One of the greatest contact hitters of all time and notoriously hard to strike out, Willie Keeler has the highest career at bats-per-strikeout ratio in MLB history: throughout his career, on average he went more than 60 at bats between individual strikeouts.
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Willie Keeler played baseball from an early age, and as a freshman served as captain of his high school team.
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Willie Keeler quit school the following year, and played semiprofessional baseball in the New York City area.
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Willie Keeler quickly established himself as a star, and played until retiring in 1910.
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Willie Keeler twice led his league in batting average and three times in hits.
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Willie Keeler had an amazing 206 singles during the 1898 season, a record that stood for more than 100 years until broken by Ichiro Suzuki.
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When Willie Keeler retired in 1910, he was third all-time in hits with 2,932, behind only Cap Anson and Jake Beckley.
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Willie Keeler was one of the smallest players to play the game, standing 5 feet 4½ inches and weighing 140 pounds, resulting in his nickname.
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Willie Keeler appeared as number 75 on The Sporting News' list of the "100 Greatest Baseball Players".
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Willie Keeler had the ability to bunt most balls pitched to him, enabling him to avoid striking out; his skill at prolonging at bats by fouling pitches off with this method was the impetus for the rule change that made a foul bunt with two strikes a strikeout.
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Bill James speculated that Willie Keeler introduced the hit and run strategy to the original Orioles and teammate John McGraw.
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In 1897, Willie Keeler had a 44-game hitting streak to start the season, breaking the previous single season record of 42 set by Bill Dahlen.
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Willie Keeler had a hit in his final game of the 1896 season, giving him a National League-record 45-game hitting streak.
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Willie Keeler had eight consecutive seasons with 200 hits or more, a record broken by Ichiro Suzuki in 2009.
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In 1901, Willie Keeler received offers from six of the eight new American League clubs, including an offer from Chicago for two years at $4,300 a season.
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In 1905, Willie Keeler set the Yankees team record for most sacrifice hits in a season with 42.
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Willie Keeler remained with the Highlanders through 1909, and played the 1910 season with the New York Giants.
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Willie Keeler played in 1911 for the Eastern League's Toronto Maple Leafs, and had 43 hits in 39 games.
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Willie Keeler was wealthy after retiring as a player, and invested in mining companies, real estate, and other ventures.
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Willie Keeler suffered from tuberculosis and endocarditis for the last five years of his life.
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Willie Keeler is mentioned in the story "Hit 'em where they ain't" by Robert Ruark and as well in the poem "Line-Up for Yesterday" by Ogden Nash.
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