Chicken Wolf

William Van Winkle Wolf
(Jimmy)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 190 lb.

• Debut May 2, 1882
• Final Game August 21, 1892
• Born May 12, 1862 in Louisville, KY USA
• Died May 16, 1903 in Louisville, KY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Chicken Wolf was the only player to play in the American Association for all 10 of years of its existence. Most notably, he led the league in batting average and hits in 1890. He is also sometimes referred to as Jimmy Wolf.

Wolf occasionally worked as an umpire in the National League from 1893 to 1897, for a total of 8 games.

Wolf was born, and died, in Louisville, KY, and played most of his career for the major league team in Louisville. The SABR biography reports that Pete Browning and John Reccius were boyhood friends and the three, along with others, played for a semi-pro club called the Eclipse. All three eventually ended up in an insane asylum in the Louisville area.

Through 2019, seven big leaguers have had the last name Wolf, not counting players whose last name is Wolff or Wolfe

Notable Achievements

• AA Batting Average Leader (1890)
• AA At-Bats Leader (1884)
• AA Hits Leader (1890)
• AA Total Bases Leader (1890)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1887)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1887 & 1890)

Related Sites

• Chicken Wolf at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Manager page