Bill Terry

First Baseman · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1923-1936)

Bill Terry was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1936 for the New York Giants, a span of 14 seasons. In 1,721 career games, he hit .341 with 2,193 hits, 154 home runs, and 1,078 RBI. Bill Terry was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954 and was a 3-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 27,771.

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

⭐ Hall of Fame 1954
AVG .341
HR 154
RBI 1,078
H 2,193
OPS .899
PIV 27,771
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'1" / 200 lb
Born
10/30/1898 in Atlanta, GA, USA
Died
1/9/1989 in Jacksonville, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1923-09-24
Last Game
1936-09-22
Hall of Fame
Inducted 1954 (BBWAA)
Awards
3× All-Star

Full name: William Harold Terry

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Career Batting Statistics

Bill Terry — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,721 6,428 1,120 2,193 373 112 154 1,078 56 537 449 .341 .393 .506 .899 27,771

Career AVG .341 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — +21.0% above league average.

Career OBP .393 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — +14.1% above league average.

Career SLG .506 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — +27.2% above league average.

Career OPS .899 vs. league average .742 across their career seasons — +21.1% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Bill Terry Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1923 NY1 NL 3 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 .143 — — — — 0.0
1924 NY1 NL 77 163 26 39 7 2 5 24 1 17 18 .239 .283 (-16%) .345 (-10%) .389 (+2%) .734 (-3%) -112.7
1925 NY1 NL 133 489 75 156 31 6 11 70 4 42 52 .319 .288 (+11%) .349 (+7%) .407 (+17%) .756 (+12%) 1197.5
1926 NY1 NL 98 225 26 65 12 5 5 43 3 22 17 .289 .279 (+3%) .345 (+2%) .390 (+16%) .735 (+9%) 363.5
1927 NY1 NL 150 580 101 189 32 13 20 121 1 46 53 .326 .282 (+16%) .344 (+10%) .392 (+35%) .736 (+23%) 2614.2
1928 NY1 NL 149 568 100 185 36 11 17 101 7 64 36 .326 .280 (+16%) .342 (+15%) .395 (+31%) .737 (+24%) 2780.6
1929 NY1 NL 150 607 103 226 39 5 14 117 10 48 35 .372 .289 (+29%) .353 (+18%) .415 (+26%) .769 (+22%) 2954.8
1930 NY1 NL 154 633 139 254 39 15 23 129 8 57 33 .401 .293 (+37%) .354 (+27%) .429 (+44%) .784 (+37%) 5151.2
1931 NY1 NL 153 611 121 213 43 20 9 112 8 47 36 .349 .276 (+26%) .338 (+17%) .388 (+36%) .726 (+27%) 3276.6
1932 NY1 NL 154 643 124 225 42 11 28 117 4 32 23 .350 .275 (+27%) .335 (+14%) .391 (+48%) .726 (+32%) 3992.9
1933 NY1 NL 123 475 68 153 20 5 6 58 3 40 23 .322 .270 (+19%) .329 (+14%) .377 (+12%) .707 (+13%) 1224.9
1934 NY1 NL 153 602 109 213 30 6 8 83 0 60 47 .354 .278 (+27%) .340 (+22%) .392 (+18%) .733 (+20%) 2646.7
1935 NY1 NL 145 596 91 203 32 8 6 64 7 41 55 .341 .279 (+22%) .342 (+12%) .399 (+13%) .742 (+12%) 1513.2
1936 NY1 NL 79 229 36 71 10 5 2 39 0 19 19 .310 .283 (+9%) .349 (+4%) .404 (+5%) .753 (+4%) 167.3
Career · 14 seasons 1,721 6,428 1,120 2,193 373 112 154 1,078 56 537 449 .341 — — — — 27,771

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.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Bill Terry — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
16 61 7 18 1 1 2 7 4 5 .295

Playoff Batting by Year

Bill Terry — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1936 WS NY1 6 25 1 6 0 0 0 5 1 4 .240
1933 WS NY1 5 22 3 6 1 0 1 1 0 0 .273
1924 WS NY1 5 14 3 6 0 1 1 1 3 1 .429

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1720 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Bill Terry — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home8653165522104476477.330
Away8553263597114978608.352

Last 10 Games — Batting

Bill Terry — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1936-09-22 NY1PHIL 301000010
1936-09-22 NY1PHIL 501000000
1936-09-20 NY1BROW 400000100
1936-09-19 NY1BROW 400000011
1936-09-17 NY1BROW 523100310
1936-09-16 NY1PITL 412001200
1936-09-16 NY1PITW 400000000
1936-09-14 NY1STLW 400000100
1936-09-13 NY1STLL 000000010
1936-09-13 NY1STLW 401000100

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Bill Terry — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1579 0 15972 1108 138 1334
OF 15 0 27 3 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Bill Terry — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1923 NY1 1B 2 0 22 1 0 1
1924 NY1 1B 35 0 325 14 4 30
1925 NY1 1B 126 0 1270 77 14 83
1926 NY1 1B 38 0 391 31 9 36
1926 NY1 OF 14 0 27 3 0 0
1927 NY1 1B 150 0 1621 105 12 135
1928 NY1 1B 149 0 1584 78 12 148
1929 NY1 1B 149 0 1575 111 11 146
1929 NY1 OF 1 0 0 0 1 0
1930 NY1 1B 154 0 1538 128 17 128
1931 NY1 1B 153 0 1411 105 16 108
1932 NY1 1B 154 0 1493 137 14 125
1933 NY1 1B 117 0 1246 76 11 103
1934 NY1 1B 153 0 1592 105 10 131
1935 NY1 1B 143 0 1379 99 6 105
1936 NY1 1B 56 0 525 41 2 55

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Bill Terry Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 1578
Left Field 2
Right Field 13

Awards & Honors

Bill Terry — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1935 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1934 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1933 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1932 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1931 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1930 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1930 TSN All-Star 1B
1930 TSN Guide MVP
1929 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B
1927 Baseball Magazine All-Star 1B

Award Voting History

Bill Terry — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1935 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 20.0 80 0
1934 Most Valuable Player NL 7th 30.0 80 0
1933 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 35.0 80 0
1932 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 25.0 80 0
1931 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 53.0 80 0
1929 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 48.0 80 0
1927 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 6.0 80 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Bill Terry (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jack Fournier
    .313 avg, 136 HR
  2. 95
    Arky Vaughan HOF
    .318 avg, 96 HR
  3. 91
    Jim Bottomley HOF
    .310 avg, 219 HR
  4. 89
    Nomar Garciaparra
    .313 avg, 229 HR
  5. 87
    Willie Wells HOF
    .327 avg, 145 HR
  6. 87
    Hal Trosky
    .302 avg, 228 HR

Compare Bill Terry

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Terry's closest peers by position and era.

vs Ty Cobb
vs Lou Gehrig
vs Jimmie Foxx
vs Rogers Hornsby
vs Mel Ott
vs Eddie Collins

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Bill Terry: the record in brief

September 24, 1923 and September 22, 1936 bracket Bill Terry's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Terry's only club in the season tables is the New York Giants. Terry played primarily as a first baseman and batted and threw left-handed. Born on October 30, 1898, in Atlanta, GA, USA, Terry was listed at 6'1" and 200 pounds. Terry's death is recorded on January 9, 1989, in Jacksonville, FL, USA. Bill Terry was the playing name; the full given name is William Harold.

The batting record for Terry: 1,721 games, 2,193 hits in 6,428 at bats, and a .341 average, adding 154 home runs, 1,078 runs batted in, and 56 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .393 and the slugging percentage .506, for an OPS of .899. Set against a .282 league average for the same years, Terry's .341 average sits 21.0% above it. For power, 1932 stands out: 28 home runs with the New York Giants.

Frequently Asked Questions about Bill Terry

What years did Bill Terry play?
Bill Terry played in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1936.
Was Bill Terry a pitcher?
No. Bill Terry was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Bill Terry hit?
Bill Terry hit 154 career home runs with 2,193 hits.
Is Bill Terry in the Hall of Fame?
Yes. Bill Terry was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954.
What teams did Bill Terry play for?
Bill Terry played for one team, the New York Giants (1923–1936).
Did Bill Terry win an MVP award?
No. Bill Terry did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Bill Terry win?
Bill Terry was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
What were Bill Terry's career stats?
In 1,721 games, Bill Terry had 2,193 hits, 154 home runs, 1,078 RBI, 1,120 runs, and 56 stolen bases, with a .341 batting average.
What position did Bill Terry play?
Bill Terry played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Bill Terry and how much did he weigh?
Bill Terry was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds.
How many home runs did Bill Terry hit each season?
Bill Terry's home runs by season: 0 in 1923, 5 in 1924, 11 in 1925, 5 in 1926, 20 in 1927, 17 in 1928, 14 in 1929, 23 in 1930, 9 in 1931, 28 in 1932, 6 in 1933, 8 in 1934, 6 in 1935, and 2 in 1936. His most in one season was 28, in 1932.
What was Bill Terry's career batting average?
Bill Terry batted .341 over his career, with 2,193 hits in 6,428 at bats.
How many RBI did Bill Terry have?
Bill Terry drove in 1,078 runs in his career.
How many All-Star Games did Bill Terry make?
Bill Terry was selected to 3 All-Star Games.