Willie McGill

William Vaness McGill
(Kid)

• Bats Unknown, Throws Left
• Height 5' 6½", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut May 8, 1890
• Final Game June 12, 1896
• Born November 10, 1873 in Atlanta, GA USA
• Died August 29, 1944 in Indianapolis, IN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Willie "Kid" McGill, in spite of being only 16, made his major league debut in the Players League in 1890 and went 11-9 as a pitcher. His strikeouts per nine innings were fourth-best in the league.

The following year, split between two American Association teams, his ERA was 10th best in the league. He won 21 games in the last season that the AA existed.

He spent the rest of his major league career in the National League primarily during a lively ball era, and ended up with a career win-loss record of 72-74. His last season was at age 22.

Bill James once listed McGill as one of the Drinking Men (players noted for drinking) of the 1890s.

Johnny Evers, in Touching Second: The Science of Baseball, wrote that McGill was skillful at the art of "shadowing the ball", wherein a pitcher stepped to the side so that the pitched ball had no background except the pitcher's uniform, making it difficult for the hitter to see the ball.

After his major league days he played for a decade in the minors, several times for St. Paul. In 1917, he was head coach of Northwestern University and in 1929 and 1932, he was head coach at Butler University.

Notable Achievements

• 20 Wins Seasons: 1 (1891)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 3 (1891, 1893 & 1894)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (1893)

Further Reading

• Chuck Hildebrandt: "Sweet! 16-Year-Old Players in Major League History", Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 48, Nr. 1, Spring 2019, pp. 5-17.

Related Sites

• Willie McGill at the SABR Bio Project