Billy Taylor (taylobi01)

William Henry Taylor
(Bollicky Bill)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11½", Weight 204 lb.

• Debut May 21, 1881
• Final Game August 16, 1887
• Born 1855 in Washington, DC USA
• Died May 14, 1900 in Jacksonville, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Billy Taylor emerged at age 29 as one of the top pitchers in baseball." - from the book Major League Baseball Players of 1884

Billy Taylor was a two-way player who had his biggest success in 1884, when he won 43 games as a pitcher and also hit .323 in nearly 300 at-bats.

Taylor was born in 1855 in Washington, DC. Joe Gerhardt is the only other major leaguer born there that year.

Billy played pro ball in the minors before coming to the National League in 1881. He was primarily an outfielder in 1881, while in 1882 he played more catcher than any other position. In 1883 he was back in the outfield a lot, also appearing at catcher a lot and being used increasingly as a pitcher. For the rest of his major league career he was primarily a pitcher.

In 1884 Billy spent half the season in the short-lived Union Association, going 25-4 before moving to the American Association where he was 18-12. That year he recorded 43 of his 50 total major league victories.

Billy was a pretty good hitter with a 124 OPS+ in his major league career.

He is not to be confused with other players named Billy Taylor. Oddly, all three of the major leaguers named Billy Taylor, including him, have a middle name that begins with "H".

Notable Achievements

• UA Saves Leader (1884)
• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 30 Wins Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 40 Wins Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 400 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 500 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1884)
• 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (1884)