MOP Squad Sports - Willie Keeler
     
 

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Induction Information
Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 1939, Player - 207 votes on 274 ballots - 75.55%

Born: March 3, 1872, in Brooklyn, New York
Died: January 1, 1923, in Brooklyn, New York

ML Debut: 9/30/1892
Primary Position: Right Fielder
Bats: L   Throws: L   Primary Uniform #:

Played For: New York Giants (1892-1893, 1910), Brooklyn Grooms (1893), Baltimore Orioles (1894-1898), Brooklyn Superbas (1899-1902), New York Highlanders (1903-1909)

Bio
"Wee Willie" Keeler's motto of "Hit 'em where they ain't" garnered him two batting titles, eight straight years of 200 or more hits and a 44-game hitting streak in 1897. Gifted with a keen eye and exceptional speed, Keeler's place-hitting prowess resulted in 13 straight seasons batting over .300, and a career mark of .345. Though he began his professional career as a left-handed third baseman, the diminutive Keeler went on to become an outstanding right fielder.

Quote
"Keeler could bunt any time he chose. If the third baseman came in for a tap, he invariably pushed the ball past the fielder. If he stayed back, he bunted. Also, he had a trick of hitting a high hopper to an infielder. The ball would bound so high that he was across the bag before he could be stopped."
   — Honus Wagner

Did You Know... that Willie Keeler used one of the shortest, yet heaviest bats in major league history, just 30 inches long but weighing 46 ounces?


Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG SLG
1892 NY NL 13 49 6 15 3 0 0   3 3 5 .306 .367
1893 NY NL 7 24 5 8 2 1 1   5 1 5 .333 .625
1893 BRO NL 22 66 14 22 1 1 1   4 4 2 .333 .424
1894 BAL NL 128 593 164 218 25 22 5   40 6 30 .368 .509
1895 BAL NL 131 560 161 221 23 15 4   37 12 57 .395 .511
1896 BAL NL 127 546 154 214 22 13 4   37 9 73 .392 .502
1897 BAL NL 128 562 147 243 25 19 0   35   63 .432 .544
1898 BAL NL 128 564 126 214 10 2 1   31   26 .379 .410
1899 BRO NL 143 571 141 215 13 14 1   37   44 .377 .454
1900 BRO NL 137 568 106 208 11 14 4   30   39 .366 .456
1901 BRO NL 136 589 124 209 16 15 2   21   31 .355 .443
1902 BRO NL 132 550 84 188 18 7 0   21   23 .342 .400
1903 NY AL 132 515 98 164 13 7 0   32   25 .318 .371
1904 NY AL 143 539 76 185 13 8 2   35   22 .343 .408
1905 NY AL 149 560 81 169 14 4 4   43   19 .302 .363
1906 NY AL 152 592 96 180 8 3 2   40   23 .304 .338
1907 NY AL 107 423 50 99 5 2 0   15   7 .234 .255
1908 NY AL 91 323 38 85 3 1 1   31   14 .263 .288
1909 NY AL 99 360 44 95 7 5 1   24   10 .264 .319
1910 NY NL 19 10 5 3 0 0 0   3 1 1 .300 .300
      2124 8564 1720 2955 232 153 33   524 36 519 .345 .419
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG SLG