Bill Serena
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1949-1954)
Bill Serena was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1954 for the Chicago Cubs, a span of 6 seasons. In 408 career games, he hit .251 with 311 hits, 48 home runs, and 198 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,990.
- 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
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'9" / 175 lb
- Died
- 4/17/1996 in Hayward, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1949-09-16
- Last Game
- 1954-08-07
Full name: William Robert Serena
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 408 | 1,239 | 154 | 311 | 57 | 16 | 48 | 198 | 2 | 177 | 235 | .251 | .348 | .439 | .787 | 1,990 |
Career AVG .251 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .348 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .439 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — +13.1% above league average.
Career OPS .787 vs. league average .725 across their career seasons — +8.5% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | CHN | NL | 12 | 37 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 9 | .216 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1950 | CHN | NL | 127 | 435 | 56 | 104 | 20 | 4 | 17 | 61 | 1 | 65 | 75 | .239 | .265 (-10%) | .346 (-2%) | .401 (+5%) | .747 (+2%) | 136.9 |
| 1951 | CHN | NL | 13 | 39 | 8 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 4 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 329.8 |
| 1952 | CHN | NL | 122 | 390 | 49 | 107 | 21 | 5 | 15 | 61 | 1 | 39 | 83 | .274 | .252 (+9%) | .326 (+6%) | .369 (+27%) | .696 (+17%) | 1166.9 |
| 1953 | CHN | NL | 93 | 275 | 30 | 69 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 52 | 0 | 41 | 46 | .251 | .264 (-5%) | .335 (+4%) | .397 (+9%) | .733 (+7%) | 378.2 |
| 1954 | CHN | NL | 41 | 63 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 18 | .159 | .261 (-39%) | .333 (-5%) | .390 (-2%) | .723 (-4%) | -22.1 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 408 | 1,239 | 154 | 311 | 57 | 16 | 48 | 198 | 2 | 177 | 235 | .251 | — | — | — | — | 1,990 | ||
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 (408 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 193 | 542 | 80 | 138 | 28 | 106 | .255 |
| Away | 215 | 697 | 74 | 173 | 20 | 92 | .248 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-08-07 | CHC | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1954-08-06 | CHC | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-08-04 | CHC | NY1 | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-08-03 | CHC | NY1 | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1954-08-01 | CHC | PIT | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1954-08-01 | CHC | PIT | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1954-07-31 | CHC | PIT | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1954-07-30 | CHC | PIT | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954-07-30 | CHC | PIT | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1954-07-28 | CHC | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 100 | 1 | 236 | 255 | 7 | 49 |
| 3B | 246 | 11 | 248 | 471 | 37 | 37 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | CHN | 3B | 11 | 0 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 1950 | CHN | 3B | 125 | 0 | 122 | 274 | 23 | 24 |
| 1951 | CHN | 3B | 12 | 0 | 15 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| 1952 | CHN | 2B | 49 | 0 | 128 | 134 | 3 | 25 |
| 1952 | CHN | 3B | 58 | 0 | 70 | 100 | 5 | 5 |
| 1953 | CHN | 2B | 49 | 0 | 106 | 120 | 4 | 24 |
| 1953 | CHN | 3B | 28 | 0 | 29 | 40 | 3 | 7 |
| 1954 | CHN | 2B | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1954 | CHN | 3B | 12 | 11 | 3 | 25 | 2 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 100 |
| Third Base | 246 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 5th | 1.0 | 24 | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bill Serena (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bill Serena: the record in brief
Bill Serena played a first major league game on September 16, 1949 and a last one on August 7, 1954. Serena spent the whole of the career shown here with one club, the Chicago Cubs. Serena, born on October 2, 1924, in Alameda, CA, USA, is listed as a third baseman and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 5'9" and 175 pounds. Serena's death is recorded on April 17, 1996, in Hayward, CA, USA. The given name on file is William Robert Serena.
The batting record for Serena: 408 games, 311 hits in 1,239 at bats, and a .251 average, plus 48 homers and 198 runs batted in. Serena got on base at a .348 rate and slugged .439 (.787 OPS). Against a .261 league average for those years, Serena's .251 average was near the norm. The OPS comparison is .787 to a league .725, 8.5% above average. 1950 was Serena's biggest home run year, with 17. 1952 produced Serena's most hits, 107 of them for the Chicago Cubs.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Serena
- What years did Bill Serena play?
- Bill Serena played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1954.
- Was Bill Serena a pitcher?
- No. Bill Serena was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Bill Serena hit?
- Bill Serena hit 48 career home runs with 311 hits.
- What was Bill Serena's career batting average?
- Bill Serena batted .251 over his career, with 311 hits in 1,239 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Serena have?
- Bill Serena drove in 198 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Serena in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Serena has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.