Career Statistics
In a 13-year career, Killefer played in 1035 games, accumulating 751 hits in 3150 at bats for a .238 career batting average along with 4 home runs and 240 runs batted in. He had a career fielding percentage of .977. While he was not a powerful hitter, he possessed a strong throwing arm and a talent for working with pitchers. Killefer led National League catchers in fielding percentage four consecutive seasons from 1916 to 1919. He also led the league three times in putouts, assists and in baserunners caught stealing.
Killefer's reputation as a defensive standout is enhanced because of the era in which he played. In the Deadball Era, catchers played a huge defensive role, given the large number of bunts and stolen base attempts, as well as the difficulty of handling the spitball pitchers who dominated pitching staffs. Richard Kendall of the Society for American Baseball Research devised an unscientific study that ranked Killefer as the most dominating fielding catcher in major league history.
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