Bill Nicholson
Nicholson was the National League's most feared power hitter during the war years, leading the circuit in home runs and RBIs twice each between 1943-44. His 235 career homers might seem modest today, but he was baseball's premier slugger when many stars were overseas.
The Cubs outfielder's .268 career average tells only part of the story. Nicholson drew walks at an exceptional rate for his era, making him a true offensive force despite never playing in a World Series. His five All-Star selections came during baseball's talent-depleted wartime period, but his dominance was real.
"Swish" earned his nickname from his powerful swing, which produced some of the longest home runs at Wrigley Field in the 1940s. He represented the bridge between the pre-war sluggers and the power boom that would follow, retiring just as the game was entering its golden age of offense.
Career · Batting
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | PHA | 11 | 12 | 0 | 0 | .000 | — | — |
| 1939 | CHC | 58 | 220 | 5 | 38 | .295 | — | — |
| 1940 | CHC | 135 | 491 | 25 | 98 | .297 | — | — |
| 1941 | CHC | 147 | 532 | 26 | 98 | .254 | — | — |
| 1942 | CHC | 152 | 588 | 21 | 78 | .294 | — | — |
| 1943 | CHC | 154 | 608 | 29 | 128 | .309 | — | — |
| 1944 | CHC | 156 | 582 | 33 | 122 | .287 | — | — |
| 1945 | CHC | 151 | 559 | 13 | 88 | .243 | — | — |
| 1946 | CHC | 105 | 296 | 8 | 41 | .220 | — | — |
| 1947 | CHC | 148 | 487 | 26 | 75 | .244 | — | — |
| 1948 | CHC | 143 | 494 | 19 | 67 | .261 | — | — |
| 1949 | PHI | 98 | 299 | 11 | 40 | .234 | — | — |
| 1950 | PHI | 41 | 58 | 3 | 10 | .224 | — | — |
| 1951 | PHI | 85 | 170 | 8 | 30 | .241 | — | — |
| 1952 | PHI | 55 | 88 | 6 | 19 | .273 | — | — |
| 1953 | PHI | 38 | 62 | 2 | 16 | .210 | — | — |
| Career | 1677 | 5546 | 235 | 948 | .268 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.