Bill Sweeney
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1928-1931)
Bill Sweeney was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1928 to 1931 for the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, a span of 4 seasons. In 308 career games, he hit .286 with 300 hits, 5 home runs, and 107 RBI.
- 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'11" / 180 lb
- Died
- 4/18/1957 in San Diego, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1928-04-13
- Last Game
- 1931-09-27
Full name: William Joseph Sweeney
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 308 | 1,050 | 127 | 300 | 58 | 8 | 5 | 107 | 22 | 44 | 73 | .286 | .314 | .370 | .685 | -1,488 |
Career AVG .286 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .314 vs. league average .345 across their career seasons — 8.9% below league average.
Career SLG .370 vs. league average .405 across their career seasons — 8.5% below league average.
Career OPS .685 vs. league average .750 across their career seasons — 8.7% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | DET | AL | 89 | 309 | 47 | 78 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 28 | .252 | .280 (-10%) | .342 (-16%) | .395 (-16%) | .737 (-16%) | -857.5 |
| 1930 | BOS | AL | 88 | 243 | 32 | 75 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 5 | 9 | 15 | .309 | .293 (+5%) | .354 (-6%) | .429 (-4%) | .784 (-5%) | -221.8 |
| 1931 | BOS | AL | 131 | 498 | 48 | 147 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 58 | 5 | 20 | 30 | .295 | .276 (+7%) | .338 (-5%) | .388 (-4%) | .726 (-4%) | -408.6 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 308 | 1,050 | 127 | 300 | 58 | 8 | 5 | 107 | 22 | 44 | 73 | .286 | — | — | — | — | -1,488 | ||
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 (308 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 153 | 498 | 59 | 153 | 3 | 56 | .307 |
| Away | 155 | 552 | 69 | 146 | 2 | 56 | .264 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931-09-27 | BOS | MIN | W | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-25 | BOS | PHA | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-24 | BOS | PHA | L | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1931-09-22 | BOS | SLA | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-17 | BOS | CLE | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-13 | BOS | CHW | L | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-13 | BOS | CHW | L | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1931-09-12 | BOS | DET | W | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1931-09-11 | BOS | DET | W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1931-09-10 | BOS | DET | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 255 |
| Third Base | 1 |
| Left Field | 3 |
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
Bill Sweeney's major league career runs from a debut on April 13, 1928 to a final game on September 27, 1931. The season rows list, in order, the Detroit Tigers (1928) and the Boston Red Sox (1930 to 1931). Sweeney is listed as a first baseman at 5'11" and 180 pounds. The bio says Sweeney batted and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is December 29, 1904, in Cleveland, OH, USA. The bio records the death on April 18, 1957, in San Diego, CA, USA. Sweeney's full given name, per the bio, is William Joseph Sweeney.
The batting record for Sweeney: 308 games, 300 hits in 1,050 at bats, and a .286 average, along with 5 home runs, 107 RBI, and 22 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .314 and .370 give Sweeney a career OPS of .685. Sweeney hit .286 while the league hit .284 over the same span, a figure close to average. The hits column peaks at 147, in 1931. The RBI column peaks at 58 in 1931. The Lg AVG column puts Sweeney's 1931 at .295 against .276, the widest margin among the busiest seasons at 7%.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Sweeney
- What years did Bill Sweeney play?
- Bill Sweeney played in Major League Baseball from 1928 to 1931.
- Was Bill Sweeney a pitcher?
- No. Bill Sweeney was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Bill Sweeney hit?
- Bill Sweeney hit 5 career home runs with 300 hits.
- What was Bill Sweeney's career batting average?
- Bill Sweeney batted .286 over his career, with 300 hits in 1,050 at bats.
- How many RBI did Bill Sweeney have?
- Bill Sweeney drove in 107 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.