He was "Wee Willie" Keeler and his motto was "hit 'em where they ain't." He was a little guy, about 140 pounds, and a right fielder from 1892 to 1910. He was born (and would die) in Brooklyn, and first came to the major leagues with New York, but would have his greatest success with the Baltimore Orioles of the 1890s. He also played with Brooklyn, and jumped to the New York Highlanders of the fledgling American League in 1903.
Keeler was a slap-and-run type, put the ball in play and go like crazy. He was a leadoff man, a fielder with an anomalous lack of range but a strong arm suited for RF. Keeler had high batting averages, including a .424 mark in 1897, but whatever extra-base hits he got were due to finding a hole in the defense and running until caught. He scored as many as 165 runs in a season, and that in 129 games in 1894.
Keeler was a perennial .300 hitter, until stopped by the twin foes of age and the dead-ball era, hitting .234 at age 35 in 1907. He kept playing for a couple more years, at a decent level but aging still. He led the league in batting twice and hits three times.
Keeler earned 135.13 ratings points.
Keeler's stats: .341 average, 2932 hits, 1719 runs, 495 SB. posted by Shawn Weaver at 7:06 PM
Friday, July 14, 2006
Number 231: Tom Glavine
He made a living exploiting the strike zone of the 1990s, which was about two inches below the knee and sometimes extended to six inches outside off the plate. Glavine could have been a successful pitcher in any era, with his good stuff and ability to exploit the conditions given him. Glavine made nine starts for Atlanta in 1987, at the age of 21. The next year he was a rotation regular, but only 7-17. The next two years he was a little short of the league average in ERA, but his record improved as the team did. In 1991 it all came together for him, a 20-11 record and 2.55 ERA. It was the start of an amazing run of success, with 5 20-win seasons, two Cy Young awards (1991 and 1998) as well as a total of six top-three finishes in the CYA balloting, and an amazing record of taking his starting turn that has led him to the 300-win level.
Glavine has had the benefit of a successful team, of course, but it was a team built mostly on its wonderful starting pitching, including Glavine. He has been to 12 postseasons, and in eight World Series starts he has a 4-3 record and a 2.47 ERA, including two wins in the Braves' only WS championship, in 1995. He was the World Series MVP that year. Glavine is this era's smart lefty, like Johnny Podres, Jim Kaat, or Billy Pierce of old. He showed his adaptability in his later exploits with the Mets, before a final season with Atlanta.
Glavine earned 135.32 ratings points.
Glavine's stats: 305-203 record, 3.54 ERA, 2607 K, 118 career ERA+. posted by Shawn Weaver at 8:53 PM
