Willie Foster
Foster dominated Negro League hitters like few pitchers ever have. That 1925 season with the Chicago American Giants represents one of the most statistically impressive campaigns in baseball history — posting an ERA+ of 281 means he was nearly three times better than the average pitcher that year.
The younger half-brother of Rube Foster, Willie carved out his own legend with a devastating curveball and pinpoint control. Over his 15-year career, he maintained a 2.66 ERA while striking out over 1,000 batters, compiling an ERA+ of 167 that speaks to sustained excellence across different teams and seasons.
His .202 batting average tells the story of a pure pitcher in an era when two-way players were common. Foster understood his role and mastered it completely, earning three All-Star selections and eventual Hall of Fame recognition in 1996.
Career · Hitting
15 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | MRS | 12 | 24 | 0 | 3 | .208 | — | — |
| 1924 | CAG | 13 | 22 | 0 | 1 | .136 | — | — |
| 1925 | CAG | 12 | 25 | 0 | 2 | .240 | — | — |
| 1926 | CAG | 27 | 60 | 1 | 5 | .250 | — | — |
| 1927 | CAG | 39 | 82 | 0 | 8 | .232 | — | — |
| 1928 | CAG | 29 | 77 | 0 | 8 | .221 | — | — |
| 1929 | CAG | 30 | 55 | 0 | 2 | .182 | — | — |
| 1930 | CAG | 33 | 71 | 0 | 6 | .239 | — | — |
| 1931 | HG | 14 | 41 | 0 | 1 | .024 | — | — |
| 1932 | CAG | 17 | 42 | 1 | 4 | .167 | — | — |
| 1933 | CAG | 14 | 32 | 1 | 5 | .281 | — | — |
| 1934 | CAG | 13 | 32 | 0 | 2 | .219 | — | — |
| 1935 | CAG | 12 | 31 | 0 | 2 | .194 | — | — |
| 1936 | PC | 8 | 20 | 1 | 1 | .100 | — | — |
| 1937 | CAG | 17 | 25 | 0 | 3 | .200 | — | — |
| Career | 290 | 639 | 4 | 53 | .202 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
15 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | MRS | 12 | 70.0 | 6 | 2 | 2.19 | 184 | 50 | 0.929 |
| 1924 | CAG | 13 | 66.7 | 7 | 1 | 2.16 | 191 | 53 | 1.065 |
| 1925 | CAG | 12 | 78.0 | 6 | 0 | 1.62 | 281 | 49 | 1.000 |
| 1926 | CAG | 27 | 174.7 | 13 | 4 | 1.80 | 228 | 111 | 0.979 |
| 1927 | CAG | 31 | 207.7 | 20 | 5 | 2.25 | 182 | 121 | 1.151 |
| 1928 | CAG | 27 | 195.0 | 13 | 8 | 2.95 | 140 | 119 | 1.256 |
| 1929 | CAG | 25 | 145.7 | 9 | 7 | 3.52 | 131 | 87 | 1.236 |
| 1930 | CAG | 26 | 159.0 | 11 | 8 | 2.89 | 166 | 132 | 1.264 |
| 1931 | HG | 13 | 103.0 | 10 | 2 | 2.27 | 181 | 88 | 1.097 |
| 1932 | CAG | 17 | 116.3 | 8 | 5 | 2.40 | 172 | 76 | 1.083 |
| 1933 | CAG | 13 | 83.7 | 6 | 4 | 2.47 | 156 | 61 | 0.968 |
| 1934 | CAG | 11 | 56.3 | 3 | 2 | 3.51 | 122 | 17 | 1.314 |
| 1935 | CAG | 11 | 82.3 | 5 | 4 | 2.84 | 153 | 31 | 1.275 |
| 1936 | PC | 8 | 46.0 | 4 | 3 | 4.50 | 102 | 21 | 1.370 |
| 1937 | CAG | 16 | 80.7 | 4 | 5 | 3.90 | 111 | 46 | 1.326 |
| Career | 262 | 1665.1 | 125 | 60 | — | — | 1062 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.