Biff Schaller

Walter Schaller

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 168 lb.

• Debut April 30, 1911
• Final Game July 21, 1913
• Born September 23, 1889 in Chicago, IL USA
• Died October 9, 1939 in Emeryville, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Outfielder Walter "Biff" Schaller played two seasons in the majors, getting into 76 games. He also played 10 years in the minors, mostly in the PCL.

Schaller really struggled with the 1911 Tigers, hitting only .133 on a team which hit .292. It was the year Cobb hit .420. Biff spent part of 1911 with Kansas City, hitting .306.

He came back to the majors with the 1913 White Sox and hit .219. The team hit .236, so he was a lot closer to the team average than he had been in Detroit. He was the same age as White Sox teammate Jack Fournier, who hit .233. Both the 1911 Tigers and the 1913 White Sox were above-.500 teams.

The May 1955 Baseball Digest relates a supposed anecdote about Schaller telling a sportswriter about the many home runs at the high-altitude Salt Lake City park, saying that "it's on account of that there high multitude". Given that Schaller wasn't from a rural background but rather was born in Chicago, IL, one has to take that anecdote with a grain of salt.