Bill Van Dyke, baseball player, 1890-1893

Bill Van Dyke

Born: 12/15/1863 in Paris, IL, USA

Died: 5/17/1933 in El Paso, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1890-04-17 | Final Game: 1893-09-30

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'8" | Weight: 170 lbs

Full name: William Jennings Van Dyke

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Biography

Bill Van Dyke was a professional baseball player born in 1863, who played as a position player during the early years of the sport from 1890 until his retirement on September 30, 1893. With a career spanning just a few seasons, Van Dyke made a notable impact in the game, participating in 136 games and amassing 134 hits. He demonstrated a blend of speed and skill on the field, evidenced by his impressive total of 74 stolen bases, which reflected the aggressive base-running style characteristic of the era. During his career, Van Dyke recorded a batting average of .253, contributing 56 runs batted in and connecting for 2 home runs. His playing years occurred during the transition from the Deadball Era, marked by a focus on strategy and speed rather than power hitting, to a period that began to see the emergence of more offensive play. Van Dyke's contributions, particularly in base running and his ability to get on base, helped pave the way for future generations of players who would continue to evolve the game.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
136 530 78 134 15 11 2 56 74 25 2 0.253 0.290 0.334 0.624 -931.2

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .290 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — 13.6% below league average.

Career SLG .334 vs. league average .352 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.624 vs. league average 0.688 across their career seasons — 9.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1890 TL2 AA 129 502 74 129 14 11 2 54 73 25 0 0.257 .260 (-1%) .336 (-12%) .351 (-3%) .687 (-7%) -931.2
1892 STL NL 4 16 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1893 BSN NL 3 12 2 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0.250 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 2 0 4 2 1 0
3B 18 0 29 33 14 3
C 1 0 10 2 0 0
OF 117 0 179 15 16 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1890 TL2 2B 2 0 4 2 1 0
1890 TL2 3B 18 0 29 33 14 3
1890 TL2 C 1 0 10 2 0 0
1890 TL2 OF 110 0 168 15 15 0
1892 SLN OF 4 0 7 0 1 0
1893 BSN OF 3 0 4 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1
Second Base 2
Third Base 18
Left Field 112
Center Field 5