Farmer Weaver

William B. Weaver

• Bats Both, Throws Unknown
• Height 5' 10", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut September 16, 1888
• Final Game September 29, 1894
• Born March 23, 1865 in Parkersburg, WV USA
• Died January 23, 1943 in Akron, OH USA

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Biographical Information

William "Farmer" Weaver played seven seasons in the majors, almost all with Louisville. While he appeared at every position except for pitcher, his most common position was center field.

Weaver was born in 1865 in Parkersburg, WV, on the border with Ohio. He played for several minor league teams, including in the Western League, before coming to the majors at age 23 in 1888 with the Louisville Colonels.

The 1888 Colonels finished well below .500, but were nowhere near as bad as the 1889 edition of the team, who went 27-111. Weaver had the highest OBP among the regulars on the 1889 team.

In 1890, however, Louisville turned it around totally, winning the pennant with an 88-44 record. Along with Weaver, other holdovers from the 1889 team included Chicken Wolf, Phil Tomney, Harry Raymond and Red Ehret, all of whom played better in 1890.

The team dropped to eighth place in 1891, although Weaver, Wolf and Ehret stayed on the team and were joined by Hughie Jennings. Weaver and Jennings stayed on the team in 1892, which finished ninth as a part of the National League, since the American Association had folded with a few of the strongest franchises joining the NL.

The team dropped to 11th in 1893, as Jennings was traded in mid-season and Pete Browning, who had played in the outfield alongside Weaver in 1889, returned to do the same in late 1892 and in 1893. Weaver slumped in 1894 and rookie Fred Clarke became a regular on the team. Weaver moved to the Pittsburgh Pirates for 30 games and hit .348.

He wasn't nearly done, though. From 1895 to 1910 he continued to play in the minors. During 1895-1899 he was with Milwaukee, which was managed from 1897 to 1899 by Connie Mack. After that he played all over, including for Denver, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, Portland, San Francisco, Vancouver and elsewhere. In 1893, he worked one National League game as a fill-in umpire.

After baseball he worked for Goodyear.

Miscellaneous

Weaver hit for the cycle on August 12, 1890, while playing for Louisville against the Syracuse Stars in the American Association: he went 6 for 6, although the game was only 9 innings. The next player to have a 6-for-6 cycle in a 9-inning game was Ian Kinsler in 2009.

Related Sites

• Farmer Weaver at the SABR Bio Project¸