Bill Kenworthy

William Jennings "Duke" Kenworthy (July 4, 1886 – September 21, 1950) was a Major League Baseball second baseman. He played all or part of four seasons in the majors, two of which—1914 and 1915—were spent as the starting second baseman for the Kansas City Packers of the short-lived Federal League. Bracketed around that were short stints for the Washington Senators in 1912 (where he played in the outfield) and for the St. Louis Browns in 1917.[1]

Bill Kenworthy
Second baseman
Born: (1886-07-04)July 4, 1886
Cambridge, Ohio, US
Died: September 21, 1950(1950-09-21) (aged 64)
Eureka, California, US
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 28, 1912, for the Washington Senators
Last MLB appearance
May 8, 1917, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Batting average.304
Home runs18
Runs batted in146
Teams

Kenworthy was born to Ohio farmers and attended Muskingum College, where he received a teaching degree. He played minor league baseball as a pitcher and utility infielder from 1907 to 1911.[2] After a short stint with the Washington Senators in the 1912 season, Kenworthy spent the 1913 season in the Pacific Coast League.[1] In January 1914, Kenworthy signed a three-year contract with the Federal League's Kansas City Packers, which saw become the team's starting second baseman and the leading hitter. His 15 home runs in 1914 finished second in the league.[2]

In 285 games over four seasons, Kenworthy posted a .304 batting average (301-for-989) with 159 runs, 71 doubles, 21 triples, 18 home runs, 146 RBI, 61 stolen bases, 67 bases on balls, .360 on-base percentage and .473 slugging percentage. He finished his career with a .946 fielding percentage playing primarily at second base and several games at left and right field.[1]

In 1917, he gained a World War I draft exemption for a growth over one of his eyes; he aided the war effort by working at a shipyard in Oakland, California. He continued playing and managing in the minor leagues until 1924.[2]

Kenworthy drowned while fishing off the California coast on September 21, 1950.[2]

References
  1. "Duke Kenworthy Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  2. Nowlin, Bill. "Duke Kenworthy". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 4 July 2022.

Sources
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