Chicken Wolf

Born: 5/12/1862 in Louisville, KY, USA

Died: 5/16/1903 in Louisville, KY, USA

MLB Debut: 1882-05-02 | Final Game: 1892-08-21

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'9" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: William Van Winkle Wolf

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Biography

Chicken Wolf, born in 1862, was a professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1882 to 1892. As a position player, he made a significant mark in the early years of Major League Baseball, participating in a total of 1,196 games. Wolf showcased his offensive prowess with a career batting average of .290, amassing 1,439 hits and driving in 592 runs. He demonstrated speed on the bases as well, finishing his career with 186 stolen bases, which highlighted his ability to impact games not just with his bat but also with his agility. Playing during a transformative period in baseball's history, Wolf's contributions came during the late 19th century, an era characterized by a rapidly evolving game that was still finding its identity. He was known for his versatility and skill, managing to hit 18 home runs throughout his career. Wolf's achievements and consistent performance made him a notable figure in the early days of the sport, helping to pave the way for future generations of players. His legacy is remembered as part of the foundation of professional baseball as it grew into the beloved American pastime we know today.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
0 0 3 0 0 0 0 10.0 19 12 0 3 2 10.80 0

Career ERA 10.80 vs. league average 3.12 across their career seasons — 246.2% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1882 LS2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 6.0 11 6 3 1 9.00 — 0.0
1885 LS2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 1 1 0 1 9.00 — 0.0
1886 LS2 AA 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3.0 7 5 0 0 15.00 — 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1196 4959 779 1439 212 109 18 592 186 229 120 0.290 0.327 0.388 0.715 7922.7

Career AVG .290 vs. league average .252 across their career seasons — +15.0% above league average.

Career OBP .327 vs. league average .309 across their career seasons — +5.7% above league average.

Career SLG .388 vs. league average .340 across their career seasons — +14.0% above league average.

Career OPS 0.715 vs. league average 0.649 across their career seasons — +10.1% 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
1882 LS2 AA 78 318 46 95 11 8 0 0 0 9 0 0.299 .248 (+20%) .275 (+15%) .329 (+16%) .605 (+16%) 750.9
1883 LS2 AA 98 389 59 102 17 9 1 0 0 5 0 0.262 .257 (+2%) .285 (-5%) .345 (+4%) .631 (avg) -94.5
1884 LS2 AA 110 486 79 146 24 11 3 73 0 4 0 0.300 .243 (+23%) .278 (+11%) .327 (+26%) .606 (+19%) 1370.4
1885 LS2 AA 112 483 79 141 23 17 1 52 0 11 0 0.292 .244 (+20%) .287 (+7%) .325 (+28%) .613 (+18%) 1227.1
1886 LS2 AA 130 545 93 148 17 12 3 61 23 27 0 0.272 .246 (+10%) .302 (+2%) .331 (+9%) .634 (+6%) 479.5
1887 LS2 AA 137 569 103 160 27 13 2 102 45 34 19 0.281 .270 (+4%) .331 (avg) .373 (+3%) .705 (+1%) 85.3
1888 LS2 AA 128 538 80 154 28 11 0 67 41 25 30 0.286 .238 (+20%) .290 (+10%) .319 (+19%) .610 (+15%) 1201.5
1889 LS2 AA 130 546 72 159 20 9 3 57 18 29 34 0.291 .263 (+10%) .334 (avg) .357 (+5%) .691 (+3%) 149.0
1890 LS2 AA 134 543 100 197 29 11 4 98 46 43 0 0.363 .260 (+39%) .336 (+25%) .351 (+36%) .687 (+31%) 3289.2
1891 LS2 AA 136 528 67 135 16 8 1 81 13 42 36 0.256 .254 (+1%) .331 (-3%) .343 (-6%) .675 (-5%) -535.7
1892 STL NL 3 14 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0.143 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
7 25 4 9 3 1 0 8 3 0 0.360

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1890 WS LS2 7 25 4 9 3 1 0 8 3 0 0.360

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 43 0 361 13 20 31
2B 15 0 34 44 9 3
3B 26 0 28 54 15 2
C 39 0 133 45 25 3
OF 1040 0 1642 228 167 42
P 3 0 1 2 1 0
SS 64 0 107 194 67 16

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1882 LS2 1B 1 0 13 0 2 0
1882 LS2 OF 70 0 71 21 10 2
1882 LS2 P 1 0 0 0 0 0
1882 LS2 SS 9 0 14 24 9 1
1883 LS2 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1883 LS2 C 20 0 84 25 11 1
1883 LS2 OF 78 0 157 29 23 6
1883 LS2 SS 5 0 3 12 8 2
1884 LS2 1B 1 0 16 0 0 0
1884 LS2 3B 1 0 0 0 2 0
1884 LS2 C 11 0 37 13 6 0
1884 LS2 OF 101 0 173 26 26 4
1884 LS2 SS 1 0 1 4 1 0
1885 LS2 3B 1 0 1 3 1 0
1885 LS2 C 2 0 2 1 1 1
1885 LS2 OF 111 0 180 19 18 4
1885 LS2 P 1 0 1 0 0 0
1886 LS2 1B 8 0 64 3 5 7
1886 LS2 2B 1 0 0 4 1 0
1886 LS2 C 3 0 6 3 4 1
1886 LS2 OF 122 0 197 28 16 5
1886 LS2 P 1 0 0 2 1 0
1887 LS2 1B 11 0 95 4 9 6
1887 LS2 OF 128 0 207 27 15 5
1888 LS2 1B 1 0 3 0 0 0
1888 LS2 3B 4 0 7 15 2 0
1888 LS2 C 3 0 4 3 3 0
1888 LS2 OF 85 0 113 19 17 4
1888 LS2 SS 39 0 62 131 41 9
1889 LS2 1B 16 0 135 5 3 14
1889 LS2 2B 13 0 34 40 8 3
1889 LS2 3B 7 0 7 12 6 0
1889 LS2 OF 88 0 159 16 10 2
1889 LS2 SS 10 0 27 23 8 4
1890 LS2 3B 12 0 11 22 4 1
1890 LS2 OF 123 0 199 16 14 5
1891 LS2 1B 5 0 35 1 1 4
1891 LS2 3B 1 0 2 2 0 1
1891 LS2 OF 131 0 185 27 18 5
1892 SLN OF 3 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 3
Catcher 39
First Base 43
Second Base 15
Third Base 26
Shortstop 64
Left Field 17
Center Field 3
Right Field 1024