Willie Keeler

William Henry "Wee Willie" Keeler (1872–1923) hit 'em where they ain't, and he was small enough that few outfielders bothered guarding the gaps until it was too late. Born March 3, 1872 in Brooklyn, New York, the 140-pound left-handed slap hitter debuted in 1892 and played nineteen big-league seasons through 1910, with another year of pro ball into 1911. He spent his prime with the Baltimore Orioles and the Brooklyn Superbas before closing his career with the New York Yankees of the young American League. Across his career he stitched together one of the longest hitting streaks of the nineteenth century and posted batting averages routinely north of .350 with a choke-grip and a 30-inch bat. He turns up on E97 Briggs Lozenges, E254 Colgan's Chips, and T204 Ramly. He died on New Year's Day, 1923, in his native Brooklyn, and is buried in Section 1W, Range 15, Plot B, Grave 5 at Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, New York. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.