Willie Ferrell

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Willie Ferrell was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for 5 teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons. Across 41 career appearances, he went 14-13 with a 4.50 ERA and 87 strikeouts. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 559.2.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 14–13
ERA 4.50
WHIP 1.46
SO 87
Pitcher PIV 559.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
— / L
Height / Weight
5'11" / 180 lb
Born
11/6/1913 in Empire, AL, USA

Full name: William O'Neal Ferrell

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Willie Ferrell — Batting
PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA OBP SLG OPS
158.0 149.0 18.0 41.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 21.0 5.0 2.0 0 .275 .299 .342 .641

Pitching

Willie Ferrell — Pitching
W L GS CG GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA WHIP
25 26 57 38 20 0 439.1 379 261 75 13 84 72 1.54 1.05

Career Pitching Statistics

Willie Ferrell — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
14 13 41 27 18 2 0 242.0 261 121 8 93 87 4.50 559.2

Career ERA 4.50 vs. league average 4.02 across their career seasons — 11.9% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willie Ferrell Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1937 BBB NAL 3 4 10 8 5 0 0 55.2 65 37 22 24 5.98 4.34 (-38%) -144.2
1938 JRC NAL 1 1 3 2 2 0 0 25.2 23 7 11 9 2.45 4.35 (+44%) 30.2
1939 CBR NAL 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 5.0 3 0 2 3 0.00 — 0.0
1939 HG NN2 1 1 2 2 2 0 0 17.2 20 11 7 6 5.60 4.28 (-31%) 313.1
1940 HG NN2 2 1 7 3 3 0 0 31.1 30 20 16 10 5.74 4.21 (-36%) 173.9
1941 CAG NAL 3 0 6 2 2 1 0 37.2 38 12 10 16 2.87 3.94 (+27%) 1048.9
1942 CAG NAL 2 6 11 9 3 0 0 60.0 79 34 24 18 5.10 3.57 (-43%) -862.8
1943 CAG NAL 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 9.0 3 0 1 1 0.00 3.50 (+100%) 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 14 13 41 27 18 2 0 242.0 261 121 93 87 4.50 — 559

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Willie Ferrell — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
66 158 17 41 2 2 1 16 0 5 2 .259 .282 .316 .599 0

Career AVG .259 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .282 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 15.7% below league average.

Career SLG .316 vs. league average .377 across their career seasons — 16.1% below league average.

Career OPS .599 vs. league average .712 across their career seasons — 15.9% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Willie Ferrell — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1937 BBB NAL 14 33 4 9 2 1 0 2 0 1 0 .273 — — — — 0.0
1938 JRC NAL 4 14 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 .357 — — — — 0.0
1939 CBR NAL 2 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1939 HG NN2 2 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143 — — — — 0.0
1940 HG NN2 11 15 2 5 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1941 CAG NAL 6 16 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .125 — — — — 0.0
1942 CAG NAL 20 45 4 13 0 0 0 6 0 1 2 .289 — — — — 0.0
1943 CAG NAL 7 25 4 5 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 .200 — — — — 0.0
Career · 8 seasons 66 158 17 41 2 2 1 16 0 5 2 .259 — — — — 0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Willie Ferrell — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Willie Ferrell — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1939 NLC HG 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (117 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Willie Ferrell — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home31332718.212
Away3562111505.242

Pitching — Home / Away

Willie Ferrell — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home26117.1821819221.38
Away25150.11495040292.99

Last 10 Games — Batting

Willie Ferrell — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1943-08-30 CAGMEML 000000000
1943-07-31 CI2KCML 000000000
1943-07-21 CAGKCML 000000000
1943-07-05 CAGBIRL 000000000
1943-06-29 CAGBIRL 501000000
1943-06-22 CAGCVBL 000000000
1943-06-21 CAGCVBL 500000000
1943-06-20 CAGCVBW 411000000
1943-06-20 CAGCVBW 422000000
1943-06-13 CAGCVBW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Willie Ferrell — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1943-08-30 CAGMEM — 1.0000000
1943-07-31 CI2KCM — 4.0040000
1943-07-21 CAGKCM — 0.0000000
1943-07-05 CAGBIR — 0.0000000
1943-06-22 CAGCVB — 0.0000000
1943-05-31 CAGKCM L 1.0010001
1943-05-26 CAGCI2 W 9.0300100
1942-09-07 CAGBIR W 5.0410130
1942-08-23 CAGKCM L 13.21244142
1942-07-19 CAGKCM L 4.0850202

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Willie Ferrell — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
OF 14 12 16 3 3 0
P 41 27 12 72 4 7

Season-by-Season Fielding

Willie Ferrell — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1937 BBB OF 2 2 2 3 0 0
1937 BBB P 10 8 4 11 0 1
1938 JRC OF 1 0 0 0 1 0
1938 JRC P 3 2 0 11 0 0
1939 CBR P 1 0 0 2 0 0
1939 HG P 2 2 0 10 0 1
1940 HG P 7 3 0 8 1 1
1941 CAG P 6 2 2 8 1 2
1942 CAG 1B 1 0 2 0 0 0
1942 CAG OF 6 5 7 0 0 0
1942 CAG P 11 9 5 19 2 2
1943 CAG OF 5 5 7 0 2 0
1943 CAG P 1 1 1 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Willie Ferrell — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Pitcher 41
First Base 1
Left Field 3
Right Field 11

Willie Ferrell: the record in brief

The season rows for Willie Ferrell begin in 1937. Club by club, the record runs the Birmingham Black Barons (1937), the Jacksonville Red Caps (1938), the Cleveland Bears (1939), the Homestead Grays (1939 to 1940), and the Chicago American Giants (1941 through 1943). The bio lists Ferrell's primary position as pitcher. Ferrell is listed at 5 feet, 11 inches and 180 pounds. The birth record reads November 6, 1913, in Empire, AL, USA. Ferrell's full given name, per the bio, is William O'Neal Ferrell.

Across 41 games (27 starts), Ferrell recorded 14 wins against 13 losses with a 4.50 ERA. Ferrell had 87 strikeouts and 18 complete games. The league ERA over Ferrell's seasons was 4.02, so the 4.50 figure ran 11.9% worse than average. 1941 was Ferrell's sharpest full season, a 2.87 ERA against the league's 3.94. Ferrell's career Pitcher PIV, which scores run prevention against each season's league, is 559.2.

Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Ferrell

Was Willie Ferrell a pitcher?
Yes. Willie Ferrell pitched in the major leagues, recording 14 wins and 87 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Willie Ferrell hit?
Willie Ferrell hit 1 career home runs with 41 hits.
What was Willie Ferrell's career batting average?
Willie Ferrell batted .259 over his career, with 41 hits in 158 at bats.
How many RBI did Willie Ferrell have?
Willie Ferrell drove in 16 runs in his career.
What was Willie Ferrell's career ERA?
Willie Ferrell finished with a 4.50 career ERA, going 14-13 with 87 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Willie Ferrell have?
Willie Ferrell recorded 87 career strikeouts.