Bill Dahlen
A tremendous defensive shortstop with amazing range, Bill Dahlen was also an excellent hitter who finished among league leaders in extra-base hits several times. He established himself as a star with Chicago and Brooklyn in the 19th century, and later became an invaluable veteran leader for John McGraw's Giants in the early 1900s. He is clearly the best shortstop to never be inducted into the Hall of Fame, with defensive credentials matching those of Ozzie Smith, and offensive skills on par with Joe Cronin and Lou Boudreau. A New York-native, Dahlen became one of the most popular players in Brooklyn, and later managed the Dodgers for four seasons. He lived in Brooklyn his entire life and died there in 1950.
Played For
Chicago Cubs (1891-1898)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1899-1903)
New York Giants (1904-1907)
Boston Braves (1908-1909)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1910-1911)
Managed
Brooklyn Dodgers (1910-1913)
All-Time Rankings
Bill Dahlen ranks #29 among the Top 50 all-time at SS. Rankings ⇒
Most Times Ejected, Manager, All-Time
1. John McGraw... 131
2. Leo Durocher... 124
3. Bobby Cox... 117
4. Earl Weaver... 98
5. Frankie Frisch... 86
6. Paul Richards... 80
7. Tony LaRussa... 73
8. Lou Piniella...71
9. Clark Griffith... 67
10. Bill Dahlen... 65
11. Joe Torre... 64
Source: Doug Pappas and SABR
Description
From a review of Bad Bill Dahlen (by Lyle Spatz), by Bill Lamb:
"Dahlen was a taciturn, private man off [the field]. He lived quietly and was a reluctant interview. And when he did speak, Dahlen's voice was filtered through the sportswriting conventions of an earlier age whereby even the roughest hewn of ball players came off sounding like a fussy New England schoolmaster."
Born
William Frederick Dahlen was born on January 5, 1870, in Nelliston, NY.
Died
December 5, 1950, Brooklyn, NY
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: SS
Primary Team: CHN
Major League Debut
April 22, 1891
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1891
Coming soon...
Nicknames
Bad Bill
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1936 |
Veterans |
1 |
% |
1938 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.4% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1905 World Series
Hitting Streaks
42 games (1894)
28 games (1894)
Learn More about Bill Dahlen
Search Amazon.com for Books about Bill Dahlen ⇒
Search for Bill Dahlen at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
