William Stearns (March 20, 1853 – December 30, 1898) was an American professional baseball player who played pitcher and outfielder in the National Association from 1871 to 1875.

In 1874 with the Hartford Dark Blues his pitching record was 3–14 with a 2.95 ERA, and he played 19 games in the outfield.

While there he became ill and contracted malaria, and although he returned to his hometown in September, he never recovered and died there on December 30.

[2] Stearns was the first person with major league baseball experience to become a casualty of military service.

[5] To date, he holds the MLB record for lowest career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) with -9.5.