Billy Shindle

William D. "Billy" Shindle (December 5, 1860 – June 3, 1936) was a third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1886 through 1898 for the Detroit Wolverines (1886–87), Baltimore Orioles (1888–89, 1892–93), Philadelphia Athletics (1890), Philadelphia Phillies (1891), and the Brooklyn Grooms & Bridegrooms (1894–98). Shindle batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Gloucester City, New Jersey. He was slightly built at 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) and 158 pounds. Shindle's range factor of 4.34 in 1892 for the Baltimore Orioles is the highest rating ever recorded by a third baseman in the history of Major League Baseball. He also had range factors over 4.0 for Baltimore in 1888, for Philadelphia in 1891. While his range factor demonstrates his superior speed and ability to get to the ball, Shindle was not as talented at handling the balls once he got to them. In 1890, Shindle played shortstop for Philadelphia in the Players League and was charged with 122 errors (119 at shortstop and 3 at third base). Shindle's 122 errors in 1890 are tied (with Herman Long in 1889) for the all-time record for most errors by a major league player at any position. Shindle was ranked as the 95th best third baseman of all time in The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. In a 13-season career, Shindle was a .269 hitter (1561-for-5807) in 1422 games, with 31 home runs, 355 extra base hits, 992 runs, 758 RBI, 226 doubles, 97 triples, and 318 stolen bases. In 1890 (the same year he set the all time errors record), Shindle batted a career-high .322, led the Players League with 282 total bases, and was fourth in the league with 10 home runs. Shindle played third base for the Brooklyn Bridegrooms from 1894 to 1898. His 3.7 lifetime Range factor makes him the number one defensive third baseman in Dodgers history. (William F. McNeil, "The Dodgers Encyclopedia," p. 102) In 1894, the 34-year-old Shindle hit .296 with 94 runs scored and 96 RBIs. He retired after the 1898 season at age 38. Shindle died in Lakeland, New Jersey at age 75.