Bill Knickerbocker
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1933-1942)
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 170 lb
- Died
- 9/8/1963 in Sebastopol, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1933-04-12
- Last Game
- 1942-09-17
Full name: William Hart Knickerbocker
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 907 | 3,418 | 423 | 943 | 198 | 27 | 28 | 368 | 25 | 244 | 238 | .276 | .326 | .374 | .700 | -2,303 |
Career AVG .276 vs. league average .272 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .326 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .374 vs. league average .387 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .700 vs. league average .725 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | CLE | AL | 80 | 279 | 20 | 63 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 1 | 11 | 30 | .226 | .270 (-16%) | .329 (-23%) | .377 (-14%) | .707 (-18%) | -851.1 |
| 1934 | CLE | AL | 146 | 593 | 82 | 188 | 32 | 5 | 4 | 67 | 6 | 25 | 40 | .317 | .278 (+14%) | .340 (+2%) | .392 (+4%) | .733 (+3%) | 260.1 |
| 1935 | CLE | AL | 132 | 540 | 77 | 161 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 55 | 2 | 27 | 31 | .298 | .279 (+7%) | .342 (-3%) | .399 (-5%) | .742 (-4%) | -437.0 |
| 1936 | CLE | AL | 155 | 618 | 81 | 182 | 35 | 3 | 8 | 73 | 5 | 56 | 30 | .294 | .283 (+4%) | .349 (+1%) | .404 (-1%) | .753 (avg) | 21.3 |
| 1937 | SLA | AL | 121 | 491 | 53 | 128 | 29 | 5 | 4 | 61 | 3 | 30 | 32 | .261 | .276 (-6%) | .342 (-11%) | .398 (-8%) | .740 (-10%) | -874.1 |
| 1938 | NYA | AL | 46 | 128 | 15 | 32 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 11 | 10 | .250 | .272 (-8%) | .341 (-9%) | .392 (-3%) | .734 (-6%) | -153.2 |
| 1939 | NYA | AL | 6 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .154 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | NYA | AL | 45 | 124 | 17 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 14 | 8 | .242 | .267 (-9%) | .335 (-1%) | .387 (-11%) | .722 (-6%) | -95.3 |
| 1941 | CHA | AL | 89 | 343 | 51 | 84 | 23 | 2 | 7 | 29 | 6 | 41 | 27 | .245 | .262 (-7%) | .332 (-1%) | .373 (+3%) | .705 (+1%) | 74.0 |
| 1942 | PHA | AL | 87 | 289 | 25 | 73 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 29 | 30 | .253 | .253 (avg) | .323 (avg) | .349 (-13%) | .672 (-7%) | -247.8 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 907 | 3,418 | 423 | 943 | 198 | 27 | 28 | 368 | 25 | 244 | 238 | .276 | — | — | — | — | -2,303 | ||
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 (907 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 457 | 1680 | 210 | 457 | 9 | 200 | .272 |
| Away | 450 | 1737 | 213 | 486 | 19 | 168 | .280 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942-09-17 | PHA | CHW | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-09-16 | PHA | CHW | W | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-13 | PHA | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-07 | PHA | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-09-05 | PHA | BOS | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1942-09-02 | PHA | CLE | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-31 | PHA | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1942-08-31 | PHA | CHW | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1942-08-30 | PHA | CHW | W | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1942-08-30 | PHA | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 211 | 0 | 480 | 544 | 32 | 132 |
| 3B | 17 | 0 | 11 | 34 | 5 | 6 |
| SS | 649 | 0 | 1205 | 2043 | 152 | 395 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | CLE | SS | 80 | 0 | 151 | 233 | 25 | 37 |
| 1934 | CLE | SS | 146 | 0 | 262 | 451 | 28 | 106 |
| 1935 | CLE | SS | 128 | 0 | 247 | 453 | 32 | 82 |
| 1936 | CLE | SS | 155 | 0 | 313 | 486 | 40 | 97 |
| 1937 | SLA | 2B | 6 | 0 | 15 | 11 | 1 | 5 |
| 1937 | SLA | SS | 115 | 0 | 205 | 368 | 25 | 59 |
| 1938 | NYA | 2B | 34 | 0 | 78 | 86 | 3 | 23 |
| 1938 | NYA | SS | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 1939 | NYA | 2B | 2 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| 1939 | NYA | SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940 | NYA | 3B | 17 | 0 | 11 | 34 | 5 | 6 |
| 1940 | NYA | SS | 19 | 0 | 22 | 43 | 1 | 12 |
| 1941 | CHA | 2B | 88 | 0 | 204 | 221 | 13 | 58 |
| 1942 | PHA | 2B | 81 | 0 | 178 | 220 | 15 | 45 |
| 1942 | PHA | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 211 |
| Third Base | 17 |
| Shortstop | 649 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | SS |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 19th | 2.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bill Knickerbocker (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Knickerbocker
- What years did Bill Knickerbocker play?
- Bill Knickerbocker played in Major League Baseball from 1933 to 1942.
- Was Bill Knickerbocker a pitcher?
- No. Bill Knickerbocker was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Bill Knickerbocker hit?
- Bill Knickerbocker hit 28 career home runs with 943 hits.