Wabishaw Spencer Wiley (February 1, 1887 – November 3, 1944), nicknamed "Doc", was a
catcher
Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...
in
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...
. He played from 1910 to 1924."Wabishaw Wiley" coe.ksu.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
Baseball career
Wiley was born on February 1, 1877, in
Vernon, Louisiana
Vernon Parish (French: ''Paroisse de Vernon'') is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 52,334. The parish seat is Leesville. Bordered on the west by the Sabine River, the parish was founde ...
. He began his career in 1910 as a catcher for the
West Baden Sprudels
The West Baden Sprudels were an early Negro league baseball team that played as an independent club owned by the Burnett-Pollard-Rogers Baseball Club Company, where Edward Rogers was the Chief Officer.
Founding
The Sprudels appear to have been ...
. He then played for the
Brooklyn Royal Giants
The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1905 by John Wilson Connor (1875–1926), owner of the Brooklyn Royal Cafe, the team initially played against white semi-pro teams. ...
in 1910 and 1911 before moving on to the
New York Lincoln Giants
The Lincoln Giants were a Negro league baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930.
Founding
The Lincoln Giants can trace their origins back to the Nebraska Indians, of Lincoln, Nebraska, from the 1890s. According to Sol White ...
. In 1913, he had a
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
of .398. The following season, he batted .418. He also batted .441 in 1918. Wiley, who caught
Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
pitcher
Cyclone Joe Williams
Joseph Williams (April 6, 1886 – February 25, 1951), nicknamed "Cyclone Joe" and "Smokey Joe", was an American right-handed pitcher in Negro league baseball. He is considered one of the greatest pitchers of all-time and was elected to the Nat ...
, was considered one of the best catchers of his era. His career ended in 1924.
Personal life
Wiley graduated from the
Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...
School of Dentistry. He practiced dentistry during his baseball career and had offices in New Jersey.
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Wiley volunteered for military service. He was discharged in 1919. He died in 1944 in
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Grand Lodge of New Jersey. He served in various positions, becoming Master of the lodge in 1934.
Wiley received votes listing him on the 1952 ''
Pittsburgh Courier
The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African-American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1907 until October 22, 1966. By the 1930s, the ''Courier'' was one of the leading black newspapers in the United States.
It was acqu ...
'' player-voted poll of the Negro leagues' best players ever."1952 Pittsburgh Courier Poll of Greatest Black Players" /ref>
Wiley was a member of The Historic Alpha Lodge No. 116, the first Masonic lodge composed primarily of African-Americans and recognized by the State Grand Lodge systems in the United States. Alpha Lodge No. 116 is under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. He served in various positions, becoming Master of his lodge in 1934.