William Dighton White (May 1, 1860 – December 29, 1937), was a professional baseball player who was mainly a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

in the Major Leagues for nine seasons from to . During his Major League career, he played for three different franchises: the

Pittsburgh Alleghenys The following is a history of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. Franchise beginnings (1870s-1899) Early baseball in Pittsburgh and the American Association The earliest mention of "base ball" in the region was found in the journal ...

in , the

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as ...

from 1886 to 1888, and the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...

, also in 1888. He led the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

(AA) in

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or ''fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner wit ...

s among shortstops for three consecutive seasons (1886–1888), and in 1887, he led all AA shortstops in assists and

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Leag ...

s as well. He was a member of the St. Louis Browns when they were champions of the AA, and went to face the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

in a post-season exhibition set of game, known as the "

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

". Although the Browns lost the 10 game series, White played in every game.

Career

Early years

White was born on May 1, 1860, in

Bridgeport, Ohio Bridgeport is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in eastern Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It lies across the Ohio River from Wheeling, West Virginia, at the mouth of Wheeling Creek (Ohio), Wheeling Creek and is connected by two bridge ...

, and he began his professional baseball career in 1883 with the Pottsville Antharcites of the International Association. During that season he is credited with making an appearance with the Philadelphia Quakers of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

, which consisted of one

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

without collecting a

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

American Association

In 1884, he signed with the

of the

(AA), and played in 74

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

, 60 of which were at shortstop; he had a batting average of .227 and ten

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

in 291 at bats. That season, he also played for the

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

team in the

Ohio State League The Ohio State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in numerous seasons between 1887 and 1947, predominantly as a Class D level league. League franchises were based in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Histo ...

. For the 1885 season, he remained in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

, playing for the

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Nationals of the Eastern League. In 1886, White signed a contract with

of the AA, which paid him $2000 for the season. His 143 hits in 135 games that season were his career high totals, as well as his 96 runs, and 17 doubles. He led the AA in

s for a shortstop for the first time in his career, and on October 9, against Bill Hart of the Philadelphia Athletics, he hit the first of his six career

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. Staying in Louisville for the season, White continued as their starting shortstop, and again led the AA in putouts, as well as

assist Assist or ASSIST may refer to: Sports Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team: *Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...

s and

s in 132 games played. He began the 1888 season with the Colonels, playing in 49 games before moving at midseason to play for the

, and led the AA in putouts for third time. At the conclusion of the season, the Browns went on to play the National League champion

in a set of exhibition games called the "

". In ten game, the Giants defeated the Browns six games to four, and White participated in all 10 games, but had a .143 batting average however.

Return to the minors

White returned to the minor leagues after the 1888 season, and play for the

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Grizzlies/Mountaineers of the Western Association in 1889, 1890, and partially in 1891. He also played for the

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

, of the Western Association for the remainder of the 1891 season. He began the 1892 season with the

Butte __NOTOC__ In geomorphology, a butte () is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from a French word mea ...

representative in the Montana State League, however he later joined the

Portland Webfeet The Portland Webfeet were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Northwest League. They were located in Portland, Oregon and played at Columbia Park (Portland), Columbia Park. They were active from to . In the Webfeet won the league cham ...

of the

Pacific Northwest League The Pacific Northwest League was a professional Minor League Baseball league based in the Pacific Northwest. It was the first professional baseball league ever in the region. History Founding The Pacific Northwest League was founded in 1890. I ...

. He moved on to play for the Augusta Electricians of the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...

for the 1893 season, and then the Bangor Millionaires of the

New England League The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League B ...

for the 1894 season, his last as player. After his playing days were over, White performed three different stints as the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of minor league clubs in

Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...

. The first took place for the 1896 Nailers of the

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassified ...

, then in 1901 for the Stogies of the Western Association, and finally for the 1905 Stogies of the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...

. White died in

Bellaire, Ohio Bellaire is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Belmont County, Ohio, Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Wheeling metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area, and Wheeling is across the Ohio ...

, at the age of 77, and is interred at Greenwood Cemetery of that city.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Bill 1860 births 1924 deaths Major League Baseball shortstops 19th-century baseball players Pittsburgh Alleghenys players Louisville Colonels players St. Louis Browns (AA) players Washington Nationals (minor league) players Denver Grizzlies (baseball) players Denver Mountaineers players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Portland Webfeet players Augusta Electricians players Bangor Millionaires players Burials at Greenwood Cemetery (Wheeling, West Virginia) Baseball players from Ohio People from Bridgeport, Ohio