Zeke Wrigley
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1896-1899)
Zeke Wrigley was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1896 to 1899 for the Washington Nationals, the New York Giants, and the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 4 seasons. In 239 career games, he hit .258 with 222 hits, 5 home runs, and 117 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
- Shortstop
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 150 lb
- Died
- 9/28/1952 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1896-08-31
- Last Game
- 1899-10-14
Full name: George Watson Wrigley
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 239 | 861 | 121 | 222 | 25 | 20 | 5 | 117 | 18 | 46 | 55 | .258 | .296 | .351 | .647 | -1,296 |
Career AVG .258 vs. league average .283 across their career seasons — 9.0% below league average.
Career OBP .296 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — 14.4% below league average.
Career SLG .351 vs. league average .371 across their career seasons — 5.5% below league average.
Career OPS .647 vs. league average .717 across their career seasons — 9.8% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | WAS | NL | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .111 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1897 | WAS | NL | 104 | 388 | 65 | 110 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 64 | 5 | 21 | 24 | .284 | .291 (-3%) | .354 (-10%) | .387 (-1%) | .741 (-5%) | -412.9 |
| 1898 | WAS | NL | 111 | 400 | 50 | 98 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 39 | 10 | 20 | 25 | .245 | .270 (-9%) | .333 (-15%) | .347 (-4%) | .680 (-10%) | -713.7 |
| 1899 | NY1 | NL | 4 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1899 | BRO | NL | 15 | 49 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 2 | .204 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 5 seasons | 239 | 861 | 121 | 222 | 25 | 20 | 5 | 117 | 18 | 46 | 55 | .258 | — | — | — | — | -1,127 | ||
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 (130 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 64 | 226 | 34 | 58 | 1 | 24 | .257 |
| Away | 66 | 239 | 21 | 54 | 1 | 27 | .226 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899-10-14 | BRO | BLN | W | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-10-13 | BRO | BLN | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-10-12 | BRO | BLN | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-10-11 | BRO | NY1 | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-10-10 | BRO | NY1 | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 1899-10-03 | BRO | WSN | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-10-03 | BRO | WSN | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1899-10-02 | BRO | BLN | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-09-30 | BRO | BLN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899-09-29 | BRO | BLN | L | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 23 | 0 | 55 | 60 | 7 | 5 |
| 3B | 36 | 0 | 36 | 72 | 19 | 4 |
| OF | 39 | 0 | 45 | 10 | 7 | 4 |
| SS | 145 | 0 | 362 | 482 | 102 | 54 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | WAS | 2B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 1896 | WAS | SS | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1897 | WAS | 2B | 9 | 0 | 22 | 20 | 2 | 2 |
| 1897 | WAS | 3B | 30 | 0 | 34 | 64 | 17 | 4 |
| 1897 | WAS | OF | 36 | 0 | 44 | 10 | 7 | 4 |
| 1897 | WAS | SS | 33 | 0 | 75 | 115 | 24 | 8 |
| 1898 | WAS | 2B | 11 | 0 | 31 | 32 | 4 | 3 |
| 1898 | WAS | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898 | WAS | OF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1898 | WAS | SS | 97 | 0 | 252 | 326 | 68 | 42 |
| 1899 | NY1 | 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 1899 | BRO | 3B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1899 | BRO | SS | 14 | 0 | 33 | 34 | 10 | 4 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 23 |
| Third Base | 36 |
| Shortstop | 145 |
| Left Field | 4 |
| Center Field | 15 |
| Right Field | 20 |
Zeke Wrigley: the record in brief
Zeke Wrigley played a first major league game on August 31, 1896 and a last one on October 14, 1899. The team column moves through the Washington Senators (1896 to 1898), the New York Giants (1899), and the Brooklyn Superbas (1899). The bio lists Wrigley's primary position as shortstop. The recorded size is 5'8" and 150 pounds. The birth record reads January 18, 1874, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The bio records the death on September 28, 1952, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Zeke Wrigley was the playing name; the full given name is George Watson.
Wrigley finished with 222 hits from 861 at bats in 239 games, which works out to .258; the totals also include 5 home runs and 117 RBI. Wrigley's career OPS of .647 combines a .296 on-base mark with .351 slugging. Set against a .283 league average for the same years, Wrigley's .258 average sits 9.0% below it. 1897 produced Wrigley's most hits, 110 of them for the Washington Senators. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .284 in 1897, did not top the league's .291.
Frequently Asked Questions about Zeke Wrigley
- What years did Zeke Wrigley play?
- Zeke Wrigley played in Major League Baseball from 1896 to 1899.
- Was Zeke Wrigley a pitcher?
- No. Zeke Wrigley was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Zeke Wrigley hit?
- Zeke Wrigley hit 5 career home runs with 222 hits.
- What teams did Zeke Wrigley play for?
- Zeke Wrigley played for 3 teams: the Washington Senators (1896–1898), the New York Giants (1899), and the Brooklyn Superbas (1899).
- What were Zeke Wrigley's career stats?
- In 239 games, Zeke Wrigley had 222 hits, 5 home runs, 117 RBI, 121 runs, and 18 stolen bases, with a .258 batting average.
- What position did Zeke Wrigley play?
- Zeke Wrigley played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Zeke Wrigley and how much did he weigh?
- Zeke Wrigley was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 150 pounds.
- How many home runs did Zeke Wrigley hit each season?
- Zeke Wrigley's home runs by season: 0 in 1896, 3 in 1897, 2 in 1898, and 0 in 1899. His most in one season was 3, in 1897.
- What was Zeke Wrigley's career batting average?
- Zeke Wrigley batted .258 over his career, with 222 hits in 861 at bats.
- How many RBI did Zeke Wrigley have?
- Zeke Wrigley drove in 117 runs in his career.
- Is Zeke Wrigley in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Zeke Wrigley has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.