Bill Keister, baseball player, 1896-1903

Bill Keister

Born: 8/17/1871 in Baltimore, MD, USA

Died: 8/17/1924 in Baltimore, MD, USA

MLB Debut: 1896-05-20 | Final Game: 1903-08-25

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 5'5" | Weight: 168 lbs

Full name: William Hoffman Keister

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Biography

Bill Keister was a prominent position player in Major League Baseball during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in 1871, he made his debut on May 20, 1896, and played until August 25, 1903. Over the course of his career, Keister participated in 621 games, showcasing his exceptional batting ability with a career average of .312. He amassed 758 hits, including 18 home runs and driving in 400 runs, solidifying his reputation as a reliable offensive contributor. Additionally, he demonstrated notable speed on the bases, recording 131 stolen bases during his time in the league. Keister played in an era that was transitioning from the deadball period into a more modern style of play, where players began to embrace both power and speed. His ability to combine consistent hitting with base-stealing prowess made him a valuable asset to his teams. Throughout his career, Keister exemplified the qualities of a versatile player, making significant contributions to the game during a transformative period in baseball history. His legacy is remembered for both his statistical achievements and his influence on the evolving game.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
621 2433 400 758 133 63 18 400 131 90 116 0.312 0.349 0.440 0.789 6177.0

Career AVG .312 vs. league average .274 across their career seasons — +13.9% above league average.

Career OBP .349 vs. league average .332 across their career seasons — +5.1% above league average.

Career SLG .440 vs. league average .358 across their career seasons — +23.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.789 vs. league average 0.690 across their career seasons — +14.4% 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
1896 BLN NL 15 58 8 14 3 0 0 5 4 3 5 0.241 .290 (-17%) .354 (-15%) .387 (-24%) .741 (-20%) -190.0
1898 BSN NL 10 30 5 5 2 0 0 4 0 0 3 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1899 BLN NL 136 523 96 172 22 16 3 73 33 16 16 0.329 .282 (+16%) .343 (+7%) .366 (+23%) .710 (+15%) 1413.7
1900 STL NL 126 497 78 149 26 10 1 72 32 25 15 0.300 .279 (+7%) .338 (+2%) .366 (+9%) .705 (+6%) 477.5
1901 BLA AL 115 442 78 145 20 21 2 93 24 18 23 0.328 .271 (+21%) .326 (+12%) .359 (+34%) .686 (+23%) 1741.4
1902 WSN AL 119 483 82 145 33 9 9 90 27 14 22 0.300 .266 (+13%) .321 (+2%) .343 (+34%) .665 (+19%) 1415.3
1903 PHI NL 100 400 53 128 27 7 3 63 11 14 32 0.320 .261 (+22%) .316 (+11%) .345 (+29%) .662 (+20%) 1319.2

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 214 0 411 576 67 48
3B 23 0 24 50 17 2
OF 167 0 256 33 22 4
SS 215 0 420 640 159 58

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1896 BLN 2B 8 0 10 14 2 1
1896 BLN 3B 6 0 6 13 6 1
1898 BSN 2B 4 0 4 9 0 1
1898 BSN OF 1 0 3 1 0 0
1898 BSN SS 4 0 3 6 0 1
1899 BLN 2B 46 0 94 117 13 11
1899 BLN OF 1 0 2 1 0 0
1899 BLN SS 90 0 169 283 53 25
1900 SLN 2B 116 0 206 315 41 26
1900 SLN 3B 3 0 4 9 1 0
1900 SLN SS 7 0 14 21 8 1
1901 BLA SS 112 0 231 322 97 30
1902 WS1 2B 40 0 97 121 11 9
1902 WS1 3B 14 0 14 28 10 1
1902 WS1 OF 65 0 115 9 12 3
1902 WS1 SS 2 0 3 8 1 1
1903 PHI OF 100 0 136 22 10 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Second Base 214
Third Base 23
Shortstop 215
Left Field 1
Center Field 12
Right Field 154