Bill Stemmyer
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1885-1888)
Bill Stemmyer was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1885 to 1888 for the Boston Braves and the Cleveland Blues, a span of 4 seasons. Across 60 career appearances, he went 29-29 with a 3.67 ERA and 295 strikeouts. He also batted .283 with 1 home runs. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 107.
- 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
- Position
- Pitcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 190 lb
- Died
- 5/3/1945 in Cleveland, OH, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1885-10-03
- Last Game
- 1888-06-15
Full name: William Stemmyer
Season-by-Season Pitching
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Lg ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | BSN | NL | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11.0 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 0.00 | 3.03 (+100%) | -383.4 |
| 1886 | BSN | NL | 22 | 18 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 348.2 | 300 | 117 | 144 | 239 | 3.02 | 3.37 (+10%) | -81.1 |
| 1887 | BSN | NL | 6 | 8 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 119.1 | 138 | 69 | 41 | 41 | 5.20 | 4.17 (-25%) | 202.8 |
| 1888 | CL3 | AA | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 | 37 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 9.00 | 2.95 (-206%) | -255.2 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 29 | 29 | 60 | 59 | 59 | 1 | 1 | 495.0 | 482 | 202 | 205 | 295 | 3.67 | — | -517 | ||
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
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 212 | 32 | 60 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 32 | 3 | 16 | 27 | .283 | .339 | .358 | .698 | 107 |
Career AVG .283 vs. league average .250 across their career seasons — +13.1% above league average.
Career OBP .339 vs. league average .304 across their career seasons — +11.6% above league average.
Career SLG .358 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — +6.0% above league average.
Career OPS .698 vs. league average .642 across their career seasons — +8.6% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | BSN | NL | 2 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .429 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1886 | BSN | NL | 41 | 148 | 24 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 3 | 12 | 17 | .277 | .246 (+12%) | .302 (+9%) | .331 (-2%) | .634 (+3%) | 102.6 |
| 1887 | BSN | NL | 15 | 47 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 9 | .255 | — | — | — | — | 4.1 |
| 1888 | CL3 | AA | 3 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .400 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 61 | 212 | 32 | 60 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 32 | 3 | 16 | 27 | .283 | — | — | — | — | 107 | ||
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 Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 60 |
| First Base | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bill Stemmyer (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bill Stemmyer: the record in brief
The profile opens with Bill Stemmyer's first major league game on October 3, 1885; the last one listed came on June 15, 1888. The season rows list, in order, the Boston Beaneaters (1885 to 1887) and the Cleveland Blues (1888). Stemmyer, born on May 6, 1865, in Cleveland, OH, USA, is listed as a pitcher and threw and hit right-handed. Stemmyer's listed size is 190 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. The bio records the death on May 3, 1945, in Cleveland, OH, USA. Bill Stemmyer was the playing name; the full given name is William.
The pitching table credits Stemmyer with a 29-29 record and a 3.67 ERA in 60 games. Stemmyer had 295 strikeouts and 59 complete games. The league ERA over Stemmyer's seasons was 3.39, so the 3.67 figure ran 8.4% worse than average. 1886 brought Stemmyer a season-high 22 wins. Among the heaviest workloads, the lowest ERA was 3.02 in 1886, when the league's was 3.37.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Stemmyer
- What years did Bill Stemmyer play?
- Bill Stemmyer played in Major League Baseball from 1885 to 1888.
- Was Bill Stemmyer a pitcher?
- Yes. Bill Stemmyer pitched in the major leagues, recording 29 wins and 295 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Bill Stemmyer hit?
- Bill Stemmyer hit 1 career home runs with 60 hits.
- What was Bill Stemmyer's career batting average?
- Bill Stemmyer batted .283 over his career, with 60 hits in 212 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Stemmyer have?
- Bill Stemmyer drove in 32 runs in his career.
- What was Bill Stemmyer's career ERA?
- Bill Stemmyer finished with a 3.67 career ERA, going 29-29 with 295 strikeouts.