Bill Phillips (first baseman)
Bill Phillips | |
---|---|
First baseman | |
Born: Saint John, New Brunswick, British North America | April 30, 1857|
Died: October 7, 1900 Chicago | (aged 43)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
May 1, 1879, for the Cleveland Blues | |
Last MLB appearance | |
October 3, 1888, for the Kansas City Cowboys | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .266 |
Hits | 1,130 |
Runs | 562 |
Teams | |
| |
Member of the Canadian | |
Baseball Hall of Fame | |
Induction | 1988 |
William B. Phillips (April 30, 1857 – October 7, 1900), also known as "Silver Bill",
As a batter, Phillips finished in the top-ten among league leaders on multiple occasions, including
Early years
Phillips, born on April 30, 1857, came from a large family of English
It is certain the family settled in Chicago in the mid to late-1870s as Phillips was playing for a top amateur team of the area called the Pastime club
Career
Cleveland
The Forest City team of Cleveland joined the National League for the 1879 season as the
Phillips continued his consistent play in 1881, when his 85 games played led the league, and he finished second in the league with 10 triples, as well as top-ten totals in extra-base hits with 29, and at bats with 357.[6] However, his batting statistics declined, in both 1882 and 1883, his batting average dipping to a low of .246 in 1883, but he did finish eighth in league with four home runs in 1882, and he again led all first basemen in double plays.[5][6] In 1884, when teammates Fred Dunlap and Jack Glasscock jumped to the Union Association, he attempted to fill the void.[1] Although he batted .276, the highest average on the Blues' team, achieved his highest career statistical totals in nearly all batting categories, it was not enough, as Cleveland finished 49 games out of first place.[6][9] The seventh-place finish by the Blues, along with the decline of fan support, resulted in the financial instability of the franchise, and it folded after the season.[1]
Brooklyn
Following the demise of the Blues, the Brooklyn Grays of AA signed their former manager, Charlie Hackett, along with Phillips and six other Blues' players, including and the team signed many Cleveland's best players, including Phillips and Germany Smith.[5] In Phillips' first season with Brooklyn, he established his highest seasonal batting average of his career with .302, which was the seventh highest in the league, and led all first basemen in putouts, and fielding percentage.[5][6] Additionally, his on-base percentage of .364 placed in the top five among AA hitters, he led his team in RBIs with 63, slugging percentage, and triples.[6][10]
He continued his success for Grays 1886, establishing his highest seasonal career totals in games played with 141, which led the AA, and hits with 160, which was fifth among the league leaders.
Final years
Phillips was sold to the Kansas City Cowboys during the off-season to make room for Dave Orr.[1][5] By the end of the 1888 season, Phillips' abilities began to decline at a rapid pace, which brought about sympathy among the baseball community.[1] Years later, Charles Comiskey recalled that when he was the manager for the St. Louis Browns, instructing his pitchers to throw easy-to-hit pitches for Phillips so that his public image would remain intact.[1] The 1888 season was Phillips' last at the major league level, and while he had his lowest seasonal batting average of .236, he again led the league in putouts.[5][6] He returned to Canada to play one more season of professional baseball, with Hamilton Hams of the International League. However, he batted just .245, which signaled the end of his playing career.[1] Phillips never married, and he died on October 7, 1900, in Chicago at the age of 43, of syphilitic locomotor ataxia, and he is interred at Graceland Cemetery.[1][5][11] Phillips was enshrined into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.[12]
Career statistics
Bill Phillips' career totals as recognized by Baseball-Reference.com.[6]
G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG
|
TB | HBP |
1,038 | 4,255 | 562 | 1,130 | 214 | 98 | 17 | 534 | *39 | 178 | *215 | .266 | .299 | .374 | 1,591 | *25 |
- ' * ' denotes statistics that were not officially recognized during parts or all of his career, and are incomplete.
References
- General
- Spink, Alfred H. (2000). The National Game (2nd ed.). Southern Illinois University Press. p. 424. ISBN 0-8093-2304-4.
- Specific
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Akin, William. "Bill Phillips' Biography". sabr.org. The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) & The Respective Authors. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ McGuire, Peter (January 1, 2008). "Meet Silver Bill Phillips". Sports Week [Saint John Times Globe]. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ Spink, p. 64
- ^ a b "Bill Phillips". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bill Phillips' career statistics". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Bill Phillips' career statistics". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ "1879 Cleveland Blues team statistics". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ "No Hitters Chronologically". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ "1884 Final Standings". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet, Inc. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ "1885 Brooklyn Grays Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ "Too Young To Die". thedeadballera.com. TheDeadBallEra. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
- ^ "Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame". baseball-almanac.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference