Bill Sharp

Note: This page links to 1970s outfielder Bill Sharp. For 1950s minor league infielder Bill Sharp, click here.

William Howard Sharp

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10", Weight 178 lb.
• School Ohio State University
• High School Lima Senior High School
• Debut May 26, 1973
• Final Game September 17, 1976
• Born January 18, 1950 in Lima, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bill Sharp played four seasons in the big leagues. An outfielder, he was a regular in the first three of his seasons.

Sharp went to Lima Senior High School in Lima, OH. He attended Ohio State University in 1970 and 1971 and was an All-American there. His time at Ohio State overlapped with Jim Geddes, who was there in 1969-1970 and who would go on, like Sharp, to play for the Chicago White Sox. Bill was taken in the second round by the White Sox in the 1971 amateur draft, going higher than future Hall of Famers George Brett and Mike Schmidt.

Bill hit only .225 in his first year in the minors with the Asheville Tourists, but in his second year, with the Knoxville Sox in 1972, he improved to .285 (in 44 games). He played 39 games for the Iowa Oaks in 1973, and was called up to the big leagues in May, playing 77 games for the White Sox. Sharp became the team's regular center fielder and hit .276. No player listed as a regular hit higher than .285, although Dick Allen, appearing in only 72 games because of injuries, hit .316.

In 1974, Bill was the regular right fielder, as Ken Henderson played center field. His average was lower in 1974, and he spent 37 games back at Iowa righting the ship, hitting .333. In the majors he finished the season batting .253 in 100 games.

Sharp suited up for 18 games in 1975 when the Pale Hose traded him in early May to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Bob Coluccio. Coluccio would get only 175 at-bats for the White Sox during the rest of the season while Sharp had over 400 at-bats for the Brewers, hitting .255 with 27 doubles on a team which hit .250. Sharp played center field while 41-year-old Hank Aaron was the designated hitter and 19-year-old Robin Yount was the shortstop. Yount led the team with 28 doubles, one more than Sharp. Bill became a frequently-used back-up in 1976, appearing in 78 games, and then played briefly for the Spokane Indians in 1977. He suffered a knee injury in late 1976 that may have impacted his ability to play.

His son Matt Sharp played minor league ball.

Related Sites

• Bill Sharp at the SABR Bio project