Billy Johnson
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1943-1953)
Billy Johnson was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1953 for the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 11 seasons. In 964 career games, he hit .271 with 882 hits, 61 home runs, and 487 RBI. Billy Johnson was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,658.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 180 lb
- Died
- 6/20/2006 in Augusta, GA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1943-04-22
- Last Game
- 1953-05-10
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: William Russell Johnson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 964 | 3,253 | 419 | 882 | 141 | 33 | 61 | 487 | 13 | 347 | 290 | .271 | .346 | .391 | .737 | 2,658 |
Career AVG .271 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .346 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .391 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .737 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | NYA | AL | 155 | 592 | 70 | 166 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 94 | 3 | 53 | 30 | .280 | .255 (+10%) | .324 (+6%) | .346 (+6%) | .671 (+6%) | 675.9 |
| 1946 | NYA | AL | 85 | 296 | 51 | 77 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 1 | 31 | 42 | .260 | .256 (+1%) | .328 (+2%) | .358 (+6%) | .687 (+4%) | 197.0 |
| 1947 | NYA | AL | 132 | 494 | 67 | 141 | 19 | 8 | 10 | 95 | 1 | 44 | 43 | .285 | .262 (+9%) | .336 (+4%) | .376 (+11%) | .712 (+8%) | 714.0 |
| 1948 | NYA | AL | 127 | 446 | 59 | 131 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 64 | 0 | 41 | 30 | .294 | .263 (+11%) | .340 (+5%) | .379 (+18%) | .719 (+12%) | 984.5 |
| 1949 | NYA | AL | 113 | 329 | 48 | 82 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 56 | 1 | 48 | 44 | .249 | .262 (-5%) | .343 (+1%) | .384 (-3%) | .727 (-1%) | 8.5 |
| 1950 | NYA | AL | 108 | 327 | 44 | 85 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 40 | 1 | 42 | 30 | .260 | .265 (-2%) | .346 (avg) | .401 (-6%) | .747 (-3%) | -159.7 |
| 1951 | NYA | AL | 15 | 40 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | .300 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1951 | SLN | NL | 124 | 442 | 52 | 116 | 23 | 1 | 14 | 64 | 5 | 46 | 49 | .262 | .260 (+1%) | .336 (+1%) | .385 (+7%) | .721 (+4%) | 0.0 |
| 1952 | SLN | NL | 94 | 282 | 23 | 71 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 34 | 1 | 34 | 21 | .252 | .252 (avg) | .326 (+4%) | .369 (-13%) | .696 (-5%) | -149.8 |
| 1953 | SLN | NL | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 964 | 3,253 | 419 | 882 | 141 | 33 | 61 | 487 | 13 | 347 | 290 | .271 | — | — | — | — | 2,270 | ||
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 (964 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 481 | 1578 | 201 | 434 | 28 | 218 | .275 |
| Away | 483 | 1674 | 218 | 448 | 33 | 269 | .268 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-05-10 | STL | CIN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-09 | STL | CIN | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-05-01 | STL | NY1 | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-04-29 | STL | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-04-28 | STL | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1953-04-26 | STL | CHC | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-04-22 | STL | CIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-04-20 | STL | ATL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1953-04-19 | STL | ATL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-04-16 | STL | CHC | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 26 | 0 | 144 | 10 | 3 | 11 |
| 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 897 | 0 | 860 | 1728 | 111 | 163 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | NYA | 3B | 155 | 0 | 183 | 326 | 18 | 32 |
| 1946 | NYA | 3B | 74 | 0 | 71 | 163 | 11 | 15 |
| 1947 | NYA | 3B | 132 | 0 | 136 | 204 | 17 | 12 |
| 1948 | NYA | 3B | 118 | 0 | 147 | 213 | 20 | 25 |
| 1949 | NYA | 1B | 21 | 0 | 130 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
| 1949 | NYA | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949 | NYA | 3B | 81 | 0 | 77 | 136 | 11 | 16 |
| 1950 | NYA | 1B | 5 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1950 | NYA | 3B | 100 | 0 | 82 | 169 | 11 | 20 |
| 1951 | NYA | 3B | 13 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 1951 | SLN | 3B | 124 | 0 | 99 | 316 | 10 | 32 |
| 1952 | SLN | 3B | 89 | 0 | 56 | 177 | 12 | 10 |
| 1953 | SLN | 3B | 11 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 26 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 898 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | 3B |
| 1943 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 9.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1943 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 4th | 135.0 | 336 | 3 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Billy Johnson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Billy Johnson: the record in brief
Billy Johnson played a first major league game on April 22, 1943 and a last one on May 10, 1953. Johnson played for the New York Yankees (1943 to 1951) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1951 through 1953). Johnson is listed as a third baseman at 5 feet, 10 inches and 180 pounds. The bio says Johnson threw and hit right-handed. The recorded birth is August 30, 1918, in Montclair, NJ, USA. The bio records the death on June 20, 2006, in Augusta, GA, USA. Billy Johnson was the playing name; the full given name is William Russell.
In 964 games and 3,253 at bats, Johnson batted .271 with 882 hits; the totals also include 61 home runs and 487 runs batted in. Johnson's career OPS of .737 combines a .346 on-base mark with .391 slugging. The .271 career average is close to the .261 the league hit across the same seasons. 1951 was Johnson's biggest home run year, with 14. No season topped the 166 hits of 1943.
Frequently Asked Questions about Billy Johnson
- What years did Billy Johnson play?
- Billy Johnson played in Major League Baseball from 1943 to 1953.
- Was Billy Johnson a pitcher?
- No. Billy Johnson was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Billy Johnson hit?
- Billy Johnson hit 61 career home runs with 882 hits.
- What was Billy Johnson's career batting average?
- Billy Johnson batted .271 over his career, with 882 hits in 3,253 at bats.
- How many RBI did Billy Johnson have?
- Billy Johnson drove in 487 runs in his career.
- Is Billy Johnson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Billy Johnson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.