Bill Lange

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1893-1899)

Bill Lange was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1893 to 1899 for the Chicago Cubs, a span of 7 seasons. In 813 career games, he hit .330 with 1,056 hits, 39 home runs, and 579 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 10,530.

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 .330
HR 39
RBI 579
H 1,056
OPS .858
PIV 10,530
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 190 lb
Born
6/6/1871 in San Francisco, CA, USA
Died
7/23/1950 in San Francisco, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1893-04-27
Last Game
1899-10-15

Full name: William Alexander Lange

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Career Batting Statistics

Bill Lange — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
813 3,202 691 1,056 134 80 39 579 400 350 123 .330 .400 .458 .858 10,530

Career AVG .330 vs. league average .288 across their career seasons — +14.4% above league average.

Career OBP .400 vs. league average .354 across their career seasons — +12.9% above league average.

Career SLG .458 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — +18.9% above league average.

Career OPS .858 vs. league average .740 across their career seasons — +16.0% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Lange — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1893 CHN NL 117 469 92 132 8 7 8 88 47 52 20 .281 .279 (+1%) .356 (avg) .379 (avg) .735 (avg) 64.5
1894 CHN NL 113 449 86 146 17 9 6 91 66 56 18 .325 .309 (+5%) .379 (+6%) .435 (+2%) .814 (+4%) 449.0
1895 CHN NL 123 478 120 186 27 16 10 98 67 55 24 .389 .296 (+31%) .361 (+26%) .399 (+44%) .761 (+36%) 3619.6
1896 CHN NL 122 469 114 153 21 16 4 92 84 65 24 .326 .290 (+12%) .354 (+17%) .387 (+20%) .741 (+18%) 1902.0
1897 CHN NL 118 479 119 163 24 14 5 83 73 48 12 .340 .291 (+17%) .354 (+15%) .387 (+24%) .741 (+20%) 1911.0
1898 CHN NL 113 442 79 141 16 11 5 69 22 36 17 .319 .270 (+18%) .333 (+13%) .347 (+26%) .680 (+20%) 1584.5
1899 CHN NL 107 416 81 135 21 7 1 58 41 38 8 .325 .282 (+15%) .343 (+11%) .366 (+13%) .710 (+12%) 999.5
Career · 7 seasons 813 3,202 691 1,056 134 80 39 579 400 350 123 .330 — — — — 10,530

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 (220 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Lange — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home139529102164276.310
Away8133058112551.339

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Lange — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1899-10-15 CHCLS3L 411000000
1899-10-15 CHCSTLW 311000010
1899-10-08 CHCLS3W 312100100
1899-10-08 CHCCL4W 431100010
1899-10-04 CHCLS3W 411000000
1899-10-03 CHCLS3L 302110110
1899-10-02 CHCLS3L 401000102
1899-10-01 CHCCINL 400000000
1899-09-30 CHCLS3L 412000110
1899-09-27 CHCPITL 131000030

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Lange — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 16 0 166 4 5 10
2B 57 0 151 181 42 21
3B 9 0 16 26 7 3
C 8 0 24 12 3 1
OF 718 0 1741 136 116 39
SS 9 0 19 28 10 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Lange — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1893 CHN 2B 57 0 151 181 42 21
1893 CHN 3B 8 0 14 25 4 3
1893 CHN C 7 0 23 12 3 1
1893 CHN OF 40 0 97 7 5 1
1893 CHN SS 7 0 18 25 6 2
1894 CHN 3B 1 0 2 1 3 0
1894 CHN OF 111 0 276 25 29 10
1894 CHN SS 2 0 1 3 4 0
1895 CHN OF 123 0 298 28 27 6
1896 CHN C 1 0 1 0 0 0
1896 CHN OF 121 0 313 18 24 3
1897 CHN OF 118 0 264 17 16 4
1898 CHN 1B 2 0 17 0 0 1
1898 CHN OF 111 0 269 19 9 4
1899 CHN 1B 14 0 149 4 5 9
1899 CHN OF 94 0 224 22 6 11

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Lange — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Catcher 8
First Base 16
Second Base 57
Third Base 9
Shortstop 9
Left Field 15
Center Field 702
Right Field 2

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

Bill Lange (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jake Stenzel
    .338 avg, 32 HR
  2. 87
    Mike Donlin
    .333 avg, 51 HR
  3. 82
    Benny Kauff
    .311 avg, 49 HR
  4. 79
    Bug Holliday
    .312 avg, 65 HR
  5. 77
    Tip O'Neill
    .326 avg, 52 HR
  6. 75
    Pete Browning
    .341 avg, 46 HR

Compare Bill Lange

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Lange's closest peers by position and era.

vs George Kelly

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Bill Lange: the record in brief

Bill Lange's major league career runs from a debut on April 27, 1893 to a final game on October 15, 1899. By club, Lange's seasons break down as the Chicago Colts (1893 to 1897) and the Chicago Orphans (1898 to 1899). Lange played primarily as an outfielder and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on June 6, 1871, in San Francisco, CA, USA and a listed size of 190 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Lange's death is recorded on July 23, 1950, in San Francisco, CA, USA. The bio lists the given name William Alexander.

Across 813 games at the plate, Lange's career line reads 1,056 hits in 3,202 at bats for a .330 average; the totals also include 39 homers, 579 runs batted in, and 400 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .400 and .458 give Lange a career OPS of .858. Measured against the leagues Lange played in, the .330 career average compares with a .288 league average over the same seasons, 14.4% above the league. 1895 was Lange's biggest home run year, with 10.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Lange

What years did Bill Lange play?
Bill Lange played in Major League Baseball from 1893 to 1899.
Was Bill Lange a pitcher?
No. Bill Lange was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Bill Lange hit?
Bill Lange hit 39 career home runs with 1,056 hits.
What teams did Bill Lange play for?
Bill Lange played for one team, the Chicago Orphans (1893–1899).
What were Bill Lange's career stats?
In 813 games, Bill Lange had 1,056 hits, 39 home runs, 579 RBI, 691 runs, and 400 stolen bases, with a .330 batting average.
What position did Bill Lange play?
Bill Lange played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Lange and how much did he weigh?
Bill Lange was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Bill Lange hit each season?
Bill Lange's home runs by season: 8 in 1893, 6 in 1894, 10 in 1895, 4 in 1896, 5 in 1897, 5 in 1898, and 1 in 1899. His most in one season was 10, in 1895.
What was Bill Lange's career batting average?
Bill Lange batted .330 over his career, with 1,056 hits in 3,202 at bats.
How many RBI did Bill Lange have?
Bill Lange drove in 579 runs in his career.
Is Bill Lange in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Lange has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.