Bill Hoskins

William Charles Hoskins
(Big Bill)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 192 lb.

• Debut 1937
• Final Game 1946
• Born March 14, 1914 in Tallahatchie County, MS USA
• Died March 1975

BR page

Biographical Information

Bill Hoskins played for a decade in the Negro Leagues.

Hoskins split his first year, 1937, between three teams. In 1938, he played for the Washington Black Senators and Baltimore Elite Giants. He batted .333 as a 23-year-old for Baltimore in 1939. His 11 doubles that year were second in the Negro National League behind Sammy Hughes. The Charleston native fell to .268 in 1940.

Big Bill had his biggest year in 1941, leading the NNL with a .412 aveage, .012 ahead of Henry Spearman. His 7 homers were third, two behind co-leaders Monte Irvin and Josh Gibson. In the 1941 East-West Game, he batted third and manned left field for the East in a 8-3 win. He went 1 for 5 with a run and a RBI, singling in Pancho Coimbre and coming home on Buck Leonard's homer.

Hoskins hit .257 in 1942, .345 in 1943, .316 in 1944, .176 in 1945 and .259 in 1946. He was 4 for 9 with two homers in the October 1946 California Winter League, pacing the shortened circuit in home runs and average.

Notable Achievements

• NNL All-Star (1941)
• NNL Hits Leader (1941)
• NNL Total Bases Leader (1941)
• 2-time NNL Triples Leader (1941 & 1946)

Sources

• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway
• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester
• The California Winter League by William McNeil