Billy Southworth
Outfielder · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1913-1929)
Billy Southworth was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1929 for 5 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 17 seasons. In 1,192 career games, he hit .297 with 1,296 hits, 52 home runs, and 561 RBI. Billy Southworth was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 6,580.
- 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
- 5'9" / 170 lb
- Died
- 11/15/1969 in Columbus, OH, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1913-08-04
- Last Game
- 1929-07-09
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 2008 (BBWAA)
Full name: William Harold Southworth
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,192 | 4,359 | 661 | 1,296 | 173 | 91 | 52 | 561 | 138 | 402 | 148 | .297 | .359 | .415 | .773 | 6,580 |
Career AVG .297 vs. league average .276 across their career seasons — +7.6% above league average.
Career OBP .359 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +5.8% above league average.
Career SLG .415 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — +9.4% above league average.
Career OPS .773 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — +7.7% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | CLE | AL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1915 | CLE | AL | 60 | 177 | 25 | 39 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 36 | 12 | .220 | .250 (-12%) | .318 (+11%) | .332 (-13%) | .651 (-2%) | 82.7 |
| 1918 | PIT | NL | 64 | 246 | 37 | 84 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 43 | 19 | 26 | 9 | .341 | .255 (+34%) | .318 (+28%) | .326 (+36%) | .645 (+32%) | 1329.3 |
| 1919 | PIT | NL | 121 | 453 | 56 | 127 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 61 | 23 | 32 | 22 | .280 | .262 (+7%) | .322 (+2%) | .347 (+15%) | .670 (+9%) | 599.3 |
| 1920 | PIT | NL | 146 | 546 | 64 | 155 | 17 | 13 | 2 | 53 | 23 | 52 | 20 | .284 | .271 (+4%) | .331 (+5%) | .363 (+3%) | .694 (+4%) | 445.3 |
| 1921 | BSN | NL | 141 | 569 | 86 | 175 | 25 | 15 | 7 | 79 | 22 | 36 | 13 | .308 | .286 (+7%) | .344 (+2%) | .395 (+12%) | .739 (+7%) | 697.1 |
| 1922 | BSN | NL | 43 | 158 | 27 | 51 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 4 | 18 | 1 | .323 | .285 (+13%) | .345 (+13%) | .397 (+19%) | .743 (+17%) | 479.2 |
| 1923 | BSN | NL | 153 | 611 | 95 | 195 | 29 | 16 | 6 | 78 | 14 | 61 | 23 | .319 | .282 (+13%) | .344 (+11%) | .390 (+15%) | .734 (+13%) | 1678.2 |
| 1924 | NY1 | NL | 94 | 281 | 40 | 72 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 1 | 32 | 16 | .256 | .283 (-10%) | .345 (-4%) | .389 (-14%) | .734 (-9%) | -372.7 |
| 1925 | NY1 | NL | 123 | 473 | 79 | 138 | 19 | 5 | 6 | 44 | 6 | 51 | 11 | .292 | .288 (+1%) | .349 (+4%) | .407 (-4%) | .756 (avg) | 68.3 |
| 1926 | NY1 | NL | 36 | 116 | 23 | 38 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 30 | 1 | 7 | 1 | .328 | .279 (+17%) | .345 (+6%) | .390 (+35%) | .735 (+21%) | 389.2 |
| 1926 | SLN | NL | 99 | 391 | 76 | 124 | 22 | 6 | 11 | 69 | 13 | 26 | 9 | .317 | .279 (+13%) | .345 (+5%) | .390 (+25%) | .735 (+16%) | 389.2 |
| 1927 | SLN | NL | 92 | 306 | 52 | 92 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 10 | 23 | 7 | .301 | .282 (+7%) | .344 (+1%) | .392 (+2%) | .736 (+2%) | 86.8 |
| 1929 | SLN | NL | 19 | 32 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | .188 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 1,192 | 4,359 | 661 | 1,296 | 173 | 91 | 52 | 561 | 138 | 402 | 148 | .297 | — | — | — | — | 5,872 | ||
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 (1192 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 598 | 2089 | 315 | 621 | 25 | 287 | .297 |
| Away | 594 | 2268 | 345 | 675 | 27 | 268 | .298 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929-07-09 | STL | PHI | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-07-08 | STL | PHI | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-07-04 | STL | PIT | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-06-28 | STL | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1929-06-23 | STL | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-06-20 | STL | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-06-19 | STL | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1929-06-16 | STL | BSN | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1929-06-15 | STL | BSN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1929-06-04 | STL | 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 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| OF | 1115 | 0 | 2442 | 127 | 92 | 33 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | CLE | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1915 | CLE | OF | 44 | 0 | 90 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| 1918 | PIT | OF | 64 | 0 | 137 | 12 | 3 | 4 |
| 1919 | PIT | OF | 121 | 0 | 253 | 17 | 9 | 5 |
| 1920 | PIT | OF | 142 | 0 | 337 | 12 | 3 | 3 |
| 1921 | BSN | OF | 141 | 0 | 288 | 25 | 8 | 6 |
| 1922 | BSN | OF | 41 | 0 | 100 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| 1923 | BSN | 2B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1923 | BSN | OF | 151 | 0 | 326 | 22 | 21 | 6 |
| 1924 | NY1 | OF | 75 | 0 | 167 | 5 | 12 | 2 |
| 1925 | NY1 | OF | 119 | 0 | 289 | 7 | 11 | 1 |
| 1926 | NY1 | OF | 29 | 0 | 62 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1926 | SLN | OF | 99 | 0 | 228 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| 1927 | SLN | OF | 83 | 0 | 153 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| 1929 | SLN | OF | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 2 |
| Left Field | 95 |
| Center Field | 217 |
| Right Field | 808 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 5.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Billy Southworth (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Billy Southworth
- What years did Billy Southworth play?
- Billy Southworth played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1929.
- Was Billy Southworth a pitcher?
- No. Billy Southworth was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Billy Southworth hit?
- Billy Southworth hit 52 career home runs with 1296 hits.
- Is Billy Southworth in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Billy Southworth was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
- What was Billy Southworth's career batting average?
- Billy Southworth batted .297 over his career, with 1,296 hits in 4,359 at bats.
- How many RBI did Billy Southworth have?
- Billy Southworth drove in 561 runs in his career.