Watty Lee Explained

Watty Lee
Position:Outfielder / Pitcher
Bats:Left
Throws:Left
Birth Date:August 12, 1879
Birth Place:Lynch Station, Virginia
Death Place:Washington, D.C.
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:April 30
Debutyear:1901
Debutteam:Washington Senators
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:May 26
Finalyear:1904
Finalteam:Pittsburgh Pirates
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.242
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:4
Stat3label:Runs batted in
Stat3value:70
Stat4label:Win–loss record
Stat4value:30–37
Stat5label:Strikeouts
Stat5value:162
Stat6label:Earned run average
Stat6value:4.29
Teams:

Wyatt Arnold "Watty" Lee (August 12, 1879 – March 6, 1936) was a Major League Baseball outfielder and pitcher. He played all or part of four seasons in the majors, from until, for the Washington Senators and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Lee broke into the major leagues with the ascension of the American League to major league status in 1901. Playing for the Senators, Lee won 16 games, second on the team to Case Patten's 18 wins. He also played 7 games in the outfield and batted .256.

In 1902, Lee was moved to the outfield full-time, playing 96 games there. He batted .256 again and set career highs in every other major statistical category. He hit all four of his career home runs this season. Lee also pitched in 13 games with a record of 5–7.

1903 saw Lee splitting his time more evenly between pitching and the outfield. Lee played 47 games in the outfield and 22 games as a pitcher. His batting average slipped to just .208, but he had a career-best ERA of 3.08 while posting a record of 8–12.

Lee jumped to the National League in 1904, playing for the defending NL champion Pirates. He appeared in just 8 games, 5 as a pitcher and 3 as a pinch hitter. Although he went 4-for-12 at the plate for a .333 batting average, his pitching record was not nearly as good, as he posted a bloated 8.74 ERA while winning 1 game and losing 2.

While this was the end of Lee's major league career, he went on to a long career in minor league baseball. He continued to split his time between pitching and the outfield until, when he became a pitcher only. He finished his career in with the Richmond Virginians of the International League, with at least 142 wins in the minor leagues over a 16-year span.

Lee died of cardiac disease on March 6, 1936, in Washington, D.C.[1] He was interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Notes and References

  1. "Wyatt Lee, 56, Nats' Pitcher Early in Century, Dies Here." Washington Post. March 7, 1936.