Willie Keeler

⭐ Hall of Fame 1939

Born: 3/3/1872 in Brooklyn, NY, USA

Died: 1/1/1923 in Brooklyn, NY, USA

MLB Debut: 1892-09-30 | Final Game: 1910-09-05

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 5'4" | Weight: 140 lbs

Full name: William Henry Keeler

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Biography

Willie Keeler, born in 1872, was a remarkable position player whose career spanned from 1892 to 1910. Known for his exceptional hitting prowess and speed on the bases, Keeler played a pivotal role during the transition from the deadball era to the more offense-oriented play that followed. Over the course of 2,123 games, he amassed an impressive 2,932 hits, achieving a remarkable career batting average of .341. Keeler's ability to make contact and get on base consistently contributed to his 810 RBIs and 495 stolen bases, showcasing his all-around offensive capabilities. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939, Keeler was celebrated not only for his statistics but also for his approach to the game. He was known for his adept use of the bat, often employing a strategy of placing the ball where defenders were not, which earned him the moniker "Wee Willie." His career home run total of 33 may seem modest by modern standards, but during his playing days, he was a key figure in the evolution of hitting techniques that would influence future generations. Keeler's legacy endures as an emblem of skill and sportsmanship in early 20th-century baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
2123	8591	1719	2932	241	145	33	810	495	524	136	0.341	0.388	0.415	0.802	28836.0

Career AVG .341 vs. league average .264 across their career seasons — +29.5% above league average.

Career OBP .388 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — +19.2% above league average.

Career SLG .415 vs. league average .345 across their career seasons — +20.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.802 vs. league average 0.671 across their career seasons — +19.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1892	NY1	NL	14	53	7	17	3	0	0	6	5	3	3	0.321	.244 (+31%)	.316 (+16%)	.327 (+15%)	.644 (+16%)	124.1
1893	NY1	NL	7	24	5	8	2	1	1	7	3	5	1	0.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
1893	BRO	NL	20	80	14	25	1	1	1	9	2	4	4	0.312	.279 (+12%)	.356 (-1%)	.379 (+2%)	.735 (+1%)	0.0
1894	BLN	NL	129	590	165	219	27	22	5	94	32	40	6	0.371	.309 (+20%)	.379 (+13%)	.435 (+19%)	.814 (+16%)	2130.4
1895	BLN	NL	131	565	162	213	24	15	4	78	47	37	12	0.377	.296 (+27%)	.361 (+19%)	.399 (+24%)	.761 (+21%)	2588.1
1896	BLN	NL	126	544	153	210	22	13	4	82	67	37	9	0.386	.290 (+33%)	.354 (+22%)	.387 (+28%)	.741 (+25%)	2841.0
1897	BLN	NL	129	564	145	239	27	19	0	74	64	35	5	0.424	.291 (+45%)	.354 (+31%)	.387 (+39%)	.741 (+35%)	4094.8
1898	BLN	NL	129	561	126	216	7	2	1	44	28	31	4	0.385	.270 (+42%)	.333 (+26%)	.347 (+18%)	.680 (+22%)	2460.3
1899	BRO	NL	141	570	140	216	12	13	1	61	45	37	2	0.379	.282 (+34%)	.343 (+24%)	.366 (+23%)	.710 (+23%)	2785.3
1900	BRO	NL	136	563	106	204	13	12	4	68	41	30	4	0.362	.279 (+30%)	.338 (+19%)	.366 (+23%)	.705 (+21%)	2317.3
1901	BRO	NL	136	595	123	202	18	12	2	43	23	21	5	0.339	.271 (+25%)	.326 (+13%)	.359 (+17%)	.686 (+15%)	1658.0
1902	BRO	NL	133	559	86	186	20	5	0	38	19	21	13	0.333	.266 (+25%)	.321 (+13%)	.343 (+12%)	.665 (+13%)	1336.5
1903	NYY	AL	132	512	95	160	14	7	0	32	24	32	12	0.312	.261 (+19%)	.316 (+16%)	.345 (+6%)	.662 (+11%)	1215.8
1904	NYY	AL	143	543	78	186	14	8	2	40	21	35	12	0.343	.246 (+39%)	.300 (+30%)	.321 (+27%)	.622 (+28%)	2870.3
1905	NYY	AL	149	560	81	169	14	4	4	38	19	43	13	0.302	.248 (+22%)	.307 (+16%)	.322 (+12%)	.629 (+14%)	1565.4
1906	NYY	AL	152	592	96	180	8	3	2	33	23	40	5	0.304	.247 (+23%)	.307 (+15%)	.315 (+7%)	.622 (+11%)	1291.5
1907	NYY	AL	107	423	50	99	5	2	0	17	7	15	9	0.234	.245 (-5%)	.304 (-13%)	.308 (-17%)	.613 (-15%)	-1115.8
1908	NYY	AL	91	323	38	85	3	1	1	14	14	31	10	0.263	.240 (+9%)	.298 (+13%)	.306 (-6%)	.605 (+3%)	342.5
1909	NYY	AL	99	360	44	95	7	5	1	32	10	24	6	0.264	.244 (+8%)	.306 (+7%)	.312 (+2%)	.618 (+5%)	329.7
1910	NY1	NL	19	10	5	3	0	0	0	0	1	3	1	0.300	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
2B	19	10	18	31	2	1
3B	44	2	54	69	25	5
OF	2039	719	3097	258	138	60
SS	2	0	1	5	2	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1892	NY1	3B	14	0	15	21	5	1
1893	NY1	2B	2	0	2	2	0	0
1893	NY1	OF	3	0	2	0	1	0
1893	NY1	SS	2	0	1	5	2	0
1893	BRO	3B	12	0	20	30	10	2
1893	BRO	OF	8	0	9	2	3	0
1894	BLN	2B	1	0	2	1	0	0
1894	BLN	OF	128	0	215	25	16	4
1895	BLN	OF	131	0	244	21	10	5
1896	BLN	OF	126	0	227	20	8	6
1897	BLN	OF	129	0	217	12	7	2
1898	BLN	3B	1	0	1	0	0	0
1898	BLN	OF	128	0	210	14	9	2
1899	BRO	OF	141	0	208	21	5	4
1900	BRO	2B	1	0	0	1	0	0
1900	BRO	OF	136	0	227	22	16	4
1901	BRO	2B	3	0	5	8	0	0
1901	BRO	3B	10	0	8	11	6	2
1901	BRO	OF	125	0	181	17	3	4
1902	BRO	OF	133	0	208	14	5	5
1903	NYA	3B	4	0	6	5	2	0
1903	NYA	OF	128	0	177	10	13	4
1904	NYA	OF	142	142	186	16	14	7
1905	NYA	2B	12	10	9	19	2	1
1905	NYA	3B	3	2	4	2	2	0
1905	NYA	OF	137	137	194	17	7	1
1906	NYA	OF	152	151	213	16	3	3
1907	NYA	OF	107	107	144	13	5	5
1908	NYA	OF	88	87	123	9	9	2
1909	NYA	OF	95	95	111	9	4	2
1910	NY1	OF	2	0	1	0	0	0