Bill Pecota

William Joseph Pecota

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 190 lb.
• School De Anza College
• High School Peterson High School
• Debut September 19, 1986
• Final Game August 11, 1994
• Born February 16, 1960 in Redwood City, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bill Pecota was a pinch-hitter and utility player who spent most of his career playing for the Kansas City Royals. Pecota was traded to the New York Mets in the deal that sent Bret Saberhagen to New York in return for Gregg Jefferies, Kevin McReynolds and Keith Miller. After a season with the Mets he signed with the Atlanta Braves, where he spent his final two seasons as the team's top pinch hitter.

He is one of a small number of players to appear in every possible role on a baseball field: all nine positions, as a pinch-hitter, as a pinch-runner and as a designated hitter. He did it without the benefit of a "stunt" game in which he would have played all positions.

Pecota is perhaps best known today as the inspiration for the player forecasting system PECOTA, created by Nate Silver. The name is actually an acronym that stands for "Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm", but it was devised to fit the letters making up Bill's last name.

Further Reading

• Michael Clair: "The amazing do-it-all career of Bill Pecota: Baseball's Forrest Gump", mlb.com, December 30, 2020. [1]