William Henry Holbert

Infobox MLB retired
name=Bill Holbert
position=Catcher


bgcolor1=black
bgcolor2=black
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=March 14, 1855
deathdate=death date and age|1935|3|20|1855|3|14
debutdate= September 5
debutyear= 1876
debutteam= Louisville Grays
finaldate=July 12
finalyear=1888
finalteam=Brooklyn Bridegrooms
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.208
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=0
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=144
teams=
*Louisville Grays (1876)
*Milwaukee Grays (1878)
*Syracuse Stars (1879)
*Troy Trojans (1879-1882)
*New York Metropolitans (1883-1887)
*Brooklyn Bridegrooms (1888)
highlights=

William Henry Holbert (March 14, 1855 in Baltimore, Maryland - March 20, 1935 in Laurel, Maryland) was a catcher in the National League and American Association baseball leagues, playing from 1876 through 1888. He holds the major league record for career at-bats without a home run, failing to do so in his 2335 at-bats. [Sugar, p. 38.] However, he was playing in an era when triples were more common than home runs, due to the spacious parks and poor quality of the balls used.

Bill Holbert started his career with the nascent Louisville Grays of 1876. He sat out the 1877 year and in 1878 played for the Milwaukee Grays, followed by Syracuse Stars and the Troy Trojans, both in 1879. Holbert is also credited with managing one game, a loss, in 1879 while with the Syracuse Stars.

He stayed with the Trojans, and the National League, until 1883, when he joined the New York Metropolitans of the new American Association. The Metropolitans traded him to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms after the 1887 season. Bill Holbert retired in 1888, playing just 15 games with the Bridegrooms that year.

When the new Players League started up in 1890, Holbert was one of the original umpires. [Nemec, 207.]

Career assessment

Bill Holbert's career batting average was a weak .208, with a slugging average at a very low .237. Although batting averages were generally low in the 19th century, Holbert's was lower than the average. The 1879 Syracuse Stars, for example, had a team average of only .227, while Holbert hit .201. Holbert's best year was 1881, with Troy, when he hit .278. Even that year, nearly all - 46 out of 49 - of his hits were singles, and his on base percentage was a mediocre .284. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/holbebi01.shtml Baseball-Reference.com] .]

Nonetheless, he was considered a good defensive catcher, although these talents have been overshadowed by those of Buck Ewing, considered by most to be best catcher of the 19th century. [James, p. 33.] When not catching, Holbert would often play the outfield - starting 11% of his games there. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/holbebi01.shtml Baseball-Reference.com] .]

Notes

ee also

*Los Angeles Dodgers all-time roster

References

* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/holbebi01.shtml Baseball-Reference.com] - career statistics
*James, Bill (1988) "Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract", Villard Books, New York.
*Nemec, David, (2004), "The Beer and Whisky League: The Illustrated History of the American Association--Baseball's Renegade Major League", The Lyons Press.
* [http://www.sportmetrika.com/baseball/team.php?y=1887&t=NY4 Sports Metrika, 1887 New York Metropolitans statistics]
*Sugar, Bert Randolph (2004) "The Baseball Maniac's Almanac", McGraw-Hill, New York.

External links

* [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/schedule.php?y=1884&t=NY4 New York Metropolitans 1884 schedule at Baseball Almanac]
* [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/roster.php?y=1884&t=NY4 New York Metropolitans at Baseball Almanac]