Bill Nicholson
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1936-1953)
Bill Nicholson was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1953 for the Philadelphia Athletics, the Chicago Cubs, and the Philadelphia Phillies, a span of 18 seasons. In 1,677 career games, he hit .268 with 1,484 hits, 235 home runs, and 948 RBI. Bill Nicholson was a 5-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 21,540.
- 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
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'0" / 205 lb
- Died
- 3/8/1996 in Chestertown, MD, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1936-06-13
- Last Game
- 1953-09-19
- Awards
- 5× All-Star
Full name: William Beck Nicholson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,677 | 5,546 | 837 | 1,484 | 272 | 60 | 235 | 948 | 27 | 800 | 828 | .268 | .365 | .465 | .830 | 21,540 |
Career AVG .268 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .365 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +9.1% above league average.
Career SLG .465 vs. league average .376 across their career seasons — +23.9% above league average.
Career OPS .830 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — +16.9% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | PHA | AL | 11 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | CHN | NL | 58 | 220 | 37 | 65 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 38 | 0 | 20 | 29 | .295 | .274 (+8%) | .342 (+4%) | .393 (+18%) | .735 (+11%) | 393.7 |
| 1940 | CHN | NL | 135 | 491 | 78 | 146 | 27 | 7 | 25 | 98 | 2 | 50 | 67 | .297 | .267 (+11%) | .335 (+9%) | .387 (+38%) | .722 (+24%) | 2301.2 |
| 1941 | CHN | NL | 147 | 532 | 74 | 135 | 26 | 1 | 26 | 98 | 1 | 82 | 91 | .254 | .262 (-3%) | .332 (+7%) | .373 (+21%) | .705 (+15%) | 1690.4 |
| 1942 | CHN | NL | 152 | 588 | 83 | 173 | 22 | 11 | 21 | 78 | 8 | 76 | 80 | .294 | .253 (+16%) | .323 (+18%) | .349 (+36%) | .672 (+28%) | 3238.7 |
| 1943 | CHN | NL | 154 | 608 | 95 | 188 | 30 | 9 | 29 | 128 | 4 | 71 | 86 | .309 | .255 (+21%) | .324 (+19%) | .346 (+53%) | .671 (+37%) | 4253.8 |
| 1944 | CHN | NL | 156 | 582 | 116 | 167 | 35 | 8 | 33 | 122 | 3 | 93 | 71 | .287 | .261 (+10%) | .325 (+20%) | .357 (+52%) | .683 (+37%) | 4348.2 |
| 1945 | CHN | NL | 151 | 559 | 82 | 136 | 28 | 4 | 13 | 88 | 4 | 92 | 73 | .243 | .260 (-7%) | .328 (+8%) | .354 (+6%) | .683 (+7%) | 1063.5 |
| 1946 | CHN | NL | 105 | 296 | 36 | 65 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 41 | 1 | 44 | 44 | .220 | .256 (-15%) | .328 (-1%) | .358 (avg) | .687 (-1%) | 13.3 |
| 1947 | CHN | NL | 148 | 487 | 69 | 119 | 28 | 1 | 26 | 75 | 1 | 87 | 83 | .244 | .262 (-7%) | .336 (+8%) | .376 (+24%) | .712 (+17%) | 1776.8 |
| 1948 | CHN | NL | 143 | 494 | 68 | 129 | 24 | 5 | 19 | 67 | 2 | 81 | 60 | .261 | .263 (-1%) | .340 (+9%) | .379 (+17%) | .719 (+13%) | 1480.9 |
| 1949 | PHI | NL | 98 | 299 | 42 | 70 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 40 | 1 | 45 | 53 | .234 | .262 (-11%) | .343 (avg) | .384 (+2%) | .727 (+1%) | 110.8 |
| 1950 | PHI | NL | 41 | 58 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 16 | .224 | .265 (-16%) | .346 (-8%) | .401 (+12%) | .747 (+2%) | 10.5 |
| 1951 | PHI | NL | 85 | 170 | 23 | 41 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 30 | 0 | 25 | 24 | .241 | .260 (-8%) | .336 (+2%) | .385 (+19%) | .721 (+11%) | 332.0 |
| 1952 | PHI | NL | 55 | 88 | 17 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 26 | .273 | .252 (+8%) | .326 (+20%) | .369 (+38%) | .696 (+30%) | 487.8 |
| 1953 | PHI | NL | 38 | 62 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 12 | 20 | .210 | .264 (-21%) | .335 (+1%) | .397 (+6%) | .733 (+3%) | 38.3 |
| Career · 16 seasons | 1,677 | 5,546 | 837 | 1,484 | 272 | 60 | 235 | 948 | 27 | 800 | 828 | .268 | — | — | — | — | 21,540 | ||
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 (1678 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 828 | 2705 | 389 | 738 | 99 | 442 | .273 |
| Away | 850 | 2839 | 448 | 746 | 136 | 511 | .263 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-09-19 | PHI | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1953-09-07 | PHI | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-09-02 | PHI | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-08-25 | PHI | ATL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-08-16 | PHI | NY1 | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1953-08-13 | PHI | PIT | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-08-02 | PHI | ATL | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1953-07-19 | PHI | CHC | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953-07-11 | PHI | PIT | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1953-07-08 | PHI | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | 1471 | 0 | 2954 | 118 | 67 | 20 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | PHA | OF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1939 | CHN | OF | 58 | 0 | 123 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| 1940 | CHN | OF | 123 | 0 | 235 | 10 | 13 | 2 |
| 1941 | CHN | OF | 143 | 0 | 293 | 10 | 9 | 2 |
| 1942 | CHN | OF | 151 | 0 | 327 | 18 | 5 | 2 |
| 1943 | CHN | OF | 154 | 0 | 340 | 16 | 8 | 2 |
| 1944 | CHN | OF | 156 | 0 | 305 | 18 | 7 | 4 |
| 1945 | CHN | OF | 151 | 0 | 300 | 12 | 3 | 4 |
| 1946 | CHN | OF | 80 | 0 | 179 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 1947 | CHN | OF | 140 | 0 | 281 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| 1948 | CHN | OF | 136 | 0 | 244 | 7 | 5 | 1 |
| 1949 | PHI | OF | 91 | 0 | 185 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 1950 | PHI | OF | 15 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1951 | PHI | OF | 41 | 0 | 75 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1952 | PHI | OF | 19 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1953 | PHI | OF | 12 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 31 |
| Right Field | 1442 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | RF |
| 1943 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | RF |
| 1943 | TSN All-Star | OF |
| 1940 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | RF |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington College | Chestertown | MD | 1934, 1935, 1936 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 189.0 | 336 | 4 |
| 1943 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 3rd | 181.0 | 336 | 5 |
| 1942 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 14.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1941 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 16th | 16.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1940 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 20th | 12.0 | 336 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bill Nicholson (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Bill Nicholson
Bill Nicholson: the record in brief
June 13, 1936 and September 19, 1953 bracket Bill Nicholson's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The season rows list, in order, the Philadelphia Athletics (1936), the Chicago Cubs (1939 through 1948), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1949 through 1953). Nicholson played primarily as an outfielder and batted left-handed and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on December 11, 1914, in Chestertown, MD, USA and a listed size of 205 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame. Nicholson's death is recorded on March 8, 1996, in Chestertown, MD, USA. The bio lists the given name William Beck.
Nicholson finished with 1,484 hits from 5,546 at bats in 1,677 games, which works out to .268, adding 235 home runs, 948 RBI, and 27 stolen bases. Nicholson's career OPS of .830 combines a .365 on-base mark with .465 slugging. Against a .263 league average for those years, Nicholson's .268 average was near the norm. The home run peak was 33 in 1944 with the Chicago Cubs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Nicholson
- What years did Bill Nicholson play?
- Bill Nicholson played in Major League Baseball from 1936 to 1953.
- Was Bill Nicholson a pitcher?
- No. Bill Nicholson was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Bill Nicholson hit?
- Bill Nicholson hit 235 career home runs with 1484 hits.
- What was Bill Nicholson's career batting average?
- Bill Nicholson batted .268 over his career, with 1,484 hits in 5,546 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Nicholson have?
- Bill Nicholson drove in 948 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Nicholson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Nicholson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.