Bill Salkeld
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1945-1950)
Bill Salkeld was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1950 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Boston Braves, and the Chicago White Sox, a span of 6 seasons. In 356 career games, he hit .273 with 232 hits, 31 home runs, and 132 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,634.
- 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
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 190 lb
- Died
- 4/22/1967 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1945-04-18
- Last Game
- 1950-04-21
Full name: William Franklin Salkeld
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 356 | 850 | 111 | 232 | 39 | 2 | 31 | 132 | 6 | 182 | 101 | .273 | .402 | .433 | .835 | 3,634 |
Career AVG .273 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .402 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — +19.4% above league average.
Career SLG .433 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — +15.5% above league average.
Career OPS .835 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — +17.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | PIT | NL | 95 | 267 | 45 | 83 | 16 | 1 | 15 | 52 | 2 | 50 | 16 | .311 | .260 (+19%) | .328 (+28%) | .354 (+54%) | .683 (+41%) | 2118.2 |
| 1946 | PIT | NL | 69 | 160 | 18 | 47 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 39 | 16 | .294 | .256 (+14%) | .328 (+31%) | .358 (+12%) | .687 (+21%) | 793.6 |
| 1947 | PIT | NL | 47 | 61 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 8 | .213 | .262 (-19%) | .336 (-16%) | .376 (-35%) | .712 (-26%) | -242.2 |
| 1948 | BSN | NL | 78 | 198 | 26 | 48 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 28 | 1 | 42 | 37 | .242 | .263 (-8%) | .340 (+11%) | .379 (+9%) | .719 (+10%) | 481.5 |
| 1949 | BSN | NL | 66 | 161 | 17 | 41 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 25 | 1 | 44 | 24 | .255 | .262 (-3%) | .343 (+21%) | .384 (-1%) | .727 (+9%) | 482.5 |
| 1950 | CHA | AL | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 356 | 850 | 111 | 232 | 39 | 2 | 31 | 132 | 6 | 182 | 101 | .273 | — | — | — | — | 3,634 | ||
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 (356 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 191 | 451 | 70 | 127 | 19 | 89 | .282 |
| Away | 165 | 399 | 41 | 105 | 12 | 44 | .263 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-04-21 | CHW | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-09-16 | BSN | STL | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-11 | BSN | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949-09-10 | BSN | PHI | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1949-09-08 | BSN | PHI | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-09-03 | BSN | PHI | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1949-09-02 | BSN | PHI | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949-09-01 | BSN | CHC | W | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1949-08-31 | BSN | CHC | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1949-08-30 | BSN | STL | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
Season-by-Season Fielding
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 276 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 24th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |
Bill Salkeld: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 18, 1945 and the final game on April 21, 1950, Bill Salkeld built the record summarized on this page. The season rows list, in order, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1945 to 1947), the Boston Braves (1948 to 1949), and the Chicago White Sox (1950). Salkeld is listed as a catcher at 5 feet, 10 inches and 190 pounds. The bio says Salkeld threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The recorded birth is March 8, 1917, in Pocatello, ID, USA. The bio records the death on April 22, 1967, in Los Angeles, CA, USA. The given name on file is William Franklin Salkeld.
Salkeld collected 232 hits in 850 at bats across 356 games, good for a .273 batting average, along with 31 home runs and 132 RBI. Salkeld got on base at a .402 rate and slugged .433 (.835 OPS). Salkeld hit .273 while the league hit .262 over the same span, a figure close to average. By OPS the gap is 17.3% above league average (.835 against .712).
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Salkeld
- What years did Bill Salkeld play?
- Bill Salkeld played in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1950.
- Was Bill Salkeld a pitcher?
- No. Bill Salkeld was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Bill Salkeld hit?
- Bill Salkeld hit 31 career home runs with 232 hits.
- What teams did Bill Salkeld play for?
- Bill Salkeld played for 3 teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates (1945–1947), the Boston Braves (1948–1949), and the Chicago White Sox (1950).
- What were Bill Salkeld's career stats?
- In 356 games, Bill Salkeld had 232 hits, 31 home runs, 132 RBI, 111 runs, and 6 stolen bases, with a .273 batting average.
- What position did Bill Salkeld play?
- Bill Salkeld played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Bill Salkeld and how much did he weigh?
- Bill Salkeld was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 190 pounds.
- How many home runs did Bill Salkeld hit each season?
- Bill Salkeld's home runs by season: 15 in 1945, 3 in 1946, 0 in 1947, 8 in 1948, 5 in 1949, and 0 in 1950. His most in one season was 15, in 1945.
- What was Bill Salkeld's career batting average?
- Bill Salkeld batted .273 over his career, with 232 hits in 850 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Salkeld have?
- Bill Salkeld drove in 132 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Salkeld in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Salkeld has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.