A Dying Wee Willie Keeler Reflects on His Baseball HOF Career
The former outfielder was one of the greatest hitters and characters in MLB history
Baseball isn’t really a game of predictability. It’s actually often a game of improbability. Few players embodied that more than Willie Keeler, who was one of the greatest hitters who ever lived, despite a diminutive stature that earned him the nickname of “Wee Willie.” In the year leading up to his untimely death at the age of 50, he reflected on his extraordinary career.
A native of Brooklyn, Keeler stood a modest 5’4” and tipped the scales at 140 pounds. Even in his day, he was slight, especially for a professional ballplayer. That never stopped him from carving out a stellar 19-year (1892–1910) big-league career with four different teams (including five seasons with his hometown Brooklyn Superbas).
He started out as the rare left-handed third baseman (he also batted lefty) but eventually settled in the outfield. While he lacked power, it wasn’t needed playing in the Dead Ball era. Known for his ability to place the ball where he wanted, he was credited for saying his success was because he “hit ’em where they ain’t.”
Keeler combined to hit .341 with 2,932 base hits. He also had 1,719 runs scored, 33 home runs, 810 RBIs and…
