Bill Knickerbocker
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1933-1942)
Bill Knickerbocker was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1933 to 1942 for 5 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 10 seasons. In 907 career games, he hit .276 with 943 hits, 28 home runs, and 368 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
- 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.
Bill Knickerbocker: the record in brief
The profile opens with Bill Knickerbocker's first major league game on April 12, 1933; the last one listed came on September 17, 1942. By club, Knickerbocker's seasons break down as the Cleveland Indians (1933 to 1936), the St. Louis Browns (1937), the New York Yankees (1938 to 1940), the Chicago White Sox (1941), and the Philadelphia Athletics (1942). Listed as a shortstop, Knickerbocker threw and hit right-handed. Height and weight on file: 170 pounds on a 5-foot-11 frame. Knickerbocker was born on December 29, 1911, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. Knickerbocker's death is recorded on September 8, 1963, in Sebastopol, CA, USA. The given name on file is William Hart Knickerbocker.
Knickerbocker's career batting table shows 907 games, 3,418 at bats and 943 hits, a .276 average, plus 28 home runs, 368 runs batted in, and 25 stolen bases. Knickerbocker's career OPS of .700 combines a .326 on-base mark with .374 slugging. Against a .272 league average for those years, Knickerbocker's .276 average was near the norm. 1934 produced Knickerbocker's most hits, 188 of them for the Cleveland Indians. In 1934, a season of regular play, Knickerbocker hit .317 while the league hit .278.
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.
- What was Bill Knickerbocker's career batting average?
- Bill Knickerbocker batted .276 over his career, with 943 hits in 3,418 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Knickerbocker have?
- Bill Knickerbocker drove in 368 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Knickerbocker in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Knickerbocker has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.