Billy Hamilton Stats & Facts (1888-1901)
Billy Hamilton
Position: Outfielder
Bats: Left • Throws: Right
5-6, 165lb (168cm, 74kg)
Born: February 15, 1866 in Newark, NJ us
Died: December 15, 1940 (Aged 74-304d) in Worcester, MA
Buried: Eastwood Cemetery, Lancaster, MA
Debut: July 31, 1888 (Age 22-167d, 1,290th in major league history)
Last Game: September 16, 1901 (Age 35-213d)
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1961. (Voted by Veteran’s Committee)
View Billy Hamilton’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).
Full Name: William Robert Hamilton
Nicknames: Sliding Billy
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Nine Players Who Debuted in 1888
Ed Delahanty
Billy Hamilton
Jake Beckley
Cupid Childs
Hugh Duffy
Kid Gleason
Frank Dwyer
Billy Hoy
Duke Farrell
The Billy Hamilton Teammate Team
C: Boileryard Clarke
1B: Roger Connor
2B: Bobby Lowe
3B: Jimmy Collins
SS: Herman Long
LF: Ed Delahanty
CF: Hugh Duffy
RF: Sam Thompson
SP: Kid Gleason
SP: Tim Keefe
SP: Kid Nichols
M: Frank Selee
Notable Events and Chronology for Billy Hamilton Career
Biography
Hamilton revolutionized the game of baseball, making the head-first slide, the first-to-third advance on a base hit, and the drag bunt staples of the game in the 1890s. He won two batting titles and his .344 career average is sixth on the all-time list. In 1894 he set a record that may never be topped, scoring 192 runs for the Phillies. With Philadelphia, he teamed with Sam Thompson and Ed Delahanty to form one of the greatest outfields of all-time. Despite his record-setting career, Hamilton did not earn entry to the Hall of Fame until 1961 — 21 years after his death and 60 years after he played his final game.
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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts
Played For
Kansas City Cowboys, American Association (1888-1889)
Philadelphia Phillies (1890-1895)
Boston Braves (1896-1901)
Similar: None in his time. Rickey Henderson would be a similar type of player from more modern times.
Linked: Sam Thompson and Ed Delahanty, who formed the slugging Phillies’ outfield from 1891-1895… Billy Nash was traded straight up for Hamilton prior to the 1896 season.
Best Season, 1894
He hit .404, which was third in his own outfield. He led the National League in OBP (.523), runs scored (192), walks (126), and steals (98). His run-scored total has never been approached.
Where He Played: When Hamilton first became a regular outfielder in the American Association, he was a right fielder. The next season, his frist with Philadelphia, he was a left fielder, alongside colorful Billy Sunday in center field. By 1893, Hamilton was the center fielder, supplanting Delahanty, who had less speed and was moved to left. Hamilton played the bulk of his career (1893-1901) as baseball’s best center fielder.
Feats: On August 31, 1894, in the midst of his greatest season, Hamilton stole an amazing seven bases in one game. The feat has never been surpassed in major league history. It should be noted that for much of Hamilton’s career a stolen base was awarded when a baserunner advanced an extra base on a hit. So a first-to-third advancement on a single, was one stolen base for the lead runner. This rule was changed in 1898, and the present definition of a stolen base was implemented.
Notes
Only Barry Bonds, Ted Williams, John McGraw and Babe Ruth have ever reached base more frequently than Hamilton did in 1894 (52.3% of the time).
Hitting Streaks
36 games (1894)
36 games (1894)
Hamilton, Delahanty and Thompson
The 1890s Phillies were one of the most interesting teams in baseball history. From 1891-1895 they featured a Hall of Fame outfield of “Sliding Billy” Hamilton, “Big Ed” Delahanty and “Big Sam” Thompson. (Thompson was bigger than Delahanty by about 25 pounds and two inches in height, but Ed still earned the “Big” nickname). The Phillies were one of the best hitting clubs in baseball history, but they never transferred that success to wins. Their best finish was 3rd place in 1895. In 1893 the Phillies hit .301 and followed it up the next season with a .349 mark. In 1895 they hit .330 before their famed outfield was ripped apart in 1896 when Hamilton was dealt to the Beaneaters for third baseman Billy Nash. With Hamilton, the Bostons improved their team average to .300 and leapfrogged the Phillies in the NL standings. In their five seasons together, the three future Hall of Fame outfielders were #1, #2 and #3 in the NL in hits. Left fielder Delahanty hit .344 and drove in 560 runs, second to right fielder Thompson’s 628, who hit .351 over the stretch. Hamilton was the table-setter, drawing walks (.475 OBP for the five-years), and scoring more runs (741) than any other player in baseball. “Sliding Billy” hit a league-best .368 while playing alongside the “Big Twins.”
Most Runs Scored, Single Season
Billy Hamilton… 192 (1894)
Tom Brown… 177 (1891)
Babe Ruth… 177 (1921)
Lou Gehrig… 167 (1936)
Tip O’Neill… 167 (1887)
Best Strength as a Player
Speed and daring on the basepaths.
Largest Weakness as a Player
His throwing arm.