Description
Willie Keeler
Born: March 3, 1872 in Brooklyn, New York
Died: January 1, 1923 (aged 50) in Brooklyn, New York
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Height: 5’4″
Weight: 140 lbs.
Position: Third Base, Outfielder
Played For:
New York Giants (1892–1893)
Brooklyn Grooms (1893)
Baltimore Orioles (1894–1898)
Brooklyn Superbas (1899–1902)
New York Highlanders (1903–1909)
New York Giants (1910)
Biography:
William H. “Wee Willie” Keeler was one of the smallest players ever in major league baseball at 5’4”, 140 pounds, but he had one of the biggest bats in the game, both figuratively and literally, weighing up to 46 ounces.
His motto was, “Keep your eye on the ball and hit ‘em where they ain’t,” and it certainly worked for the third baseman-turned-outfielder. Keeler had 13 straight seasons in which he batted over .300 and he reached the mark in 16 of the 19 years he played. He had a lifetime average of .345 and for seven straight seasons he also had an on-base percentage that was above .400.
In 1894, he batted .371, scoring 165 runs and notching 94 RBIs. He also hit 22 triples in his first year with the Orioles. It was the same season in which he began his streak of eight consecutive years with 200 or more hits, a record that held for more than 100 years, but has since been matched and beaten by only Ichiro Suzuki.
More info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Keeler
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/keelewi01.shtml
http://baseballhall.org/hof/keeler-willie
