Bill Steen

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1912-1915)

Bill Steen was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1915 for the Cleveland Guardians and the Detroit Tigers, a span of 4 seasons. Across 108 career appearances, he went 28-32 with a 3.05 ERA and 265 strikeouts. He also batted .207 with 0 home runs. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 2391.1.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 28–32
ERA 3.05
WHIP 1.36
SO 265
Pitcher PIV 2391.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 180 lb
Born
11/11/1887 in Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Died
3/13/1979 in Signal Hill, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1912-04-15
Last Game
1915-08-22

Full name: William John Steen

Career Pitching Statistics

Bill Steen — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
28 32 108 65 31 4 6 597.0 611 202 7 199 265 3.05 2391.1

Career ERA 3.05 vs. league average 3.03 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

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.

Career Batting Statistics

Bill Steen — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
108 203 14 42 5 1 0 19 5 8 65 .207 .241 .241 .482 -392

Career AVG .207 vs. league average .257 across their career seasons — 19.6% below league average.

Career OBP .241 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 25.9% below league average.

Career SLG .241 vs. league average .342 across their career seasons — 29.5% below league average.

Career OPS .482 vs. league average .667 across their career seasons — 27.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

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.

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Steen — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home5410171703.168
Away5610572504.238

Pitching — Home / Away

Bill Steen — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home54316.032596841512.73
Away54282.02861071121133.41

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Steen — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1915-08-22 DETMINL 000000000
1915-08-10 DETMINW 412000000
1915-08-05 DETPHAL 000000000
1915-08-05 DETPHAW 000000000
1915-07-31 DETBOSL 000000000
1915-07-30 DETBOSW 100000001
1915-07-29 DETNYYW 100000000
1915-07-24 DETMINL 000000000
1915-07-20 DETPHAW 311000000
1915-07-19 DETPHAW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Bill Steen — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1915-08-22 DETMIN — 0.2320000
1915-08-10 DETMIN W 9.0922320
1915-08-05 DETPHA — 0.2211100
1915-08-05 DETPHA — 0.1433000
1915-07-31 DETBOS — 2.0200000
1915-07-30 DETBOS — 1.2000000
1915-07-29 DETNYY SV 2.0300100
1915-07-24 DETMIN — 1.0100000
1915-07-20 DETPHA W 8.2853540
1915-07-19 DETPHA SV 2.0100010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Steen — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 108 0 29 183 18 2

Season-by-Season Fielding

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Steen — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 108
Third Base 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 Steen (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Hiram Bithorn
    34-31, 3.16 ERA
  2. 79
    Ad Brennan
    37-36, 3.11 ERA
  3. 78
    George Baumgardner
    36-47, 3.22 ERA
  4. 74
    Ed Klepfer
    22-17, 2.81 ERA
  5. 73
    Harry Moran
    23-17, 3.34 ERA
  6. 73
    Fred Blanding
    45-46, 3.13 ERA

Bill Steen: the record in brief

Bill Steen played a first major league game on April 15, 1912 and a last one on August 22, 1915. Club by club, the record runs the Cleveland Naps (1912 through 1914), the Cleveland Indians (1915), and the Detroit Tigers (1915). Born on November 11, 1887, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, Steen is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Size on record: 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds. Steen died on March 13, 1979, in Signal Hill, CA, USA. Bill Steen was the playing name; the full given name is William John.

Steen went 28-32 with a 3.05 ERA in 108 games, 65 of them starts. The totals include 265 strikeouts and 31 complete games. Steen's 3.05 ERA was close to the 3.03 league figure for those seasons. Steen won 9 games in 1912, the most of any season listed. Steen struck out 97 batters in 1914, a career high. 1913 was Steen's sharpest full season, a 2.45 ERA against the league's 3.07.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Steen

What years did Bill Steen play?
Bill Steen played in Major League Baseball from 1912 to 1915.
Was Bill Steen a pitcher?
Yes. Bill Steen pitched in the major leagues, recording 28 wins and 265 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Bill Steen hit?
Bill Steen hit 0 career home runs with 42 hits.
What teams did Bill Steen play for?
Bill Steen played for 2 teams: the Cleveland Indians (1912–1915) and the Detroit Tigers (1915).
What were Bill Steen's career stats?
In 108 games, Bill Steen went 28-32 with a 3.05 ERA, 265 strikeouts, 597.0 innings pitched, and 6 saves. At the plate he had 42 hits and 0 home runs.
What position did Bill Steen play?
Bill Steen played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Steen and how much did he weigh?
Bill Steen was listed at 6 feet and 180 pounds.
What was Bill Steen's career ERA?
Bill Steen finished with a 3.05 career ERA, going 28-32 with 265 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Bill Steen have?
Bill Steen recorded 265 career strikeouts.
Is Bill Steen in the Hall of Fame?
No. Bill Steen has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.