2 in 1888, 0 in 1889, 1 in 1890, 5 in 1891, 3 in 1892, 0 in 1893, 5 in 1894, 3 in 1895, 4 in 1896, 2 in 1897, 6 in 1898, 5 in 1899, 2 in 1901, and 2 in 1902. His most in one season was 6, in 1898.
What was Billy Hoy's career batting average?
Billy Hoy batted .288 over his career, with 2,048 hits in 7,115 at bats.
How many RBI did Billy Hoy have?
Billy Hoy drove in 725 runs in his career.
Is Billy Hoy in the Hall of Fame?
No. Billy Hoy has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.