Dave Wills
First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1899)
Dave Wills was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball in 1899 for the Louisville Colonels. In 24 career games, he hit .223 with 21 hits and 12 RBI.
- 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
- L / L
- Died
- 10/13/1959 in Washington, DC, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1899-06-08
- Last Game
- 1899-08-31
Full name: Davis Bowles Wills
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 94 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 11 | .223 | .240 | .277 | .516 | -428 |
Career AVG .223 vs. league average .282 across their career seasons — 20.9% below league average.
Career OBP .240 vs. league average .343 across their career seasons — 30.2% below league average.
Career SLG .277 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — 24.6% below league average.
Career OPS .516 vs. league average .710 across their career seasons — 27.3% below 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 | LS3 | NL | 24 | 94 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 11 | .223 | .282 (-21%) | .343 (-30%) | .366 (-25%) | .710 (-27%) | -427.6 |
| Career · 1 season | 24 | 94 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 11 | .223 | — | — | — | — | -428 | ||
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 (24 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 18 | 70 | 11 | 15 | 0 | 10 | .214 |
| Away | 6 | 24 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | .250 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899-09-01 | LS3 | WSN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-08-31 | LS3 | WSN | L | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 1899-08-30 | LS3 | PHI | W | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-08-29 | LS3 | PHI | L | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1899-07-11 | LS3 | BLN | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-07-08 | LS3 | CIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-07-07 | LS3 | CIN | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-07-06 | LS3 | CIN | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-07-05 | LS3 | CIN | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-07-04 | LS3 | CIN | L | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 24 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Virginia | Charlottesville | VA | 1898, 1899 |
Dave Wills: the record in brief
Dave Wills played a first major league game on June 8, 1899 and a last one on August 31, 1899. Every season row on the page belongs to the Louisville Colonels, in 1899. Wills is listed as a first baseman. The bio says Wills both batted and threw left-handed. The recorded birth is January 26, 1877, in Charlottesville, VA, USA. Wills's death is recorded on October 13, 1959, in Washington, DC, USA. On the record, Dave Wills was born Davis Bowles Wills.
Wills collected 21 hits in 94 at bats across 24 games, good for a .223 batting average; the totals also include 12 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .240 and the slugging percentage .277, for an OPS of .516. Over the seasons Wills played, league hitters batted .282; the .223 career figure is 20.9% below that. The OPS comparison is .516 to a league .710, 27.3% below average. The season table holds a single row: 1899 with the Louisville Colonels, 24 games, 94 at bats and 21 hits. That year the league hit .282, the figure in the row's Lg AVG column.
Frequently Asked Questions about Dave Wills
- Was Dave Wills a pitcher?
- No. Dave Wills was a position player (First Baseman).
- How many home runs did Dave Wills hit?
- Dave Wills hit 0 career home runs with 21 hits.
- What was Dave Wills's career batting average?
- Dave Wills batted .223 over his career, with 21 hits in 94 at bats.
- How many RBI did Dave Wills have?
- Dave Wills drove in 12 runs in his career.
- Is Dave Wills in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Dave Wills has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- What teams did Dave Wills play for?
- Dave Wills played for the Louisville Colonels.