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 Ken Williams and Stars of the St. Louis Browns Photo Gallery
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Another In the Series: Baseball’s Forgotten Stars!

St. Louis Browns’ Ken Williams

Many thanks to one of our loyal readers, Victoria Martin, for sending me the great book, St. Louis Browns, the Story of a Beloved Team, published by the St. Louis Brown’s Historical Society. Vicki is a devoted member of this venerable group and ably serves as it’s unofficial  “social secretary.” 

Vicki is my “St. Louis Browns expert,” and happens to be the niece of former major leaguer, Babe Martin. Vicki’s father was also a long-time baseball scout for the Dodgers and Giants after WWII and continued into the early 1950s. Vicki describes herself as perhaps “the only ‘little Scout’s girl’ at Spring training in Sanford, Florida!” Vicki has told me many times she has very fond memories of those wonderful days from her youth, and her love of baseball has never diminished. 

In the book, I read about a great Browns star from the 1920s who I knew little about: Ken Williams. After reading about him and his remarkable career, I think a strong case can be made that he’s been overlooked for the Hall of Fame. His career stats compare favorably with many others already enshrined. 

The Grants Pass, Oregon native played 14 seasons in the majors (1915-‘29), for the Reds (1915-’16), Browns (1918-’27), and Red Sox (1928-’29). Over his career, he posted a .319 batting average, with 196 home runs, 916 RBIs, .393 on-base percentage, .530 slugging average, and .924 OPS.  In 1922, Ken led the American League in home runs (39), and RBIs (155); and in 1925, led the league in slugging average (.613).

Ken finished in the top-four in the American League in home runs in seven consecutive seasons (1921–1927); ten seasons with a batting average above .300; and three seasons with 100 or more runs. He’s the St. Louis Browns’ all-time leader in on-base percentage (.403), slugging average (.558), and OPS (.961). He also holds the St. Louis Browns / Baltimore Orioles single-season record for RBIs (155).

1922 was the pinnacle year in Browns’ history. Along with George Sisler (hitting .420), Ken Williams was a mainstay of a great team that fell one game short of the American League pennant. As a team, the Browns hit .313. Only the 1921 Tigers’ mark of .316 is higher in major league history.

Check out these other career highlights for Ken Williams:

• With 39 home runs and 37 stolen bases in 1922, Ken became the first member of the prestigious “30-30 Club.” This feat wouldn’t be achieved again until Willie Mays did it in 1956.
• Also in 1922, Ken’s 39 homers and 155 RBIs dethroned Babe Ruth for the American League leadership in both categories. He was one of only two players to break Babe Ruth’s twelve-year string in which he led the American League in home runs, the other being  Bob Meusel.
• In the five-year stretch from 1921-1925, he compiled a .419 on-base percentage.
• On August 22, 1922, he became the first player to hit two home runs in the same inning.
• Ken was part of a great outfield trio, along with Baby Doll Jacobson and Johnny Tobin, that hit over .300 for five consecutive seasons from 1919 to 1923. No other outfield trio has ever accomplished this. If Tobin had one more hit in 1924, it would have been six consecutive seasons.
• Williams’ .319 career batting average ranks 53rd all-time in major league history. His .924 career on-base plus slugging and his .530 career slugging average, ranks 45th and 48th respectively all-time.
• In the 2001 book The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, Bill James ranked Williams as the 50th greatest left fielder of all-time.

Thanks again to Vicki Martin and the St. Louis Historical Society for providing this information on a truly great player from the 1920s who has been largely over-looked, Ken Williams.

Gary Livacari 

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Information: Excerpts edited from St. Louis Browns, The Story of a Beloved Team; and from the Ken Williams Wikipedia page.

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