Bill Hornsby

William Pennington Hornsby

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.

• Born June 2, 1925 in St. Louis, MO USA
• Died June 29, 1984 in Nashville, TN USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Bill Hornsby was the son of Rogers Hornsby but was not nearly as successful as his father. His uncle Everett Hornsby also played pro ball. He played in the minor leagues from 1946-1951 and reached AA.

Hornsby had served in the Navy prior to signing with the Boston Red Sox. He debuted with the Oneonta Red Sox at age 20 and doubled in three runs in his first pro at-bat. He went downhill from there, hitting only .211/~.326/.253 in 23 games for Oneonta with just 4 more RBI in 78 more AB. Nor was his defense impressive - he fielded .875 in the outfield. He was demoted to the Milford Red Sox and did even worse, batting .155/~.234/.155 in 23 games there.

In 1947, Bill moved to the Mattoon Indians and fared well, hitting .321 with 42 RBI. He spent '48 with the Superior Blues and batted .274 with 2 HR and 39 RBI. Hornsby split 1949 between the Hot Springs Bathers, Waterloo White Hawks, Carthage Cubs (.258, 23 RBI) and Centralia Cubs (.294, 4 HR, 37 RBI).

Hornsby did not play in 1950. In 1951, he was with the Midland Indians (.231, 3 HR, 12 RBI) and the Oklahoma City Indians (.206, 3 HR, 19 RBI).

Sources: 1947 Baseball Almanac, Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database, 7/10/46 edition of The Sporting News