Will White

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1877-1886)

Will White was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1877 to 1886 for 4 teams, including the Boston Braves, a span of 10 seasons. Across 403 career appearances, he went 229-166 with a 2.28 ERA and 1,041 strikeouts. He also batted .183 with 1 home runs.

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 229–166
ERA 2.28
WHIP 1.11
SO 1,041
Pitcher PIV -20646.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 175 lb
Born
10/11/1854 in Caton, NY, USA
Died
8/31/1911 in Port Carling, ON, CAN
MLB Debut
1877-07-20
Last Game
1886-07-05

Full name: William Henry White

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Career Pitching Statistics

Will White — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
229 166 403 402 394 36 0 3542.2 3,440 896 65 496 1,041 2.28 -20646.2

Career ERA 2.28 vs. league average 3.00 across their career seasons — 24.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Will White Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1877 BSN NL 2 1 3 3 3 1 0 27.0 27 9 2 7 3.00 2.81 (-7%) 179.9
1878 CN1 NL 30 21 52 52 52 5 0 468.0 477 93 45 169 1.79 2.30 (+22%) 2263.1
1879 CN1 NL 43 31 76 75 75 4 0 680.0 676 150 68 232 1.99 2.50 (+20%) -879.0
1880 CN1 NL 18 42 62 62 58 3 0 517.1 550 123 56 161 2.14 2.37 (+10%) -1122.9
1881 DTN NL 0 2 2 2 2 0 0 18.0 24 10 2 5 5.00 2.77 (-80%) 140.3
1882 CN2 AA 40 12 54 54 52 8 0 480.0 411 82 71 122 1.54 2.80 (+45%) 302.8
1883 CN2 AA 43 22 65 65 64 6 0 577.0 473 134 104 141 2.09 3.22 (+35%) -6477.1
1884 CN2 AA 34 18 52 52 52 7 0 456.0 479 168 74 118 3.32 3.11 (-7%) -9362.0
1885 CN2 AA 18 15 34 34 33 2 0 293.1 295 115 64 80 3.53 3.03 (-16%) -4641.2
1886 CN2 AA 1 2 3 3 3 0 0 26.0 28 12 10 6 4.15 3.37 (-23%) -1050.2
Career · 10 seasons 229 166 403 402 394 36 0 3,542.2 3,440 896 496 1,041 2.28 — -20,646

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

Will White — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
403 1,478 167 271 28 7 1 111 0 56 128 .183 .215 .214 .429 -5,316

Career AVG .183 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 26.4% below league average.

Career OBP .215 vs. league average .285 across their career seasons — 24.6% below league average.

Career SLG .214 vs. league average .331 across their career seasons — 35.3% below league average.

Career OPS .429 vs. league average .615 across their career seasons — 30.4% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Will White Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1877 BSN NL 3 15 4 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 .200 — — — — 0.0
1878 CN1 NL 52 197 15 28 1 1 0 9 0 8 41 .142 .259 (-45%) .278 (-37%) .319 (-51%) .597 (-44%) -1115.2
1879 CN1 NL 76 294 28 40 6 0 0 17 0 6 56 .136 .255 (-47%) .270 (-43%) .328 (-52%) .599 (-48%) -1824.2
1880 CN1 NL 62 207 16 35 7 1 0 14 0 6 29 .169 .244 (-31%) .267 (-28%) .319 (-34%) .586 (-31%) -812.1
1881 DTN NL 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 — — — — 0.0
1882 CN2 AA 54 207 28 55 4 0 0 25 0 5 0 .266 .248 (+7%) .275 (+3%) .329 (-14%) .605 (-6%) -134.4
1883 CN2 AA 65 240 38 54 4 3 0 23 0 16 0 .225 .257 (-12%) .285 (-4%) .345 (-23%) .631 (-14%) -413.5
1884 CN2 AA 52 184 28 35 1 2 1 11 0 10 0 .190 .243 (-22%) .278 (-15%) .327 (-29%) .606 (-23%) -522.6
1885 CN2 AA 34 118 9 20 5 0 0 10 0 4 0 .169 .244 (-31%) .287 (-27%) .325 (-35%) .613 (-31%) -493.9
1886 CN2 AA 3 9 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 .111 — — — — 0.0
Career · 10 seasons 403 1,478 167 271 28 7 1 111 0 56 128 .183 — — — — -5,316

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

Will White — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 5 0 1 0 0 0
P 403 0 117 715 106 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Will White — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1877 BSN P 3 0 3 1 1 0
1878 CN1 P 52 0 13 90 15 2
1879 CN1 P 76 0 20 114 20 0
1880 CN1 OF 3 0 1 0 0 0
1880 CN1 P 62 0 17 68 10 2
1881 DTN P 2 0 0 1 0 0
1882 CN2 OF 2 0 0 0 0 0
1882 CN2 P 54 0 23 223 11 3
1883 CN2 P 65 0 23 106 23 1
1884 CN2 P 52 0 8 72 18 2
1885 CN2 P 34 0 10 35 6 0
1886 CN2 P 3 0 0 5 2 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Will White Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 403
Right Field 5

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Will White (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Tommy Bond
    234-163, 2.14 ERA
  2. 85
    Joe McGinnity HOF
    246-142, 2.66 ERA
  3. 77
    Jesse Tannehill
    197-117, 2.80 ERA
  4. 74
    Jim Whitney
    191-204, 2.97 ERA
  5. 73
    George Bradley
    172-151, 2.43 ERA
  6. 73
    Deacon Phillippe
    189-109, 2.59 ERA

Will White: the record in brief

July 20, 1877 and July 5, 1886 bracket Will White's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, White's seasons break down as the Boston Red Caps (1877), the Cincinnati Reds (1878 through 1880), the Detroit Wolverines (1881), and the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1882 to 1886). White played primarily as a pitcher and batted from both sides and threw right-handed. Born on October 11, 1854, in Caton, NY, USA, White was listed at 5'9" and 175 pounds. White's death is recorded on August 31, 1911, in Port Carling, ON, CAN. Will White was the playing name; the full given name is William Henry.

White's career pitching line is 229 wins, 166 losses and a 2.28 ERA over 403 appearances. The same table counts 1,041 strikeouts, 394 complete games, and 36 shutouts. Against a 3.00 league ERA for the same years, White was 24.2% better. No season topped the 43 wins of 1879.

Frequently Asked Questions about Will White

What years did Will White play?
Will White played in Major League Baseball from 1877 to 1886.
Was Will White a pitcher?
Yes. Will White pitched in the major leagues, recording 229 wins and 1041 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Will White hit?
Will White hit 1 career home run with 271 hits.
What teams did Will White play for?
Will White played for 4 teams: the Boston Red Caps (1877), the Cincinnati Reds (1878–1880), the Detroit Wolverines (1881), and the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1882–1886).
What were Will White's career stats?
In 403 games, Will White went 229-166 with a 2.28 ERA, 1,041 strikeouts, and 3,542.2 innings pitched. At the plate he had 271 hits and 1 home runs.
What position did Will White play?
Will White played primarily as a pitcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Will White and how much did he weigh?
Will White was listed at 5 feet 9 inches and 175 pounds.
What was Will White's career ERA?
Will White finished with a 2.28 career ERA, going 229-166 with 1,041 strikeouts.
How many strikeouts did Will White have?
Will White recorded 1,041 career strikeouts.
Is Will White in the Hall of Fame?
No. Will White has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.