Keeler, Wee Willie

Wee Willie Keeler, byname of William Henry Keeler, (born March 3, 1872, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.—died January 1, 1923, Brooklyn), American professional baseball player nicknamed because his height was only 5 feet 4¹/₂ inches (about 1.6 metres), whose place-hitting ability (“Hit ’em where they ain’t”) made up for his lack of power.

Keeler was an outfielder who batted and threw left-handed. He played in the major leagues from 1892 to 1910 and achieved a career batting average of .341 or .345. (Many early baseball records are in dispute.) He reached his peak with the Baltimore Orioles (1894–98) of the National League. His highest average for a single season was .424 in 1897; he won the league batting championship that year and in 1898 with a .379 or .385 average. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.