Bill Sweeney
Second Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1907-1914)
Bill Sweeney was a second baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1914 for the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Braves, a span of 8 seasons. In 1,039 career games, he hit .272 with 1,004 hits, 11 home runs, and 389 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 5,267.
- 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
- Second Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 175 lb
- Died
- 5/26/1948 in Cambridge, MA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1907-06-14
- Last Game
- 1914-10-05
Full name: William John Sweeney
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,039 | 3,692 | 442 | 1,004 | 153 | 40 | 11 | 389 | 172 | 423 | 215 | .272 | .349 | .344 | .693 | 5,267 |
Career AVG .272 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — +7.0% above league average.
Career OBP .349 vs. league average .319 across their career seasons — +9.4% above league average.
Career SLG .344 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .693 vs. league average .652 across their career seasons — +6.3% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | CHN | NL | 3 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .100 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1907 | BSN | NL | 58 | 191 | 24 | 50 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 8 | 15 | 15 | .262 | .245 (+7%) | .304 (+4%) | .308 (-12%) | .613 (-4%) | 0.0 |
| 1908 | BSN | NL | 127 | 418 | 44 | 102 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 17 | 45 | 25 | .244 | .240 (+1%) | .298 (+6%) | .306 (-4%) | .605 (+1%) | 198.9 |
| 1909 | BSN | NL | 138 | 493 | 44 | 120 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 36 | 25 | 37 | 22 | .243 | .244 (avg) | .306 (-3%) | .312 (-4%) | .618 (-4%) | -273.4 |
| 1910 | BSN | NL | 150 | 499 | 43 | 133 | 22 | 4 | 5 | 46 | 25 | 61 | 28 | .267 | .249 (+7%) | .317 (+10%) | .326 (+9%) | .644 (+9%) | 1004.0 |
| 1911 | BSN | NL | 137 | 523 | 92 | 164 | 33 | 6 | 3 | 63 | 33 | 77 | 26 | .314 | .266 (+18%) | .336 (+20%) | .356 (+17%) | .693 (+18%) | 2152.0 |
| 1912 | BSN | NL | 153 | 593 | 84 | 204 | 31 | 13 | 1 | 100 | 27 | 68 | 34 | .344 | .268 (+28%) | .335 (+24%) | .358 (+24%) | .694 (+24%) | 3011.2 |
| 1913 | BSN | NL | 139 | 502 | 65 | 129 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 47 | 18 | 66 | 50 | .257 | .259 (-1%) | .325 (+7%) | .345 (-9%) | .670 (-1%) | 85.7 |
| 1914 | CHN | NL | 134 | 463 | 45 | 101 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 38 | 18 | 53 | 15 | .218 | .255 (-15%) | .322 (-7%) | .339 (-18%) | .661 (-13%) | -840.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 1,039 | 3,692 | 442 | 1,004 | 153 | 40 | 11 | 389 | 172 | 423 | 215 | .272 | — | — | — | — | 5,338 | ||
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 (1043 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 515 | 1830 | 244 | 532 | 8 | 201 | .291 |
| Away | 528 | 1866 | 200 | 472 | 3 | 175 | .253 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914-10-05 | CHC | STL | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-10-04 | CHC | STL | W | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-10-04 | CHC | STL | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-10-03 | CHC | STL | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1914-10-03 | CHC | STL | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-09-18 | CHC | BRO | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-09-17 | CHC | BRO | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-09-16 | CHC | BRO | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-09-14 | CHC | PIT | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1914-09-13 | CHC | PIT | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 18 | 16 | 172 | 16 | 4 | 19 |
| 2B | 566 | 5 | 1448 | 1717 | 169 | 220 |
| 3B | 279 | 276 | 405 | 625 | 95 | 35 |
| OF | 11 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| SS | 157 | 147 | 319 | 430 | 77 | 67 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | CHN | SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 1907 | BSN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1907 | BSN | 2B | 5 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 1 |
| 1907 | BSN | 3B | 23 | 22 | 36 | 52 | 13 | 5 |
| 1907 | BSN | OF | 11 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 1907 | BSN | SS | 15 | 11 | 19 | 38 | 4 | 3 |
| 1908 | BSN | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1908 | BSN | 3B | 123 | 121 | 174 | 277 | 34 | 14 |
| 1908 | BSN | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 1909 | BSN | 3B | 112 | 111 | 156 | 243 | 43 | 14 |
| 1909 | BSN | SS | 26 | 26 | 66 | 83 | 9 | 12 |
| 1910 | BSN | 1B | 17 | 16 | 168 | 16 | 4 | 19 |
| 1910 | BSN | 3B | 21 | 22 | 39 | 53 | 5 | 2 |
| 1910 | BSN | SS | 110 | 108 | 232 | 300 | 57 | 52 |
| 1911 | BSN | 2B | 136 | 0 | 372 | 410 | 46 | 61 |
| 1912 | BSN | 2B | 153 | 0 | 459 | 475 | 40 | 76 |
| 1913 | BSN | 2B | 137 | 0 | 301 | 391 | 45 | 42 |
| 1914 | CHN | 2B | 134 | 0 | 301 | 426 | 35 | 40 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 18 |
| Second Base | 566 |
| Third Base | 281 |
| Shortstop | 157 |
| Left Field | 9 |
| Center Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 2 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 13th | 6.0 | 64 | 0 |
| 1912 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 6th | 16.0 | 64 | 0 |
| 1911 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 21th | 3.0 | 64 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Bill Sweeney (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Bill Sweeney: the record in brief
The profile opens with Bill Sweeney's first major league game on June 14, 1907; the last one listed came on October 5, 1914. The season rows list, in order, the Chicago Cubs (1907 to 1914), the Boston Doves (1907 through 1910), the Boston Rustlers (1911), and the Boston Braves (1912 through 1913). Sweeney, born on March 6, 1886, in Covington, KY, USA, is listed as a second baseman and batted and threw right-handed. The bio gives 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds. Sweeney died on May 26, 1948, in Cambridge, MA, USA. The given name on file is William John Sweeney.
In 1,039 games and 3,692 at bats, Sweeney batted .272 with 1,004 hits; the totals also include 11 homers, 389 RBI, and 172 stolen bases. Reaching base at a .349 clip and slugging .344, Sweeney finished with a .693 OPS. The league as a whole hit .254 across Sweeney's seasons, which puts the .272 career mark 7.0% above average. By OPS the gap is 6.3% above league average (.693 against .652).
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Sweeney
- What years did Bill Sweeney play?
- Bill Sweeney played in Major League Baseball from 1907 to 1914.
- Was Bill Sweeney a pitcher?
- No. Bill Sweeney was a position player (Second Baseman).
- How many home runs did Bill Sweeney hit?
- Bill Sweeney hit 11 career home runs with 1004 hits.
- What was Bill Sweeney's career batting average?
- Bill Sweeney batted .272 over his career, with 1,004 hits in 3,692 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Sweeney have?
- Bill Sweeney drove in 389 runs in his career.
- Is Bill Sweeney in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Bill Sweeney has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.