Willie Spencer
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records
Willie Spencer was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the Toledo Crawfords, the Toledo Crawfords, and the Toledo-Indianapolis Crawfords. In 25 career games, he hit .338 with 23 hits, 1 home runs, and 13 RBI. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- — / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'6" / 160 lb
- Died
- 1968
Full name: William David Spencer
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 68 | 6 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .338 | .384 | .456 | .839 | 0 |
Career AVG .338 vs. league average .271 across their career seasons — +25.0% above league average.
Career OBP .384 vs. league average .339 across their career seasons — +13.3% above league average.
Career SLG .456 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — +16.8% above league average.
Career OPS .839 vs. league average .729 across their career seasons — +15.2% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | TC2 | NN2 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .214 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1939 | TC | NAL | 11 | 30 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1940 | TIC | NAL | 10 | 24 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .417 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 25 | 68 | 6 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .338 | — | — | — | — | 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.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (27 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 12 | 22 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 8 | .591 |
| Away | 15 | 34 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 4 | .382 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941-09-11 | BIR | KCM | W | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941-08-24 | BIR | SNO | W | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941-08-24 | BIR | SNO | W | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1941-07-06 | BIR | SNO | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-08-18 | IN8 | KCM | L | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1940-08-18 | IN8 | KCM | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1940-08-14 | IN8 | KCM | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-07-27 | IN8 | SNO | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-07-26 | IN8 | SNO | W | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1940-07-21 | IN8 | MEM | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 6 |
| Second Base | 1 |
| Third Base | 11 |
| Center Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 5 |
Willie Spencer: the record in brief
The season rows for Willie Spencer begin in 1939. Club by club, the record runs the Toledo Crawfords (1939) and the Toledo-Indianapolis Crawfords (1940). Spencer is listed as a third baseman at 5 feet, 6 inches and 160 pounds. The recorded birth is January 22, 1914, in Water Valley, MS, USA. Spencer died in 1968. Spencer's full given name, per the bio, is William David Spencer.
Across 25 games at the plate, Spencer's career line reads 23 hits in 68 at bats for a .338 average, adding 1 home run and 13 RBI. Spencer got on base at a .384 rate and slugged .456 (.839 OPS). Over the seasons Spencer played, league hitters batted .271; the .338 career figure is 25.0% above that. The hits column peaks at 10, in 1939. The best average in the busiest seasons was .417, in 1940.
Frequently Asked Questions about Willie Spencer
- Was Willie Spencer a pitcher?
- No. Willie Spencer was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Willie Spencer hit?
- Willie Spencer hit 1 career home run with 23 hits.
- What teams did Willie Spencer play for?
- Willie Spencer played for one team, the Toledo-Indianapolis Crawfords (1939–1940).
- What were Willie Spencer's career stats?
- In 25 games, Willie Spencer had 23 hits, 1 home runs, 13 RBI, 6 runs, and 3 stolen bases, with a .338 batting average.
- What position did Willie Spencer play?
- Willie Spencer played primarily as a third baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Willie Spencer and how much did he weigh?
- Willie Spencer was listed at 5 feet 6 inches and 160 pounds.
- How many home runs did Willie Spencer hit each season?
- Willie Spencer's home runs by season: 0 in 1939 and 1 in 1940. His most in one season was 1, in 1940.
- What was Willie Spencer's career batting average?
- Willie Spencer batted .338 over his career, with 23 hits in 68 at bats.
- How many RBI did Willie Spencer have?
- Willie Spencer drove in 13 runs in his career.
- Is Willie Spencer in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Willie Spencer has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.