John Augustus "Josh" Billings (November 30, 1891 – December 30, 1981) was a backup
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...
in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
who played for three different teams between the and seasons. Listed at , 165 lb., Billings batted and threw right-handed. He was born in
Grantville, Kansas
Grantville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 182. It is located east of Topeka on the south side of US-24 between Barton and KOA / Wilson roads.
History
Gr ...
.
Before playing professional baseball, Billings was a star player at
Kansas State University
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...
(1910) and
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...
(1911–12).
Billings played from 1913 to 1918 for the
Cleveland Naps
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...
(renamed the Indians in 1915). In 1919, he was traded to the
St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...
in exchange for
Les Nunamaker. In St. Louis he received considerably more playing time than he had in Cleveland. His most productive season came in 1920, when he posted career-numbers in
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
(.277),
runs (19) and
RBI (11), while matching a career-high 66
games played
Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.
Associat ...
and finishing seventh in the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...
in
hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provide ...
es (7). He was a career .217 hitter in 243 games.
In 1943 Billings
managed the
Kenosha Comets
The Kenosha Comets were a women's professional baseball team based in Kenosha, Wisconsin that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team played their home games at Kenosha's Lake Front Stadium, but l ...
, one of the four original teams of the
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley, which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...
, and led his team to the playoffs in that season.
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League history
/ref>
Billings died in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, at the age of 90.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Billings, Josh
Major League Baseball catchers
Cleveland Indians players
Cleveland Naps players
St. Louis Browns players
20th-century American sportsmen
Kansas State Wildcats baseball players
Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball players
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League managers
Baseball players from Kansas
People from Jefferson County, Kansas
1891 births
1981 deaths
Minor league baseball managers
Manhattan Elks players
Topeka Jayhawks players
Quincy Gems players
Cleveland Bearcats players
Cleveland Spiders (minor league) players
Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players
Kansas City Blues (baseball) players
Dallas Steers players
Alexandria Reds players
Monroe Twins players
Vicksburg Hill Billies players
Baton Rouge Senators players
Baton Rouge Solons players
Baton Rouge Red Sticks players
Clarksdale Ginners players
Lake Charles Skippers players