Bill Johnson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1916-1917)
Bill Johnson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1917 for the Philadelphia Athletics, a span of 2 seasons. In 52 career games, he hit .185 with 23 hits, 1 home runs, and 9 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 170 lb
- Died
- 11/5/1950 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1916-09-22
- Last Game
- 1917-07-30
Full name: William Lawrence Johnson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 124 | 8 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 18 | .185 | .241 | .266 | .507 | -361 |
Career AVG .185 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 25.4% below league average.
Career OBP .241 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — 23.2% below league average.
Career SLG .266 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 18.1% below league average.
Career OPS .507 vs. league average .638 across their career seasons — 20.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | PHA | AL | 4 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .267 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1917 | PHA | AL | 48 | 109 | 7 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 14 | .174 | .248 (-30%) | .312 (-24%) | .323 (-21%) | .635 (-22%) | -361.1 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 52 | 124 | 8 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 18 | .185 | — | — | — | — | -361 | ||
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 (52 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 21 | 54 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 5 | .241 |
| Away | 31 | 71 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 5 | .155 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917-07-30 | PHA | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1917-07-28 | PHA | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1917-07-22 | PHA | CLE | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1917-07-18 | PHA | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1917-07-17 | PHA | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1917-07-15 | PHA | DET | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1917-07-13 | PHA | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1917-07-08 | PHA | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1917-07-05 | PHA | BOS | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1917-07-05 | PHA | BOS | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 2 |
| Center Field | 6 |
| Right Field | 27 |
Bill Johnson: the record in brief
September 22, 1916 and July 30, 1917 bracket Bill Johnson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column never changes: it is the Philadelphia Athletics from 1916 to 1917. Born on October 18, 1892, in Chicago, IL, USA, Johnson is listed as an outfielder and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Johnson's listed size is 170 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Johnson died on November 5, 1950, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Johnson's full given name, per the bio, is William Lawrence Johnson.
Johnson finished with 23 hits from 124 at bats in 52 games, which works out to .185, along with 1 home run and 9 runs batted in. On-base and slugging figures of .241 and .266 give Johnson a career OPS of .507. The league as a whole hit .249 across Johnson's seasons, which puts the .185 career mark 25.4% below average. The highest hit total in a season was 19, in 1917. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .174 in 1917, did not top the league's .248.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Johnson
- What years did Bill Johnson play?
- Bill Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1916 to 1917.
- Was Bill Johnson a pitcher?
- No. Bill Johnson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Bill Johnson hit?
- Bill Johnson hit 1 career home runs with 23 hits.
- What was Bill Johnson's career batting average?
- Bill Johnson batted .185 over his career, with 23 hits in 124 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Johnson have?
- Bill Johnson drove in 9 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Johnson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Johnson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.