Billy Taylor
Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1881-1887)
Billy Taylor was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1881 to 1887 for 7 teams, including the Worcester Ruby Legs, a span of 7 seasons. Across 100 career appearances, he went 50-36 with a 3.17 ERA and 376 strikeouts. He also batted .277 with 8 home runs. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,967.
- 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
- 5'11" / 204 lb
- Born
- 1855 in Washington, DC, USA
- Died
- 5/14/1900 in Jacksonville, FL, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1881-05-21
- Last Game
- 1887-08-16
Full name: William Henry Taylor
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1881 | WOR | NL | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7.88 | — | 0.0 |
| 1881 | CL2 | NL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.00 | — | 0.0 |
| 1882 | PT1 | AA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 16.20 | — | 0.0 |
| 1883 | PT1 | AA | 4 | 7 | 19 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 127.0 | 166 | 76 | 34 | 41 | 5.39 | 3.22 (-67%) | -1916.0 |
| 1884 | SLU | UA | 25 | 4 | 33 | 29 | 29 | 2 | 4 | 263.0 | 222 | 49 | 40 | 154 | 1.68 | 3.11 (+46%) | 3147.2 |
| 1884 | PH4 | AA | 18 | 12 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 260.0 | 232 | 73 | 44 | 130 | 2.53 | 3.11 (+19%) | 264.5 |
| 1885 | PH4 | AA | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 52.1 | 68 | 19 | 9 | 11 | 3.27 | 3.03 (-8%) | -2.2 |
| 1886 | BL2 | AA | 1 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 72.1 | 87 | 46 | 20 | 37 | 5.72 | 3.37 (-70%) | 367.5 |
| 1887 | PH4 | AA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3.00 | 4.17 (+28%) | 0.0 |
| Career · 9 seasons | 50 | 36 | 100 | 84 | 83 | 3 | 4 | 799.2 | 811 | 282 | 165 | 376 | 3.17 | — | 1,861 | ||
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 275 | 1,167 | 148 | 323 | 62 | 24 | 8 | 26 | 1 | 27 | 10 | .277 | .294 | .392 | .685 | 1,967 |
Career AVG .277 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +10.0% above league average.
Career OBP .294 vs. league average .295 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .392 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +15.6% above league average.
Career OPS .685 vs. league average .633 across their career seasons — +8.2% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1881 | WOR | NL | 6 | 28 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .107 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1881 | DTN | NL | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1881 | CL2 | NL | 24 | 103 | 6 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .243 | .260 (-7%) | .290 (-16%) | .338 (-25%) | .628 (-21%) | 0.0 |
| 1882 | PT1 | AA | 71 | 302 | 40 | 84 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .278 | .248 (+12%) | .275 (+8%) | .329 (+36%) | .605 (+23%) | 909.4 |
| 1883 | PT1 | AA | 83 | 369 | 43 | 96 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | .260 | .257 (+1%) | .285 (-3%) | .345 (+1%) | .631 (-1%) | -64.3 |
| 1884 | SLU | UA | 43 | 186 | 44 | 68 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | .366 | .243 (+50%) | .278 (+39%) | .327 (+68%) | .606 (+55%) | 1418.1 |
| 1884 | PH4 | AA | 30 | 111 | 8 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .252 | .243 (+4%) | .278 (-3%) | .327 (+5%) | .606 (+1%) | 1418.1 |
| 1885 | PH4 | AA | 6 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .190 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1886 | BL2 | AA | 10 | 39 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .308 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1887 | PH4 | AA | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 10 seasons | 275 | 1,167 | 148 | 323 | 62 | 24 | 8 | 26 | 1 | 27 | 10 | .277 | — | — | — | — | 3,681 | ||
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.
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 44 | 0 | 409 | 10 | 24 | 11 |
| 3B | 16 | 0 | 20 | 32 | 20 | 0 |
| C | 61 | 0 | 246 | 80 | 58 | 1 |
| OF | 77 | 0 | 139 | 16 | 34 | 2 |
| P | 100 | 0 | 38 | 151 | 41 | 3 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1881 | WOR | OF | 5 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1881 | WOR | P | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1881 | DTN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1881 | CL2 | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1881 | CL2 | OF | 23 | 0 | 51 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| 1881 | CL2 | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1882 | PT1 | 1B | 24 | 0 | 238 | 5 | 18 | 7 |
| 1882 | PT1 | 3B | 14 | 0 | 19 | 29 | 16 | 0 |
| 1882 | PT1 | C | 27 | 0 | 116 | 40 | 25 | 0 |
| 1882 | PT1 | OF | 8 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1882 | PT1 | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1883 | PT1 | 1B | 9 | 0 | 82 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 1883 | PT1 | C | 33 | 0 | 124 | 38 | 33 | 1 |
| 1883 | PT1 | OF | 37 | 0 | 49 | 10 | 20 | 0 |
| 1883 | PT1 | P | 19 | 0 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| 1884 | SLU | 1B | 10 | 0 | 77 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 1884 | SLU | OF | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1884 | SLU | P | 33 | 0 | 17 | 51 | 10 | 2 |
| 1884 | PH4 | P | 30 | 0 | 12 | 66 | 21 | 1 |
| 1885 | PH4 | P | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 1886 | BL2 | 1B | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1886 | BL2 | C | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1886 | BL2 | P | 8 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| 1887 | PH4 | P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Pitcher | 100 |
| Catcher | 61 |
| First Base | 44 |
| Third Base | 16 |
| Left Field | 24 |
| Center Field | 15 |
| Right Field | 38 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Billy Taylor (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Billy Taylor: the record in brief
Billy Taylor's major league career runs from a debut on May 21, 1881 to a final game on August 16, 1887. The team column moves through the Worcester Ruby Legs (1881), the Detroit Wolverines (1881), the Cleveland Blues (1881), the Pittsburg Alleghenys (1882 to 1883), the St. Louis Maroons (1884), the Philadelphia Athletics (1884 to 1887), and the Baltimore Orioles (1886). Taylor is listed as a pitcher at 5 feet, 11 inches and 204 pounds. Taylor threw and hit right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is in 1855, in Washington, DC, USA. Taylor died on May 14, 1900, in Jacksonville, FL, USA. The given name on file is William Henry Taylor.
Taylor pitched in 100 games, starting 84, and finished with a 50-36 record and 3.17 ERA. The same table counts 376 strikeouts and 83 complete games. Taylor's 3.17 ERA was close to the 3.29 league figure for those seasons. 1884 brought Taylor a season-high 25 wins.
Frequently Asked Questions about Billy Taylor
- What years did Billy Taylor play?
- Billy Taylor played in Major League Baseball from 1881 to 1887.
- Was Billy Taylor a pitcher?
- Yes. Billy Taylor pitched in the major leagues, recording 50 wins and 376 strikeouts.
- How many home runs did Billy Taylor hit?
- Billy Taylor hit 8 career home runs with 323 hits.
- What was Billy Taylor's career batting average?
- Billy Taylor batted .277 over his career, with 323 hits in 1,167 at bats.
- How many RBI did Billy Taylor have?
- Billy Taylor drove in 26 runs in his career.
- What was Billy Taylor's career ERA?
- Billy Taylor finished with a 3.17 career ERA, going 50-36 with 376 strikeouts.