Bill Phillips

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1879-1888)

Bill Phillips was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1879 to 1888 for the Cleveland Blues, the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, and the Kansas City Cowboys, a span of 10 seasons. In 1,038 career games, he hit .266 with 1,130 hits, 17 home runs, and 534 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,588.

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 .266
HR 17
RBI 534
H 1,130
OPS .673
PIV 4,588
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 202 lb
Born
1857 in Saint John, NB, CAN
Died
10/7/1900 in Chicago, IL, USA
MLB Debut
1879-05-01
Last Game
1888-10-14

Full name: William B. Phillips

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Career Batting Statistics

Bill Phillips — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,038 4,255 562 1,130 214 98 17 534 39 178 295 .266 .299 .374 .673 4,588

Career AVG .266 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — +6.3% above league average.

Career OBP .299 vs. league average .292 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .374 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.

Career OPS .673 vs. league average .627 across their career seasons — +7.4% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Phillips (b. 1857) 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
1879 CL2 NL 81 365 58 99 15 4 0 29 0 2 20 .271 .255 (+6%) .270 (+2%) .328 (+2%) .599 (+2%) 71.6
1880 CL2 NL 85 334 41 85 14 10 1 36 0 6 29 .254 .244 (+4%) .267 (avg) .319 (+14%) .586 (+8%) 305.8
1881 CL2 NL 85 357 51 97 18 10 1 44 0 5 19 .272 .260 (+4%) .290 (-3%) .338 (+14%) .628 (+6%) 233.1
1882 CL2 NL 78 335 40 87 17 7 4 47 0 7 18 .260 .248 (+5%) .275 (avg) .329 (+18%) .605 (+9%) 394.8
1883 CL2 NL 97 382 42 94 29 8 2 40 0 8 49 .246 .257 (-4%) .285 (-9%) .345 (+10%) .631 (+2%) -29.6
1884 CL2 NL 111 464 58 128 25 12 3 46 0 18 80 .276 .243 (+13%) .278 (+9%) .327 (+23%) .606 (+16%) 1101.8
1885 BR3 AA 99 391 65 118 16 11 3 63 0 27 0 .302 .244 (+24%) .287 (+26%) .325 (+30%) .613 (+28%) 1903.7
1886 BR3 AA 141 585 68 160 26 15 0 72 13 33 0 .274 .246 (+11%) .302 (+4%) .331 (+11%) .634 (+8%) 655.8
1887 BR3 AA 132 533 82 142 34 11 2 101 16 45 30 .266 .270 (-2%) .331 (avg) .373 (+2%) .705 (+1%) 75.0
1888 KC2 AA 129 509 57 120 20 10 1 56 10 27 50 .236 .238 (-1%) .290 (-2%) .319 (avg) .610 (-1%) -124.4
Career · 10 seasons 1,038 4,255 562 1,130 214 98 17 534 39 178 295 .266 — — — — 4,588

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 Phillips — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1032 0 10540 305 324 511
C 12 0 51 11 18 2
OF 2 0 1 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Phillips — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1879 CL2 1B 75 0 726 22 36 23
1879 CL2 C 11 0 48 10 18 2
1879 CL2 OF 2 0 1 0 0 0
1880 CL2 1B 85 0 842 25 33 37
1881 CL2 1B 85 0 806 24 29 51
1882 CL2 1B 78 0 827 24 25 55
1882 CL2 C 1 0 3 1 0 0
1883 CL2 1B 97 0 953 22 33 53
1884 CL2 1B 111 0 1107 30 48 59
1885 BR3 1B 99 0 1109 24 32 40
1886 BR3 1B 141 0 1395 33 32 65
1887 BR3 1B 132 0 1299 46 24 62
1888 KC2 1B 129 0 1476 55 32 66

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Phillips (b. 1857) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 12
First Base 1032
Center Field 1
Right Field 1

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    John Morrill
    .260 avg, 43 HR
  2. 97
    Don Gutteridge
    .256 avg, 39 HR
  3. 96
    Neifi Perez
    .267 avg, 64 HR
  4. 94
    Joe Mulvey
    .261 avg, 28 HR
  5. 94
    Hughie Critz
    .268 avg, 38 HR
  6. 94
    Phil Todt
    .258 avg, 57 HR

Bill Phillips: the record in brief

May 1, 1879 and October 14, 1888 bracket Bill Phillips's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Club by club, the record runs the Cleveland Blues (1879 to 1884), the Brooklyn Grays (1885 to 1887), and the Kansas City Cowboys (1888). Phillips, born in 1857, in Saint John, NB, CAN, is listed as a first baseman and both batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6 feet, 0 inches and 202 pounds. Phillips's death is recorded on October 7, 1900, in Chicago, IL, USA. On the record, Bill Phillips was born William B. Phillips.

The batting record for Phillips: 1,038 games, 1,130 hits in 4,255 at bats, and a .266 average, plus 17 home runs, 534 runs batted in, and 39 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .299 and the slugging percentage .374, for an OPS of .673. Set against a .250 league average for the same years, Phillips's .266 average sits 6.3% above it. In OPS terms, Phillips's .673 stands 7.4% above the league's .627.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Phillips

What years did Bill Phillips play?
Bill Phillips played in Major League Baseball from 1879 to 1888.
Was Bill Phillips a pitcher?
No. Bill Phillips was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Bill Phillips hit?
Bill Phillips hit 17 career home runs with 1130 hits.
What was Bill Phillips's career batting average?
Bill Phillips batted .266 over his career, with 1,130 hits in 4,255 at bats.
How many RBI did Bill Phillips have?
Bill Phillips drove in 534 runs in his career.
Is Bill Phillips in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Phillips has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.