Ed Willett

Robert Edgar Willett (March 7, 1884 – May 10, 1934), sometimes known by the nickname "Farmer", He moved to Caldwell, Kansas, in his youth.

Professional baseball career

Wichita Jobbers Willett began his professional baseball career in the Western Association, playing for the Wichita Jobbers in 1905 and 1906. He compiled a 10–5 win–loss record with a 2.69 earned run average (ERA) in 16 games during the 1905 season and a 12–17 record in 38 games for Wichita in 1906. On August 27, 1906, in his final game in a Wichita uniform, Willett held Webb City to one run in 15 innings. Although he lost more games than he won in 1906, he reportedly lost a number of games on flukes and was regarded by many as the best pitcher in the Western Association. Willett made his major league debut with Detroit on September 5, 1906, In the final month of the 1906 season, Willett appeared in three games, all as a starter, and compiled a 0–3 record with a 3.96 ERA. The Terriers finished in eighth place in the Federal League in 1914, and Willett compiled a career-worst 4–17 record with a 4.27 ERA in 27 games. In 1915, Willett returned to the Terriers, though he was converted into a relief pitcher. He appeared in 17 games, all but two games in relief, and compiled a 2–3 record with a 4.61 ERA. He appeared in his last major league game on September 23, 1915, at age 31.

Willett was an excellent fielding pitcher, consistently achieving a range factor in excess of the league average. Over his career, he had a range factor of 2.89 — 71 points higher than the league average of 2.09 for pitchers. In 1910, Willett had 113 assists in 224 innings pitched, meaning that he had an assist every other inning. His range factor of 3.38 in 1912 was a remarkable 1.43 points higher than the league average of 1.95 — meaning Willett got to nearly twice as many batted balls as the typical pitcher of his era. He led Ogden to the second half pennant. He remarried to Elizabeth White on October 25, 1910, in St. Louis.

Willett lived in Wellington, Kansas, in his later years and was managing an amateur baseball club there at the time of his death. he was found dead in his hotel room. He was buried at the Caldwell Cemetery in Caldwell, Kansas.