Bill Plummer
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1968-1978)
Bill Plummer was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1978 for the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Seattle Mariners, a span of 11 seasons. In 367 career games, he hit .188 with 168 hits, 14 home runs, and 82 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 190 lb
- Died
- 3/12/2024 in Redding, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1968-04-19
- Last Game
- 1978-09-07
Full name: William Francis Plummer
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 367 | 892 | 72 | 168 | 37 | 1 | 14 | 82 | 4 | 95 | 191 | .188 | .267 | .279 | .546 | -2,635 |
Career AVG .188 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 25.8% below league average.
Career OBP .267 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 16.8% below league average.
Career SLG .279 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 24.9% below league average.
Career OPS .546 vs. league average .692 across their career seasons — 21.2% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | CHN | NL | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1970 | CIN | NL | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .125 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1971 | CIN | NL | 10 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1972 | CIN | NL | 38 | 102 | 8 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 20 | .186 | .243 (-24%) | .310 (-32%) | .353 (-20%) | .664 (-25%) | -436.7 |
| 1973 | CIN | NL | 50 | 119 | 8 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 18 | 26 | .151 | .256 (-41%) | .325 (-18%) | .378 (-40%) | .703 (-30%) | -516.5 |
| 1974 | CIN | NL | 50 | 120 | 7 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 21 | .225 | .256 (-12%) | .324 (-21%) | .369 (-10%) | .693 (-15%) | -317.9 |
| 1975 | CIN | NL | 65 | 159 | 17 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 24 | 28 | .182 | .257 (-29%) | .327 (-11%) | .374 (-34%) | .701 (-24%) | -561.8 |
| 1976 | CIN | NL | 56 | 153 | 16 | 38 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 36 | .248 | .255 (-3%) | .320 (-3%) | .360 (+5%) | .681 (+1%) | 29.1 |
| 1977 | CIN | NL | 51 | 117 | 10 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 17 | 34 | .137 | .264 (-48%) | .329 (-26%) | .401 (-49%) | .730 (-38%) | -715.3 |
| 1978 | SEA | AL | 41 | 93 | 6 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 19 | .215 | .257 (-17%) | .323 (-6%) | .378 (-12%) | .702 (-9%) | -116.3 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 367 | 892 | 72 | 168 | 37 | 1 | 14 | 82 | 4 | 95 | 191 | .188 | — | — | — | — | -2,635 | ||
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 (367 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 171 | 386 | 30 | 73 | 5 | 29 | .189 |
| Away | 196 | 506 | 42 | 95 | 9 | 53 | .188 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-09-07 | SEA | CHW | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978-09-03 | SEA | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1978-09-02 | SEA | NYY | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1978-09-01 | SEA | NYY | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1978-08-29 | SEA | BOS | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1978-08-28 | SEA | BOS | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978-08-26 | SEA | BAL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1978-08-25 | SEA | BAL | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1978-08-23 | SEA | BOS | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1978-08-22 | SEA | BOS | W | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3B | 9 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| C | 343 | 247 | 1283 | 92 | 23 | 16 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | CHN | C | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | CIN | C | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1971 | CIN | 3B | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971 | CIN | C | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | CIN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972 | CIN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | CIN | C | 36 | 28 | 148 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 1973 | CIN | 3B | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1973 | CIN | C | 42 | 33 | 170 | 9 | 1 | 3 |
| 1974 | CIN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | CIN | C | 49 | 33 | 208 | 13 | 6 | 1 |
| 1975 | CIN | C | 63 | 45 | 186 | 14 | 2 | 5 |
| 1976 | CIN | C | 54 | 40 | 235 | 21 | 6 | 1 |
| 1977 | CIN | C | 50 | 31 | 194 | 15 | 3 | 3 |
| 1978 | SEA | C | 40 | 33 | 127 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 343 |
| First Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 9 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shasta College | Redding | CA | 1965 |
Bill Plummer: the record in brief
The profile opens with Bill Plummer's first major league game on April 19, 1968; the last one listed came on September 7, 1978. Plummer played for the Chicago Cubs (1968), the Cincinnati Reds (1970 through 1977), and the Seattle Mariners (1978). The bio lists Plummer as a catcher who threw and hit right-handed. Plummer is listed at 190 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The birth record reads March 21, 1947, in Oakland, CA, USA. The bio records the death on March 12, 2024, in Redding, CA, USA. Bill Plummer was the playing name; the full given name is William Francis.
In 367 games and 892 at bats, Plummer batted .188 with 168 hits, along with 14 home runs and 82 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .267 and the slugging percentage .279, for an OPS of .546. The league as a whole hit .254 across Plummer's seasons, which puts the .188 career mark 25.8% below average. In OPS terms, Plummer's .546 stands 21.2% below the league's .692. 1976 produced Plummer's most hits, 38 of them for the Cincinnati Reds.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Plummer
- What years did Bill Plummer play?
- Bill Plummer played in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1978.
- Was Bill Plummer a pitcher?
- No. Bill Plummer was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Bill Plummer hit?
- Bill Plummer hit 14 career home runs with 168 hits.
- What was Bill Plummer's career batting average?
- Bill Plummer batted .188 over his career, with 168 hits in 892 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Plummer have?
- Bill Plummer drove in 82 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Plummer in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Plummer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.