Bill McClellan

Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1878-1888)

Bill McClellan was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1878 to 1888 for 5 teams, including the Chicago Cubs, a span of 11 seasons. In 792 career games, he hit .242 with 773 hits, 6 home runs, and 304 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

AVG .242
HR 6
RBI 304
H 773
OPS .613
PIV -462
Position
Second Baseman
Bats / Throws
B / L
Height / Weight
5'5" / 156 lb
Born
3/22/1856 in Chicago, IL, USA
Died
7/3/1929 in Chicago, IL, USA
MLB Debut
1878-05-20
Last Game
1888-10-17

Full name: William Henry McClellan

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Career Batting Statistics

Bill McClellan — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
792 3,197 533 773 129 33 6 304 132 274 185 .242 .305 .308 .613 -462

Career AVG .242 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .305 vs. league average .295 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .308 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 8.2% below league average.

Career OPS .613 vs. league average .631 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill McClellan Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1878 CHN NL 48 205 26 46 6 1 0 29 0 2 13 .224 .259 (-13%) .278 (-17%) .319 (-17%) .597 (-17%) -466.3
1881 PRO NL 68 259 30 43 3 1 0 16 0 15 21 .166 .260 (-36%) .290 (-27%) .338 (-45%) .628 (-37%) -1262.3
1883 PHI NL 80 326 42 75 21 4 1 33 0 19 18 .230 .257 (-11%) .285 (-5%) .345 (-5%) .631 (-5%) -208.2
1884 PHI NL 111 450 71 116 13 2 3 33 0 28 43 .258 .243 (+6%) .278 (+8%) .327 (-4%) .606 (+2%) 252.8
1885 BR3 AA 112 464 85 124 22 7 0 46 0 28 0 .267 .244 (+10%) .287 (+10%) .325 (+6%) .613 (+8%) 681.5
1886 BR3 AA 141 595 131 152 33 9 1 68 43 56 0 .255 .246 (+4%) .302 (+6%) .331 (+4%) .634 (+5%) 632.8
1887 BR3 AA 136 548 109 144 24 6 1 53 70 80 45 .263 .270 (-3%) .331 (+9%) .373 (-11%) .705 (-1%) 216.9
1888 BR3 AA 74 278 33 57 7 3 0 21 13 40 40 .205 .238 (-14%) .290 (+6%) .319 (-21%) .610 (-8%) -164.7
1888 CL3 AA 22 72 6 16 0 0 0 5 6 6 5 .222 .238 (-7%) .290 (-3%) .319 (-31%) .610 (-17%) -164.7
Career · 9 seasons 792 3,197 533 773 129 33 6 304 132 274 185 .242 — — — — -482

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.

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill McClellan — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 436 0 1202 1312 302 177
3B 58 0 65 86 29 9
OF 54 0 73 10 11 0
SS 246 0 381 741 200 65

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill McClellan — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1878 CHN 2B 42 0 87 139 35 15
1878 CHN OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1878 CHN SS 5 0 2 20 5 0
1881 PRO 2B 1 0 2 3 0 0
1881 PRO OF 17 0 21 3 4 0
1881 PRO SS 50 0 59 147 35 18
1883 PHI 3B 1 0 0 2 0 0
1883 PHI OF 2 0 5 0 3 0
1883 PHI SS 78 0 152 254 72 25
1884 PHI OF 1 0 0 0 1 0
1884 PHI SS 111 0 165 313 83 22
1885 BR3 2B 55 0 172 177 38 20
1885 BR3 3B 57 0 65 84 29 9
1886 BR3 2B 141 0 423 435 88 64
1887 BR3 2B 136 0 366 397 105 52
1888 BR3 2B 56 0 145 149 31 23
1888 BR3 OF 18 0 36 4 1 0
1888 CL3 2B 5 0 7 12 5 3
1888 CL3 OF 15 0 11 3 2 0
1888 CL3 SS 2 0 3 7 5 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill McClellan Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Second Base 436
Third Base 58
Shortstop 246
Center Field 5
Right Field 49

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Al Myers
    .245 avg, 13 HR
  2. 96
    Bill McKechnie HOF
    .251 avg, 8 HR
  3. 92
    Dick Egan
    .249 avg, 4 HR
  4. 91
    Johnny Rawlings
    .250 avg, 14 HR
  5. 90
    Larry Kopf
    .249 avg, 5 HR
  6. 89
    Sonny Jackson
    .251 avg, 7 HR

Bill McClellan: the record in brief

The profile opens with Bill McClellan's first major league game on May 20, 1878; the last one listed came on October 17, 1888. The team column moves through the Chicago White Stockings (1878), the Providence Grays (1881), the Philadelphia Quakers (1883 through 1884), the Brooklyn Grays (1885 to 1887), the Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1888), and the Cleveland Blues (1888). McClellan, born on March 22, 1856, in Chicago, IL, USA, is listed as a second baseman and switch-hit and threw left-handed. The bio gives 5-foot-5 and 156 pounds. The bio records the death on July 3, 1929, in Chicago, IL, USA. McClellan's full given name, per the bio, is William Henry McClellan.

McClellan collected 773 hits in 3,197 at bats across 792 games, good for a .242 batting average; the totals also include 6 home runs, 304 RBI, and 132 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .305 and .308 give McClellan a career OPS of .613. The .242 career average is close to the .250 the league hit across the same seasons. The hits column peaks at 152, in 1886. The RBI column peaks at 68 in 1886.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill McClellan

What years did Bill McClellan play?
Bill McClellan played in Major League Baseball from 1878 to 1888.
Was Bill McClellan a pitcher?
No. Bill McClellan was a position player (Second Baseman).
How many home runs did Bill McClellan hit?
Bill McClellan hit 6 career home runs with 773 hits.
What was Bill McClellan's career batting average?
Bill McClellan batted .242 over his career, with 773 hits in 3,197 at bats.
How many RBI did Bill McClellan have?
Bill McClellan drove in 304 runs in his career.
Is Bill McClellan in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill McClellan has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.