Lew Whistler
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1890-1893)
Lew Whistler was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1890 to 1893 for 4 teams, including the New York Giants, a span of 4 seasons. In 272 career games, he hit .244 with 247 hits, 12 home runs, and 133 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 347.
- 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
- First Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- — / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 178 lb
- Died
- 12/30/1959 in St. Louis, MO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1890-08-07
- Last Game
- 1893-06-15
Full name: Lewis W. Whistler
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 272 | 1,014 | 150 | 247 | 29 | 28 | 12 | 133 | 39 | 100 | 156 | .244 | .318 | .363 | .681 | 347 |
Career AVG .244 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 6.0% below league average.
Career OBP .318 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — 5.2% below league average.
Career SLG .363 vs. league average .350 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .681 vs. league average .685 across their career seasons — near 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | NY1 | NL | 45 | 170 | 27 | 49 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 29 | 8 | 20 | 37 | .288 | .260 (+11%) | .336 (+9%) | .351 (+31%) | .687 (+20%) | 520.8 |
| 1891 | NY1 | NL | 72 | 265 | 39 | 65 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 38 | 4 | 24 | 45 | .245 | .254 (-3%) | .331 (-5%) | .343 (+5%) | .675 (avg) | -43.1 |
| 1892 | BLN | NL | 52 | 209 | 32 | 47 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 21 | 12 | 18 | 22 | .225 | .244 (-8%) | .316 (-7%) | .327 (+4%) | .644 (-1%) | -83.8 |
| 1892 | LS3 | NL | 80 | 285 | 42 | 67 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 34 | 14 | 30 | 45 | .235 | .244 (-4%) | .316 (-1%) | .327 (+7%) | .644 (+3%) | -83.8 |
| 1893 | LS3 | NL | 13 | 47 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 5 | .213 | — | — | — | — | -163.3 |
| 1893 | SLN | NL | 10 | 38 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .237 | — | — | — | — | -163.3 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 272 | 1,014 | 150 | 247 | 29 | 28 | 12 | 133 | 39 | 100 | 156 | .244 | — | — | — | — | -17 | ||
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.
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 189 | 0 | 1999 | 77 | 52 | 113 |
| 2B | 16 | 0 | 28 | 47 | 9 | 3 |
| 3B | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| OF | 32 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| SS | 33 | 0 | 52 | 104 | 27 | 7 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | NY1 | 1B | 45 | 0 | 490 | 10 | 9 | 28 |
| 1891 | NY1 | 1B | 7 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 1891 | NY1 | 2B | 6 | 0 | 12 | 17 | 7 | 1 |
| 1891 | NY1 | 3B | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| 1891 | NY1 | OF | 22 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| 1891 | NY1 | SS | 33 | 0 | 52 | 104 | 27 | 7 |
| 1892 | BLN | 1B | 51 | 0 | 540 | 26 | 16 | 21 |
| 1892 | BLN | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1892 | LS3 | 1B | 72 | 0 | 773 | 32 | 18 | 52 |
| 1892 | LS3 | 2B | 10 | 0 | 16 | 30 | 2 | 2 |
| 1893 | LS3 | 1B | 13 | 0 | 132 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 1893 | SLN | 1B | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1893 | SLN | OF | 9 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 189 |
| Second Base | 16 |
| Third Base | 5 |
| Shortstop | 33 |
| Left Field | 15 |
| Center Field | 5 |
| Right Field | 12 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Lew Whistler (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Lew Whistler: the record in brief
Lew Whistler played a first major league game on August 7, 1890 and a last one on June 15, 1893. Club by club, the record runs the New York Giants (1890 through 1891), the Baltimore Orioles (1892), the Louisville Colonels (1892 through 1893), and the St. Louis Browns (1893). The bio lists Whistler's primary position as first baseman. Whistler is listed at 178 pounds on a 5-foot-10 frame. The birth record reads March 10, 1868, in St. Louis, MO, USA. Whistler died on December 30, 1959, in St. Louis, MO, USA. On the record, Lew Whistler was born Lewis W. Whistler.
Whistler finished with 247 hits from 1,014 at bats in 272 games, which works out to .244, along with 12 home runs, 133 RBI, and 39 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .318 and .363 give Whistler a career OPS of .681. The league as a whole hit .259 across Whistler's seasons, which puts the .244 career mark 6.0% below average. The highest hit total in a season was 67, in 1892.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lew Whistler
- What years did Lew Whistler play?
- Lew Whistler played in Major League Baseball from 1890 to 1893.
- Was Lew Whistler a pitcher?
- No. Lew Whistler was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Lew Whistler hit?
- Lew Whistler hit 12 career home runs with 247 hits.
- What teams did Lew Whistler play for?
- Lew Whistler played for 4 teams: the New York Giants (1890–1891), the Baltimore Orioles (1892), the Louisville Colonels (1892–1893), and the St. Louis Browns (1893).
- What were Lew Whistler's career stats?
- In 272 games, Lew Whistler had 247 hits, 12 home runs, 133 RBI, 150 runs, and 39 stolen bases, with a .244 batting average.
- What position did Lew Whistler play?
- Lew Whistler played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Lew Whistler and how much did he weigh?
- Lew Whistler was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 178 pounds.
- How many home runs did Lew Whistler hit each season?
- Lew Whistler's home runs by season: 2 in 1890, 3 in 1891, 7 in 1892, and 0 in 1893. His most in one season was 7, in 1892.
- What was Lew Whistler's career batting average?
- Lew Whistler batted .244 over his career, with 247 hits in 1,014 at bats.
- How many RBI did Lew Whistler have?
- Lew Whistler drove in 133 runs in his career.
- Is Lew Whistler in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Lew Whistler has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.