He was one of the smallest men every to play major league baseball, on one of the dirtiest, most outrageous rosters every assembled.

A shortstop-turned outfielder, William Henry Keeler stood 5-foot-4 and weighed in at 140. And pound for pound, he may have been the greatest hitter the game has ever known.

He was born on March 3, 1872. The son of one a conductor of one of Brooklyn’s many horse-drawn trollies, “Wee Wille” wanted nothing more in life than to play baseball. He broke in as a semi-pro with various teams around Brooklyn, before an injury to Binghamton’s regular third baseman gave him a chance to go pro. Keeler made the most of his opportunity, batting .373 over 93 games in the Eastern League.

Wee Willie’s success at the minor league level caught the attention of several major league teams. Finally, he was acquired by the New York baseball Giants for a a sum of $800. He hit .321 for them in 14 games near the end of the 1892 season, but broke his ankle only seven games into the next year. Considered by Giants’ manager John Montgomery to be “too small” to face major league competition, he was sold off to Brooklyn.

After spitting time between Brooklyn and Binghamton, Keeler was eventually acquired by the Baltimore Orioles, where manager Ned Hanlon was assembling one of the most dastardly rosters ever conceived. Foremost among the scallywags was the legendary third baseman John McGraw, who would go on to be one of the most feared managers in the history of the game.

The Orioles moved Wee Willie to the outfield, where he blossomed into a superbly gifted defender thanks to his outstanding speed and arm strength.

It was his tremendous hitting, however, that turned him into a star.

Keeler is said to have used the smallest bat in major league history – 29 ounces and 30 inches. And even with such a tiny tool, he has been said to have swung with “only half” of the bat, choking up nearly halfway along the barrel.

But the numbers never lie. In 1894, Wee Wille batted .371, beginning a streak of eight consecutive seasons in which he finished with 200 or more hits.

Between the rule changes allowing foul balls to be considered strikes and the advent of trick pitches (the spitter, etc.), Keeler’s season average dipped to .333 by the time the 1902 season was in the books. When he retired in 1910, he’d amassed 2,932 hits to go along with a career average of .341.

Among his other accomplishments, Wee Willie is credited with one of the most widely-known baseball tru-isms. When asked about his philosophy of hitting by the Brooklyn Eagle’s Abe Yager, Keeler simply replied:

“Keep a clear eye, and hit ‘em where they ain’t.”

- Taylor Maxwell

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Tags | Baltimore Orioles, John McGraw, Ned Hanlon, New York Giants, Wee Willie, William Henry Keeler